NEWS

Doosan to supply ten 50t diggers in Saudi

Doosan Infracore has signed a contract to supply ten 50t excavators to a Saudi Arabian construction company, beating global manufacturers in a bid hosted by the customer.

The South Korean equipment giant said it would supply the DX520LCA excavator, a 50t model that had won praise from the customer for its performance and price, and for Doosan’s service backup. The customer, who was not named, is using various types of Doosan construction equipment in large-scale construction project in Riyadh.

The customer has already purchased ten articulated dump trucks (ADT) from Doosan early this year and will be using more than 50 pieces of Doosan equipment including the ADTs, 70t excavators, wheel loaders and the newly purchased 50t DX520LCA excavators, said Doosan Infracore.

Doosan that it has maintained a market share of over 10% in the Middle East, despite a slowdown in region’s market owing to low oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic. Doosan attributed this to “launching competitive new products and implementing an integrated customer service called ‘DoosanCARE’ while striving to continue winning large accounts”.

“We are reinforcing our product line-up, including large excavators, in order to flexibly respond to the rapidly changing market environment and fierce competition in the region,” said a Doosan executive. “We plan to expand our sales in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in particular, as large excavators are a high proportion of the markets.”

200 HINOS FOR FOOD COMPANY

Al-Futtaim HINO has completed the delivery of 200 HINO trucks to the National Food Product Company (NFPC) in the UAE, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the region. Announcing the handover of the 6t HINO 916XLWB trucks, Al-Futtaim HINO, the exclusive distributor of HINO trucks in the UAE, said NFPC’s fleet of HINO trucks has now grown to 450, after a deal of 250 trucks last year. The units are custom-fitted to NFPC’s needs.

READY TO ROLL

OCEAN READYMIX BUYS RENAULT TRUCKS K440

The first units of Renault Trucks’ K440 8X4 chassis model to be delivered in the GCC region has gone to Ocean Readymix & Precast, a concrete supplier based in Al Ain.

Five units of the model, which has a transit mixer capacity of 14 cubic metres, were delivered by Al Masaood, Renault Trucks’ UAE-based importer and among the largest integrated industrial, commercial and service organisations in the Middle East. Ocean Readymix & Precast will use the new units to service its projects and customers in Al Ain.

The K440 8X4 chassis model has a gross vehicle weight of 50t, which suit Ocean Readymix’s operational requirements. Renault Trucks is also backing up the sale with a preventive maintenance service contract and reliable after-sales support.

Eyad Ibrahim Dukhan, MD, Ocean Readymix & Precast, was quoted as saying: “Working with Renault Trucks for the very first time to bring this unique deal to light has been an extremely positive experience.

ACCIONA MONITOR FOR EARTHMOVERS

Acciona has developed a digital earthmoving platform for systematic monitoring and control of the machinery used for earthmoving operations. The new tool is compatible with any manufacturer.

MAMMOET FOCUS30 LIFTS IN CONFINED SPACES Mammoet has announced a new 2,500t class crane called the FOCUS30 designed for heavy lifting in confined spaces. Mammoet said the new crane will help to increase the efficiency of lift operations in complex environments and it sees the crane as “the new standard for heavy lifting”. The company said it recognised that a new lifting solution was needed to better support clients given the increasing demand for energy and infrastructure in developing and expanding cities, where large industrial facilities have become more complex and crowded while the cities have become congested.

First all-electric crane from Maeda

Mini crane maker Maeda has announced the launch of the MC285CB-3, its first ever all-electric spider crane model, which is powered by a lithium battery.

The new crane is based on Maeda’s existing 2.82t capacity MC285C-3 model which is powered by a regular IC engine. The new MC285CB-3 crane has the same features as its regular counterpart and is rated at 1.4m radius. It sports a five section 8.6 pentagonal shaped boom with full power sequential telescope and can manage 150kg at its maximum radius of 8.2m, or lift 550kg on full boom to a height of 9m, or a radius of 4m with a height of 8m.

The difference in the new model is the power source, with the lithium-ion battery pack providing up to nine hours of continuous operation on a full charge, which it can achieve in just 3.5 hours. White rubber

tracks come as standard with black tracks available as an option and the total weight of the unit is 2t – roughly the same as the diesel model.

The new MC285CB-3 also has the same features as the regular model, with HBC

radio remote controls, a 7-inch monitor display, programmable load moment limiter, data logger and multi outrigger positions. The crane is ultra compact when stowed, with an overall stowed width of 750mm and an overall height of 1.47m.

Jurgen Vater, CEO of Maeda’s European master distributor Kranlyft, was quoted as saying: “After an intensive period of research and development, Maeda can now proudly launch this innovative and eco-friendly model. The Maeda team has accomplished a great deal in the development of this battery powered mini crane with market leading features.”

SALIM BUYS LIEBHERR CRANES Dubai-based Salim Equipment Rental has taken delivery of two Liebherr HS 8130.1 duty cycle crawler cranes as part of its fleet expansion to offer services to the specialised foundation industry in the region. The two 130t HS 8130.1 units were delivered by Liebherr earlier this year to the JAFZAbased company.

