Diggers LIVE! Magazine - January/February 2024

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January/February 2024 #21

The Premier B2B Construction Equipment Magazine

REVOLUTIONARY IMAGERY BUSINESS INSIDER: We speak to Ben Gorham, MD of Sky Revolutions

LOADING UP! We have put together a comprehensive feature on high-performing wheel loaders

EQUIPMENT ENGAGEMENT

Mats Bredborg, Head of Customer Cluster Utility of Volvo Construction Equipment

GROUND BREAKING INTELLIGENCE

CONTRÔL

TOUGHNESS

DESIGN

FROM 1.8 TO 95 TONNES THE ALL NEW F-SERIES BREAKS THE MOULD. www.liugong.co.uk

info@liugong.co.uk

SCAN THE QR CODE TO DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE

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WELCOME Happy New Year to all of our readers!

Based on the rule of magazines traditionally coming out a little earlier than the publication date, when you first pick this issue of Diggers LIVE! up “Merry Christmas” may be more pertinent (and it’ll be meant), but either way we have now parked a productive 2023 and are all set to cover and promote construction equipment in 2024 like no one else.

That industry promotion and publicity begins with a bang after the seasonal break. Mid-January we shall be off to the INTERMAT press day in Paris, followed by the 50th World of Concrete extravaganza in Las Vegas later that month. We will then just about get away with a whistle-stop review of the Executive Hire Show from Coventry in February. All for the March edition.

It is more than fair to say that we pack in a lot between publications, so in the meantime you can rest assured that we will be all over our socials with filmed footage and photos between issues of all the above.

If you haven’t done so already then please do add to our fully organically grown, non-purchased, industry followers on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and debuting later this year after a successful launch recently with our sister title – TikTok. Contained inside issue #21 we have two well supported features on Waste and Recycling as well as Wheel Loaders. Our friends at construction drone and imagery experts Sky Revolutions are the subject of the BUSINESS INSIDER interview as well as their stellar work adorning this issue’s front cover. In this edition’s SUPPLIER TALK we are delighted to have sat down with Mats Bredborg, Head of Customer Cluster Utility at Volvo Construction Equipment, which is a very compelling read.

I hope you enjoy this issue, please let me know your thoughts on it and if you would like to get involved in a future issue then feel free to email me via: ben@globalnews.media.

With industry news, product launches and event information experienced first-hand, it is safe to say that Diggers LIVE! Magazine has you fully covered when it comes to construction equipment once again this year.

2024 we have got you.

EDITORIAL TEAM

Ben Chambers ben@globalnews.media

Toby Wilsdon toby@globalnews.media DESIGNERS Nicki Chambers nic@globalnews.media Joe Bers joe@globalnews.media Alex Jarrett GENERAL ENQUIRIES info@globalnews.media 01903 952 640 SALES Charlotte Walsh charlotte@globalnews.media 01903 952 644 PRODUCED & PUBLISHED BY Global News Media Ltd Suite 5 & 6 Chapel House 1-6 Chapel Road, Worthing West Sussex BN11 1EX ben@globalnews.media 01903 952 640 Diggers LIVE! is published six times a year by Global News Media Ltd Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Global News Media Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers.

Ben Chambers, Publisher

International Affiliate

Official Media Partner

The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts.

CONTENTS 6 NEWS

38 WHEEL LOADERS FEATURE

AEM honours members for long-time industry contributions

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Bobcat – L95 Compact Wheel Loader

CPA Chief Executive Stu McInroy resigns

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AVANT Tecno

JCB welcomes probes into dumping of subsidised Chinese excavators in UK

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CASE – F-Series Evolution

Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity lunch raises £180,000 for construction families

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DEVELON – DL-7 Large Wheel Loaders

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Finning delivers big fuel savings and product support to FCC Environment

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Hyundai – High productivity and comfort for Hyundai loaders

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JCB – 457 Wheeled loading shovel

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Kubota – RT210-2e and RT220-2e electric compact articulated loaders

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LiuGong – 835H and 848H

Mats Bredborg, Head of Customer Cluster Utility, Volvo Construction Equipment, on electrification of plant

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XCMG – XC9 intelligent loader series

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SANY – SW305 and SW405

Real-time asset tracking – a vital aid for UK police in combating theft

18 EVENTS Executive Hire Show 2024 reaches another sell-out success for 2024 event.

10 reasons for visiting the Executive Hire Show is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss Exhibitors: • Armogard • Wirtgen • Bobcat • Genquip-Groundhog • SANY • Shindaiwa • Hydroscand • Skyjack • Altrad Belle World of Concrete 2024 – celebrating 50 solid years DEVELON to showcase three excavators at World of Concrete 2024 CPA Conference discusses challenges facing plant hire sector

60 BUSINESS INSIDER With Ben Gorham, Managing Director of Sky Revolutions Ltd

66 FOR HIRE! Interview with Shane Sherbourne, Managing Director of McGovern Plant Hire

CES 2024 – Caterpillar to amplify electrification and energy solutions

68 PROFILE

Evoquip to exhibit at Future Minerals Forum 2024

One Stop Hire – North-West to national in 14 years

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72 RECYCLING AND WASTE FEATURE •

Select Stone selects Hyundai

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Unveiling the compact powerhouse – the Terex Ecotec TDS 815 shredder

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Pizzorno Environnement equips sorting centre with DEVELON DX230WMH-7 material handler

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Ward expands trade waste services

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JCB 140X wastes no time for MRW

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Kayleigh Plant Hire takes delivery of Volvo road waste sweeper

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Liebherr handlers keep Westminster happy

84 INDUSTRY Bobcat Agility offers unbeatable finance for mini excavators Subzero success: essential tips for a winter-ready construction site Susanne Cobey and Akio Takeuchi inducted into AEM Hall of Fame Grinding away the old with MB Crusher drum cutters From surveying to automation: The evolution of machine control systems Bryan Contractors takes first Unicontrol machine control system from SMT GB Yanmar celebrates 30 years of zero tail swing ViO excavators working safely in tight locations Mecalac celebrates platinum manufacturing milestone US market continues to strengthen for Rokbak Finning helps FCC operators with ‘don’t be fuelish’ training scheme Lake District groundworks contractor builds on CASE fleet Forshaw Demolition adds to growing HD Hyundai fleet DEVELON enters European dozer market with new DD130 model HD Hyundai Infracore enhances DEVELON brand affinity with expanding DEVELONCARE programme Getting under your undercarriage Bobcat expands global manufacturing footprint with Mexico factory ProStack adds new Ranger Radial Conveyor to stacker range A new chapter for Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V.

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AEM honours members for longtime industry contributions The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) recognised 12 companies at its annual conference on 29 November for achieving membership milestones. These organisations have shown their dedication to the off-road equipment industry through their longtime membership and participation in AEM. Paul Flemming, AEM Vice President of Membership and Sales, said: “AEM could not achieve success without the continued active involvement from our member companies. Their continued support and participation are critical to helping our association build momentum in this industry at a global level. It is our honour to recognise the continued involvement and commitment from these milestone members.”

AEM is fortunate to have the following companies as members and looks forward to the continual success of their partnership and the industry at large.

AEM 50-Year members for 2023 BouMatic Briggs & Stratton Versalift AEM 25-year members for 2023 DSC Dredge Flexco HED (Hydro Electric Devices) Ken Cook Co. KHL Group Americas Kondex Corporation Michelin North America SDF Group (Same Deutz-Fahr Italia) Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG)

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CPA Chief Executive Stu McInroy resigns The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has announced that the organisation has accepted the resignation of CPA Chief Executive Stu McInroy.

Stu joined the CPA as Chief Executive in June 2023 and his resignation will come into effect on 8 March 2024.

CPA President Brian Jones said: “On behalf of the CPA Council and the CPA team, we would like

to thank Stu for his service to the CPA and wish him well in his future endeavours. The CPA has a great team of professional and dedicated staff and our primary focus is to continue to provide first-class support to CPA members and to continue to put construction plant-hire at the forefront of policy makers’ minds.”

Further news about the position of CPA Chief Executive will be announced in due course.

Stu McInroy, Chief Executive of the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA)

JCB welcomes probes into dumping of subsidised Chinese excavators in UK Construction equipment maker JCB welcomed government investigations into alleged dumping of subsidised Chinese excavators on the UK market.

In recent years, Chinese manufacturers, which are heavily subsidised by the state, have increasingly targeted the UK market with cut-price excavators.

Following complaints, the UK Trade Remedies Authority (the TRA) has launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imports from China of tracked excavators of at least 11 tonnes into the UK. JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said: “We welcome these investigations by the Trade Remedies Authority. There is clear evidence of unfair competitive practices in relation to aggressive and subsidised pricing of tracked excavators imported from China.

“We want to see a swift and clear resolution to this urgent matter so that a competitive level playing field is restored for all UK-based manufacturers who invest heavily in the development of world leading products.”

The investigations by the UK TRA were launched in November with the publication of notices of initiation of the anti-dumping (case AD0047) and antisubsidy (case AS0046) investigations.

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Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity lunch raises £180,000 for construction families

It was top of the bill once again as construction’s highly anticipated premier networking event raised the roof at the Westminster Park Plaza on Friday 1 December.

Over 950 guests eagerly arrived through the doors to a welcome drinks reception and what promised to be yet another fantastic day.

Taking the helm were rugby presenter and commentator David “Flats” Flatman and Ellie Costello, Weekend Breakfast presenter and journalist. They opened proceedings with a hint of the all star line up to come and Flats spoke about the similarities between the macho image of rugby and the construction sector, highlighting the need for continued awareness of poor emotional wellbeing.

As always the heads and tails game got everyone buzzing and even tested the

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audience’s knowledge of turkey cooking times.

The charity’s Peter Capel Cup is awarded every year in recognition of outstanding achievement and contributions from organisations that support the charity. It was incredibly difficult for the judges to select a winner, but Multiplex shone through with their fantastic fundraising and ensuring their team and supply chain are aware of all the support available to them. Accepting the highly coveted award, Claire Scrimgeour Health, Safety and Training Project Manager at Multiplex said: “Multiplex takes great pride in supporting the Lighthouse Charity and we are honoured to receive the Peter Capel Cup. The charity holds a significant place in our hearts, and we are proud to work with and support them and those in our industry.”

Guests enjoyed a gourmet three course meal and auctioneer Addison Gelpey, prompted some frantic bidding for some unique lots including a VIP tour of the Aston Martin F1 Team Campus, a luxury holiday in India and VIP event tickets for top football matches and concerts.

Top sporting celebrities then graced the stage to form a world-class lineup.

First out of the starting blocks was Bernie Collins, strategy analyst for the Sky Sports F1 team and former race strategy engineer for Aston Martin. She joked with the audience about how her expert knowledge of rainy weather in Ireland helped her make strategic race winning decisions when calling in drivers for tyre changes and talked about the challenges of being a young female in a male dominated industry.

Next up was dynamic England

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Live auction prize donors

wheelchair rugby duo, Martin and Tom Coyd. Martin spoke about the development of Wheelchair Rugby League in England and the fantastic achievement of winning the Wheelchair World Cup in 2022. Tom Coyd, Head Coach for the team, shared how the sport was bringing together people of all abilities and helping to instil a real sense of inclusivity and achievement, which came to fruition in last year’s Wheelchair World Cup, where England basked in the glory of a hard fought 28-24 victory over arch rivals France.

The legendary Harry Redknapp received a welcome roar when he joined the stage to talk about his illustrious career spanning over 30 years. He chatted about the perils of foreign players and transfer deadlines and his genuine lack of knowledge about what was involved when he was enticed to sign up for ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2018.

His constant reference and devotion to his wife Sandra and his quick-wit and sparky personality meant that he won that too.

Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse

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Construction Industry Charity said: “Our annual lunch is always one of our biggest fundraising events and every year I continue to be staggered by the huge generosity of our supporters especially during these difficult times. Now, more than ever, the industry needs our support and I am always humbled by how we all come together; not just to celebrate our successes, but to make sure that our hard work continues to not only change lives, but to save lives too. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers and sponsors who make the day such a huge success and for all the fabulous prizes we are offered for the lotto, heads and tails and our auctions.”

The afternoon finished with a resounding shine with tribute bank Re-Take That treating the audience to some of their greatest hits. The festivities continued well into the evening with guests embracing the Christmas spirit and making the most of the networking opportunities.

Sponsoring the event were Ardent Tide, Benchmark Scaffolding, The Guild, JobMatcha and MasterMac Surfacing.

Aston Martin F1 Team Campus VIP tour for four people: Donated by Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team (through Bernie Collins) Taylor Swift Eras Tour 2024 4 Club Wembley Tickets: Donated by Naylor Drainage Chelsea Football Football VIP tickets: Donated by Oliver Connell Luxury Indian Holiday: Donated by Avin at Tours for Us Marriott Stay for two: Donated

by Marriott International On Yer Bike Ireland Cycle 2024: Donated by Glencar & Gallagher Group

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Real-time asset tracking – a vital aid for UK police in combating theft

The integration of real-time asset tracking technology has marked a revolutionary change in how UK police forces combat theft, particularly of fleet vehicles and machinery. This advanced technology is proving to be an invaluable tool in both deterring and resolving theft cases, thereby significantly aiding law enforcement efforts across the country.

A game changer in theft investigations The power of real-time tracking was recently showcased in an incident in Doncaster, where a stolen Mecalac dumper was swiftly located by South Yorkshire Police thanks to the asset being equipped with a TritonTrak real-time tracking device. This incident is just one example of how real-time tracking is transforming the way police handle theft cases, offering: • Immediate location information: The ability to track the exact location of a stolen asset in real-time allows for rapid response and intervention, • Enhanced investigative efficiency: Real-time data streamlines investigative processes, making them quicker and more effective,

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Broader crime impact: Recoveries often lead to uncovering wider criminal activities, as seen in Doncaster where additional stolen vehicles, machines and a trailer were found.

Resource optimisation: Real-time tracking helps in efficient allocation and use of police resources, focusing efforts where they are most needed.

TritonTrak’s role in supporting police efforts In the highlighted Doncaster case, Triton Security’s TritonTrak system played a crucial role. This example underscores the effectiveness of such technologies in supporting police efforts. While the broader discussion centres on the benefits of real-time tracking for law enforcement, the effectiveness of specific systems like TritonTrak cannot be overlooked.

In conclusion, real-time asset tracking is proving to be a game-changer in aiding UK police forces. Its ability to provide immediate and accurate location data is not only transforming how theft cases are handled but is also enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of policing efforts across the UK. Discover more about TritonTrak’s advanced real-time tracking solutions and how they can help to protect your businesses plant machinery by visiting www.tritontrak.com.

The impact on policing across the UK Across the UK, police forces are increasingly leveraging real-time tracking technology in their fight against the theft of vehicles and equipment. The benefits are manifold: • Quick response capabilities: Enabling police to act swiftly on theft reports, increasing the chances of recovery, • Strategic crime deterrence: The knowledge that vehicles are equipped with tracking devices acts as a deterrent to potential thieves, • Cross-jurisdictional cooperation: Realtime tracking aids in collaboration between different police forces when tracking stolen assets across regions.

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No.1

‘Best in Class’ Exciting New es Product Launch

INTERVIEW

EQUIPMENT ENGAGEMENT Toby Wilsdon spoke to Mats Bredborg, Head of Customer Utility at Volvo Construction Equipment, for his personal perspective on the electrification of construction equipment and his experience at Volvo.

While based on his professional experience, any opinions are his own.

Interviewee: Mats Bredborg Role: Head of Customer Cluster Utility Company: Volvo Construction Equipment

Toby Wilsdon Tell us about your electrification agenda Mats Bredborg It’s all about getting emissions out of construction in cities. That is my main focus.

More and more compact or smaller equipment with very little exhaust aftertreatment system or regulation is being sold into cities, so today they are dirtier than any other products in the city.

The push is on with low emission zones, I think there are over 300 active low emission zones in Europe and the number is growing by the day. The rules are getting tighter and they’re set to be zero emission zones in the future. So we need to get started in changing those products to electrical power.

TW Does Volvo construction equipment have a single strategy for decarbonisation? Are you focusing on one power source above others?

MB There is no single bullet to this, we think all options need to be open. A smaller compact excavator has maybe 15 horsepower whereas a big, rigid hauler has more than 1,000 horsepower. Looking at the way they work, a small excavator works a few hours every day, maybe 50% utilisation on an eight-hour shift.

If you look at a big machine, they maybe go in three shifts and high utilisation. So, there is not one technology that can cover the whole range. But having said that, electric technology is available today. Hydrogen is not commercially available in that sense today.

We have produced electric buses for over 10 years. When it comes to the robustness of the technology, the

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acceptance of the technology and the support to make it work with infrastructure, it is there for the smaller ranges.

Moving up in size, we probably do need to look at other technologies, so we are not single minded at all. But having said that, we like to get going in the smaller ranges to learn and develop from that.

If you look at the combined horsepower in the world, the big excavator has the highest level of combined horsepower, wheel loaders are second and compact excavators are third because there are so many of them. So obviously, the more horsepower you have combined, the more emissions you put out.

A large city like London has tens of thousands of compact excavators with no aftertreatment systems, because they don’t have to, and they turn them on in the morning and turn them off in the evening. We have a lot of data from telematics and I would argue that they are idling perhaps 20 to 50% of the time.

With an electric machine, we’re only taking out energy when we are moving something. You cannot safely start-stop a www.diggers.live

diesel engine like that because you cannot get full torque directly. That means that for an electric excavator in the two-tonne class, we only need 20 kilowatt hours. So we need a smaller battery pack because we can use the energy we have on board more efficiently than a diesel internal combustion engine. So it makes a lot of sense from an efficiency point of view.

TW How did Volvo Construction Equipment come to this point?

MB We were probably the first of the major manufacturers that said we were going to stop our development of diesel machines and ramp up our development of electrification for smaller ranges.

We took that decision in 2018 and showcased the machine in 2019. That was based on three factors, taking away CO2, as well as deadly gases like NOx and reducing noise. So we made some prototypes and saw how effective it was at making a machine extremely efficient.

Internally that was very energising.

Volvo is an old brand, it’s been around

for 100 years, but it’s always been big on safety and environmental issues. So when we took this decision, people said we had a chance to do something different and take the lead.

We developed those machines in record time and I think we were a little nervous. We knew that the technology was robust, but it hadn’t been tested in our machines. We took the technology from Akasol, the battery manufacturer that we have used on trucks and buses for many years. And the product that came out of this was sensational. If you look at the quality and efficiency of them, it’s outstanding. It’s by far the most efficient wheel loader and excavator in the world because of the way that we can utilise the resources.

A litre of diesel has an energy content of approximately 10 kWh and generates 2.68 kg of CO2e. A small excavator burns 1.8 litres of fuel per hour and this equates to consuming 18 kWh per hour, generating 4.82 kg CO2e.

If we use an electric excavator for an hour, we’re using 3.6 kWh of electricity to do the same amount of work (the machine is more efficient and is working for fewer DIGGERSLIVE

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minutes per hour), generating 0.81 kg CO2 according to the UK electricity generation factor of 0.225 CO2e per kWh. So we’re talking many times less carbon dioxide per working hour.

“Partnership is the new leadership” TW Do you think Volvo was always going to be a leader in this regard?

