Engines, Components & Tyres

The new Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe)/HCME European Parts Depot has been officially opened. At the Oosterhout facility, southern Netherlands, the guest of honour was Hitachi Construction Machinery president Michijiro Kikawa, who gave a speech to other guests at the ceremony, among them Mitsuhiro Tabei, president of HCME. He then presented representatives from the parts depot with a special Japanese maple tree, which was planted in front of the building.

The new Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe)/HCME European Parts Depot has been officially opened. At the Oosterhout facility, southern Netherlands, the guest of honour was Hitachi Construction Machinery president Michijiro Kikawa, who gave a speech to other guests at the ceremony, among them Mitsuhiro Tabei, president of HCME. He then presented representatives from the parts depot with a special Japanese maple tree, which was planted in front of the building. In his address, Mr Kikawa emphasised the imp

New engine emission regulations pose major challenges for engine manufacturers - Geoff Ashcroft reports. The arrival of emissions regulations in January for engines over 130kW has meant that engine makers have adopted varied technologies to meet and exceed those goals. For the end user though, buying new kit that complies with Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB emissions regulations is likely to carry additional costs.

Caterpillar has introduced the next generation of articulated trucks, with the new B Series models, which now include the 735B, offering a 32.7tonne payload; the 740B (39.5tonnes), and the 740B EJ with ejector body (38tonnes).

Simex, the Italian manufacturer of attachments for earthmoving machines, says that 2010 closed with highly satisfactory sales result, and it now plans to show its entire product range. The company is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

For the last two years a team of European partners has been examining the interaction between vehicle tyres and road surfaces. According to the UK's TRL, one of the partners in the European project Tyrosafe (Tyre and Road Surface Optimisation for Skid resistance And Further Effects), devices to measure skid resistance were developed at the forerunner of the UK's TRL in the 1930s.

Berco says field test prove that its new ROBUSTUS (ROtating BUShing Track Undercarriage System) increases track life by 35% with a maximum of 6,000 hours of operation and reduces operating costs by 15-25%.

Upgrades to Dynapac's Racoon+ poker drive include rubber protection against shocks and prevent the drive unit's body from being in direct contact with dust, helping to protect the electric motor. This flex shaft concrete vibrator is a complete high frequency vibration system eminently suited for daily operation on small and medium sites for applications such as walls, floors and pre-cast fabrication.

WORK ON a major upgrade at a busy German road junction is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. To assist in the project, two Putzmeister large-boom concrete pumps, an M 58-5 from Berger Beton and an M 62-6 from BFM Betonförderdienst in Munich, arrived at the Neufahrn motorway junction, north of the city. The junction, when viewed from above, looks like a flatly pressed four-leaf clover, and can no longer cope with traffic volumes. Two national motorways, the A 9 and the A 92, intersect at the

Engine manufacturers have had to jump through regulatory hoops in recent years, meeting requirements for diesels with ever cleaner exhaust emissions. When this programme was first proposed, many believed the final aims could not be achieved. However on January 1st 2011, the Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB emissions regulations will come into force in North America and Europe and all the major diesel manufacturers will have suitable products at the ready. The Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB emissions regulations require