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The Power Curber 5700-C series has been engineered and designed to provide customers with an easy-to-operate, reliable and productive machine, which the company claims is the number one seller. The 5700-C is compact, providing the operator with an excellent view of the concrete as it exits the mould and any activity around the machine. A direct drive high torque auger conveyor is preferred to a conveyor belt, providing faster movement of concrete regardless of the incline of the conveyor.

More than 200 companies are preparing to take part in INTERMAT Middle East being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from October 8-10 2012. Guy Woodford spoke to the ambassador of the UAE to France and senior figures in three exhibiting companies about the significance of the event and what they are looking to achieve through it.

Swedish firm Combi Wear Parts is aiming for a bucket-load of new business by showcasing its wide range of bucket protection products at INTERMAT. “Our biggest sales market is in Germany followed by the US,” said Niclas Wechselberger, the company’s marketing manager. Wechselberger said many companies are using their products, including teeth and lip, side and heel shroud protectors, on construction machines engaged in dredging applications.

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) is evaluating demand for its ZH200 Hybrid excavator in Europe. The 20 tonne excavator, which is already sold in Japan, uses a hydraulic/electric swing motor to generate electrical power under braking, which is stored in a capacitor alongside the machine’s cooling pack. The electrical power is used to boost slew speed and also feeds a secondary hydraulic motor, to assist the diesel engine when there is a demand for hydraulic power.

Liebherr’s new Mobilmix 2.5 is a container-mounted mixing plant system developed for large construction sites. This plant offers a capacity of 110m3/hour of compacted concrete and is designed for mobility. The plant’s components are housed in modular containers that can be easily transported and linked together on-site. Once erected, the container modules form a weather-proof structure that can be equipped with additional insulation for use in severe climatic conditions.

LiuGong Construction Machinery says doubling its North American-based equipment sales in 2011, compared to the previous 12 months, reinforces the company's goal of being among the world’s top ten equipment manufacturers by 2015. The China-based firm claims much of its sales growth is due to its expanding network of dealers and staff throughout the United States and Canada.

Astec has brought along a detailed model of a complete relocateable asphalt plant to explain the key features. The plant incorporates double-barrel technology. A continuous process delivers virgin aggregates or 50% recycled material into the inner drum where it is dried. The aggregate then drops out to the outer drum, where bitumen is injected. Advantages include guaranteed mixing times and being able to heat the material within a single system.

ACE Pro – Ammann’s flagship system for monitoring and controlling compaction – is now available with GPS, allowing the operator to map the progress of compaction on-site. ACE Pro with GPS feeds absolute compaction data values back into the roller to automatically adjust amplitude and frequency to achieve the target compaction rate. It’s clever enough to stop compacting when the correct level is reached.

Italian manufacturer Merlo has developed an automatic chassis levelling and stabilisation system for its ROTO range of rotating telescopic handlers. Rather than using individual controls for each stabiliser leg, the operator pushes a button to both level the chassis and stabilise the machine for heavy lifting. This greatly reduces set-up time and increases safety.

Putting his best foot forward: Nylacast marketing executive Junaid Makda shows off the company’s new Bigfoot spreader plates. Made from Nylon, which is 1.6 times stronger than polyethylene, they come in 500 to 1,220mm sizes. An anti-slip coating is applied to the top surface and the customer’s name can be etched into each pad along with a serial number and contact details.

Perkins used INTERMAT to reveal its six-cylinder solution to meet US EPA Tier 4 Final/EU Stage IV emissions regulations due in 2014. Top of the six-cylinder range is the twin turbo, 1206F-E70TTA – a 7litre engine capable of producing up to 225kW. Key to the engine’s cleanliness is a revised emissions module that now adds an SCR system to the existing DOC and DPF elements, but without increasing its physical size.

Finnish company REMU is keen for its Big Float 800 floating excavator to be a splash hit following its launch this week at INTERMAT. The amphibious machine weighs in at 12,500kg and can be transported even with three-axel trucks. With a boom length of 7.7m and digging depth of 4.1m the Big Float 800, like REMU’s other Big Float models, is completely floating and can be brought to a job site by land using its tracks or towed or driven with propellers along waterways.

Terex has introduced the production version of its Twin Drive TC16 mini excavator. Equipped with both a 13kW diesel engine and an 11kW electric motor, the 1.9tonne machine can be used in confined spaces with zero exhaust emissions. A 15m cable reel is installed behind the cab, allowing the machine to travel under electric power.