MB In the 1970s Volvo had a very charismatic Chairman and CEO called Pehr Gyllenhammar. He attended The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, where he said “We are part of the problem – but we are also part of the solution.” That was the first time that they recognised that burning fossil fuels had had some impact on the climate.

Volvo CEO 1971-83 and Chairman 1983-1993, Pehr Gyllenhammar

are in fashion all of a sudden. Before, we were not that cool, but now they want to listen to us – what do we know and how do we do it?

It’s about timing. If you say the same thing over and over and over again, which we have done since the 1970s, eventually you’re going to be in fashion. I don’t know what the competition are doing, but I hope they are catching up quickly because we are definitely leading this race and we need more people to come in.

So we are inviting all our competitors, and we think we have good competitors, to join us on this journey because it’s bigger than one company or one country.

We cannot take responsibility for how a country produces energy, but we can take responsibility for what we are manufacturing.

When it comes to charging infrastructure protocol or anything like that, we need to set aside some other considerations to get to a solution that works. If we go with battery packs that we take to site, and if we have a protocol that we lock for only us, then the cost of that container and battery pack will not be sustainable. But if we open the protocol, as we have done, then the cost of the battery pack itself is spread over many units instead of only a few units.

On the truck side, we have a cooperative venture called cellcentric developing fuel cells with Mercedes Benz.

Since the costs are so high we need to come together to do it. Partnership is the new leadership in making those things happen.

TW So where do hydrogen fuel cells fit in relation to battery electric?

Volvo also invented the seatbelt but didn’t patent it. And in construction we embraced the US EPA’s Tier 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4 Final, so we have always been in the forefront. That’s not been easy, it has been costly for us to be at the forefront, driving this agenda of sustainability from the core business to the truck business to construction.

And it wasn’t popular at that time.

Sometimes when I go around the world and talk about sustainability, it’s like we 14

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MB So if you have an architecture on a machine that has a battery, if you’re smart with your architecture you could potentially take out the battery and put a fuel cell in instead. When you have a fuel cell you still need to have a bit of battery power because you generate energy consistently from the fuel cell, while the output of the machine varies. So you have to have some kind of buffer. We don’t think that smaller machines will benefit from fuel cell cells, at least for now, because the battery technology is so cheap and readily available.

The car industry was going down two paths, electricity and hydrogen. From a behavioural point of view, a lot of people like the idea of hydrogen because it fits the way we have operated before. Hydrogen is a liquid gas so instead of filling up with diesel we just put hydrogen in the tank.

Conceptually, that is less of a stretch for human beings.

TW People are comfortable with hydrogen because they know what an internal combustion engine looks, sounds and feels like.

MB An internal combustion engine run on hydrogen seems like the most logical way forward. But if we go down the hydrogen route, it gets more complicated – how do you get the hydrogen to the vehicle? How do you store the hydrogen? There are so many unknowns.

The reality is that electrification technology is much more mature – it has been around for hundreds of years. The electric motor is extremely well developed, the control systems, the technology that we can put on top of it and the supply are available today. So we can build a full fleet of electric trucks, like Royal Mail in the UK adopted Peugeot electric vans overnight.

“We need to think differently, not replicate the way we operated before” If you look at a remote site off grid, you can generate electricity with solar or if you’re on site for a long time, with wind turbines – we are discussing setting up wind turbines at our factories. www.diggers.live

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We did some work with The Eden Project. They have geothermal, wind turbines and solar power, so their operating systems run off clean, renewable energy. And then we come in with the electric machine and now we have a circular economy. We are using energy from the sun, storing it and then feeding it into our machines and doing the job.

So it’s not unthinkable that you could replicate that on a bigger scale at a quarry or something.

The industry naturally wants to replicate the way it worked before, but the younger generation will look at this completely differently. They have been brought up with laptop computers, iPads and iPhones – their life has been about managing battery storage.

That’s not how our generation grew up, there was nothing that we needed to charge, but there needed to be fuel in the car. So our thinking is that we need to get fuel, they are more about managing a battery source. My 14-year-old son completely gets this – that you need to manage the energy source from a battery.

That is what it’s all about.

Another thing people talk about is battery swapping, because conceptually, it’s like fuel. You put fuel in the machine; you put a fully charged battery in the machine. So people’s thinking was to use a big battery, put it on a truck and drive it out of the city to charge it and www.diggers.live

drive it back into the city, replicating the way we were operating before. But from a cost perspective, it’s tremendous, those batteries are very heavy.

Going back to the idea of “Partnership is the new leadership”, we partner with energy companies. We’ve done some tests with Shell and with Vattenfall where we connected into the grid. And now we can utilise this in a city by just connecting, we don’t need to truck anything in. So the biggest friend for us in cities is extension cables. And if you look at the worksite today there are a lot of extension cables because they have a lot of products like cranes or cement mixers or whatever. It’s workable.

We need to think differently, not try to replicate the way we operated before.

TW It’s like the first cars looked like and were called horseless carriages, following the design of their predecessors. How do you bring new people on board? How do you draw young minds into the industry?

MB We have been making diesel engines for 100 years, so our competence internally is around that. We’ve talked about electrification and other energy sources, and we talked about how we control that, the digitalisation of the whole process.

About 10 years ago we had a lot of talk

around how we bring people on board and so on.

As an example of how we energise the industry with people from other industries, many engineers work with Lego. Engineers are brought up with Lego. So we went to Lego and said: “Can we do something together?” I was knocking on their door for many years.

Finally we got around the table and asked what the future of construction looked like. We put a team of Lego engineers and Volvo engineers and put them into a room. First we built a fully autonomous Lego model and then we built a real prototype – the model they created became the Lego Volvo Zeux, LX03.

We wanted that to be out in the marketplace to show that ours is a cool industry. We wanted it to be seen.

Lego makes millions of boxes and that spreads the story and makes us a little bit more attractive for a new generation.

Otherwise, we’re going to be locked into the image of this diesel heavy industry when we are actually very much about electrification, new energy sources, digitalisation of control etc. So we’re trying to brush away that old image.

I’m a typical petrol head and that’s how I was brought up but obviously I’ve retrained. We have hired a lot of people because we need those competencies. Now we need a younger generation to step in.

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PRODUCTS

Q

Tell us about one of your key products The ECR18 Electric is a new addition to the Volvo range of electric compact excavators, helping operators work in a more sustainable, efficient and quiet way. The 1.8-t class excavator boasts low noise and zero-tailpipe emissions, which creates new application opportunities – such as in noise sensitive areas, out of standard hours, on low-carbon projects or indoors, without the need for costly fume extraction systems.

Q

Outline the key functions of the product Operators enjoy ergonomic and intuitive controls, unrivalled performance in

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combined movements and best-in-class stability. Charging can be achieved from 10 to 100% in under five hours on 240V charging, or 10 to 80% in less than 45 minutes with standard DC fast charging.

This gives a run time of between two to five hours, depending on application.

The ECR18 Electric can dig down to 2.5 metres.

How is this product critical for potential users?

The growth of low and zero emission zones in cities will eventually include construction equipment in its requirements, at which point electric excavators such as the ECR 18 Electric will become essential. But even before

Q

that happens there is a solid business case for buying an ECR Electric today, most importantly a lower total cost of ownership compared to diesel powered machines.

Q

What has the feedback from users, dealers and other industry figures been like?

Everyone accepts that a shift away from using fossil fuels is necessary and that electric power is the future. This energy transition is starting in compact equipment and the feedback from early users is very positive. Electric machines require a new way of working but performance is equal or better than diesel powered machines. After the

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INTERVIEW

Q

How long have you been in the industry and how did you start out?

My father worked for Volvo and thanks to his influence I joined right out of school, more than 30 years ago.

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Have you been involved with any other interesting projects in your career?

One highlight was when I was in charge of global marketing at Volvo CE we did a light-hearted promotional video of the entire range, staring Hollywood legend Dolph Lundgren and the 1980s pop song Pump it up. Google it – it’s still a classic.

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long dominance of diesel machines the take up of electric machines is understandably slow, but we foresee sales spiking once we reach the industry’s tipping point.

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How will Volvo CE be developing this product range in the near future?

By 2030 Volvo CE will have a lineup of 100 machines driven by sustainable power. We are committed to the energy transformation.

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Tell us about your day to day work I’m a construction industry evangelist for the energy transition away from fossil fuels to sustainable energy. That gets me involved in everything from being in a trench with an electric excavator to being invited to Washington to attend a sustainability conference attended by senior global politicians.

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What do you find most rewarding in work and what is most challenging?

Making the energy transition a reality is an incredible challenge – but even making small steps in the right direction is incredibly rewarding. It’s as much about changing mindsets and coming up with new business models as it is developing new electric machines.

Q

What would you like to achieve before retirement?

The energy transition will not happen overnight. I intend to use the remainder of my career to help propel it and create a cleaner, more viable industry and a more sustainable world.

AND FINALLY Who would you be in an alternative life?

Elon Musk Describe yourself in three adjectives: Inquisitive, collaborative, kind Who is your favourite artist?

Matthew Perry What do you do for fun?

I love motorsport, and skiing, and socialising What would be your desert island luxury?

A subscription to Audible What gets you out of bed in the morning?

A look at my bank balance What’s your bucket list activity?

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (which I’m doing in 2024) Autumn, winter, spring or summer?

Summer What’s your favourite food/ cuisine?

Italian What’s your tipple of choice?

Martinis – and beer

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Executive Hire Show reaches another sellout success for 2024 event COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA 14 & 15 February 2024

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The Executive Hire Show (EHS) 2024 has achieved a landmark sell-out, confirming its status as the definitive event for hire industry professionals.

Taking place on 14 and 15 February at the Coventry Building Society Arena, this year’s edition marks a significant milestone, with all exhibition space fully booked, reflecting the industry’s strong commitment and anticipation. The last remaining stands were booked by Infor UK, Hiretech, Close Brothers Finance and AL-KO Gardentech UK. With a comprehensive showcase from 150 exhibitors, including an impressive record-breaking contingent of 31 first-time participants, the EHS remains the essential destination for hire professionals looking to explore the latest innovations and to network with industry peers.

Chris Moore, Publishing and Events Director, remarked, “We’re thrilled to report a sell-out for EHS 2024, reflecting the industry’s strong recognition of the event’s value. It’s encouraging to see new exhibitors eager to make their mark alongside our stalwart participants who have been the backbone of the show for years. The Executive Hire Show is not

just a two-day event; it’s a comprehensive experience that extends its reach throughout the year, growing relationships and driving the industry forward. It’s an event too good to miss, offering a continuous platform for networking, learning, and business development long after the doors close.”

The EHS team welcomes back The biggest name suppliers to the UK hire industry have committed to exhibiting at the 2024 show. The exhibitor list reads like a who’s who’ in the construction equipment sector with blue chip companies such as Dragon Equipment, Mecalac Construction Equipment UK, SANY Heavy Machinery (UK) Ltd, SUNWARD EUROPE HEAVY INDUSTRY NV, Belle Engineering (Sheen), BPH Attachments, Bravi Platforms, Coveya, GroundHog GenQuip, Hird, Hire Supply Company, JCB, MHM, Snorkel UK, Thwaites and many more key industry players.

New kids on the block This year, the EHS proudly welcomes a total of 31 exhibitors who are new to the 2024 event. Among these are key companies such as Takeuchi UK, who will be returning to the event after a year’s hiatus with new models and showcasing their electric machines, TH WHITE Machinery Imports Ltd, who will be showing some of the best premium products in the professional ground care market, Walsall Wheelbarrow Company, a leading wheelbarrow supplier to the market and the only manufacturer still making all its parts here in the UK, and generator manufacturer, ASKA International.

Other new participants visitors can expect to see on the exhibition floor include attachment manufacturers Auger Torque Europe, Lap Electrical, who are designers, manufacturers and distributors of automotive electro-mechanical products, Xummitt – Luxtronik Technology, Xummit is a brand owned and operated by Luxtronik Technology, for mobile light and power solutions, and Spartan Solutions, who will be showcasing PHALANX 6, which is an all-in-one software platform that streamlines rental operations by digitising logistical and service processes.

The varied list of exhibitors like Refina, www.diggers.live

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a leading manufacturer of premium plastering tools and equipment for a wide range of applications in the UK; Multi Mover UK, which sells and supplies a range of material handling solutions for the commercial, industrial and healthcare sectors; Addex Group, whose products range from small industrial vacuums to large electric sweepers; and scissor lift manufacturer Skyjack, signifies the diversity and comprehensive offering the show will hold.

A variety of industry professionals such as generator manufacturer E-Power International; tyre suppliers, Tyre Boss; Golz UK, which has been supplying diamond drilling equipment in the UK for over 25 years; and Rollins & Sons, a leading supplier and distributor of professional quality American and European hand tools, will be showcasing their latest solutions and equipment, highlighting the continual innovation within the hire industry.

The participation of Access Platform Sales, power generation, and lighting tower suppliers MPMC China, Adamo Precision Engineering, who will be showing the company’s innovative Tigerbite Mini Crusher designed to efficiently recycle waste into reusable materials, and Hallsdale Commercial Insurance Brokers Limited further accentuates the show’s broad industry appeal.

The list of new exhibitors making their Executive Hire Show debut continues – there is Q Climates, a leading supplier of Evaporative Air Coolers to the UK hire market, supplying the Honeywell range, Cramer, which supplies landscaping and gardening equipment, Genesis Equipment which is the official UK dealer for XCMG Access Equipment, trailer manufacturer Nugent Engineering, construction consumable company ProSolve, and Echo Barrier, which supplies eco-friendly acoustic barriers.

The EHS team is also pleased to host the ‘Innovation Trail Eco– Live’, once again, which has become a big highlight of the show, hosted by industry vlogger and content creator, Peter Haddock, that highlights emerging eco-friendly technologies poised to shape the industry’s future. Attendees will engage with cuttingedge, sustainable solutions that promise to elevate operational efficiency and safety standards within the hire sector and lead us into a net zero future. www.diggers.live

Prepare for a comprehensive, engaging, and insightful experience at the Executive Hire Show 2024, where the latest, most innovative, and effective solutions in the hire industry will be showcased.

The EHS team invites all professionals

from the hire sector to register now to secure their fast-track entry ticket to the show, in an event that offers year-long benefits. Be part of an experience that sets the agenda for the industry and extends opportunities beyond the show floor.

10 reasons why visiting the Executive Hire Show is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss With a host of 150 exhibitors, including 31 newcomers, this year’s event is completely sold out, making it more exciting than ever. Here are 10 additional reasons why your visit to EHS 2024 is essential.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Unrivalled Industry Focus: As the UK’s premier exhibition for tools, equipment and plant hire, it offers a highly specialised experience tailored to professionals in the sector.

Meet Top Innovators: The show is a unique chance to meet and engage with the most innovative suppliers in the industry, all under one roof.

Exceptional Networking Opportunities: With a gathering of industry experts and professionals, it’s the ideal venue for networking, building new business relationships, and reinforcing existing ones.

Discover Cutting-edge Products and Services: Explore products and services specifically engineered for the hire industry, offering insights into the latest and most efficient solutions for your business.

Global Industry Representation: The show attracts exhibitors and companies from across the globe, offering a worldwide perspective on the industry and access to international trends and technologies.

6.

Backed by Industry Experts: Based on the solid foundation of Executive Hire News (EHN), the event is rich with industry knowledge and expertise, ensuring a valuable and informative experience.

7. Visitor-Friendly Venue and Perks: Hosted at the Coventry Building Society Arena, the show offers free parking and complimentary breakfast rolls, making your visit both comfortable and enjoyable.

8. Cost-Effective Opportunity: With free admission, the show presents a cost-effective opportunity for professionals to gain invaluable industry insights.

9. Stay Updated with Industry Developments: It’s the perfect setting to stay abreast of the latest trends, technologies, and developments in the tool, equipment, and plant hire industry.

10. Plan for Business Growth: Gain insights and resources crucial for planning the future growth of your business, by learning about new technologies and connecting with potential suppliers and partners.

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COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA 14 & 15 February 2024

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The 2024 Executive Hire highlights a key moment for the construction industry and plant hire sector as it embraces a more sustainable future.

This event will be remembered for its significant increase in exhibitors showcasing electric and alternative fuel technologies, reflecting the sector’s dedication to environmental responsibility and adaptation to emerging norms.

Visitors will see an impressive range of electric machinery, including compact battery-operated tools and robust electric excavators, dumpers, and other ‘green’ equipment. This diversity demonstrates the practicality and efficiency of eco-friendly alternatives to traditional construction equipment.

Prominent exhibitors like Sany, Sunward, Takeuchi, MHM Group, Altrad Belle, Thwaites, Wirtgen and many others will highlight the environmental and long-term economic benefits of electric and alternative fuel solutions.

In urban areas, where restrictions on high-emission vehicles and machinery are becoming more common, the shift to cleaner options is increasingly seen as a business imperative. This trend represents more than just a response to regulatory demands; it signifies a proactive, progressive approach in a rapidly evolving industry. The 2024 Executive Hire Show is set to be a testament to this transformative journey towards a greener, more sustainable future in construction.

The Executive Hire Show (EHS) 2024 has achieved a landmark sell-out, confirming its status as the definitive event for hire industry professionals.

Taking place on 14 and 15 February at the Coventry Building Society Arena, this year’s edition marks a significant milestone, with all exhibition space fully booked, reflecting the industry’s strong commitment and anticipation.

With a comprehensive showcase from 150 exhibitors, including an impressive record-breaking contingent of 31 first-time participants, the EHS remains the essential destination for hire professionals looking to explore the latest innovations and to network with industry peers.

Armorgard Stand F31

In a significant advancement for battery charging safety, Armorgard has introduced a state-of-the-art control system for lithium-ion batteries – VoltHub. Designed to counteract temperature-related hazards, this system automatically halts power to the charging lockers if the internal temperature surpasses the critical threshold of 60 degrees Celsius.

The built-in fan will persist in operation to cool the environment, resuming the charging process once a safe temperature is reestablished.

VoltHub’s proactive approach to temperature management is further evidenced by its internal fan, which activates at 20 degrees Celsius. This mechanism ensures that the charging environment remains within optimal temperature parameters, which prevents overheating.

The system addresses the risks associated with low temperatures.

Lithium-ion batteries, if exposed to conditions below 0 degrees Celsius,

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are at risk of damage. To mitigate this, VoltHub’s technology includes a heater that elevates the internal temperature, enhancing charging efficiency in colder environments.

The system also features an isolator switch, allowing for manual on/off control. However, the core internal control systems operate autonomously, ensuring consistent and safe battery management.

A critical aspect of VoltHub’s design is its safety features. Despite the unit’s power status, the fire suppression system, alarm, smoke detector, and GSM text alert system remain operational. This continuous functionality guarantees a secure storage environment for the batteries, prioritising safety even in power-off scenarios.

Overall, VoltHub’s innovative approach marks a significant step forward in ensuring the safe and efficient charging of lithium-ion batteries, reflecting a commitment to advanced technology and user safety.

“An all-in-one, indoor and outdoor use IP-rated unit that constantly and proactively keeps fire risks at bay, and dramatically reduces the consequences of a battery fire breakout. With builtfor-purpose features to care for batteries, the unit always keeps them charged under optimal conditions, lowering the risk of fire to begin with.”

