News

Wirtgen Group expects to achieve record net sales of €1.8 billion in 2012, according to joint company president Jürgen Wirtgen. The performance forecast for the German road building and quarrying equipment manufacturer – a slight rise on 2011 net sales of €1.76 billion – was revealed as Jürgen and brother and co-Wirtgen Group president, Stefan Wirtgen, told a press conference at the recent Wirtgen Mineral Technology Days event about the company’s sales push in emerging markets.

Wirtgen Group expects to achieve record net sales of €1.8 billion in 2012, according to joint company president Jürgen Wirtgen. The performance forecast for the German road building and quarrying equipment manufacturer – a slight rise on 2011 net sales of €1.76 billion – was revealed as Jürgen and brother and co-Wirtgen Group president, Stefan Wirtgen, told a press conference at the recent Wirtgen Mineral Technology Days event about the company’s sales push in emerging markets.

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta faces a growing problem due to severe traffic congestion, which is particularly intense at peak periods. Increasing vehicle numbers in the city mean that the existing traffic problem is fast getting worse. The authorities are looking at policies to address the issue. Official data suggests that vehicle numbers are increasing by 9%/year, equivalent to an additional 1,117 vehicles taking to the city’s roads every day.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RBA) aims to sell more than 2,450 equipment items and trucks in a two-day unreserved public auction at its Bolton, Ontario auction site starting tomorrow. Equipment available to the highest bidder includes 115 truck tractors, 54 hydraulic excavators, 46 wheeled loaders, 33 crawler tractors, 30 loader backhoes, as well as a great selection of forestry equipment and cranes. All equipment will be sold without minimum bids or reserve prices.

The authorities in Czech capital Prague are looking at option to speed the completion of a new ring road. Constructing the internal ring road on a fast-track basis could cost in the order of €81.5 million (CZK2 billion). Should this move be made the route could be ready to carry traffic by 2015. Prague suffers heavy congestion at peak periods, particularly in the historic city centre.

Financing is being made ready for a highway project in Turkey. The upgraded route will connect Turkey’s commercial centre, Istanbul, with the port city, and holiday destination, Izmir. Work will be carried out along a 45km stretch and also includes construction of a new suspension bridge. Some US$1.35 billion will come from Turkish banks including Akbank, Finansbank, Halk Bank, Garanti, Vakfbank, Yap ve Kredi Bank and Ziraat Bank.

Chinese contractor China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) is now working on two huge highway projects worth over US$417 million in total. One of the projects involves work to an existing route in Sichuan Province. This will see the Hongxing road south in Chengdu City being extended. At Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province, CRCC will work on the south central expressway project. Both highway projects will help boost connectivity and trade.

Morocco’s Transport Ministry is proposing tougher measures to boost road safety. Following a recent coach crash that killed 43 people in Morocco, various safety issues have been highlighted. The authorities say that vehicles more than 20 years old are allowed on Morocco’s roads, subject to regular roadworthiness checks.

Financial issues are now impacting heavily on Spain's Radial 4 (R-4) highway. The companies involved, Autopista Madrid Sur Concesionaria Espanola and Inversiones de Autopistas del Sur, are facing high levels of corporate debt.

Chinese manufacturer XCMG has scored key supply deals for new construction machines within Europe. These models were launched in Europe earlier in 2012 and have now been delivered to customers within Poland. The deals are of note as XCMG is facing tough competition within Europe and have been achieved despite an overall fall in sales of construction machines into Poland.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has announced the winners of its annual student video contest. A group of 18 high school students from North Carolina and three graduate and post-graduate students from New England were named winners. Sponsored by ARTBA’s Research and Education Division (RED), the contest challenges grade school and post-secondary students to develop a brief video that explores issues relating to America’s transportation network. Students were asked to addres

British men are 6.4% more likely than British women to pass their practical driving test, according to road safety charity the IAM. But while young men are more likely to pass their driving test, they are also three times more likely to be killed or seriously injured (KSI) behind the wheel. The IAM findings are a result of analysing pass rates statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) published in August 2012 for the financial year 2011-2012.