Features

Major manufacturers have unveiled new paving machines at key events in the US and Europe in recent months - Mike Woof reports The recent World of Asphalt and Intermat exhibitions have seen the introduction of several new asphalt paving machines. Major manufacturers were present at both events, with several new models being unveiled. The focus on World of Asphalt, held in the US city of Baltimore, was understandably on pavers for the North American and Latin American markets. Meanwhile new pavers on show at

FEHRL recently held the FIRM15 event in Brussels, focussing on innovative maintenance of transport infrastructure In all some 110 transport infrastructure research experts from Europe and beyond met for the 2015 FEHRL Infrastructure Research Meeting (FIRM15) at the Diamant Centre in Brussels, Belgium. These professionals discussed the overall theme of 'Innovative maintenance of transport infrastructure: Faster, cheaper, more reliable, safer and greener'. Throughout the two-day conference, several solution

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.

A raft of global pressures is driving developments in the materials and equipment we use for the handling, storage and treatment of bitumen. The goal is to achieve better performance and longer life for less financial outlay, and at the same time overcome the challenges of inconsistent and varying bitumen supplies. Kristina Smith reports.

Autonomous and remote control machines are not about to take over the world, but they can provide efficiency gains and savings in some operations – Colin Sowman writes The thought of autonomous machines may conjure up visions of an Orwellian future where society works for the ‘common good’ defined by an all-powerful being and in which people are insignificant in terms of their needs, aspirations and physical wellbeing; of machines that relentlessly carry out their task regardless of anybody or anything that

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

A Brazilian extraction operation is using a Rammer 3288 hydraulic hammer in a secondary breaking application The unit is helping maximise production at a facility in Brumadinho. The 2.04tonne hydraulic hammer is being used to increase the production of Itabirite at the FLAPA Mining site. Part of the Top Mix Group, the company operates in the heavy construction, dredging, mining, assembly and operation of processing and ore crushing plants. At the company’s Fábrica Mine, Jangada Mine, Capão Xavier Mine

The implementation of a new strategy looks set to lead to strong development among infrastructure-related industries in export markets for Chinese firms. And as an industry leader in the production of construction machinery, Zoomlion has long been preparing to compete against the major international companies At the bauma China 2014 event in Shanghai, Zoomlion gave an insight into its international ambitions according to the firm. At the show, the senior director in charge of Zoomlion overseas business,

Russia’s road building programme looks set to be cut due to economic issues - Eugene Gerden writes The Russian Government is considering a significant cut to the existing road building programme for the current year. This is due to a current economic crisis in the country, caused by Western sanctions as well as a collapse in the price of oil and gas.

In Azerbaijan an Astec batching plant is said to be giving a major contractor an advantage over its competition The firm, Aztikintiyol, is one of the leading producers of aggregates and hot-mix asphalt in Azerbaijan and decided to expand its operations into the southern regions of the country. The need for asphalt in this area was growing as there is massive infrastructure development close to the border with neighbouring Iran taking place. However a simple plant was not suitable as the firm required

The Detroit River is short, only 45km, and narrow in places, less than 1km. Around a quarter of the annual $658 billion Canada-US trade crosses over the river. That’s $160 billion worth of goods trucked each year between Detroit in the US state of Michigan and the Canadian city of Windsor in the province of Ontario - the Windsor-Detroit Corridor. There are several types of crossings, but the vast majority of commercial traffic must use the 2.3km Ambassador Bridge (see box). A new bridge was initially prop

No sooner had senior managers told a roomful of journalists that corporate restructuring is on track, news followed that Volvo Group’s chief executive had been replaced Olof Persson fell from his perch following pressure from shareholders' dissatisfaction over the group’s weak financial performance in recent years. Volvo group plans to appoint Scania’s head Martin Lundstedt to the role staring in October. Until then, Volvo Group’s chief financial officer Jan Gurander will be standing in. Lundstedt and G

The security and safety of the EU’s key infrastructure is a major issue and requires Pan-European agreement Critical infrastructure, such as highways, energy lines or pipelines, may spread over large areas covering wide geographic zones. There is clearly a need to provide proper security for such infrastructure against illicit actions and against incidents that may escalate to crises. As a result, developing 24/7 surveillance systems for the security of Wide Zones (with multiple assets at localised scale