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Wirtgen Stand A4 Wirtgen Limited will be presenting one of four new Vogele mini road pavers available from the new range. The pavers are able to pave widths ranging from 0.25 to 1.80 m and are available as either wheeled or tracked pavers, with optional diesel or battery-electric drive systems.

The new machines round off the lower end of Vogele’s wide range of asphalt paving products.

Wide range of applications Their compact dimensions and variable paving widths make the MINI 500 (diesel) and MINI 500e (battery-electric) tracked pavers as well as the MINI 502 (diesel) and MINI 502e (battery-electric) wheeled pavers ideally suitable for use in small-scale construction projects that include constructing cycle and pedestrian paths, paving between railroad tracks as well as repair work in small inner-city sites, which are often characterised by their narrow working spaces.

The standard screed working width is 0.8 m and it can be enlarged up to 1.35 m hydraulically. The minimum paving width can be reduced down to 0.25 m, or the width can be built up to a maximum of 1.80 m using bolt-on extensions.

Compact transport dimensions

of 2,670 x 870 x 1,585 mm and low weights of between 1,000 and 1,500 kg (depending on the model) allow for easy transport. A narrow turning radius makes the four-wheeled or tracked pavers extremely agile.

E-Power: Local emission-free asphalt paving with MINI 500e or MINI 502e Tenders are increasingly defining stricter emission requirements for construction projects. The battery-electrical drive systems used in the MINI 500e and the MINI 502e make them ideal for local emission-free asphalt paving.

The Vögele electric mini pavers, both marked with the suffix “e”, provide a sustainable production system when used in conjunction with the likewise batteryelectrical tandem rollers from the Hamm CompactLine.

Mini pavers will expand the Wirtgen Group’s range of machines The new mini-pavers expand Vogele’s product range and the battery-electric models will enable the Wirtgen Group to support the sustainability targets of its customers as well as its ambitions to expand the availability of electrified product models by 2026.

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COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA 14 & 15 February 2024

Bobcat Stand I40 Doosan Bobcat will be showing the first Bobcat branded portable power product to be seen at an industry event in the UK. The PA7.4 (7/45) compressor equipped with a generator option being presented in Bobcat colours is part of a complete line of portable compressors, generators and light towers that now form part of the Bobcat range, building on decades of success and experience in the portable power market.

The PA7.4 (7/45) compressor-generator will appear alongside one of the models from the expanding range of electric compact excavators and loaders now available from Bobcat.

Being held once more at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, the EHS is firmly established as the only annual national event in the UK aimed at tool, equipment and plant hirers and the suppliers serving this dynamic industry.

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The EHS enables hire professionals to not only see key suppliers they already do business with, in one place, but also to get in front of new companies from around the world who are looking to serve this important market.

Bobcat branded PA7.4 (7/45) portable air compressor Designed with a focus on simplicity, durability, reliability and transportability, the PA7.4 (7/45) compressor-generator provides 4.0 m³/min of compressed air at 7-bar nominal pressure. Like all Doosan portable compressors, there is a wide range of options and customisations available for the PA7.4 (7/45) to meet customer needs.

The integral 8.5 kVA generator is one of these options and meets a specific requirement in utility work to meet the demands of the latest fusion welding

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Genquip-Groundhog Stand G40

equipment, providing electrical power that can also be used for lights and tools together with compressed air for powering breakers and other pneumatic equipment.

The addition of the portable power range products is the latest broadening of the Bobcat product portfolio, which has grown significantly over the past five years, launching more machines during this period than previously in its entire history.

Clean, quiet operation Another area of expansion in the Bobcat range is in electrically-powered compact equipment. This began in 2019 with the launch of the E10e, the world’s first 1-t electric mini-excavator, which marked the company as a true pioneer in the field of battery-powered equipment.

Bobcat has since launched the larger E19e electric mini-excavator featuring the same profile, external dimensions and comparable performance as the popular E19 mini-excavator.

Like the E10e, the E19e boasts the same stability, lift capacity and breakout forces as its conventional counterpart, while its constant torque curve (a feature of electric motors) ensures dependable and powerful operations. With a width of just 98 cm, this electric model is easy to operate in even the most confined workspaces, making it ideal for tasks such as demolition as well as outside applications that require quiet, zeroemission operations.

Bobcat will show either the E10e or E19e on the company’s stand. These products have been followed up with the development of other leading-edge electric-powered compact products, including the company’s unique T7X and S7X models, the world’s first electric compact track and skid-steer loaders, respectively. www.diggers.live

The Genquip-Groundhog SolarLoo is an innovative and inclusive solution designed for the construction industry.

It integrates male and female facilities in a single unit, addressing the need for gender-inclusive amenities in traditionally male-dominated fields like construction. This inclusivity plays a significant role in encouraging more females to consider and enter the construction industry by ensuring they have safe and comfortable welfare facilities.

Sustainability is a key feature of the SolarLoo. It operates on solar power, thereby releasing zero emissions and creating zero noise pollution, making it an environmentally friendly option.

This aspect not only benefits the immediate construction site but also contributes positively to the wider environment by reducing the carbon footprint typically associated with construction activities.

In addition to its eco-friendly

design, the SolarLoo also offers economic advantages. Eliminating all fuel costs associated with traditional site welfare facilities presents a cost-effective solution for construction companies.

This factor is particularly important in an industry where managing operational costs is crucial.

The Genquip-Groundhog SolarLoo comes with comprehensive training for safe operation. This ensures that users can confidently and effectively use the facilities while maintaining safety standards. Training is an essential component, especially when introducing new technology or equipment in a workplace.

The Genquip-Groundhog SolarLoo represents a modern approach to providing fully compliant site welfare facilities. Its focus on inclusivity, sustainability, cost-effectiveness and safety makes it an exemplary model in the construction industry, potentially setting a new standard for site amenities.

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SANY Stand C20 COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA 14 & 15 February 2024

SANY will showcase its smallest zero tailswing excavator, the SY18U which will be displayed alongside a range of other products from the SANY excavator range.

Unveiled earlier this year at PlantWorx, the SY18U facilitates work in compact spaces thanks to its zero tail-swing design, making it an ideal solution for urban construction projects and narrow/tight job sites. The machine has a length of 3.5 m and a width of just under 1 m, with an expanding undercarriage that extends to 1.4-m wide.

Its lightweight and compact size allows for easy transportation on a trailer and to and from different job sites.

Leigh Harris, Business Development Director for SANY UK said: “SANY are delighted to be exhibiting at our third Executive Hire Show. Since our launch in the UK, this show has been a constant 24 DIGGERSLIVE

in our events calendar and one that has always proved to be really successful for our brand. As a team we’re looking forward to welcoming our customers and new visitors to the stand to showcase our products and show everyone exactly what SANY has to offer.”

The stand will also feature SANY’s first electric mini excavator, the SY19E. With a fully electric drive the SY19E is equipped with a lithium iron phosphate (cobalt free) battery, which allows for faster, safer and more efficient charging. Battery lifespan is also significantly longer with up to 3,500 full charge cycles. Featuring a single automotive standard charging socket, the machine also offers a fully flexible charging solution that provides three charging options as standard, and with no extra charge including fast charge option of just 1.5 hours. www.diggers.live

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Shindaiwa Stand G10 The Shindaiwa 300-amp Eco Hybrid Welder Generator sets the standard for more sustainable welding solutions.

With up to 60% less fuel consumption and 60% less CO2 emissions*, this welder generator helps to reduce your running costs while reducing your impact on the environment. The Kubota Stage V-compliant engine works in conjunction with an advanced lithium capacitor storage system to ensure the engine is always running at optimal efficiency and automatically shuts down when it is not in use, delivering substantial cost, emission and fuel savings.

The Shindaiwa Eco300 diesel welder generator is built to provide 50 to 300 Amps of DC welding current and offers simultaneous use of welding and 110V / 415V AC auxiliary power. Superior welding performance ensures the machine is compliant with welding all types of DC electrodes. The powerful 3 kVA 110V auxiliary can comfortably power larger power tools including nine-inch grinders and also provides 8 kVA of three

phase power. The robust machine can be provided skid mounted, on wheelbarrow or two-wheel road tow trailer for maximum portability.

The engine-driven welder is powered by a water-cooled Kubota engine ensuring long-term reliability and performance with low fuel consumption and emissions.

The diesel-powered welder generator is

also available in full Petro Chemical or Offshore specification at request, including approved overspeed valve and ATEX rated stainless steel spark arrestor. *Quoted reductions in fuel consumption and emissions are based on test comparisons with the Shindaiwa Eco300 Stage V.

Hydroscand Stand K34 Hydroscand is eagerly anticipating its participation in the Executive Hire Show.

The company invites visitors to join their team at Stand K34, where they will be promoting the HoseExpress mobile hose service and displaying a selection of hoses and products tailored for the construction, plant hire, and civil engineering sectors.

Renowned for offering a comprehensive range of quality hydraulic and industrial hoses, fittings, and fluid transfer solutions, Hydroscand caters specifically to the construction, plant hire and civil engineering industries. Their team, trained to industry standards and approved by Avetta, prioritises health and safety, ensuring client confidence.

Dedication to customer needs is a hallmark of Hydroscand’s ethos, delivered around the clock by both its experienced www.diggers.live

branch-based and mobile teams.

The company boasts nine branches across the UK, including in the south-east, south-west, Wales, Midlands, and north-west. These branches are well-stocked with high-pressure and industrial hoses and a plethora of accessories ranging from quick-release couplings and hydraulic/engine oils to spill kits, all suited to the targeted industries.

Hydroscand’s skilled teams are capable of creating hose assemblies on demand, tailored to specific requirements.

Understanding the cost implications of machinery downtime, their HoseExpress mobile technicians are adept at working with various machines at any time, providing 24/7, 365-day service. They are equipped to handle jobs of any magnitude,

in any condition.

The company also collaborates with OEMs, producing hose assemblies and kits from three production centres for distribution across the UK. Visitors to the show are encouraged to meet the Hydroscand team at their stand to discuss specific needs and requirements.

The company eagerly awaits the opportunity to meet attendees and discuss how they can assist with their hydraulic and industrial hose needs.

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Skyjack Stand J20 COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA 14 & 15 February 2024

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For over a decade, Skyjack’s electric scissor lifts have been acknowledged as a benchmark in the industry. These electrically powered, DC-operated lifts provide a silent, compact solution with no emissions. Designed for versatility, they are ideal for navigating tight spaces in both indoor and outdoor settings. Skyjack’s lifts are well-suited for diverse applications, including construction, maintenance, and various industrial tasks.

Skyjack has established itself as an industry leader through its dedication to combining durability, quality, and serviceability in its machinery, earning a global reputation for product reliability.

The team prioritises maximum uptime, designing equipment to facilitate this goal.

All critical service points are conveniently accessible, simplifying troubleshooting and repairs. Moreover, major components are housed within individual swing-out steel cabinets for both protection and easy access.

Depending on the model, Skyjack machines feature either front or rear-wheel hydraulic drive, ensuring outstanding performance and manoeuvrability on job sites. Their capacity for up to 25% gradeability enhances the safety and ease of loading and transportation.

The robust all-steel construction includes a permanently anti-slip checker plate floor. A manual roll-out extension deck is incorporated to expand the working area and offer up-and-over capability. The modular platform rails are designed for easy folding, reducing the stowed height for transport and allowing passage through standard doorways.

Additionally, the self-closing half gate enables straightforward platform entry.

Skyjack’s Next Generation Vertical Mast Lifts are recognised for their quiet operation, versatility, and zero emissions.

The new models, including the SJ12 E, SJ16 E, and SJ20 E, feature an innovative mast design, AC electric drive, the ability to drive at full height, and fewer hydraulic connection points, resulting in a significantly enhanced duty cycle.

These lifts are known for their exceptional manoeuvrability and unique traversing

platform, making them suitable for a wide array of indoor and outdoor construction, maintenance, and industrial tasks.

The updated mast design of these lifts improves rigidity, incorporating a multistage hydraulic cylinder and an inverted multi-section mast with overlaps. The telescopic mast is positioned at the rear, ensuring an unobstructed view from the front-facing control box and moving the steering wheels away from the mast for superior manoeuvrability with zero inside steering radius.

Designed with rental and maximum uptime in mind, the mast is devoid of chains, sheaves, or bushings, reducing maintenance needs. Skyjack’s standard colour coded and numbered wiring system, Skycoded, simplifies maintenance further, while onboard diagnostics provide real-time, easy-to-understand fault readouts. All components are housed within the base, with a maintenance hatch offering unrestricted access to all major components and batteries. The commonality of components across the mast range enhances serviceability and maintenance ease.

In response to the growing demand for sustainability, Skyjack introduced its ECO mark, showcasing products that excel in environmental performance and sustainability. The ECO benefits of Skyjack’s next-generation vertical masts include a 15% operational carbon saving compared to the previous model, up to 30% improvement in duty cycle, zero emissions, 90% recyclable materials by weight, 70% fewer hydraulic connections, less than 70 dB noise level for quiet operation, and telematics for remote diagnostics that reduce site visits and the operational carbon footprint.

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Altrad Belle Stand G30 Altrad Belle will be extending a warm welcome to all visitors at stand G30 at the 2024 Executive Hire Show. Unofficially the busiest stand at the show and for very good reasons.

We have that great mix of existing products, some with exciting updates, new products which I can mention here, and others I can’t. Visit the stand, experience our hospitality and find out for yourselves.

We’ve been staunch supporters of the show since its inception and haven’t missed a single one, growing our stand as our product range and company grew.

At the 2023 show we launched our brand new Minimix 150E+ cordless mixer, powered by an 82V, 5Ah battery, which can charge in a superfast 28 minutes. This forms part of the Altrad Belle commitment towards a greener future and the ability to use sustainable energy.

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This unit will provide 20 barrow-loads of cement on a full charge. Being battery powered means there are no localised emissions when being used. Additional batteries are available and the platform will be expanded which is an exciting proposition for both ourselves and our customers.

Hire companies love this machine as they have such a quick turnaround between hires and no engine maintenance to deal with, reducing significantly whole life costs. This is factored into the hire price and with the increase in profitability this is a winning machine.

We’ve spoken about why the hirers love the machine, but what about the brickies and the tradesmen who are using these?

The feedback is that the convenience is second to none; turn up in the van, with a fully charged battery and you’re ready to

mix. No hunting for electricity, no cables running over the site to trip you up or damage and no petrol to carry – or fumes when in operation. This machine is the future as we see it in our Minimix 150 range.

Also new to the 2024 show will be our new PCLX32 Honda PCLX40 Honda plate compactors. These are fitted with a more powerful 3.2 hp Honda petrol engines, higher compaction, low handarm vibration as is expected from Altrad Belle, and a cast baseplate. A full range of accessories is available.

As a UK manufacturer we take an enormous amount of pride in what we do. We strive to be the No.1 in all that we do. We are UK researchers, designers, developers and manufacturers, here in the UK. Every product has gone through months of arduous destruction and endurance testing before it’s put out to one of the toughest markets around.

We started back in the early 60s with an early incarnation of the Minimix 150, which we see on most building projects and sites in the UK. We’re more than just a mixer manufacturing company though. We manufacture a market leading range of plate compactors, trench rammers, concreting equipment, floorsaws, brick saws, block splitters, hydraulic power packs and breakers, generators, pressure washers and bowser washers, 1T high-tip dumpers and the original ‘Warrior’ wheelbarrow.

We work extensively with our customer base to ensure we’re supplying what users need and want, and all of this will be available to see at Executive Hire Show 2024. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Take a trip down memory lane!

Celebrating 50 years of service to the concrete and masonry industries, join us to see, touch and test state-of-the-art solutions that drive informed decisions and put your business on solid ground for the year ahead

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Las Vegas Convention Centre, USA Education 22 – 25 January 2024 | Exhibits 23 – 25 January 2024 Part knowledge, part equipment, part connections – World of Concrete is 100% of what you need to keep grinding it out through disruptions to the supply chain, safety and beyond. Get your hands on advanced technology and machinery, access the newest training and techniques in concrete and masonry and build momentum for another unstoppable year.

Exhibits: Original Equipment Manufacturers from around the world and exclusive US distributors of equipment, tools, products and services for the commercial construction, concrete and masonry industries. WOC attracts approximately 1,500 exhibiting companies and occupies more than 700,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibit space.

Who attends WOC? More than 60,000 industry professionals from all around the world, representing all segments of the construction industry: Commercial contractors; concrete contractors; concrete pumpers; construction managers; dealers/distributors; decorative concrete contractors; designers and specifiers; general contractors; block/segmental unit producers; masonry contractors; architects; engineers; block producers; ready mix producers; rental equipment centres; repair contractors; residential contractors; speciality concrete contractors; precast, pipe and block producers; precast/prestressed producers and more.

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Featured Education FAMILY BUSINESS INSTITUTE: THE TOP TEN REASONS CONTRACTORS SUCCEED 23 January, 9:00 – 10:30 am

NEW! EUCLID -MODERN CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY: DESIGN, MATERIALS & DURABILITY 24 January, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

NEW for WOC 2024! This presentation focuses on designing a durable and sustainable concrete mix, types of materials and products for providing long service life, project requirements for reducing shrinkage with extended joint patterns, and waterproofing concrete.

Presented by Euclid Chemical Company.

This session takes an indepth look at top 10 reasons contractors succeed and the requisite factors which can be copied and emulated in any size construction company.

Attendees will benefit from 240 contractors who shared their leadership and business practices. Presented by Family Business Institute.

MASTER BUILDERS SOLUTIONS – MEETING & EXCEEDING SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS USING ADMIXTURES 13 January, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING

22 January, 8:00 – 11:00 am 25 January, 8:00 – 11:00 am For a third consecutive year, this popular and informative course on Concrete 3D Printing returns – enhanced and improved to WOC 2024. Course is offered twice during WOC, so choose either Monday or Thursday.

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Learn about reducing embodied carbon in concrete mixtures by 50% or more through advanced mixture optimisation, minimising concrete waste by extending its working time, or repurposing returned concrete for subsequent beneficial use, with documentation of the resulting sustainability benefits using Lifecycle Assessment and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). Presented

by Master Builders Solutions.

NEW! FONTE & COMPANY – FUNDAMENTALS & ESSENTIALS OF SUCCESSFUL CONCRETE PAVING WORKSHOP 22 January, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm 24 January, 1:00 – 5:00 pm

NEW for WOC 2024! All aspects of concrete pavements will be addressed including batch plants, mix designs, water-cement ratio and yield calculations, aggregate testing, joint plans, subgrades, finishes/ textures, measuring IRI, paving equipment, and post-paving operations. Presented by Fonte and Company.

NEW! WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF CONCRETE PROFESSIONALS: WOMEN CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS OWNERS – CREATING YOUR LEGACY

24 January, 2:30 – 4:30 pm

Attendees will learn from leading women influencers in the concrete and construction industries discussing issues involving ownership, management, leadership, legal, team building and human resources. Presented

by Women’s Association of Concrete Professionals.

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NEW! PCA / ASCC: BEST PRACTICES IN PRECONSTRUCTION FOR PLC (TYPE IL) PROJECTS 24 January, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

NEW for WOC 2024! Moderated

by PCA and ASCC, a panel made up of cement suppliers, readymix producers, and concrete contractors will share important steps of the preconstruction phase when using portland-limestone cement in projects. Presented

by Portland Cement Association and American Society of Concrete Contractors.

