News

Up to a third of fuel consumption in cars is is spent in overcoming friction. However, both fuel consumption and emissions can be reduced by the use of new technology. This news comes from a joint study by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in USA. Innovative new technology can reduce friction by anything from 10-80% in various components of a car according to the study. And it should be possible to reduce car fuel consumption and emissions by 18% withi

The latest XG30090 skid steer loader from Xiamen XGMA Machinery (known as XGMA) is powered by a 50.8kW Yanmar 4TNV98 engine and has Bosch Rexroth hydraulics. The CE-marked machine has a rated load of 926kg, its 0.5m3 bucket has 24kN of breakout with 30° of rollback and a maximum dump height of 2375mm. Service access is simplified with a forward tilting cab.

Sri Lanka is struggling to deal with a road safety problem that is crippling and killing large numbers of its citizens. In the past three decades over 40,000 people have been killed and 68,440 seriously injured in 1,120,848 road mishaps in Sri Lanka according to official reports. Unreported accidents mean that the actual figures may be far higher however. Young people face particular safety problems in the country and in 2011 225 schoolchildren were killed in road accidents while 4,100 others critically inj

Allu has upgraded its screener crusher buckets with the introduction of the new six-model D-Series range suitable for excavators from 10 to 40tonnes and wheel loaders between five and 30tonnes. The design allows the buckets to be used for crushing demolition waste, asphalt and glass using replaceable hammer heads to produce end product between 25mm and 100mm. They can also be configured to screen materials with product size from 0-15mm, 0-25mm or 0-35mm and can be used for mixing in lime or other products

A consortium headed by Ecorodovias is taking over the concession for the BR-101 highway in Brazil. The road links the states of Espirito Santo and Bahia. The consortium led by Ecorodovias won the concession following competitive offer for the contract, despite tough competition from six other firms for the deal. Some US$1.21 billion will be invested in the highway by the consortium, in which Ecorodovias has an 80% stake and SBS holds a 20% share. Funds will be used to widen the road as well as for planned m

Liebherr took the wraps off two new tracked excavators at INTERMAT, catching many seasoned industry observers by surprise. The 24tonne R924 replaces the R916, while the heavier (50tonne) R956 succeeds the R954. The upgrade includes Stage IIIB engines featuring diesel particulate filters. The bigger machine can be specified with an extendable (LC-V) undercarriage, which has a 3metre travel width, meaning it can be transported on the roads of some countries without being disassembled.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is offering the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) advice on reducing unnecessary regulatory red-tape on transportation projects through improving the wetlands permissions process. ARTBA has submitted comments to the Corps in response to a government-wide regulatory review initiated by President Obama in 2011. This advice from ARTBA details specific recommendations to make wetlands permitting more efficient. ARTBA is working on ways to reduce u

Vehicle conversion specialist Procar is displaying a range of products. A welfare vehicle, based on a Citroen Relay, has a cooking and dining area and lockable drying facilities to the rear, while a pickup conversion on a Renault Master, available as single or double cab, can be specified with flooring and tail board options.

MS designs, manufactures and installs reliable and efficient solutions for liquids/solids separation and its stand at INTERMAT features a working display of the company’s technology. With increasingly strict environmental protection regulations affecting all areas of industry, MS supplies its solutions to three distinct areas of operation. They include the washing of aggregates, managing of waste products from underground works and solutions designed for civil engineering projects. The washing of aggregates

Sumitomo Construction Machinery intends to continue boosting export markets – a project that has been in hand for three years – according to vice president international sales Ichiro Shimada. “Sumitomo is dominant in Japan and we have 70% market share. But the market size is limited, maybe 400 units/year. We’re putting a lot of effort into the Chinese market,” said Shimada. Europe is another key market for Sumitomo and the firm is focussing on countries such as France, Poland and Switzerland, while it has a