EFFECTS OF COVID-19

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT SALES TO FALL 16% GLOBALLY, REPORT SAYS

Sales of construction equipment are expected to fall 16% globally this year due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the general economy and construction sector, with almost every country in the world affected except China, according to a study by Off-Highway Research.

The market research and forecasting company said the while the global scenario is grim, it would be worse if it were not for China, where stimulus spending will lift the market by an expected 14%. This is expected to take machinery sales in China to their highest since the previous stimulus boom in 2010-2011.

Before the outbreak of the pandemic, equipment sales in China were originally expected to fall this year, with the market passing its cyclical peak.

Chris Sleight, MD, OffHighway Research said: “The Chinese market has seen remarkable growth since April and this will certainly cushion the blow as far as the global industry is concerned. We are forecasting a soft landing in 2021, but we are also mindful of the long and painful recession which followed the 2010-11 stimulus boom. I hope the lessons from history have been taken on board.”

The study says the impact of Covid-19 is much starker globally when seen without China, with 2020 volumes forecast to fall 27% year-onyear in the rest of the world. While this would take volumes to their lowest since 2010, growth could return in 2021. MINIMALIST BRANDING FOR VOLVO

Volvo CE has switched its product nomenclature to shorter and less complicated ones from last month as part of its “wider ambition to look beyond the product to a more holistic site overview”. Volvo said the new product naming system is designed to fit more with the brand’s premium look and feel, and minimalist Scandinavian heritage.

Al Faris transports tracks for Etihad Rail

Heavy lifting and moving specialist, Al Faris, has executed a transport job for the UAE’s Etihad Rail Project which entailed moving 25m-long rail tracks weighing 12,000t in total from the Mina Zayed Port to Ghiyathi area of Anu Dhabi.

Al Faris said it provided the “client with a complete solution for transporting the 25m-long rail tracks weighing 12,000t in total using our lowbed trailers”, completing 250 trips within 26 days in order to transport

and offload the rail tracks at their final location safely. This was the first shipment of rail tracks delivered to the UAE for the Etihad Rail Project.

“We fabricated 10 flatbed trailers specifically for this project which were extended up to 25m in length in order to fit the loads effectively and avoid any transport complications. The fabrication was done in-house by our competent team along with technical studies for the extension done prior,” said Al Faris.

TOUGH VIRGINIA PETROCHEM LIFT FOR DEMAG CRAWLER

Investing in a Demag CC 6800-1 crane, which offers a 1,250t lifting capacity, paid off hadsomely for North Carolina, USA-based Superior Cranes just before bidding opened on a petrochemical job in Virginia state, a job that would require the capacity that only the CC 6800-1 could offer.

“Prior to purchasing the crane, we could not have completed the lift. For that matter, few lifting companies east of the Mississippi River could,” says Joe Everett, president of Superior Cranes. “Even though we have the 1,200t capacity class Demag AC 1000-9 all-terrain crane, there were three jobs in 2018 that we couldn’t bid because it wasn’t possible to use an all-terrain crane. We needed a crawler crane with about the same capacity, so we didn’t miss out on other opportunities.”

This was the first project Superior Cranes’ crew would complete with the new CC 6800-1 crawler crane. Everett couldn’t have picked a more challenging application for the crane’s first job. Demag engineers assisted the company to devise a lift plan for a site with limited access and crane mobility after the load was lifted.

Multiple 308t vessels had to be removed and replaced for the petrochemical company. Everything about the project required diligent planning and flawless execution.

“The crane had to navigate on the narrow job site. We had to build a pad for the crane, so the counterweight

could swing over the top of the building. The lifts took nearly eight months to plan,” says Everett.

The Demag CC 6800-1 had to be positioned far away from the 6.1m diameter, 12.2m tall vessels. Superior Cranes’ crew used a 275t crawler assist crane to build out the CC 68001. “It took 10 days to set up and 6 days to disassemble the CC 6800-1 crane, which is excellent given the space we had to work with and it being our first time. The process will get faster, especially on wide open job sites,” Everett explaines.

Crew installed 79m of main boom and 41m of Superlift boom. The lifts required 780t of counterweight – 250t superstructure, 80t central ballast, and 450t on the Superlift tray. The lifts were made at 38.1m and 41.5m radii due to site access limitations. Everett adds: “The closest competitive crane available couldn’t fit into the hole we had to work with, so we were glad to have the CC 6800-1.”

A total of 12 picks were made in the month Superior Cranes was on site. Wedged between obstructions, the operator carefully kept the boom within lifting radius with the variable Superlift counterweight tray connected to the carbody. After the vessel was secured, the crane boomed up and positioned the load close to the carbody. Crews then disconnected the Superlift tray to rotate the vessel and reposition it to its staging area.

“The closest competitive crane available couldn’t fit into the hole we had to work with, so we were glad to have the CC 6800-1”

“All products that we bring to the Middle East follow the same mantra of productivity and durability of design and manufacture, as well as ease of operation and maintenance. Backed by the strong support of our distributors and Case’s long local presence in the region, this has proven to be a pattern that delivers results for us”

Case makes use of the Middle East’s harsh climate and hard-wearing conditions to test its new products, the logic being that if its machines can perform here they can perform anywhere else.