SIKA CORPORATION EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS NEW! SIKA CORPORATION – EXTENDING SERVICE LIFE OF BRIDGE STRUCTURES WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SOLUTIONS 22 January, 1:00 – 3:00 pm NEW for WOC 2024! Valuable product solutions for extending the service life of bridge structures will be discussed by industry experts. Presented by Sika Corporation.

SIKA CORPORATION – SECOND GENERATION OD 3D CONCRETE PRINTING 23 January, 1:00 – 3:30 pm Innovations of 3D concrete printing will be introduced

WORLD OF CONCRETE FEATURED WORKSHOPS NEW! PROVEN PATHS TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN THE CONCRETE INDUSTRY 25 January, 8:00 – 11:00 am Two successful concrete construction business owners and frequent WOC speakers will share their personal and professional histories, challenges, successes and best practices to ensure success

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including overall process for producing high-end products from start to end. Material and machine properties, printer styles available, types of 3D concrete printing applications, and benefits to end users will be covered. Presented by Sika Corporation.

SIKA CORPORATION -WATERPROOFING: THE NEXT GENERATION OF SOLUTIONS 24 January, 1:00 – 3:30 pm Explore state-of-theart waterproofing and weatherproofing throughout the entire building – product and application areas like elastomeric joint sealants, liquid traffic coatings, liquid below grade waterproofing, air barrier and roofing applications. Presented

by Sika Corporation.

for construction company owners and leaders.

Presented by Rocky Geans and Tommy Ruttura; hosted by World of Concrete Education Program.

NEW! WOMEN WORKING IN THE CONSTRUCTION FIELDS OFFICES WORKSHOP 25 January, 1:00 – 4:00 pm Limited seating, so register early to participate in this interactive workshop/forum. A panel of successful women in

the concrete and construction industries will share their history, perspectives, challenges, and growth experiences. This special event includes snacks, inspiration, and networking opportunities.

Presented by World of Concrete.

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DEVELON to showcase three excavators at World of Concrete 2024 Booth C7226, Central Hall The DX42-7 mini-excavator, DX225LC7X crawler excavator and DX140W-7 wheeled excavator will be on display on the DEVELON stand at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with staff available to help visitors explore each machine’s features.

“DEVELON is excited to exhibit at World of Concrete, especially as the event celebrates 50 years in 2024,” says Jacob Sherman, Product and Dealer Marketing Manager at DEVELON. “This trade show gives us a chance to promote our new brand and innovative products that help customers take on their biggest job site challenges.”

DX42-7 mini excavator The conventional tail swing Develon DX42-7 mini-excavator is ideally suited for navigating tight, congested job sites and urban areas. Part of the next-generation DX-7 Series miniexcavator lineup, the DX42-7 offers such impressive features as fast cycle times, efficient torque-limiting piston pumps that respond to load demands, and a larger counterweight for improved balance and durability. The machine comes equipped with a standard thumbready arm.

Two cab options are available: open canopy and enclosed cab configuration.

Enclosed cab models come with standard heating and air conditioning and handsfree Bluetooth® audio. Operators have an improved view of the job site thanks to a framed full-glass door, an optional rearview camera and high-illumination LED lamps to see the work group.

As with all DX-7 Series miniexcavators, the powerful DEVELON Fleet Management telematics system is standard. This monitors the machine’s location, health and productivity from a user-friendly website or mobile app.

DX225LC-7X crawler excavator The DX225LC-7X is the first electronically controlled crawler excavator from DEVELON. The system enables advanced machine guidance and machine control systems — including 2D grading for accurate earthmoving and grading work. The DX225LC-7X offers superior hydraulics and a strong workgroup to deliver ample power and durability to the arm and bucket, maximising lifting capability.

An optional dozer blade and the standard counterweight design provide strength and stability. Operators can also activate the tiltrotator mode for enhanced precision when using a tiltrotator accessory. Added comfort features include improved heating and cooling with an optional heated/cooled seat, easy-to-use joystick controls, a rearview camera, Smart Touch screen and optional 360-degree around view monitor (AVM) camera system.

DX140W-7 wheeled excavator Designed for demanding tasks, the

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DX140W-7 wheeled excavator delivers powerful digging and manoeuvrability when working on bridges and roadways or in urban areas. The machine has a balance of power and fuel efficiency, along with best-in-class comfort features, intelligent controls and smart machine functionality. It can be configured with a front dozer blade and independent rear outriggers or four independent outriggers.

Comfort features include automotive-style heating and air conditioning, improved floorspace and excellent visibility from the spacious cab. A rearview camera is standard and an optional heated/ cooled seat is available. The standard DEVELON Fleet Management system monitors the excavator’s health and maintenance schedule to help keep it running at peak performance.

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EVENTS

CPA Conference discusses challenges facing plant hire sector

CPA Chief Executive Stu McInroy

The many challenges facing the plant-hire industry at a time of ongoing political and economic uncertainty were discussed at the Construction Plant-hire Association’s (CPA) Annual Conference held on 9

Panel 1 discussion, Mark Anderson in the centre

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November at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre near Coventry.

This was the CPA’s eighth annual Conference and the best attended yet

with more than 200 delegates and 20 sponsoring exhibitors.

More importantly, solutions and strategies to address these issues were also suggested in four panel discussions during the event, chaired by former BBC news presenter Merryn Myatt.

The first session addressed current issues facing ‘The Plant-hire Sector in 2023’ with four panellists: Asif Latief, most recently MD of Boels Rental UK who spent 17 years with Sunbelt Rentals (formerly A-Plant) and who takes up a senior role with another business in January; Chris Gill, Director of L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage; James Atkinson, Vice President UK & Europe with industry data analyst Rouse Services; and Mark Anderson, MD North with GAP Group.

Speakers agreed that challenges also brought opportunities owing to the cyclical nature of construction and the ability of hirers to respond quickly to new market requirements. Hirers had to ensure their fleets still matched customer needs in terms of profile and quantity and that they embraced benefits offered by digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI). And a common sentiment was that government should listen more to construction’s needs and interests.

Five industry professionals participated in the second panel discussion entitled ‘Fuelling the Future’ and focused on the challenges of transitioning away from diesel: Adam Nicholson and Jim Haigh, respectively MD and Chairman/CEO of Eagle Platforms; Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), Matt O’Hara, Head of Sales for Clean Energy with Sunbelt Rentals UK & Ireland; and Paul Mabey, National Account Sales Manager with JCB. www.diggers.live

Panellists agreed that different energy sources, such as batteries, solar and hydrogen, suited different machines and applications. Site managers and hirers should work together to devise the optimum solution while recognising that, in certain cases, clean diesel machines with Stage V engines would remain a sensible solution for some time.

Session three explored challenges identified by some of the CPA’s Special Interest Groups, with participants comprising: Kirsty Archbold-Laming, Director of Southern Hoist Services and Chair of CHIG (Construction Hoist Interest Group); Peter Gibbs, Chief Operating Officer for Ainscough Crane Hire and Chair of the Crane Interest Group (CIG) for Mobile and Crawler Cranes; and Steve Featherstone, MD of Sachle Consultants who chairs the Rail Plant Association (RPA).

All agreed that the Special Interest Groups played a key role in representing member interests and needs, especially at times of challenge and change - but individuals had to make their views known and get involved in a spirit of collaboration.

The final session topic was ‘Combatting Plant Theft and Fraud’, with panellists including Superintendent Andy Huddleston, Head of the National Rural Crime Unit; Ian Elliott, Group Head of Security with Clancy Group who previously had 30 years’ service with the Metropolitan Police; Joel Babb, Cyber Security Evaluator with Falanx Cyber; and Kevin Howells, Managing Director of the CESAR Scheme from Datatag ID Ltd. Speakers agreed that both plant theft and cybercrime were increasing sharply, especially following the ban on equipment sales to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, which has led to a thriving black market. Hire companies and site managers had to take preventative measures, from recording equipment serial numbers and securely marking equipment, to ensuring computer systems are robust.

Earlier in the day, CPA Chief Executive Stu McInroy described initiatives the CPA is taking to address such industry challenges.

These included responding to a CBI (Confederation of British Industry) request for suggestions regarding what www.diggers.live

Panel 1 discussion, Asif Latief (left) and Chris Gill (right).

Panel 2 discussion, left to right, Merryn Myatt, Adam Nicholson, Jim Haigh, Alasdair Reisner, Matt O’Hara and Paul Mabey

the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement should address later in the month, and commissioning the respected Oxford Economics consultancy to compile an impact assessment of the plant-hire industry in the light of various economic scenarios. This, he said, should be published by June 2024.

Stu McInroy paid tribute to the companies who supported the Conference by exhibiting at the event.

They included: Headline Sponsor Point of Rental Software, BigChange, Capja, CESAR Scheme from Datatag ID, CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), NOCN/CPCS (Construction Plant Competence Scheme), Equipment & Machinery Supply (EMS) Ltd, Genquip Groundhog, Go Plant Fleet Services Ltd, MHM Group, National Highways, Nexus Vehicle Rental, Plant Planet, Prolectric, Rouse Services, SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority), Spartan Solutions, Thomas Group, Tobin Plant and VIN CHIP. Trevor Lovell, Business Development Manager with Point of Rental Software, said: “It was an obvious move for Point of Rental Software to be Headline Sponsor because we have a passion about hire and play a big part in it. Attending the Conference enabled us to hear about the challenges hire companies face and the solutions that businesses like ours can provide by enabling them to make better informed decisions.”

Panel 3 discussion, left to right Merryn Myatt, Kirsty Archbold-Laming, Peter Gibbs and Steve Featherstone

Panel 4 discussion, left to right Andy Huddleston, Ian Elliott, Joel Babb and Kevin Howells

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EVENTS

Caterpillar to amplify electrification and energy solutions at CES 2024

Booth 5440, West Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center 9-12 January Attendees at CES 2024 will experience the Power of Possible at Caterpillar’s roughly 900 m3 exhibit at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This year’s display focuses on Caterpillar’s electric machines and energy solutions to meet the evolving needs of its customers as they electrify their job sites. As a technology leader for nearly a century, Caterpillar continues to innovate and invest in electrification, alternative fuels, connectivity and digital solutions to help its customers meet their sustainability goals.

Rod Shurman, Senior Vice President of Caterpillar’s Electrification + Energy Solutions division said: “We are delighted to return to CES to showcase our advancements in energy solutions. This event is known as the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators, which makes it the ideal place for us to showcase our leadership in power systems and integrated service solutions to help our customers in the energy transition.

We’re putting our expertise to work on multiple advanced power technologies to enable the energy transition solutions that our customers need to be successful in a reduced-carbon world.”

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The Caterpillar Experience The exhibit’s centrepiece, the Cat® R1700 XE LHD underground loader, offers a 16.5-t payload and 11.2 mph top speed. The zero-exhaust emission loader includes the industry’s only onboard battery eliminating the need to handle or exchange batteries. It charges quickly—in less than 20 minutes when paired with two of the durable and mobile Cat MEC500 chargers. The Cat MEC500 Mobile Equipment Charger is a standalone charging system designed to charge quickly and safely as needed.

Also on display is the company’s 301.9 mini excavator, the first machine with a Caterpillar battery.

Job site solutions No matter how big or small the task at hand, worksites all over the world have two things in common, the need for power and the desire to be more sustainable. Caterpillar offers a powerful combination of technologies and expertise to help customers map their journey towards a lower carbon future.

CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS

POWERFUL INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS HELP CUSTOMERS ACHIEVE THEIR SUSTAINABILITY AND BUSINESS GOALS.

DIGITAL INSIGHTS

H2

HVO

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EVENTS

Visitors to the Cat booth #5440 in the West Hall at CES will experience: Sustainable power generation Caterpillar offers and continues to develop lower-carbon intensity on-site power production solutions such as generators running on a variety of renewable fuels, solar panels and hydrogen powered fuel cells.

Energy storage and charging solutions Designed for rapid plug-and-play installation and integration, battery Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) can be used with any combination of diesel, natural gas or renewable energy sources such as solar or wind. They store surplus power from these energy sources and then discharge from their reserves as needed. The XEX60, compact ESS will be shown at CES and can be used to provide power to Caterpillar charging solutions.

Caterpillar offers and continues to develop charging options to support

battery electric machines using industry standard connectors and protocols. The Cat chargers displayed at CES are tested and validated to work with Cat equipment in the same harsh environments where its machines are put to work.

Batteries The onboard battery pack on display at CES is designed to power the 301.9 mini excavator with a total capacity of 32 kWh and a nominal voltage of 48V. Cat battery packs consist of a modular design with factory integrated telematics and a rugged structure to endure the use on Caterpillar heavy equipment.

Power system solutions Additionally displayed at CES will be a Cat 750V Electric Motor and Inverter, components that support a variety of machines and power systems. A 750V DC motor provides mechanical power for the machine movement when commanded by the operator. The inverter transfers power

to the electric motor from an onboard Caterpillar machine power source like a generator or battery.

Digital insights and customer solutions The Cat digital solutions include everything from machine application use to battery monitoring and servicing needs. The ability of Caterpillar equipment and power solutions to learn about the environment and the habits of the work and operator is also crucial for safety, efficiency and productivity. The ability to monitor each part of the ecosystem allows the company to provide advanced analytics, transforming data into customer insights making it easier for customers to own and operate their equipment.

Evoquip to exhibit at Future Minerals Forum 2024

EvoQuip®, global provider of compact crushing and screening equipment, is set to participate in the highly anticipated Future Minerals Forum on 10-11 January www.diggers.live

2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a bid to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, EvoQuip will be actively seeking new distributors in the area.

EvoQuip recognises the strategic importance of the Middle East in the materials processing sector and is excited to connect with potential distributors who share a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions to the market. The Future Minerals Forum provides an ideal platform for EvoQuip to engage with industry professionals,

showcase the extensive product range and identify distributors who can help expand its reach in the region.

Visitors will find EvoQuip at the Invest Northern Ireland booth C01 and can learn more about the portfolio of compact crushing, screening and shredding equipment, as well as talk to the team about the exciting prospect of becoming a distributor for EvoQuip’s innovative range of equipment.

Jamie Mairs, International Sales Director, EvoQuip said: “Our presence at the Future Minerals Forum marks a significant step in our commitment to the Middle East market. We are actively seeking dynamic and experienced distributors who share our vision for delivering cutting-edge mineral processing solutions and services to customers throughout the region.”

Prospective distributors will have the opportunity to discuss partnership details, learn about EvoQuip’s product offerings, and explore the potential for mutual growth in the rapidly evolving industry.

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FEATURE

WHEEL LOADER FEATURE Bobcat

L95 Compact Wheel Loader

attachments. And the enhanced Automatic Ride Control system protects operators from any bumps or rough terrain.”

Increased speed Operators of the L95 can now shift when stopped from first to second gear, allowing acceleration up to 40 km/h to increase the boundaries of the job site, without needing additional resources such as organising transportation on a truck. The higher speed can provide significant savings and enhances daily utilisation of the machine.

WHEEL LOADERS

Bobcat has extended the company’s Compact Wheel Loader portfolio with the introduction of the new top-of-the-range L95 model, adding to the L85 and L75 compact wheel loaders launched in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

The new L95 ‘Premium’ model again offers the outstanding combination of high power, intuitive controls, operator comfort, ease of use and attachment flexibility found in the L75 and L85. In addition, the L95 incorporates the very latest product updates, which are also available in the 2024 versions of the

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L75 and L85, and are based on customer feedback. The L95 is ideal for construction, landscaping, rental, aggregates, industrial, waste, recycling, road work, snow removal, maintenance and many other applications, including agriculture.

Jiri Karmazin, Loaders Product Manager at Bobcat, said: “High performance is assured in the L95 by the combination of the powerful Bobcat 75 HP engine, the hydraulics and the 40 km/h maximum travel speed. As in the L75 and L85, this is complemented by the comfortable and spacious cab, combined with the high stability and lift capacity and impressive breakout, push and pull forces, together with a comprehensive selection of Bobcat

Smart and intuitive Even inexperienced operators can get to work quickly on the L95 with confidence, owing to the intuitive control scheme, Bobcat’s Flex Drive with auto idle function and a host of safety features. The machine is again equipped with Automatic Parking Brake and Slope Assist features, ensuring the parking brake on the L95 is automatically engaged and disengaged as required. These automotive-style features are unique in the industry for this type of machine.

Jiri Karmazin added: “In the L95, we are introducing some new features to the industry to further improve ease-ofuse. The joystick is now integrated with the suspension seat to provide the best operator experience and comfort. The location of the controls on the joystick is designed to make it easy and comfortable to operate, even during long hours of work.

Based on customer feedback, we have also improved the forward-reverse response time, together with increased lift and tilt multifunctionality, to enhance productivity and operating experience.”

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FEATURE

First-class comfort The L95 is designed around the operator to provide high comfort and safe and easy operation, with the cab offering full FOPS Level II operator protection and two steps to make it easy to get in and out of the cab.

No matter how long the operator is working, they are always comfortable, thanks to a fully adjustable and heated premium seat, the HVAC system and the two-way adjustable steering column. A full glass door and powerful LED lights guarantee excellent visibility at all times and operators can stay connected with a DAB+ radio and hands-free function for phone calls.

The location of all the controls is designed to make the L95 easy and comfortable to operate even during long shifts. Controls for differential lock, turtle/ rabbit mode, boom float and auxiliary flow control are all at the operator’s fingertips on the top of the joystick. The jog shuttle is used to reach, navigate and confirm the setup of the L95 on the five-inch LED display, and also to switch quickly to the view provided by the rear-view camera. All the machine’s vital information display and setup screens are managed via the jog shuttle.

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Specifications Standard bucket: Bucket range: Operating weight: Lift height: Cab height: Engine power:

0.8 or 1.0 m3 0.6 – 1.5 m3 5,376 kg 3,275 mm 2,522 mm 55.2 kW

Best support on the market Like all Bobcat products, the L95 is backed by the company’s unrivalled aftermarket support service, offering the peace of mind of an extensive dealer network, a single service point for both machine and engine, and the ability to monitor the machine’s performance remotely thanks to Bobcat’s Machine IQ telematics system.

WHEEL LOADERS

A truly multi-purpose machine The L95 is equipped as standard with a newly enhanced Power Quick-Tach system compatible with widely used industry standard couplers. The Power QuickTach has been redesigned to simplify and further protect the hydraulic connections, particularly when exchanging attachments.

In addition, there is the latest version of the Bob-Tach Adapter for installing approved Bobcat attachments and the Power BobTach system is available as an option.

To run high-flow attachments like a snow blower and an angle broom, the L95 can be fitted with a high flow option, providing a hydraulic flow of 100 L/min.

To further improve high-flow attachment performance, Bobcat has increased the pressure from 200 to 225 bar. This change also reduces the time for automatic derate by 50%, which is set to protect hydraulic components when the machine is cold.

Like the L75 and L85, another unique feature of the L95 is the Advanced Attachment Control. This revolutionary

system enables the operator to switch to an alternative machine control pattern at the touch of a button. This offers independent control of the engine speed (and maximum auxiliary flow) and the machine travel speed. Thanks to the seven-pin connector, the operator can control even the most complicated attachments intuitively and effectively.

