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The UK government must understand that pulling out of the European Union will have consequences for the manufacturing sector and should be ready to help. “A lot of EU regulation has been tough but at least we know what is,” said Rob Oliver, chief executive of the UK’s Construction Equipment Association. Oliver, speaking at last week’s one-day conference in London, warned the government against introducing tougher regulations than the EU has done.

The Alimak Group reports good business levels for the January-September 2016 period and is looking to make an acquisition. The firm said that it has had profitable growth in the third quarter with an operating margin (EBIT) of15.4%, compared with 15.2% for the same period last year. Meanwhile it has seen a 6% growth in order intake, driven by a healthy demand for construction equipment. The operating margin (EBIT) for after sales meanwhile has been 32.4%, compared with 29.5% for the same period last year.

The list of manufacturers introducing new asphalt pavers in 2016 is long, with improved units for both European and US markets being made available. Note that this section summarises new models mentioned in the March and May issues of World Highways. Designed to meet European requirements, there are three new models from Ammann, the ultra-compact wheeled AFW150-2 for tasks such as road repairs as well as the larger AF 350-2 and AF 500-2, which are available in both wheeled and tracked variants. Atlas

A slow but steady recovery in machine sales worldwide is likely in the next few years, with India being one of the key growth markets for the future. However, this comes after the construction equipment sector has seen significant downturns as well as other major changes worldwide in the last few years, according to David Phillips, managing director of Off Highway Research. He said, “The industry structure has really changed.” Global sales of construction machines were worth around US$93 billion in 2014

Software specialist SoundPLAN is now offering the latest version of its sophisticated noise-mapping package worldwide. The 4.0 package has been trialled in Germany and can be used to calculate the noise emissions from roads and other infrastructure such as railways. The package is said to be designed for users who only have an occasional requirement for a noise map. The firm says that the software can be used to deliver reliable tabular and graphical results for a standard noise calculation while requir

Software specialist SoundPLAN is now offering the latest version of its sophisticated noise-mapping package worldwide. The 4.0 package has been trialled in Germany and can be used to calculate the noise emissions from roads and other infrastructure such as railways. The package is said to be designed for users who only have an occasional requirement for a noise map. The firm says that the software can be used to deliver reliable tabular and graphical results for a standard noise calculation while requir

Colas is in discussions with clients who have suitable sites where the highway services provider could trial its solar road solution, Wattway. Colas says that the solar panels that make up the photovoltaic road surfacing technology are lightweight and strong and can be installed on top of an existing road surface. The panels are only 7mm thick and are applied on the surface with a high performance resin. A glass bead resin coating is also applied to allow the surface to provide acceptable frictional perf

SWARCO Traffic has launched the Smart City Messenger, a new generation of mobile variable message sign with built-in UTMC connectivity. They offer the same level of management and control as their fixed installations and can be controlled from a SWARCO back office system. They use LED technology with a high contrast ratio, a wide viewing angle and excellent character uniformity. The LEDs feature SWARCO’s colour-mixing lens and have full colour capability allowing a complete range of graphical traffic sig