Earthmoving & soil compaction

The Liebherr Group now has a new logistics centre located at Oberopfingen, Germany. This facility is supplying customers around the world with spare parts for the firm’s wheeled and crawler excavators, wheeled loaders and bulldozers, as well as some other machines. The new facility has been opened followinga policy of centralisation of parts supply. Work started to construct the facility in mid-2013.

Improving technologies for machine control systems continue to deliver increases in efficiency for contractors - Mike Woof writes Machine control technologies have continued to develop as the specialist suppliers in this fiercely fought sector seek to find a competitive advantage over their rivals. The key players, Leica Geosystems, MOBA, Topcon and Trimble, have all been pushing the boundaries with their latest technologies. Although the systems these firms are introducing are aimed at a number of differen

while worldwide for 2015 a crystalball would be helpful, in Europe the sector has already listed specific priorities it wants to tackle, and among these are the upcoming emissions regulations (see separate story), external trade and access to foreign markets, and market surveillance.

Machine control technologies are revolutionising construction – Dan Gilkes writes Electronic control of engines, transmissions and hydraulic systems, primarily to reduce exhaust emissions and boost productivity, is also providing manufacturers with an opportunity to incorporate increasingly complex machine control into their equipment. This in turn has the potential to make the machinery more productive, further cutting fuel consumption as part of a virtuous operational circle.

Chinese construction equipment firms have been building their operations in local markets – but are now looking to develop globally - Mike Woof writes In recent years Chinese construction equipment manufacturers have been able to capitalise on local demand in the home market. The rapid rate of expansion of transport infrastructure, fuelled by government spending, led to a massive need for construction machines. The country’s manufacturers have grown rapidly in size, investing enormously in factory capacity

As a result of the agreement Shantui will now supply the organisation with over USD$4 million worth of equipment. Consisting of 240kW SD32 bulldozers and 20tonne class SE210 excavators, the machines will be used as part of a programme employing youths to develop infrastructure throughout the country. The machines were successfully shipped from the Port of Tianjin in late February 2015. The negotiations were conducted by a joint effort between Shantui and AVIC International, a team which was also responsib

Shantui is supplying a major export order for hydrostatic bulldozers to the Philippines in a key move Shantui recently completed its first bulk export of hydrostatic bulldozers, delivering them to the Philippines. The shipment included 27 units of the 75kW class hydrostatic SD10YE and 51 units of the 97kW SD13-2. This is the first time a large number of hydrostatic bulldozers were shipped by Shantui as a bulk order. The equipment is to be used by the Philippines customer on a large-scale infrastructure d

Demand for telematics technology is growing, as equipment users begin to lean the value of these systems – Alan Dron reports With construction projects increasingly operating to wafer-thin profit margins, any technological assistance that can keep the accounts in the black is welcome. This is particularly the case with those projects where contractors can share a larger slice of the profits if they complete their work ahead of schedule. The downside, of course, is that they also share the pain if the

Caterpillar’s hallmark has been to stake its brand value on the ability to improve on products already considered very good. So it was with some pride that the global group unveiled its new 313F L GC tracked excavator during a dealer and media demonstration conference in Malaga, southern Spain in early March. The 313’s close cousin is the 312E, a high-use machine designed to put in long hours to maximise the owner’s productivity over the machine’s life cycle. The machine’s owner likely gets paid by the h