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FEATURE

AVANT

WHEEL LOADERS

Tecno

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FEATURE

Avant Tecno, the Finnish compact loader manufacturer, is revolutionising the landscape of electric loaders with the introduction of the Avant e513 and Avant e527. Having been at the forefront of electric loader development for decades, Avant Tecno is now set to launch these next-generation models, renewing the Avant e series and replacing the previous Avant e5 and e6 models. Scheduled to enter production in January 2024, these fully electric loaders bring forth a new era of efficiency and sustainability.

At the heart of these innovative loaders is the Avant OptiTemp® battery technology, available in 13 kWh and 27 kWh capacities and manufactured by Avant Tecno’s subsidiary, Avant Power. This globally unique battery technology is a gamechanger, elevating the capacity and energy density of the batteries to among the best in the world. The patented lithium-ion batteries boast a thermal management system, ensuring consistent performance even in extreme temperatures, whether scorching hot or freezing cold.

Safety is paramount, with multilevel protection embedded in the Avant OptiTemp® batteries.

The Avant e513 and Avant e527 loaders are almost identical in design, differing only in the capacity of their batteries. The Avant e513, with a 13 kWh battery, caters to short-term continuous use, making it suitable for applications such as cattle farms, horse stables, greenhouses, and DIY projects. On the other hand, the Avant e527, equipped with a larger 27 kWh battery, is tailored for demanding professional use, offering ideal solutions for construction and demolition contractors.

Especially noteworthy is the applicability of these fully electric Avants in confined spaces and on construction sites with strict noise and emission regulations. The emphasis on providing a green and sustainable solution is evident in their zero-emission operation and minimal noise output.

A significant breakthrough for users is the impressive operational time achievable on a single

charge. The Avant e527, featuring a 27 kWh battery, can sustain a full day of work when charged in the morning, providing approximately six hours of operational time for medium-duty work.

The Avant e513, with a 13 kWh battery, offers around 3 hours of operational time.

Additionally, both loaders can be fully charged using a fast charger in just 1.5 hours, minimising downtime and enabling extended working hours.

Jani Käkelä, CEO of Avant Tecno, emphasises the significance of these advancements: “For years, the market has been longing for fully electric loaders that would be more like diesel loaders in terms of functionality. Until now, operating time and pricing have been key issues related to electric loaders, but with Avant’s new e series, we solve them both.”

The renewed Avant e series features fully electric loaders with zero emissions and low operating and maintenance costs.

The two models, Avant e513 and Avant e527, boast excellent capacity in various conditions, from hot environments to severe frosts. The fast charging capability in 1.5 hours, improved cooling systems and enhanced load resistance make these loaders stand out in terms of efficiency and durability. The updated multifunction display provides comprehensive information on various aspects, ensuring a user-friendly experience. With the same appearance as Avant’s diesel-powered 500 and 600 series loaders, the Avant e series maintains familiarity while pushing the boundaries of electric loader capabilities.

WHEEL LOADERS

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FEATURE

CASE

F-Series Evolution effort for the operator.

Evolution wheel loaders have an Eco drive mode, limiting engine revs to 1,700 RPM for reduced fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions. While operators might expect a drop in productivity in Eco mode, engine speed regulation and variable hydraulic pump displacement results in impressive performance.

Indeed, CASE recommends that operators set the machines to run in Eco in regular daily operation, to achieve optimum productivity and efficiency, unless maximum power is required for attachments, or for increased breakout force.

CASE Construction Equipment has updated its compact wheel loader line, with the launch of four F-Series Evolution models – the 21F, 121F, 221F and 321F. The machines benefit from increased travel speeds and an upgraded operator’s cab. This incorporates a revised monitor, enhanced electrohydraulic controls with smart features, plus a range of connectivity applications previously only seen on larger models.

• Increased travel speeds • Improved operator comfort • Smart control features • Upgraded connectivity

Operator control There are two cab interiors on offer, both featuring ROPS and FOPS level 2 protection as standard. The Deluxe cab interior includes additional storage spaces around the seat, with full height adjustment for the steering wheel and an adjustable wrist rest, ensuring that all drivers can find the most comfortable position for all-day operation.

A low effort all-in-one electrohydraulic joystick controls all bucket and loader arm functions, while the upgraded automotive-style display monitor provides clear access to all major machine functions and system controls. A membrane keypad,

WHEEL LOADERS

Improved performance To meet growing customer demand, particularly from Scandinavian countries, the two larger models are available with a choice of travel speed ratings, 20 kph in standard trim and an optional 40 kph for those customers looking to move rapidly between work sites. The increased travel speed is ideal for contractors that employ high-performance, constant-speed attachments, such as for snow clearing.

When combined with optional Ride Control arm suspension, the higher travel speeds also deliver

increased productivity in load and carry operations, where machines are rapidly transferring material to a loading or stocking area.

Powered by a Stage V FPT diesel engine, the 21F boasts 43 kW and 245 Nm of torque. This rises to 48 kW and 261 Nm in the 121F, topping out at 55 kW and 316 Nm in the 221F and the 321F. The larger models come with new modular axles, available with limited slip or 100% locking differentials for maximum traction in difficult terrain.

They feature multi-disc wet brakes with a hydraulically-released parking brake, delivering improved safety and reduced

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FEATURE

similar to that found in larger CASE machines, puts all controls at the operator’s fingertips without leaving the wrist rest.

Smart features allow the operator to pre-set hydraulic response to suit individual tasks, while a bucket shake mode assists the emptying of sticky materials. As well as a return-to-dig function, there is now a return-to-travel setting and the two automated movements can be combined for easier operation in loading and tipping. A return-to-height function is also offered, further enhancing the operator assistance delivered by the Evolution machines. Cruise control delivers constant road speed when travelling. With a spacious interior, the F-Series cab remains low enough for transportation between job sites and offers quick and easy access for the operator.

Overall height of the 21F and 121F is just 2.46 m, while the 221F is 2.63 m high and the 321F sits at 2.68 m.

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Full range The 21F weighs in at 4,570 kg with a standard bucket and Z-bar linkage loader arms. This rises to 5,423 kg for the 121F, then 5,694 kg for the 221F and tops out at 6,195 kg for the 321F. Bucket capacities run from 0.7-1.0 m3 for the smallest model, rising to 1.0-1.3m3 for the 321F. Both the 21F and the 121F feature a new monolift cylinder Z-bar loader arm, allowing for parallel lift for better pallet fork handling, without compromising the conventional Z-bar breakout force.

The 21F and 121F have standard flow hydraulics producing 67 Lpm of flow, while the larger 221F and 321F feature an optional high-flow package, that includes creep speed, a front electrical socket and a depressurised return drain function to allow for a full interface with hydraulic attachments.

WHEEL LOADERS

Boosting uptime and customer peace of mind with CASE® Service Solutions To further boost the productivity, profitability and uptime of the new F-Series Evolution compact wheel loader range, CASE has available a range of connected and non-connected after-sales services, CASE Service Solutions, which supports customers’ experiences of CASE equipment.

The complete fleet management tool CASE SiteWatchTM enables geolocation, fleet security using geofences and unauthorised use alerts and flexible reporting. This includes key performance indicators such as fuel consumption, utilisation rate, machine hours and idle time, so productivity and profitability can be monitored and optimised. The data is easily accessible via a portal.

CASE SiteConnect enhances telemetry data used by CASE’s Uptime Center team to provide dealers with alerts based on machine performance. Fast corrective action to minimise downtime is possible, as dealers remotely access machine data and take corrective action faster. This enables dealers to be proactive in managing customers’ machines and boosting uptime. Both SiteWatch and SiteConnect are available as options with the newly revised models.

Customers benefit from greater

peace of mind with CASE Care, CASE Protect and CASE Fluid Analysis. CASE Care is a standard planned maintenance programme, with genuine parts and lubricants. The programme is underpinned by the support, logistics and technical expertise of the wide-reaching CASE dealer network. CASE Protect is an extended warranty programme and CASE Fluid Analysis aims to prevent major failures, optimising the asset reliability and extending operating lifetimes.

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FEATURE

DEVELON

DL-7 Large Wheel Loaders DEVELON now offers the company’s latest generation DL-7 wheel loader range, introducing a complete line of awardwinning machines, driven by powerful new Stage V compliant engines and providing higher productivity, increased fuel efficiency and a low cost of ownership, coupled with a new cab offering a fantastic environment and experience for the operator.

WHEEL LOADERS

Increased productivity and versatility The four biggest standard models in the DL-7 range are the DL420-7, DL480-7, DL550-7 and DL580-7. With redesigned buckets offering up to 7% more capacity, these DEVELON DL-7 wheel loaders provide easier and faster loading with maximum bucket capacities from 4.5 to 6.4 m3. This provides increased productivity for a very wide range of material-handling applications.

These include the transport and delivery of soil, sand, aggregates and other materials in industry, recycling, waste, construction, demolition, mining and quarrying. DEVELON is also offering a wider choice of options to provide more work tools for a better match with applications, further increasing output.

The Z-kinematic lift arm delivers high breakout forces and lifting capacities,

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especially for heavy materials, and a large dump angle for efficiently unloading sticky materials. An optional high lift arm is available where higher dump heights and increased versatility are required.

The DL-7 loaders also have smooth and responsive hydraulics and auxiliary hydraulic connections. All of the new DL-7 wheel loaders are equipped as standard with a third spool valve with settable flow and detent function, providing a constant flow for hydraulically driven attachments. Operators can easily and comfortably control hydraulic attachments via the proportional switch on the joystick. Various bias and radial tyre options are also available from leading global manufacturers, to cover the widest possible range of conditions and applications.

In addition, the new wheel loaders can be ordered with a choice of different counterweights depending on the application.

Excellent operator visibility The new cab offers a greatly improved field of vision for the operator, with blind spots around the cab minimised and a 14% larger glass window area compared to the previous DL-5 models. The DL-7 wheel loaders also offer the option of

electrically adjustable rear view mirrors for added safety. Full LED working lights are installed on the cab (four on both the front and rear as standard, with the option of six each at the front and rear). For higher pedestrian safety, the LED lights on the rear bonnet have an automatic strobe function to indicate when the wheel loader is reversing.

An air compressor with air blower is available as an option – fitted in the cab for easy access, this is a powerful tool that can be used to clean the cab whenever necessary.

New spacious ergonomic cab design Inside the cab, the DL-7 wheel loaders offer significantly enhanced operating comfort, an enhanced steering system and advanced electronic controls. Using the new DEVELON Smart Key system on the control panel in the cab, the operator can start the machine using a keyless device, helping to prevent machine theft.

The Smart Key system provides remote door control, door lock and unlock, door release, searching and other functions.

The control panel also includes two USB sockets.

The new cab has a Grammer Actimo XXL seat with fully adjustable horizontal and vertical suspension settings, a pneumatic lumbar function and seat heating as standard. There is a three-point safety belt with alarm icons on the new DEVELON Smart Touch eight-inch touchscreen monitor and on the gauge panel, which features a new layout and anti-reflective glass.

The new EMCV (Electric Main Control Valve) joystick fully integrated in the armrest is another standard feature in the cab, providing the operator with smoother and precise controllability of the lift arm and attachments on the wheel loaders. Features available via the EMCV system include Automatic Return-to-Dig, Bucket Tilt Kick-out and the Bucket crowd stop position and shock prevention for higher operator comfort.

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FEATURE

Designed to give the operator more precise control with a shorter lever stroke, resulting in less fatigue, the sensitivity of the ergonomic joystick control can be set and altered according to operator preferences using the new DEVELON Smart Touch touchscreen monitor. Userfriendly and easy to read in all conditions, the new touchscreen provides all the important settings and information the operator needs in one place.

Included in the information at the operator’s fingertips on the touchscreen is the feed from the rear-view camera, the weighing system, the HVAC controls (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), radio and Bluetooth devices (music streaming, hands-free) and the operator help function.

Overall, the redesigned interior offers a much larger, quieter and more comfortable operator environment, which improves safety and productivity and helps the operator work with high concentration.

The operator also has increased leg room, an enlarged storage area and cool-box position and an improved air conditioning system (with optimised air circulation).

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Three-year/5000 h warranty The upgraded hydraulic system and major parts ensure greatly improved durability and maintainability. Providing increased peace of mind for the customer, the high reliability and quality of the new DL-7 wheel loaders are backed up by a standard full three year/5,000 hour warranty.

Increased fuel efficiency With power provided by new DEVELON and Scania Stage V 6-cylinder engines, the DL-7 wheel loaders provide up to 5% greater fuel efficiency than the previous generation machines, whilst delivering impressive output and torque.

The new engines meet Stage V emission regulations without the need for exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), through the use of selective catalyst reduction, diesel oxidation catalyst and diesel particulate filter (DPF) after-treatment technologies.

The soot cleaning cycle on the DPF has been improved to over 6,000 h and the operator is fully informed about the status of the DPF via a soot level indicator on the new touchscreen display in the cab.

With no EGR needed and a new selection of power modes available – SAT2, Standard or Power – the new generation Situation Awareness Technology (SAT2) power management

system automatically scans the machine’s activity and adjusts the engine’s output according to real time analysis of the boom pressure, pump pressure and output shaft.

The DEVELON Smart Guidance System (DSGS) is a new feature which analyses the driving habits and behaviour of the operator and helps them to achieve the most fuel-efficient operation. The DSGS provides a score and guide (the Score-Graph) of the operator’s driving pattern to show fuel economy, efficiency and durability by category.

The Score-Graph shows the level of efficiency: Orange, 0-50% = improvement in settings highly recommended Yellow, 50-70% = improvements in settings recommended Green, 70-100% = good operation and settings Fleet Management System The DL-7 wheel loaders are factoryinstalled with the latest state-of-art wireless fleet monitoring system, specifically designed for the DEVELON range, providing comprehensive information about machine performance in a dual mode (satellite, mobile network).

This telematics system offers a web-based fleet and asset management solution which is very useful for managing the performance and security of machines and promoting preventative maintenance.

WHEEL LOADERS

Higher performance The LIS (Load Isolation System) provides a smoother ride and higher comfort for the operator, as well as higher productivity due to improved stability when the wheel loader is moving. The lift arm is cushioned by a hydro-pneumatic accumulator linked to the lift hydraulic system, acting as a shock absorber. The benefits include reduced cycle times, higher performance and better fuel efficiency while carrying out load and carry applications.

With automatic five-speed powershift transmission, heavy duty HDL axles as standard and enhanced traction with Differential Hydraulic Lock (DHL), the DL-7 wheel loaders operate exceptionally, especially in high-load environments.

The differential hydraulic 100% lock can be engaged at full torque automatically without any action from the operator.

Optional independent oil cooler circuits for the front and rear axle ensure low oil temperatures, provide oil filtration and extend the lifetime of axle components, especially for demanding applications, such as long distance load and carry in high ambient temperature conditions.

Improvements have been made throughout the powertrain, to provide operators with best-in-class driveability and faster driving, reaching the 40 km/h maximum speed quickly and safely.

DIGGERSLIVE 45

FEATURE

FINNING

Finning delivers big fuel savings and product support to FCC Environment

WHEEL LOADERS

Leading UK resource and waste management company FCC Environment has invested in a fleet of Cat® 966 XE wheel loaders from Finning UK & Ireland after a trial revealed an annual fuel saving of more than £11,000 per machine.

Bill Stone, Group Plant Manager at FCC Environment, cited the wraparound support and weekly analysis on the fuel usage data provided by Finning, the world’s largest Cat® dealer, as major factors in the decision to purchase the machines.

The data showed that over a sixmonth period, the machines had achieved fuel savings of 29%. The Finning team held weekly catch ups with the FCC to help them interpret the data provided through the Cat VisionLink® software which monitors machine health. Based on fuel savings of 29%, Finning calculated that over a seven-year life cycle, and with a standard repair and maintenance warranty programme, the machines would

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FEATURE

collectively deliver savings of more than £250,000 to FCC. Bill Stone said: “On average we order around 11 new Cat machines from Finning every year – and always buy with full repair and maintenance contracts because it provides complete peace of mind that if there are any issues, they will be dealt with swiftly by Finning.

“For me it’s the product support that’s a major consideration when buying a new machine. What matters most is that if there’s an issue with a machine – I can rely on Finning to respond within four-hours.

We have 500 pieces of plant so it’s vital that we have this reassurance to limit any machine downtime.

“All manufacturers say that their machine is the best in class for fuel. We decided to put Finning to the test on its claim of between 20 – 30% savings and compared the three new Cat 966 XE wheel loaders against our current Cat 960s and worked out their average litres per hour.

We were delighted to see fuel savings of 29 per cent so they’ve more than exceeded expectations.

“This fuel saving is crucial. The switch from red to white diesel saw everyone’s fuel costs double, and when you’re paying £1.05 a litre that’s an £11,000 saving per

technology on it and a much more efficient powertrain.

“We have a great working relationship with FCC, which allows us to support them proactively and help them to get the best out of their assets and maximise their site productivity.”

The Cat XE range is a premium offer across multiple machine classes designed to improve system efficiencies and offer greater precision through enhanced design, inbuilt software and systems. Over the years, Finning has supplied more than 150 Caterpillar machines to FCC because of their reliability and fuel efficiency.

Bill added: “Our operators love the new machines as they have good all-round visibility, they’re easy to operate and they’re comfortable.”

For more information about how the expert team at Finning can help optimise your site operations go to www.finning.com/en_GB/ products/new/equipment/ wheel-loaders/medium-wheelloaders.html.

WHEEL LOADERS

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machine. With the cost of fuel expected to continue to rise, we estimate that by the seventh year, the savings will probably be closer to £13,000 per machine.”

Jonathan Davies, Industry Manager Industrial and Waste and Paving at Finning, said: “We continue to offer wraparound support to FCC through weekly catch-up calls to help the management team at FCC interrogate the machine data. This combined with the full repair and maintenance contracts held on the machines means FCC is getting the highest level of performance, alongside fuel efficiency and other operational savings.

Jonathan added: “When you’ve got a quarry working 2,000 hours a year every penny counts. During the weekly call with the operations team at FCC, they bring any challenges to the table, and we work collaboratively with them to achieve the efficiencies they need.

“FCC went through a lot of analysis to see what the XE’s could deliver to their business and the fuel savings provided a compelling case to buy the three new Cat 966 XE wheel loaders. The XE really is a ‘full-fat’ machine with all the latest

DIGGERSLIVE 47

FEATURE

Hyundai

High productivity and comfort for Hyundai loaders

WHEEL LOADERS

HD Hyundai Construction Equipment has a range of wheeled loading shovels, designed to meet every digging, loading, stocking and material handling application. From the 11.5-tonne HL930A, through to the 30.8-tonne HL980A, the A-Series range is powered by proven Cummins diesel engines, driving through premium transmissions and drive axles.

Alongside the standard Z-bar linkage loaders, HD Hyundai also offers a number of Tool Master versions, such as the HL940A TM. This 13.4-tonne model is equipped with parallel lift arms and is designed to work in a range of industry sectors, including forestry, waste and recycling. There are also high lift models, like the HL955A HDXT. Specifically designed to withstand the arduous operating conditions of the waste

48 DIGGERSLIVE

industry, the machine is equipped with a range of cab guards, under guards, hydraulic cylinder, lamp and axle seal shields, plus a rear grille.

