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Engineering specialist Ramboll has acquired the US-based global consultancy, ENVIRON. The deal gives Ramboll a strong market position globally, particularly in the environmental sector. At the time of the acquisition, the combined revenue of Ramboll and ENVIRON exceeds US$1.7 billion, of which 34% will be generated outside the Nordic countries. Measured on revenue the US will become the fourth biggest geography after Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Commenting on the acquisition Ramboll Group CEO Jens-Peter

In India plans are in hand to construct a new tunnel ring road for Mumbai. The project is expected to cost as much as US$14.4 billion. However the Indian Government is keen to reduce the construction costs considerably. The bypass tunnel would be connected with the planned highway linking to Ahmedabad. The aim of the bypass tunnel project would be to help reduce congestion in the city’s historic centre, by diverting through traffic.

JCB has won one of the biggest engine supply deals after securing an annual contract with Terex GB worth around £4.5 million. The agreement sees JCB supply Terex with engines for site dumpers made at Terex’s plant in the city of Coventry. The engines, made by JCB Power Systems in Derbyshire, UK, will be the fuel efficient Ecomax 55kW/74HP stage3B/Tier 4 Final models. Initially, they will power two Terex site dumper models, the TA6 and TA6S. JCB chief executive Graeme Macdonald said the “major mil

Simply banning cars in parts of major cities will not necessarily greatly improve the air quality over time, a new report has found. The answer for cutting carbon emissions is to get the right balance of private and public transportation along with infrastructure developed to sustain the mix, according to the International Transport Forum (ITF), a think tank within the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The ITF evaluated the potential impact of transport policies on urban carbon

The bauma China 2014 event held in Shanghai from 25th-28th November set a series of records, most notably with its attendance hitting 191,000 visitors, an increase of 6% from the previous show in 2012. The show had a very strong international presence with visitors from 149 countries, as well as a strong showing in respect to international buyers, up some 12% from 2012. Meanwhile there were 3,104 exhibitors from 41 countries, an increase of 14%. The four day bauma China 2014 event was held at the Shanghai N

IJM, one of Malaysia’s largest construction conglomerates, has bailed out of a deal to buy the highways concession business SILK. SILK Holdings, owner of the subsidiary SILK, Sistem Lingkaran-Lebuhraya Kajang, and IJM agreed to end the US$118 million takeover deal that was announced in June, the Sun newspaper reported. SILK holds the concession for the 37km Kajang Traffic Dispersal Ring Road, also called the Silk Highway, until 2037. The road opened in 2004. IJM noted in June, in its filing of intention

Hydraulic breakers and compressors from Chicago Pneumatic are proving productive in India’s expanding granite building stone industry. The Kerala-based granite quarry, National Granite and Hollow Bricks, is successfully using CP1150 and RX22 hydraulic breakers as well as a CPP60E portable air compressor for its key breaking and drilling operations.

A new two-lane road has been built in Meghalaya, India, providing a challenging project for the construction team The new road lies at a comparatively high altitude and provides a bypass around Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya and which is one of the smallest states in India. Shillong is located 1,496m above sea level, with the highest point being Shillong Peak at almost 2,000m, and the area has a much cooler climate than the rest of tropical India. Shillong is also only 55km away from Mawsynram, which is

Kobelco Construction Machinery has posted its semi-annual results for the 2014 financial year. The results give grounds for caution as well as some optimism however. In the Japanese hydraulic excavator market, a significant decline was expected initially in response to the impact of last-minute demand in the previous financial year. However, the decline was less than expected owing to strong domestic demand. As a result, the total domestic demand for heavy hydraulic excavators in the first half decreased by

India’s construction sector is well positioned to take advantage of business opportunities when the government moves to revitalise the frail economy, as visitors to this year’s bC India show will find out. New roads, power plants, airports and other infrastructure have been promised by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his Bhartiya Janta Party comes off a May election with a clear majority.

JCB has celebrated 35 years of manufacturing in India with the opening of two factories in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, just outside the capital Jaipur. Despite the Indian construction equipment market declining this year by 20%, JCB said it has invested US$92 million to build the factories – the UK-based group’s largest single construction project in its 69-year history. JCB said the plants covering around 47 hectares on a single site will have almost 93,000m2 of manufacturing space and when full

Zoomlion is confident of future growth in its share of the world market for construction machines - Mike Woof writes Chinese manufacturers now lead the world in both lifting and concrete delivery systems, with Zoomlion featuring a particularly high profile. As one of the biggest manufacturers of construction equipment in China, Changsha-based Zoomlion is now a leading player worldwide in truck cranes, crawler cranes and tower cranes in particular. The firm recently raised its profile by combining its mobil

SANY president Wenbo Xiang is confident for the firm’s future as a major international player - Mike Woof reports One of China’s biggest and most powerful companies, the SANY Group is looking to further expansion.

Vietnam is considering selling its ownership in several major highways to help pay for more road projects. The Ministry of Transport (MoT) recently said that the government’s infrastructure investor body Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment (VIDIFI), would sell 70% of its ownership in the Hanoi–Hai Phong Highway project to a buyer from India. The move is part of a strategy that could see Vietnam sell off more of its investment in highway projects, either under construction or complete

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded a highway widening contract worth US$202 million (INR 12.32 billion) to IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company. IL&FS will widen to four lanes 127km of the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi section of NH-83 in the north eastern Indian state of Bihar. The project is due for completion in three years and it will be undertaken under the Official Development Assistance Loans programme of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In India work is in hand for six new highways in Gujarat State. Approval for the projects has been given by the Indian Government. The new links will be two lane National Highways. The longest of the six links will be the 181km connection between Mahuva and Jetpur, with the next longest being the 165km Radhanpur-Charada stretch and followed by the 163km section between Bhimasar and Khavda. There will also be a 106km stretch between Ahwa and Pipaliya close to Maharashtra border, the Dhoraji-Jamnagar measurin

The Wirtgen Group reports that strong financial performance is expected for 2014. Full results are not yet available for 2014 but the privately held, family owned firm is confident for good results. Joint president Jürgen Wirtgen said, “Sales for 2014 will reach €1.95 billion.” He explained that for the first half of 2013, turnover reached €285 million, whereas for the first six months of 2014, turnover reached €329 million, a jump of 15%. The second half of the year is also looking healthy with the firm on

Funding has been found to finance India’s infrastructure investment into National Highway 1 in Jammu & Kashmir. A deal by ICICI Bank and Srinagar Sonmarg Tunnelway is providing the necessary loans for the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road and tunnel link. The project involves building a 6km road and 6.5km tunnel and the concession deal also involves maintenance and operation of the link. Srinagar Sonmarg Tunnelway, is a 49:51 joint venture combined of IL&FS Transportation Networks and Soma Enterprises.

The authorities in India have revealed that a series of major road projects are commencing. Plans are in hand for the new Biju Expressway project, which is costing close to US$528 million. The project will deliver a new corridor between Rourkela and Jagdalpur, connecting the four Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput districts of Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nawrangpur and Koraput with four districts of western Odisha; Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Bargarh. The first phase is for the upgrading of a 402km stretch of roa

The Forum for Transport Construction and Logistics of Silk Road Economic Belt was held recently in Xinjiang. Zeng Guang’an, Chairman of Guangxi LiuGong Machinery and President of Guangxi LiuGong Group attended the forum and gave a speech, “LiuGong Supports Transit Construction along the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB)”.