News

When a devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Iran’s northwestern province of East Azerbaijan earlier in 2012, the impact on the population was enormous. Over 300 people were killed while over 3000 were injured. XGMA’s Iranian dealer Sadaf Machine responded to the earthquake quickly by sending machines and operators to join the rescue operations in the town of Varzaghan near the City of Ahar and the provincial capital of Tabriz, just one day after the the earthquake struck. More than 80% of the buildings

Cheng Gong’s new factory in the central city Chengdu was completed in 2011. This state-of-the-art facility is capable of producing up to 30,000 units/year, although current production is below that level following the downturn in Chinese domestic demand. Like many of its larger Chinese competitors, Cheng Gong is using the lull to focus more of its attention on developing its export business. It currently sells most of its export machines to Africa, the Middle East and South America, but is targeting all eme

XCMG claims it is well positioned to capitalise on demand from the crane sector. The global crane industry experienced rapid growth before 2005, and a market rebound between 2005 and 2010. Meanwhile, construction projects have encouraged innovation in large-scale hoisting technology, and companies have responded with higher speeds, new crane categories and improved tonnage. From 2010-2012, the demand for cranes reduced due to the tight macro-economic environment both at home and abroad, but the supply capac

Volvo Construction Equipment is unveiling new products and services at bauma China, including tailor-made solutions for the Chinese market. New-to-the-market machines include the L105 wheeled loader, which has been tailored to the specific needs of customers in China. The company is also showcasing its D-Series and the brand new EC80D excavator. With the ability to quickly change attachments, the powerful mid-sized L105 wheeled loader can quickly be adapted to a range of varied tasks. Its six-cylinder Volvo

Fiat Industrial said it is targeting a definitive merger agreement with CNH Global within the next few days after receiving a positive response to its best and final proposals from CNH’s Special Committee. Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Industrial’s chairman, said: “We are pleased with the Special Committee’s determination that it views favourably Fiat Industrial’s improved best and final terms for the proposed merger. Work remains to be done, however, over the next few days to finalise the required definitive doc

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) is organising the first-ever conference focusing solely on issues related to environment, health and safety at asphalt plants and paving sites. Beyond Compliance: Achieving EH&S Excellence, which will be co-located with the 2013 World of Asphalt event in San Antonio, Texas, aims to help companies develop a world-class safety culture. The NAPA conference first between March 17–18 is designed for environmental and health and safety managers at asphalt firms, bu

Hill & Smith Holdings PLC, the international group with leading positions in the supply of infrastructure products and galvanising services to global markets, said performance of the group between July 1 and November 14, 2012, had been “robust”. Net debt as at 31 October 2012 was £93.3m, compared with £89.1m as reported at the half year. The increase, revealed in Hill and Smith’s Interim Management Statement, was said by the Group to principally reflect its investment in a new galvanising plant in the USA,

The Indian government and the state government of Assam signed an agreement with the World Bank for a US$320 million loan for the Assam State Roads Project. According to a statement, the project will be carried out over a period of six years and it will comprise three components: road improvement; road safety management; and road sector modernisation and performance. The statement also said that the project aimed to improve road connectivity in Assam and support its Public Works Road Department to effective

Czech Transport Minister Pavel Dobes believes a recent amendment to the land expropriation law, which has been approved by the Czech Senate in November 2012, will reduce the cost of current construction projects by 10%-15%. The ministry is also said to be keen to further lower the price of motorways construction by reducing the number of exits and interchanges, and will require a financial support from those municipalities which will want their own motorway exits.