While the majority of A-Series models drive through a four or fivespeed powershift transmission, the HL975A CVT uses a ZF Continuously Variable Transmission, to constantly vary the ratio of hydraulic to mechanical energy, depending on load and speed.

This transmission ensures that low engine speeds can be maintained, even when accelerating seamlessly. During deceleration, the transmission provides braking force, reducing wear on service brake components and prolonging axle oil life.

The operator can control the transmission through traction, creep and dynamic operating modes. In traction

mode the transmission adjusts the traction control system to minimise tyre slip and improve loading cycle times. In creep mode the operator can set a slow drive setting for precise travel speeds, while in dynamic mode full engine power can be deployed for faster cycle times and increased digging capability.

The machines benefit from an Eco Report feature, that provides operators with real-time working data, to help develop more efficient driving techniques.

An Intelligent Clutch Cut-Off (ICCO) function also minimises loss of power in the torque converter and reduces wear on the brake discs.

All HD Hyundai wheeled loaders benefit from a comfortable, spacious operator cab that is among the quietest in the industry. A high-quality seat and armrest ensure easy reach to all controls, while soft end-stop hydraulics lessen any shock forces, for improved operator comfort. The A-Series machines have a Smart Power mode that delivers improved fuel savings over previous models, while constant monitoring through HD Hyundai’s Hi MATE telematic system ensures that customers have real-time operating data to ensure timely servicing and maintenance.

The loaders can be equipped with HD Hyundai’s Advanced Around View Monitoring (AAVM) system of cameras and sensors that provide the operator with a 360° overview of the working area.

Intelligent Moving Object Detection (IMOD) technology is also available, to warn the operator of people or objects within a 5-m radius of the machine.

HD Hyundai wheeled loaders deliver maximum digging and lifting abilities with lower fuel consumption and maintenance costs, providing customers with a highly productive materials handling solution.

Designed to work in a range of industry sectors, the HD Hyundai A-Series is built to last, with operator comfort and control the highest priority.

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UPGRADE TO THE ULTIMATE.

NEW KX085-5: THE 8-TONNE STANDARD The ultimate in operator comfort, efficiency, and high productivity.

The Kubota KX085-5 is equipped with a host of built-in operational and safety technologies as standard, including engine auto-stop, intuitive control systems, an integrated rear-view camera and much more.

Add a new ultra-quiet, spacious cab, and it all adds up to our most productive 8 tonne mini excavator ever.

Talk to your Kubota dealer today to find out more. www.kubota.co.uk

POWER EFFICIENCY MEETS

Experience unmatched efficiency and versatility, designed to tackle your toughest challenges. Say goodbye to downtime and hello to increased productivity. With Avant Tecno, every job becomes a masterpiece of efficiency and skill.

OVER 200+ ATTACHMENTS

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FIND OUT MORE

Email: sales@avant.co.uk Phone: 01953 714896 Web: www.avanttecno.com/uk

FEATURE

JCB

457 Wheeled loading shovel The JCB 457 wheeled loading shovel is powered by a EU Stage V Cummins QSB6.7 diesel engine, equipped with a single module after-treatment, containing a diesel oxidation catalyst, selective catalytic reduction (SCR), a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and an ammonia slip catalyst (ASC).

The 457 is equipped with two power modes, which can be activated from the

cab by the operator to reduce the engine’s output for lighter operating duties.

In addition, the machine will now be supplied as standard with a five-speed Powershift transmission, in place of the previous four-speed unit.

This combination delivers a better range of speeds to suit a wide range of applications but will also benefit from reduced fuel consumption of up

to 10% – as the loader will be able to operate both in low-power mode and with optimised efficiency through the use of better-spaced transmission ratios. In addition, the 457 will feature an auto engine shut-down feature, that can be adjusted by the operator, resulting in further fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, prolonging service maintenance.

Key features: 210 kW Stage V Cummins engine Reduced power mode of 167 kW for lighter operating duties Reduced fuel consumption of up to 10% Five-speed Powershift transmission Auto engine shut-down feature Optional roof-mounted forward-facing camera

WHEEL LOADERS

• • • • • •

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UPCOMING LEEDS, GB AUCTION 24th - 27th January 2024 @ 8.00am

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FEATURE

Kubota

RT210-2e and RT220-2e electric compact articulated loaders

motor is used to operate the hydraulic system with a power rating of 12 kW. Both electric motors are certified IP54, offering protection from dust and water, with inbuilt protection against over-heating.

Operating weights are 2,200 kg and 2,350 kg respectively for the RT2102e and RT220-2e when equipped with the standard 260 Ah battery pack. And models differ only in their front-end

configurations. As a result, tipping loads in the straight-ahead position, are 1,480 kg for the RT210-2e and 2,054 kg for the RT220-2e.

Compact in size, the RT series offers a low overall height of 2.3 m, a minimum overall width of 1.04 m (RT210-2e), and a maximum hinge pin height of 2.82 m (RT210-2e). Either model can be specified in a cab or canopy configuration.

WHEEL LOADERS

Kubota (UK) Ltd has launched two models of battery-powered RT compact wheeled loader. Badged as the RT210-2e and RT220-2e, the new models offer a zero-emission, near-silent alternative to the traditional diesel-powered RT210 and RT220 models currently available.

Equipped with battery power, these latest compact Kubota loaders provide an alternative choice for those working indoors; around livestock; or in environments where ultra-low noise levels are required.

Power for the RT ‘e’ versions is supplied by a 48-V DC electrical system that is equipped as standard with a 260-Ah lithium-ion battery pack. As an option, buyers can choose from two larger battery packs offering 390 and 520-Ah capacities, offering longer run-times between charging.

On-board charging affords a 230-V/40-A capability, with a more powerful 60-A unit available as an option, that can fully recharge the standard battery in seven hours. For those able to make the most of a three-phase electricity supply, there are two models of 400-V Super Charger available to further shorten the charging times – the most powerful 300-A version can fully charge the largest 520-Ah battery pack in just 90 minutes.

An adaptor is available to enable the RT ‘e’ models to be recharged via an electric car charging point.

Both Kubota RT ‘e’ models are equipped with an integral energy recovery system that automatically puts power back into the battery pack when the loaders decelerate, or travel downhill, contributing to energy conservation.

The drive motor which is fitted to the rear axle to transmit power to all four wheels is now a 135-A electric motor packing a 6.5 kW punch. Travel speeds can be 0-5 km/h; 0-12 km/h and 0-20 km/h.

A more powerful 250-A electric

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FEATURE

LiuGong

835H and 848H To ensure real return on investment you demand machines that can quickly adapt to any situation on the jobsite and handle multiple jobs with speed and precision.

Our new 835H and 848H wheel loaders,

LiuGong 835H

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WHEEL LOADERS

LiuGong 848H

combined with our perfectly matched quick coupler and attachments, create the ultimate in multi-tools. Here is a selection of key benefits, common to both of our new machines.

Our new wheel loaders match their power to the job with world-class, versatile engines, designed to maximise torque and deliver more power and breakout force at lower engine speeds.

The new four-speed ZF power shift transmission, including torque converter, cleverly adapts to any situation, ensuring the maximum transfer of power to improve performance and fuel efficiency.

LiuGong’s new-generation advanced hydraulic system adapts itself to any job organising the mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems to work in perfect harmony. Power is supplied only as needed, achieving optimum operation, whatever the application.

Multiple tasks require total control.

The kick-down and forward/reverse buttons are conveniently located on the loader joystick, putting absolute control right where it belongs – in the operator’s hands.

Optimised Z-Bar geometry further improves the adaptability of our machines enhancing bucket breakout force, loading stability, speed and operator visibility.

For the ultimate in traction and manoeuvrability, you can rely on our limited-slip differential axles. They automatically deliver power to the wheels making turning easier, reducing tyre wear and maximising bucket-filling performance.

The chassis frame is the backbone of the machine, so it’s got to be tough.

Our rigorous design and testing regime has delivered a chassis capable of absorbing all the forces and pressures of the toughest environments and most demanding jobs. Year after year, our chassis stays strong, protecting the driveline, your operator and your profitability.

Jobsite adaptability is about perfectly matching the machine to a wide range of attachments.

We’ve created a versatile tool that will maximize productivity and return on investment.

When it comes to safety our cabs are second to none.

ROPS and FOPS safeguard your operator, but we’ve gone further by enhancing visibility to create a safer environment inside and outside the cab.

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FEATURE

XCMG

XC9 intelligent loader series and other advanced technologies. The XC9 series is designed with the Leading Technology and High Durability concept, which makes it highly reliable, efficient and flexible.

XCMG will bring to the UK customers our full range of wheeled loaders to support their business needs, with all dedicated specialist specifications, whether that be weigh loaders, auto greasing or L5 tyres.

You can be sure, we have the right machine for your job!

WHEEL LOADERS

XCMG’s new generation XC9 series intelligent medium-tonnage loader is a high-quality machine that conforms to international Stage-V emission regulation and features all-new streamlined industrial exterior design, beautiful modelling, advanced and reliable performances and high energyconservation, efficiency, comfort, and convenience123. The XC9 series is equipped with an EU Stage V/EPA Tier IV engine, ZF 4BP230 automatic transmission, XCMG wet drive axle,

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Tigerbite Mini Crusher Your compact Recycling Solution

ABOUT US Our Mini Crushers are designed to be compact enough to access areas where a crusher would not normally fit. Ideal for Landscapers or renovators.

Crush and Recycle an impressive 6-8 tonnes an hour of standard construction waste, to re-purpose and reuse on site for your project.

We offer services to meet all budgets, from daily hire and long term lease, to sales and service.

OUR STORY

Born from a passion for innovation, along with our expertise in engineering, We pride ourselves on being the leading experts in the Mini Crusher industry. Fueled by our engineering prowess, we deliver compact solutions, setting new standards in efficient, reliable construstion equipment.

OUR VISION

At Tigerbite, our vision is to redefine industry standards with cost saving and recycling equipment. We aim to empower efficiency while contributing to a more sustainable future, globally.

WHY CHOOSE US?

Reliably powerful, sustainably efficient, costeffective and user friendly.

The Tigerbite Mini Concrete Crusher - your compact, eco-conscious solution for effortless, affordable Recycling.

CONTACT US

OUR MISSION

We believe businesses can grow with a more sustainable approach, and succeed by contributing to a greener future. That's why we've created a compact and affordable equivalent to costly, standard waste removal processes.

Promoting recycling to help businesses grow better every day.

South March,Daventry, NN114PH www.tigerbiteminicrushers.co.uk

Sales@tigerbiteminicrushers.co.uk

@tigerbiteminicrushers

+44 3333 661 263

FEATURE

SANY SW305 The new SW305 already comes with a number of features as standard for improved comfort, greater safety and increased productivity.

•

Equipped with a Stage V, state-of-theart, six-cylinder, common rail diesel engine from Deutz Provides a powerful 129 kW performance and a maximum torque of 880 Nm at 2,200 RPM Efficient, load-sensing main hydraulic pump from Rexroth with a steering and loading hydraulic pump including a third control circuit as standard Automatic Ergopower powershift transmission from ZF for maximum ease of shifting The Z-kinematics provide full power exactly where needed – at the bucket

• •

• •

Rated power: Operating weight: Full turn tipping load:

Operator comfort The SW305 offers a premium class of operator comfort as standard.

• Air-sprung Grammer operator’s seat, with high backrest and individual adjustment options for improved comfort • Automatic climate control system • Right-hand side opening 129 kW / 2,200 RPM window 14,500 kg • Adjustable 7,714 kg steering column

• • • •

High resolution seven-inch touchscreen display LED work lights for maximum visibility in low light conditions Radio with USB port Drinks holder and storage compartment

Service • Easy access to all maintenance points • Premium branded supplier components for long service life Security Registered and protected with the CESAR Datatag Scheme (the premier initiative against equipment theft) and CESAR ECV for quick and easy verification of emissions category.

Warranty Five-year/3,000 hour warranty as standard for complete peace of mind (Terms and Conditions apply)

WHEEL LOADERS

• • •

to ensure strong breakaway forces, as well as quick loading and emptying Safety features of the SW305 guarantee maximum safety and minimal risk to operators and bystanders on site.

• Spacious ROPS/FOPS certified cab • Panoramic camera system for unrestricted visibility • Travel alarm and rotating beacon to increase visibility, attract attention and ensure safety • Battery disconnect switch

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FEATURE

SANY - SW405 The new SW405 already comes with a number of features as standard for improved comfort, greater safety and increased productivity • State-of-the-art, seven-cylinder common rail diesel engine from Deutz, the wheel loader provides a powerful 195 kW performance • Load-sensing main hydraulic pump from Rexroth with a steering and loading hydraulic pump including a third control circuit as standard • Automatic Ergopower powershift transmission from ZF for maximum ease of shifting • The Z-kinematics provide full power exactly where needed – at the bucket to ensure strong breakaway forces, as well as quick loading and emptying

• • •

Safety Safety features of the SW405 guarantee maximum safety and minimal risk to operators and bystanders on site.

• Spacious ROPS/FOPS certified cab • Panoramic camera system for unrestricted visibility • Travel alarm and rotating beacon to increase visibility, attract attention and ensure safety • Battery disconnect switch Operator comfort The SW405 offers a premium class of operator comfort as standard.

•

Air-sprung Grammer operator’s seat, with high backrest and individual adjustment options for improved comfort • Automatic climate control system • Right-hand side opening window Rated power: 170 kW / 2,300 RPM • Adjustable Operating weight: 18,500 kg steering column Full turn tipping load: 13,100 kg • High resolution

seven-inch touchscreen display

•

LED work lights for maximum visibility in low light conditions

• •

Radio with USB port Drinks holder and storage compartment Service • Easy access to all maintenance points • Premium branded supplier components for long service life Security Registered and protected with the CESAR Datatag Scheme (the premier initiative against equipment theft) and CESAR ECV for quick and easy verification of emissions category Warranty Five-year/3,000 hour warranty as standard for complete peace of mind (Terms and Conditions apply).

WHEEL LOADERS

www.diggers.live

DIGGERSLIVE 59

INTERVIEW

BUSINESS INSIDER

Interviewee: Ben Gorham Role and company: Managing Director, Sky Revolutions Ltd Sector: Surveying and filming company with main focus on construction and related industries Turnover: c£2m Employees: 15 Current brands: Sky Revolutions & Sky Revolutions Academy (both under the same limited company) Geographical reach: Europe When established: January 2015 Prior roles/positions in career: Site Manager, Contracts Manager, Senior Contracts Manager 60 DIGGERSLIVE

Q

How do you fit in to Sky Revolutions and how did you first come to be in the role?

I’m the MD and run the day to day operations of the business from our Ely office, which is the hub for the general planning of works, pricing jobs, compliance, editing etc. We have a www.diggers.live

INTERVIEW

Having sold the family home and given up my reasonably well paid job we were now relying on Jenna’s salary as the main income and she was pregnant. So, sat at the dining table of our recently rented terraced house, I began calling prospective customers to see if they were interested in drone surveys. The common response at this time was “What is a drone?” or “No!” It was very apparent that we had started a brand new company in an industry that didn’t yet exist! Scary times!

Q

satellite office near Ipswich, which serves some of the land surveying team and our head office at Peterborough where the accounts and marketing teams reside alongside my business partner Dan. I left the construction industry having seen a potential gap in the market for drones in construction; I don’t mean that to sound as though I was the first in the industry as I certainly wasn’t but in late 2014 the drone industry was embryonic and we were certainly early to the party.

Being that early came with both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand we were one of the first in the industry and able to set standards and benchmarks within it but, on the other hand, very few people knew what drones were and certainly weren’t looking at them as useful tools – more as intrusive, spying gadgets! To say it was a hard sell was an understatement. www.diggers.live

Tell us about your career progression up to and including Sky Revolutions?

Following college I started as an estimator, then had a slight career change to become an assistant site manager in my early 20s; from there I worked may way up to senior contracts manager before finally becoming a director of my own small development company in my late 30s. During that time I built five of my own houses using self-build mortgages, my first build in my home town of Soham at the age of 24.

Drones came as a very unexpected tangent at the age of 40. Whilst at my previous company (Senior Contracts Manager and Director of Development Company) one of the groundworkers came into the yard with a Phantom 1 (one of the very first basic camera drones). He flew it around the yard and took a picture of us with it. Not quite a premonition but I instantly thought they could be used for roof surveys and high level access works on chimneys/ towers etc. I think that was around August 2014.

I asked my wife for a drone for my 40th birthday the following November, which she fully expected to be thrown in the back of the garage along with my other redundant gadgets – how wrong she was!

I got married to Jenna in October of that year but we deferred our honeymoon until January 2015. I finished for Christmas as usual then went off to Mexico on our honeymoon. I sat on the end of Jenna’s sunbed one day and said “I’m not going back,” to which she replied

“Back where?” “Back to work,” I said.

Long story, short: I haven’t been back!

I formed the company with my business partners/ investors on 9 January 2015. There were a lot of non-believers during this time but I think we did a decent job of proving them wrong.

Q

How has what you do personally developed? How does this relate to the fast pace of technological developments during Sky Revolutions’ time?

I have developed enormously and learnt a lot since starting the company. We work our way up through the ranks of various companies through our working lives, completing training courses and being promoted etc. but nobody ever sends you on Managing Director training before you decide to start a company. Luckily I was surrounded by good mentors, not least my wife Jenna who ran her own HR consultancy and has worked with managers and directors throughout her career.

The company has also evolved rapidly over the years. Technology in this sector moves at a fast pace and so regular investment is required in order to stay at the forefront of the industry. During the last four years we have grown at a fast pace, now having three offices and expanding our workforce, surviving Covid was clearly a battle in itself and I’m aware of the unfortunate demise of some other companies in our industry and beyond.

Q

Can you tell us something about the balance between your expertise in drones and aerial imaging and your role in business (transferable skills)?

I came from a construction background – approx. 20 years before I entered the drone world. I worked in general construction, timber engineering, civils and fit-out during my career. We generally work in and around the construction industry and therefore I bring certain skills into the role; for instance when carrying out roof inspections or building defect surveys not only can we carry out DIGGERSLIVE

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INTERVIEW

the survey safely and accurately, we also understand exactly what we’re looking at and can advise on the same.

Q

What is it about your role at Sky Revolutions that attracts you?

What do you enjoy? What are the skills required for your job?

It varies. One day I’m a drone pilot, the next a surveyor, an estimator, finance manager etc. It’s a very dynamic role and a dynamic team. We’re lucky enough to have attracted some amazing talent

and our team never ceases to impress.

A good example of this was the recent blowdown we filmed for PP O’Connor at Fiddlers Ferry. As it was December the weather was always in question and, with almost imperfect timing, the fog set in approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled button press.

We were running a live stream through Facebook (approx. 16,500 people viewing at the time) from the ground and drones were about to take off – disaster had struck! We had cameras on the ground

strategically positioned the day before – they were luckily below the fog. We had also captured some footage the day before; this footage coupled with some footage in the clear gaps on the day meant all was not lost. As we sat editing the footage on that cold Sunday afternoon, it started to come together and we pulled it off. Bizarrely, it turned out to be one of the best demo films to date. On reflection, I’m not sure it could have gone any better; by that I mean that all of the other demo jobs were filmed in perfect conditions and, although these are very technical jobs and never easy, it certainly helps when the sun is shining.

