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High quality Desert Cream Granite is being extracted from a sprawling 300ha site in Mungeria, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The Barmer district in West India spreads forms part of the Great Indian Desert, also known as the Thar Desert. In summer months temperatures can soar to 51°C and drop to freezing point in winter, while Barmer is also home to a specialty stone, the durable Desert Cream Granite.

Compact equipment manufacturer Wacker Neuson reports an upturn in its business in the third quarter of 2013. This comes despite the difficult economic climate. The firm’s revenue for the third quarter of 2013 was 8.6% higher than the same period in 2012 and reached €276.3 million, compared €254.5 million in the previous year. Taking into account currency fluctuations, this represents an increase of 13% according to the firm. “When viewed against negative trends in certain markets, we can be satisfied with t

Indian company IL&FS Transportation Networks (IL&FS Transportation) will push ahead with vital major national road projects after securing loans worth more than US$480 million from lenders such as Yes Bank, IndusInd Bank and IL&FS Financial Services. Of the loaned amount, $211.84 million from Yes Bank will be used to help finance the expansion of the Khed-Sinnar Section of NH-50 in Maharashtra to four lanes, while another $272.43 million from IL&FS Financial Services and IndusInd Bank will be used to hel

Caterpillar is focussing on developing solutions for key markets with machine designed specifically for China and built in its Chinese manufacturing operations. The new Caterpillar machines being introduced at BICES include the M

XCMG has seen strong exports, with one deal in particular providing a major boost to turnover - Mike Woof writes It is rare that a single machine order can provide a substantial portion of a large manufacturer’s annual results. However the firm’s massive contract signed with the Venezuelan Government was a major boost to XCMG; the supply of no less than 6025 machines in a deal worth some US$750 million. This order came at an important time for the company when the world demand for construction equipment sl

SDLG and Volvo CE are adopting a dual brand approach – Mike Woof writes. Chinese firm SDLG and its European partner Volvo CE are working on a novel arrangement that will see the two companies use a dual brand marketing strategy. While the sales channels in these markets will remain distinct, some back office services and parts logistics will be shared, affording SDLG much greater customer support than offered by other Chinese exporters

A report published by HSBC suggests that global infrastructure-related trade growth will double worldwide economic expansion and will triple in size by 2030. The report also suggests that Brazil and Mexico will drive the rise in imports and exports of infrastructure-related goods in Latin America, according to Business News Americas. HSBC said that between 2013 and 2030, infrastructure-related trade looks set to grow at an average of 9%/year. It will also see a rise in its share of overall merchandise trade

The authorities in India are continuing the process of investment in toll road projects and general road construction. Plans call for some US$27 billion of road projects to be awarded in India by the end of October 2013. Included in the plans are four toll road projects, such as for construction of the Agra-Lucknow expressway, an eight lane highway that will be carried out by Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority. So far in 2013, only 479km of projects have been awarded by the National

New diesel developments from JCB and Volvo Innovative diesel technologies are being developed by all the major engine manufacturers at present. New emission requirements have pushed the boundaries in terms of technology, with all the firms working on new systems to ensure their products meet requirements. And companies are also developing new engine sizes to broaden their range of offerings to the market.

The world’s leading tolling solution providers have achieved significant deals in recent months emphasising the importance of their latest and proven technology. Guy Woodford reports Kapsch TrafficCom North America (Kapsch), part of Kapsch TrafficCom Group, has been awarded a five-year US$30 million contract by Canadian Tolling Company International (Cantoll). The contract will see the leading tolling technology manufacturer supply its next generation TDMA V6 Interior Transponder, also known as an onboar

The forthcoming 29th edition of Samoter, the Italy-based International Triennial earthmoving and building machinery exhibition, represents the perfect opportunity for Italian construction machine manufacturers to showcase their expertise to leading national and international industry figures. The keenly awaited show taking place alongside Alsphaltica in Verona from 8-11 May 2014 could provide a huge boost to the tough domestic Italian construction machine sales market while, also, boosting vital export l

India’s Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) has proposed that the country’s central government allocate more than €668 million (INR 56.1 billion) for the Amritsar-Delhi-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (ADKIC). The 15-year funding would develop an Integrated Manufacturing Cluster in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Haryana, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttarakhand where the 150km-200km corridor passes. The ADKIC’s 20-city spread will be aligned to the Eastern Development Freight Corridor (EDFC) and will use the Public P

A new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) places India as having the highest annual road fatalities of any country in the world. The study is based on data collected from 11 May-13 December 2011, with 130,037 having been killed on India’s roads during this period. China had the next highest number of road deaths at 70,134, followed by Brazil at 36,499, the US with 32,885 and Russia with 26,567. Next in the list were were Iran, Mexico, South Africa, and Thailand, with 23,249, 17,301, 14,804, and 13

Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T), an internationally acclaimed Indian technology, engineering, construction and manufacturing company, has worked on some of the iconic projects across the world and has been expanding its reach internationally. The company has a strong presence in Oman and is currently working on major road and infrastructure projects. As a speaker for the Oman Land Transport Infrastructure Summit 2013, IQPC Middle East, the event organisers, spoke to John Alan Lewis, the head of quality,

The supply and demand for bitumen around the world is changing; refineries, suppliers and contractors must all make changes too - Kristina Smith reports These are interesting times for those supplying and buying bitumen. Almost every part of the picture is in flux: global demand is shifting dramatically; major suppliers are following demand; refineries are closing down or stopping production of bitumen. “In Europe and globally there is a very big chain of events happening,” said Bernd Schmidt, CEO o

Savoy Computing has released a new version of its turning simulation program Autotrack 11, which extends and updates its support for a wide variety of base platforms as well as introducing new features. The software now supports the latest AutoCAD 2014, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2014 and other AutoCAD 2014 verticals and also will run in Bentley programs such as InRoads, MX and Power Civil. Updates for Bentley include support for full 3-axis vehicle rock and roll on 3D surface terrains, vertical headroom clearance an

With nearly 400 participants from 21 countries and tribal nations, the recent 2013 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) held in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, was a resounding success – writes Leonard Sielecki The five-day conference ran from June 23rd-27th 2013, and attracted transportation planners, engineers, environmentalists, and academics from national and state agencies, universities, and non-government organisations. It was organised and co-sponsored by the Center for Trans

A parent in India has been charged by police following an incident in which a nine year old child was allowed to drive a car. The affluent parent allowed his son to drive his Ferrari in the Southern state of Kerala, while the boy’s seven year old brother sat alongside him. The man’s wife made a video of the boy’s prowess behind the wheel of the performance car and this was then posted online. The police were rather less than impressed however and charged the vehicle owner with endangering the life of the ch

FLSmidth has received an order from Indian cement manufacturer Orient Cement for the supply of main equipment for a greenfield plant in the state of Karnataka in southern India. The plant will have a capacity of 6,000tonnes/day, and the order is reportedly worth over DKK 200 million. Under the agreement, the order covers engineering and supply of main equipment from limestone crusher to packing plant. FLSmidth will supply key components for raw material crushing equipment, limestone, coal and additive stor

The World Bank is providingUS$99 million in funding to Nepal for a major transport project. The funding will come in the form of loans and grant assistance and is aimed at the Nepal-India Regional Trade and Transport Project (NIRTTP). This project includes the improvements to the Birgunj-Kathmandu corridor as well as the construction of a series of upgrades of the existing Narayanghat-Mugling road. The work will also include the construction of a logistics centre. The loans are worth $72 million while $27 m