News

The Volvo Group has removed Olof Persson from the role of president and CEO of the company. This move came following pressure from certain shareholders due to the group’s weak financial performance in recent years. Instead the Volvo group plans to appoint Scania’s head Martin Lundstedt to the role. Lundstedt will take the post in October 2015, with the Volvo Group’s chief financial officer, Jan Gurander, standing in as temporary president and CEO.

Italian infrastructure firm Tesmec has expanded its capabilities and its global reach with the acquisition of French company Marais Technologies on 27 March this year. The group, which supplies a range of technologies including trenchers for pipelaying and major infrastructure projects, was keen to make the most of its new French connection at Interbuild 2015. “France is one of the only markets that are investing in electrical cable and fibre,” said Tesmec chairman and chief executive Ambrogio Caccia Domin

Experts checked 45 stands at INTERMAT and found that seven were exhibiting machines not compliant with European Union regulations. CECE, the Committee for European Construction equipment, and CISMA, the French association of construction machinery manufacturers, toured the stands before the opening of the show.

The new Mecalac 12MTX features all the versatility of previous machines, with enhanced capabilities. The result is user-friendly, offering efficiencies in productivity and even fuel savings. “It has a very intuitive operating concept,” said Bianca Sierks-Schilling of Mecalac. “It’s a very versatile and efficient machine.”

The IMER Group was proudly displaying its prototype skid steer loader at Intermat 2015: the 3S, a ‘smart, sustainable, skid’. The new hybrid technology has been developed by the group’s earth moving business IHIMER which is a joint venture between the IMER Group and the construction machinery arm of Japanese giant the IHI Corporation.

JCB Power Systems, the engine business of the British equipment manufacturer, is experiencing growing demand for its products, thanks to its ability to meet Stage IV emissions regulations without a costly DPF. “We’ve struck some major deals with manufacturers,” said JCB Power Systems’ OEM engine sales and development manager Robert Payne. “Our OEM business is five times the size it was in 2009 and we saw 63% growth in OEM sales volumes from 2013 to 2014.”

New Intrame products were on display at INTERMAT Paris. They included the mixer from a Flow-Mix 220 continuous asphalt plant, driven by two 30 kw gear boxes and set for delivery in France.

Goodyear has unveiled robust tyres for port machinery and introduced new sizes of its wheeled loader tyres. It has also launched a tyre management system to help improving total cost of ownership. For port applications, the EV-4C and EV-4R are both size 18.00R25 and are particularly suited for container handling machines and straddle carriers, says the company. The EV-4C tyre has a deep tread design for use in wet conditions and to increase tyre life while reducing total cost of ownership.

Ninja Button Bits from Padley & Venables have earned good reviews in the field, with users saying the bits drill straighter. That is a key benefit as they are used primarily in blasting applications. “If the holes deviate, you don’t get the rock fragmentation you want,” said Steve Harper, product manager for Padley & Venables.

Haulotte has added to its range of masts, articulated booms and scissor lifts as part of an ambitious programme to increase its global market share. In the vertical mast market, where the company already has a leading share, Haulotte has introduced the Star 10 and Star 6 machines. Both masts feature AC electric drives that provide precise, smooth and agile handling, says the company. Zero tail swing and tight turning radius make them suitable for confined environments.

Some European equipment manufacturers are taking advantage of low currency values to boost sales at the moment. Hamm’s marketing manager Gottfried Beer said: “We see that with the exchange rate it’s a chance for us.” Both for Hamm and its rival BOMAG, for example, the low value of the European currency against the US dollar gives a significant price advantage. For US rental customers, this means that they can buy premium products from Europe at prices that would have previously been restricted to second ti

The new Genie Z-33/18 electric boom lift is just as comfortable indoors as out. “It’s small, compact, and can be used outside and inside,” said Philippa Makinson, marketing coordinator for Terex Aerial Work Platforms.

Poland-based backhoe loader parts specialist Cogito took its first step into the Western European market with its stand at INTERMAT 2015 in Paris. The company, which offers parts for JCB, Caterpillar and Volvo machines, is a major player in its market sector in Poland and across Eastern Europe. The debut has been successful. “We didn’t expect to attract as many customers as we have done,” says Marek Kaczmar, Cogito’s representative at INTERMAT.

Generac’s mobile products division, formerly known as Tower Light, unveiled a new cube version of its hybrid lighting tower. The hybrid towers offer significant savings in both cost and carbon - 86% and 72% respectively - when compared to standard tower lights. “We developed the hybrid in the UK with contractor Balfour Beatty,” said Generac’s UK MD Paul Hay. “Contractors are being asked not only for material and labour costs at tender but also being asked how they will reduce their carbon footprint.”