Sunday 3 December was far from that but we pulled it off and that meant that we could achieve great results when the going was good and when the odds were stacked against us – “Right first time, every time,” is a saying we like to use.

Q

How do you think your colleagues see you (or you would like them to)?

Well I hope they think I’m doing a good job, we all get on and I still, occasionally, get out on jobs (the demo blowdowns especially). I think I’m fair, we generally work on a results basis so the guys have certain prescheduled tasks to complete throughout the month and they pretty much work autonomously to achieve these. Obviously things change occasionally and jobs have to be juggled around but generally there’s a strategic plan to work to. The guys spend some

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INTERVIEW

weeks close to home working less than normal hours but at times they work away and stay in hotels. I’m a big believer in putting the guys in decent hotels when they stay away, I think that’s the least we can do if we’re asking them to spend time away from their families.

Our Christmas party is tomorrow (at the time of writing) – photo overleaf, so maybe ask me this question again on Monday!

Q

Tell us about the company, its history and development We have three departments within the company: Land/ Building Surveying, Time Lapse Photography and the Drone department which is kind of split into two sub divisions – Surveying/ Inspection and also filming. I think at times the Drone department overshadows the others, probably because we did initially start a drone company (hence the name) and partly because drones are exciting and sexy but the three departments equally contribute to our turnover and without any of them it would have been difficult to sustain the level of growth we have over the past decade.

Q

Tell us about its growth path As I mentioned, the early years of the company were a struggle and at times I questioned if I had made the right decision.

Things started to pick up a couple of years in and by 2017/ 18 we had a regular albeit relatively low-income stream. From there things grew steadily and then Covid hit.

Along with the rest of the world, panic set in. Ironically this became a period of growth for us. I’m aware that may sound quite pretentious – it’s certainly not the way it’s meant but our story was thankfully very different to a lot of others. Covid obviously caused the demise of thousands of businesses but big construction projects remained open. It did mean, however, that the usual weekly/ monthly walk rounds on building sites were not happening as travel was heavily restricted. There needed to be a safe way for people to view the progress of construction sites whilst adhering to social distancing rules. Drones happened to be the answer along with fixed static cameras and, as such, we started to receive more enquiries than usual for both. We grew during this time and through the decisions we made and tangents we went down we managed to thrive.

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INTERVIEW

Q

Explain what Sky Revolutions does, in particular for our readers in Diggers LIVE, but with reference to its broader offering if you wish.

Sky Revolutions is a company that provides surveying services along with filming and photography services generally within the construction/ demolition sector but we also work within other industries such as film production.

Construction is my background and what I understand, so we naturally gravitated towards that industry. When I started the company I had a lot of contacts in the industry – we still work with some of them today.

Q

Tell us about its range of services, how these relate to each other and how they relate to customers. Tell us about the products, how they work, which customers different ones are focused on Building and land surveying – Using the very latest tech and equipment we serve the construction, mining and demolition industry with a variety of surveys including: Topographic, Hydrographic, Measured Building Surveys, Stockpile Surveys, Defect Surveys.

Time Lapse Department – Again, generally in the above industries but not exclusively we provide fixed cameras on sites to capture daily progress, the footage from these cameras are then used to formulate edited films of the process

captured, be that construction, demolition etc. As far as we are aware we are the only company that provides a standalone self powered camera at heights of up to 90 feet using trailer mounted lattice towers.

Drone Department – the one we’re most well-known for I suppose. This is where it all started and we’re one of the veterans of the industry. We provide drone services to a wide variety of industries but a heavy focus on construction and demolition.

different locations throughout the year.

They’re not permanently out in the cold over the winter months as they spend time editing in a nice warm office. The pay is pretty good once you get qualified.

Personally, I love the blowdown demo weekends: a load of guys going away together, filming stuff being blown up with drones and having a couple of beers at the end of the day – I’m not even sure you can call that work.

Q

Q

Q

Q

What is the Sky Revolutions Academy and how did it come about/develop? Who does it cater for?

We provide training for those wanting to become drone pilots or hone their skills within the industry. Currently the Academy falls under the same banner as the main company and shares the same website but we’re looking to potentially separate the two in the next financial year.

Visit here to find out more: skyrevolutions.co.uk/academy.

What can we do to attract young people into the industry? What might a career path in aerial imaging look like?

It’s a pretty exciting career, it requires skill and knowledge of current technology as well as regulations. It’s forever changing with new technology being released almost monthly at the moment. Our guys get to travel the country working in

How do you keep the company’s (flying?) skills sharp and the business offering up to date?

I don’t personally fly drones for fun any more but I know some of the guys fly FPV (First Person View) as a hobby. This is the super fast filming you often see when extreme sports are filmed. The young pilots we have are outstanding – we’ve started to use some FPV on a certain jobs like the blowdowns but it’s tricky at times as it requires additional spotters and further safety mitigation so it eats into resources; that said it does look cool.

What are Sky Revolutions’ USPs in relation to the broader market?

We have a good level of construction knowledge as well as surveying, filming and flying. We’re a pretty diverse team across all ages and all bring something to the table. Together there isn’t much we can’t get our heads round. With regards to the drone industry, we’ve been here for almost a decade which is a long time in this industry.

The key here is to keep up with emerging technology and ride the next wave.

There are well-established surveying companies and well-established drone companies, I think where we are strong is that we are experts in both.

Q

How can these benefit customers? How do they improve the bottom line?

There are a number of angles here and countless benefits but a good example is roof surveys. Once upon a time scaffolding was used to safely access a roof in order to carry out a condition

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survey – this is time consuming and costly in comparison to a drone survey, it’s also much safer to use drones as the possibility of someone falling from the scaffolding/ ladder is completely negated.

We have also carved ourselves a strong position in construction and demolition filming having successfully completed jobs at Fiddlers Ferry, Eggborough and Redcar to pretty much TV standard. It was a proud moment at Fiddlers Ferry when the BBC crew was filming us doing the filming.

Q

Tell us about your team and working culture. Is there a company philosophy or ethic?

Work hard play hard is a phrase that’s been used before. As I mentioned, the team generally works autonomously especially the site guys. We also have a saying “We don’t do that will do” – I hate hearing “that will do” – I can sometimes annoy people with my quest for perfection (OCD I think) but I do think it’s part of the reason we’re still here as a company.

We run a new fleet of vehicles and buy the latest kit, I’m very keen on having the right tools and looking after them.

Q

How do you see Sky Revolutions in five or ten years?

We keep toying with the idea of another office up north, maybe Leeds. There’s a lot of work in the north especially Manchester and surrounding area at the moment. Also an office in Costa Del Sol would be nice!

We’ve had some proud moments over the years, we’ve been on the telly, won awards, been on the front cover of magazines – not least this one. But it’s also the little things that make me proud: we sponsored my son’s little league football team this year and that was a real thing for me, I would have loved my dad to have seen that. Also when I’m driving around and I see one of our sign-written vans driving past, that’s a nice feeling too.

Q

And how about yourself?

Well I’m 50 next year so I’m hoping that within the next decade the business will be in a place which allows me to take a more relaxed role. I’m not sure I will ever give up work – I get bored too easily so have to be doing something. The plan is to get the business to a stage where the kids can take over at some point and then I can just pop in the office to annoy them.

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AND FINALLY Describe yourself in three adjectives Outgoing, dedicated, eclectic Who is your favourite artist?

I’m into older music mainly (probably because I’m old) – Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones etc.

Favourite films include Top Gun, Back to the Future and Notting Hill (yes I did say that).

Who do you most admire?

My wife and although he’s no longer with us, my dad as he generally walked his own path ignoring most of life’s general rules of etiquette – he wasn’t rude but generally did and said what he wanted within reason.

He was a huge advocate of mine and of the business, I think it’s no accident that his best friend Richard became my business partner.

What would be your one desert island (exile) luxury?

A boat [not sure whether this is allowed – editor] What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Work, my wife and kids What do you do for fun?

See friends, camping, go on holiday, go for dinner, golf with my son Zak and shopping with my daughter.

When and where are you happiest?

It’s a cliché I know but I have stumbled across a career that I thoroughly enjoy. That said we love our holidays and are jetting off to Tenerife for Christmas next week.

What’s the most expensive non-essential thing you’ve ever bought?

Are holidays essential? I personally think they are as we need downtime away from work.

What’s your ideal weekend?

Camping in the summer in the UK or beach holiday in the winter (obviously abroad) What would you do for a company excursion, money no object?

Probably take the team abroad – I love Tenerife but would probably be talked into Vegas or something crazy like that.

What’s your favourite food/ cuisine?

Good Asian food or a proper Sunday roast What’s your tipple of choice?

Good red wine DIGGERSLIVE 65

INTERVIEW

FOR HIRE! Interviewee: Shane Sherbourne Role: Managing Director Company: McGovern Plant Hire Fleet size: 100 units and growing Brands: Hitachi, Kubota, Takeuchi, JCB, Manitou, Bomag, Volvo, Scania, Johnsons

Tell us a little about the background and current circumstances of McGovern Plant Hire McGovern Plant Hire is a family business approaching 40 years in operation.

We offer operated and self-drive plant hire services to the aviation and wider groundwork businesses nationwide.

Recently, the business has appointed a new management team whose focus has been on rejuvenating the fleet and bringing the business in line with the latest innovations, telematics and emissions.

Which sectors do you predominantly supply?

Aviation, groundworks, civils, utilities, highways What is the scope of your hire offer?

We offer a huge range of machinery with wheeled to tracked excavators ranging from 0.8 to 35 t. We run an extensive fleet of the latest suction excavators available to the market capable of excavating 12 cubic metres at any one time.

What is your geographical reach?

We operate from Greater London but have plant and operations all over the country, having previously been as far as Aberdeen.

What are your biggest product lines?

The largest in size would be vacuum excavators, while the largest in quantity would be tracked and wheeled excavators; available with demolition-specific equipment.

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What is the average working life of your machines?

The fleet is rejuvenated every three years, so each machine has a lifespan of three years.

What do you do with expired machines?

We resell at auction Do you have any preferred manufacturers or brands?

Hitachi are our preferred supplier due to the technological advancements, machinery performance and resale value.

What is your service offering?

We can offer a wide variety of services that supports all the needs of our customers. We are well-equipped to supply operated plant at short notice and many of our clients have our machines on long-term hire for long-term projects.

What are your thoughts on the state of the hire market?

Hire is evolving, but there will always be a call for hire in the construction industry. More and more companies are turning to long contract rental as opposed to ownership of the machines.

This is playing a large part in the changing of the hire industry.

Do you have any expansion plans?

Always! We are continually expanding, with another six suction excavators due to arrive in January 2024 plus a lot more construction machinery from various OEMs. www.diggers.live

DIGGERSLIVE 67

PROFILE

One Stop Hire North-West to national in 14 years

they had always done. SJS Hire Tools from Wrightington was introduced to them soon after and a deal was done to complete the sale in early October. Just as this was happening Steve was advised that his old employer Power Supply Ltd (PSL) had gone into administration, which was another opportunity and a deal was done to buy this company also and the deals were done within seven days of each other.

Danni suggested that the combined entity needed a rebrand and she had been involved with her father on a project in 2005 to create an online plant hire platform which they named One Stop Hire.com. It was parked up when Ainscough sold but the domain, company registration etc were all done so we decided that would be the name of our new business.

2010: Widnes depot opens – After closing two depots that were overlapping we opened this depot to balance out the regional coverage and it was our first greenfield site project.

One Stop Hire 5% club Gold 2023

Steve and Danielle Hitchen Steve started at Fairclough Construction as a hire controller in the plant and transport department in 1983. Moved into tool hire in 1986 as Hire Desk Manager for Power Supply Ltd in Salford.

In 1993 he moved to Ainscough Crane Hire to work for his “in-laws-to-be” and worked 16 years in the business making board director in 2005. The family sold the business in 2007 and in 2009 Steve left to pursue his dream of owning and running his own business.

Danni Hitchen went to work in her father and two uncles’ business Ainscough Crane Hire straight from school and worked there all her career until it sold in 2007. She started in an accounts role and finished as Marketing Manager. When

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One Stop Hire was formed in 2009 she joined the board and continues to be involved today.

In 2020 Steve and Danni’s son Henry left school and started as a Business Apprentice at One Stop Hire. He completed his apprenticeship in 2022 and gained a triple distinction award in Business Administration. His learning of the business continues as he gets experience in all the various departments and divisions of the company.

History of One Stop Hire 2009: SJS Hire and Power Supply Limited – After exiting Ainscough Crane Hire in May 2009 Steve and Danni set about searching for a business to acquire focusing on hire as that was what

2012: Cumbria depot and Central Hire desk created – In this year we won our first significant contract and part of the deal was that we would open a Cumbria branch to cover the work in that area. We also set up our Central Hire Desk with two of our best hire managers to manage this contract and also give our other regional customers a “One Call” option for placing orders.

2013: WHS Training acquired and One Stop Direct started – We acquired a small safety training business from a customer of ours and started to do IPAF, PASMA and many other construction related safety and compliance courses. One Stop Safety Training now has a turnover in excess of £1.5m. In this year we also set up our sales department One Stop Direct as lots of customers were buying lots of tools and equipment and it made sense for us to sell as well as hire to them and further

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PROFILE

enhance the “One Stop” brand offering.

One Stop Direct now turns over in excess of £2m.

2014: BandW Tool Hire acquired from BandW Plant Hire – This gave us a lot of new customers across the north-west region.

2015: Leeds depot opens – Due to many customers asking if we could supply the West Yorkshire area.

2016: Wythenshawe (South Manchester) – Our Central Manchester depot was getting overwhelmed with work and on the back of the new Manchester Airport expansion, we opened this depot.

2017: Multiserve Ltd acquisition – Nonmech company in Liverpool. As we had very little yard space or HGV transport, we had always re-hired our non-mech equipment in. We primarily used Multiserve and when the owner asked if we would like to buy the business as he wanted to expand his utility business. We did this and relocated it to Leyland. Nonmech now has revenue of close to £2m.

2018: Trafford Park depot opens – Due to the boom in building in Manchester city centre and the surrounding area.

Merseyside Plant Hire acquired on the Wirral and we relocated this into a large depot in Bromborough and merged the Widnes depot into it as the Wirral area was getting very busy.

One Stop Hire Original HO

2019: Birmingham Depot opens through demand growing in Cheshire, Stoke and Crewe areas and many customers now working in the West Midlands area. Our new non-mech business was growing rapidly and we relocated this to a two-acre site in Newton-le Willows, which was a perfect logistical fit.

2020: Lifting division created and both Wigan and Leeds hire depots were relocated to much bigger premises with bigger yard space, warehouse space and to house training rooms. One Stop Hire wins the Passionate Hirer of the Year award at the Executive Hire Show in Coventry just weeks before the Covid shutdown came in.

One Stop Hire Leeds first depot

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2021: Nottingham and Northampton depots open to meet the demand of the Midlands growth. Lord Hire Ltd in the north-east acquired with eight depots.

2021: More than 200 employees spread across four regions of the country so we bring “in-house” all our HR, SHEQ, and IT functions.

2022: Sunderland Super Centre opens in the north-east and is still our biggest property. Our new head office opens and old one converts to Training Centre and Training HO. 2023: Steve Hitchen becomes CEO to pursue opportunities for OSH and guide the business more strategically.

Operations Director Kieron Power promoted to MD and other positions created to have a structure to manage what was almost a national business. All positions were filled internally with no external recruitment.

Early Careers Academy opens in Wigan to put young people through a tool hire bespoke mechanical apprenticeship.

On a wider scale we are employing more and more trainee/apprentices through the business in hire, accounts and sales roles. OSH is accepted in the 5% club as a GOLD member. This is a prestigious club for companies who have over 5% of their staff in trainee or apprentice roles.

London depot opens in Erith, East London.

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PROFILE

Ongoing projects • Staff recruitment, retention, engagement, onboarding, personal development and training: Steve Hitchen and HR building a platform for all our employees to thrive in and have an industry leading package of benefits and support.

• Ensuring the new people joining the business understand and embrace our motto “The answer’s YES, now what’s the question?”

• Net Zero – working towards a 2030 deadline.

Image We must make sure our depots, people, kit and vehicles look the part and are in uniformity. We are in the top 20 hire companies in the UK and must look Premier League not nonleague.

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Future opportunities • Midlands – scope to grow network and revenue • Yorkshire – further depot coverage needed • London and south-east – massive potential for more depots • North-east – lots more scope for revenue growth • Lifting, non-mech plant, One Stop Sales Direct, One Stop Safety Training – All have scope to grow Core values • People Matter: Engaging with and treating our employees, customers and supply chain partners respectfully.

• Safety First: The safety and welfare of our colleagues, customers, suppliers and the public is our number one priority.

•

Environmental Awareness: Working towards net zero and investing in the future of our planet.

Mission statement To provide a tailored service that exceeds our client’s expectations and to be a supplier where the answer is always yes.

Our people – our biggest success It has always been my belief that growing and developing your own staff from the bottom up is the basis for a great business.

When I look at our management structure from the top down it gives me great pride to see that the vast majority have grown with the business.

• Managing Director: In 2009 Kieron was the operations manager for the PSL business we acquired and he soon rose up to Operations Director

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PROFILE

•

•

•

and in April 2023 became our MD. Finance Director: In 2009 we took in a young graduate from our accountants to fill in the gap of financial controller while we recruited. After three months John had settled in so well and demonstrated great ability that we negotiated for him to join us and he quickly rose to the position of FD. Sales and Commercial Director: Darren joined us in 2010 on an interim role as Business Development Manager for our Lancashire area.

Darren had worked with me and Danielle at Ainscough and was an accomplished salesperson. He enjoyed the tool hire sector so much he abandoned his crane hire opportunity and in no time became our Sales and Commercial Director.

Operations Director: David Chadwick joined us in 2013 and

One Stop Hire New HO 2022

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•

worked in various depots as a relief Hire Controller. He progressed to depot manager and operations manager before taking the Operations Director role vacated by Kieron in April 2023.

Business Director: James joined us in 2010 as depot manager in our Preston depot. His hunger for knowledge and mastery of equipment, systems and processes saw him take charge of our SHEQ dept for a while before moving into a role developing our hire system, business intelligence development and drive for efficiency through technology. He became Business Director in April 2023.

Below these guys we have so many other colleagues who have moved up from drivers to hire desk, from fitters to logistics and from depot managers to heads of department.

Charity and community work We are committed to giving back a portion of our profits to local causes. Our main support goes to Chorley Inspire Youth Zone that One Stop Hire is a founder patron of. This incredible facility has multiple activities for young people and has a motto of “Somewhere to go and something to do”. It is part of the national Onside charity organisation, which builds Youth Zones in towns and cities with deprived areas.

Lots of our staff are involved or participate in sport and we sponsor many youth football teams and attend and support many charity golf days every year. In 2022 we ran a charity football tournament with many of our customers submitting teams and we raised over £10,000 for the Christie Cancer charity, which is one of our oldest and biggest clients Seddon Construction Group supports incredibly well.

One Stop Hire Northwest Non-Mech Depot

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FEATURE

RECYCLING & WASTE

RECYCLING & WASTE FEATURE

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FEATURE

Select Stone selects Hyundai Contractors looking for recycled building materials in Northamptonshire, need look no further than Oundle-based Select Stone. Established 21 years ago, the company recycles inert construction and demolition waste from across the region, crushing, screening and cleaning

of waste and recycled stone to and from the site.

Select Stone was formed more than 20 years ago by Dave Bright, who continues to run the recycling yard near Oundle.

Mark Mullock joined the team nine years ago and has taken responsibility for the hire fleet and for dealing with the company’s growing local contractor customer base.

“We’ve got a good relationship with everyone that we work with locally, it’s mutual trust,” said Mullock. “We pretty much recycle everything that comes into the site and the hire side has been very busy this year.”

The company will be looking to add further 20-tonne machines to the crusher hire fleet, but he remains happier with the larger HX300AL for the main recycling site.

“You can’t beat the extra reach of a 30-tonne machine,” said Mark. “We made the decision to go for a 30-tonner, as the difference in cost between a 20 or 30-tonne excavator isn’t that vast and the fuel consumption isn’t that much more. But with the performance that we get, it just makes sense to have the HX300AL.”

RECYCLING & WASTE

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the material to produce a variety of stone products, recycled Type 1 and 6F2, to screened top soil.

The latest machines to join the company’s growing fleet of equipment are an HD Hyundai HX300AL crawler excavator and an HL960A wheeled loader. Both were supplied by local dealer Willowbrook Plant and they join another HX300, an HX140A, an HX220A along with a range of specialist crushing and screening machinery.

Business partner Mark Mullock said: “We’ve had a used HX300 for a while and a wheeled loader that had worked for seven years and 15,000-hours.”

An impressive reliability and durability record, along with the high level of service and back-up from Willowbrook Plant, have seen the company return to Hyundai for these latest machines. Select Stone had tried other brands in the past, but none could match the performance, economy and reliability of the Hyundais.

Indeed, the new HL960A shovel only arrived on site for a demonstration, but was purchased before it was allowed to leave. Company founder Dave Bright spends much of his time in the loader and, for him, the machine’s high level of operator comfort, along with its productivity and reliability, were the main criteria.

Both of the new Hyundais have been supplied with a three-year repair and maintenance contract, with Willowbrook responsible for all service work.

Mark Mullock said: “They are really good on fuel and I can’t fault the backup from Willowbrook. We like the comfort of new machinery with a warranty.

Willowbrook monitors the machines for us through Hi-MATE telematics and they book in the servicing for us to keep everything up to date.”

As well as recycling on its own premises, Select Stone has a growing fleet of crushers, screens and trommels that are available for hire with smaller excavators.

These machines can be supplied as a complete team, to recycle material on a contractor’s site, reducing the movement

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FEATURE

Unveiling the compact powerhouse – the Terex Ecotec TDS 815 shredder robust track sub-frame with bolt-on tracks, catering to both track and track/hooklift versions. This level of adaptability provides users with greater flexibility in how they deploy the machine to meet their specific needs.

But the innovation doesn’t stop there.

The TDS 815 comes standard with the T-Link telemetry system, a powerful tool that offers real-time insights into the machine’s performance. This feature is a game-changer for effective machine management and maximised uptime.

Accessible through a tablet or smartphone, it provides a comprehensive view of the machine’s location, fuel consumption, operating statistics, and more, all at your fingertips.

When it comes to manoeuvrability and transport, the TDS 815 doesn’t disappoint.

Its robust tracking system, coupled with a hydraulic raise and lower chassis, ensures smooth operations and convenient diagnostics. A user-friendly control system and a full-function remote control make

RECYCLING & WASTE

Terex Ecotec has further enhanced its shredder offering and are delighted to launch the new TDS 815 Slow Speed Shredder- a true powerhouse in the field of waste processing.

The Terex Ecotec TDS 815 shredder is a cutting-edge solution in waste processing, featuring a compact 1.5m twin shaft shredding unit for efficient material reduction. With quick-change shafts for enhanced adaptability and maintenance efficiency, it stands out as a versatile choice. Operators can choose to run the shredder with synced or independent shafts, aligning perfectly with specific application requirements. Powered by a CAT 4.4 140kw stage V engine, weighing 16,500 kilograms, and equipped with a T-Link telemetry system, this shredder is well-suited for a range of applications, including skip waste, bulky waste, household waste, C&D, wood waste, green waste, building waste, stone, and asphalt.

The TDS 815’s design includes a

operating this machine a breeze, enhancing the user experience while contributing to its efficient use.

Pawel Kononczuk, Business Development Director at Terex Ecotec, emphasises the TDS 815 shredder’s significance, stating, “The Terex Ecotec TDS 815 shredder sets a new standard in the waste processing industry. Its compact design, powerful engine, and advanced features make it a game-changer for seeking efficiency and adaptability in their operations. The machine’s versatility, coupled with its intelligent load-sensing hydraulics and quick-change shafts, positions it as a reliable and highperforming solution for various waste materials. It’s not just a shredder; it’s a strategic asset for tackling the diverse challenges of waste processing.”

The Terex Ecotec TDS 815 shredder is more than just a machine: it’s a gamechanger in the waste processing industry.

With its comprehensive set of features, remarkable adaptability, and efficient performance, it emerges as an invaluable asset for those looking to manage waste effectively and with high efficiency.

Whether you’re dealing with skip waste, household waste, construction debris, or other materials, the TDS 815 shredder is equipped to handle the task with excellence. In the ever-evolving landscape of waste processing, this machine stands as a true testament to innovation and efficiency.

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hiredesk@hmcgovernandson.co.uk

0208 572 1764

THE MOST INNOVATIVE FLEET OF PLANT AVAILABLE TO DATE McGovern Plant Hire’s mixed-fleet telematics systems heighten safety and security on site by ensuring operator safety and machine security at all times.

Mixed integrations brings height and slew restrictors onboard the excavators whilst FHOSS lighting solutions allows greater levels of productivity when working at night.

OPERATED AND SELF-DRIVE PLANT HIRE, NATIONWIDE Our highly experienced operators make McGovern Plant Hire’s solutions the obvious choice for your site needs.

With nationwide delivery specialising in airside, highway and civils projects, no site is out of our scope of works.

FEATURE

Pizzorno Environnement equips sorting centre with DEVELON DX230WMH-7 material handler

RECYCLING & WASTE

Specialising in the collection and sorting of household and industrial waste, Pizzorno Environnement, the international group based in Draguignan in France, has just purchased from 510 Location, an agent for the DEVELON dealer, HMD in Arles, a new 24.5-tonne DEVELON DX230WMH-7 material handler for its sorting and recovery centre in Le Muy, France.

A new DX230WMH-7 material handler from DEVELON, has recently begun operation at Pizzorno Environnement’s materials sorting and

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recovery centre in Le Muy. The machine, the first to be sold in Europe, operates 13 hours a day, six days a week. One of the largest and most modern in France, this site receives nearly 120,000 tonnes of recyclable waste from selective household and industrial collections every year.

Jean-Charles Devalle, Director of the General Affairs division of Groupe Pizzorno Environnement said: “This material handler is used for sorting and reloading waste into our customers’ semitrailers. We previously had a 20-tonne machine that was at the end of its life

cycle. We chose a larger 24.5-tonne machine to improve our productivity. And our choice fell on the DX230WMH-7, which met our specifications. In addition, the DEVELON agent in Var, 510 Location, like us has its head office in Draguignan and we’ve always been keen to work with local players.”

The DEVELON material handler purchased by Pizzorno has a six-metre straight boom and 4.2 m straight arm, equipped with a sorting grab for handling various materials. This is the first DX230WMH-7 sold by 510 Location, a specialist in the rental and sale of DEVELON equipment in the Var region.

Adille Chakir, CEO of 510 Location, said: “We had to win this contract for a 100% Dracenois partnership. We hope there will be more. The main advantage of this machine is that it gives operators good visibility when loading trucks, so they can work in complete safety.”

The DX230WMH-7 is equipped with a standard elevating cab that can be raised by 2.5 m to reach a floor height of 3.75 m in the raised position. The operator can adjust the height of the cab without leaving their seat, thanks to a lever at the rear of the seat. Inside, the operator can access the video feed from the side and rear cameras on a screen. They can also monitor vital machine information.

Jean-Charles Devalle said: “We wanted an elevated, soundproof cab. We also wanted high-performance telematics for maintenance, so that we could closely monitor the machine, as it is used by several operators.”

The DEVELON Fleet Management TMS 3.0 Cellular telematics system on the DX230WMH-7 provides owners, dealers and the manufacturer with geolocation information as well as complete operational data for the machine, transmitted via computer or smartphone, to manage maintenance and reduce operating costs. A 510 Location technician presented the machine to operators on delivery, together with a demonstration of the maintenance procedures.

“Even if it’s still too early to assess the machine’s productivity gains, we’re satisfied with it,” said Jean-Charles Devalle. Other orders on the horizon? “We manage four other sorting and recovery centres, but they are of a smaller size. We’ll see.”

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RECYCLING & WASTE

Ward expands trade waste services

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Midlands-based metal recycling and waste management firm, WARD, has launched new trade waste and compaction services, further expanding its commercial, construction and demolition waste management offering.

With an investment of over £1m, it has upgraded its fleet to accommodate the extended services, with the addition of new wheelie bins, Front End Loading (FEL) vehicles, skips and bespoke containers.

The new services boost Ward’s commercial waste management offering across several sectors, including hospitality, construction and demolition, manufacturing and industrial, retail, facilities management, offices and public

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JCB 140X wastes no time for MRW A leading Midlands waste recycling specialist has invested in a brand new JCB 140X tracked excavator for sorting and loading waste at its materials recycling facility.

MRW Waste Recycling Ltd has bought the new model for pre-sorting waste and loading the picking line at the company’s Stratford-upon-Avon site where is recycles construction and demolition materials.

Supplied by dealer Midlands JCB, the JCB 140X’s mobility, ease of use, power and operator comfort make it highly productive for this work and it is currently processing up to 70 containers per day.

MRW Waste Recycling Ltd’s Managing Director Designate, Tim Croxford said: “We have been running a JCB loading shovel and Loadall telescopic handler for a number of years and have always found them to be reliable. So when we were looking for another cost

effective, robust machine, naturally we turned to JCB. The JCB 140X received some very positive reviews so we took the plunge, and we’re glad we did. Our operator is delighted with the ease of use and the comfort factor, while the reach of the machine is just right. The result is a highly productive machine that has further improved our operations.”

Established over 20 years ago, MRW Waste Recycling is the largest skip hire company in South Warwickshire, providing reliable, cost-effective skip hire and waste collection, as well as comprehensive recycling services. As a family-run business, MRW provides highly personal customer service together with key skills, expertise and knowledge gained throughout the years. All these things combined mean that it provides an exceptionally reliable service for a competitive price for its customers.

RECYCLING & WASTE

sector organisations such as education and local authorities.

The service will initially focus on Derby, Nottingham, Chesterfield and the surrounding area, with plans to expand beyond the East Midlands over time.

Ward has also launched a new dedicated online quoting system, providing clear and concise pricing information which allows customers to raise estimates for services in their area and this can be found via ward.com/ compaction.

Heather Foo, Head of Sales (Waste) at Ward, said: “This is a great addition to the wide range of waste management solutions we already provide, offering a comprehensive waste collection and recycling service across all sectors.”

“Our compaction business provides a cost effective service solution for regular waste management with our fleet designed to meet the needs of every customer. We are proud of our reputation for providing an exemplary service and this new launch underpins our commitment to being a leading provider of waste management solutions.”

Ward is focused on providing its customers with the most cost efficient carbon neutral recycling service via its modern energy efficient fleet, all recycled at its state-of-the-art new £10m recycling facility in Ilkeston.

One of the main benefits of the new material recycling faciltiy is being able to maximise material recovery and helping Ward further divert waste away from landfill. The team at Ilkeston will be able to process two and a half times the previous tonnage and expand the quality of the outputs, offering customers improved value for money. Metals, plastics, cardboard, wood and UPVC are particular streams Ward can now recover more of and is working with local partners to recycle locally, further reducing its carbon intensity.

Ward’s existing waste management solutions include a fully comprehensive collection service for commercial, industrial and construction waste, ferrous and non-ferrous recycling, hazardous waste management, secure destruction, confidential waste management and textile recycling.

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FEATURE

Kayleigh Plant Hire takes delivery of Volvo road waste sweeper

RECYCLING & WASTE

Leading plant hire company, Kayleigh Plant Hire has taken delivery of a new road sweeper – the first of a number of a fleet additions planned over the coming months as the business continues to grow. The vehicle is another Volvo FL 250 bespoke sweeper chassis with Bucher bodywork.

Kayleigh Plant Hire, was established back in 1993 and has since grown to become a steadfast player in the plant hire industry. With a reputation not only for high quality, reliable and efficient plant equipment as well as excellent customer service levels and response times, the business is a FORS gold standard operator – held over the last nine consecutive years.

FORS is the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, a voluntary accreditation programme designed to improve standards in the road transport industry.

Michael O’Donovan, Managing Director at Kayleigh Plant Hire said: “As a progressive company, we are keen to ensure we are making the best choices when we add to our fleet. Our team love the direct vision sweepers and they look great in our livery. We continue to make ongoing investments to ensure that our commitment to road safety and direct vision is an integral part of our policy.”

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FEATURE

Liebherr handlers keep Westminster happy

RECYCLING & WASTE

When a company is processing 130,000 tonnes of material a year in one of the world’s biggest cities, it needs to have confidence in its materials handling fleet. That’s why Westminster Waste continues to invest in Liebherr equipment

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The company’s recycling facility on the south bank of the River Thames in London continues to adopt the latest techniques and machinery and that means its mobile handling equipment must keep pace.

Liebherr L 546 and L 556 XPower® wheeled loaders are the most recent newcomers, brought on board to replace three-year-old L 538 and L 550 XPower® models and to handle waste 24-7, of which close to 100% is recycled. Managing Director Dominic Moule explained why the mobile fleet is dominated by the German manufacturer: “We have been purchasing Liebherr material handlers for several years and have always found their build quality to be second to none.

We work the machines hard here and they stand up to our industry very well, which is why we keep investing in their latest machines when it comes to fleet upgrades.”

A wide range of construction and demolition waste is processed at the site and incoming material is pre-sorted as it is tipped, either by hand or by one of three Liebherr LH 24 material handlers fitted with selector grabs. With obvious items removed and sent to their respective waste streams, the remainder is fed into a Kiverco fixed plant that continues the separation process via a series of screens, trommels and a picking station to leave a

“We work the machines hard here and they stand up to our industry very well” Managing Director Dominic Moule” www.diggers.live

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manufactured by HSM in Sunderland, allowing a load-over height of 4.1 m.

“We expect the Liebherr to be able to handle a wide variety of material, from lightweight insulation to bricks, timber and everything in between,” Moule added.

“The HSM bucket is a sturdy unit and looks like it will be able to handle anything we can throw at it.”

Newcomer number two is the 15.5-tonne mid-range L 546, similarly specified in full waste handling specification and powered by a compact six-cylinder engine delivering 188 HP. Like its larger stablemate, peak torque is delivered at low engine speeds which means reduced noise and low fuel consumption, a feature throughout the Liebherr wheeled loader ranges.

The L 546, which uses a standard hydrostatic transmission compared to the combined mechanical and hydrostatic driveline on the L 556, has a longer loader arm configuration and is also fitted with Brawler tyres and a similar protection package as the larger machine. The main difference between the two is the addition of a 4m3 capacity toe-tip bucket from Viby, now manufactured in the UK by HSM Buckets. Adding the toe-tip bucket and longer arms resulted in a load-over

height of more than 4.6 m, enabling the machine to load the walking floor trailers that take wood chip away for recycling.

Timber is graded according to its state and make-up before it is loaded into a mobile chipper by another LH 24 handler. Screened and graded material is then stockpiled, with the L 546 responsible for moving it around the shed, an environment where its compact dimensions and tight steering angles are shown to best effect. Even with a bulk walking floor trailer parked in the shed waiting to be loaded, the loader can comfortably handle the stockpile, load the truck, and empty the bays under the screening plant.

The waste industry is a dusty, dirty environment and to ensure the new loaders work to the best of their abilities, they are fitted with reversible fans as well as a comprehensive fire suppression system from Amerex.

The arrival of the two loaders underscores a strong business partnership between the two companies. “We have used Liebherr for several years and like both the machines and the backup,” said Dominic Moule.

RECYCLING & WASTE

variety of materials ready to send away for reuse and recycling.

The larger of the new arrivals, the L 556 XPower®, is usually deployed inside the shed where it copes with large volumes of raw and recycled material passing through each day. With an operating weight around 21 tonnes and powered by a 249 HP Liebherr diesel engine, its specification is aimed squarely at achieving maximum efficiency and production.

Brawler Solid Flex tyres are fitted to the heavy-duty axles, allowing the machine to operate on any material without fear of puncture yet at the same time giving a ride more akin to that of a standard rubber tyre than a traditional solid option.

“The solids we had on the last machine were very hard on the ride and whilst they were extremely durable, we wanted something a little more forgiving on this machine,” noted Moule.

The waste specification also includes additional under-body plating to eliminate waste buildup and further measures include a protection plate on the cab roof, FOPS guard to the front windscreen and guarding over the light clusters. Liebherr’s 3-m straight, industrial-style loader arms are finished off with tipping cylinder protection and carry a heavy-duty, 3m3 bucket

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INDUSTRY

Bobcat Agility offers unbeatable finance for mini excavators Bobcat has launched the company’s new Agility scheme for purchasing Bobcat mini excavators. Under the Agility programme, buyers of Bobcat mini excavators are offered a new 0% finance plan lasting up to four years, including maintenance and warranty and providing increased flexibility. This is combined with much lower monthly/weekly repayment options to help companies develop and prosper in this tough business climate.

Hayley Quinn, Finance Manager, UK, Ireland, Baltics and Scandinavia for Doosan Bobcat EMEA, said: “Our new Agility Finance Scheme is unique in the mini-excavator market. It is similar to hire purchase but offers vastly reduced monthly/weekly repayments compared to the norm, with a final Agility payment at the end of the contract. It is a finance scheme developed with care and with our customers in mind, to provide the solutions and flexibility their businesses need.”

Aimed at customers in all markets, including construction, rental, agriculture, horticulture, waste, recycling and landscaping, all details and applications for the Agility Finance Scheme are available via Bobcat’s extensive network of local Authorised Dealers throughout the UK. Adding even more appeal for customers, the Agility programme has multiple end of term options – to find out more, customers should again contact their local Authorised Bobcat Dealer.

With the Agility programme, Bobcat is aiming to increase the customer’s purchasing power, providing more 84 DIGGERSLIVE

machines and/or attachments for less monthly outlay. With more equipment available the customer can bid for more jobs, increasing their revenue generating capabilities. In addition, the Agility scheme reduces customers’ fixed costs, enabling them to be more competitive on project bids.

John Christofides, Regional Sales Director for Bobcat EMEA, said: “Also included in the Agility programme, we give the customer peace of mind with a full preventative maintenance contract as well as our popular Protection Plus plan. We can also incorporate extra or higher specification equipment, whilst still saving the customer a lot of money per month compared to traditional HP.” www.diggers.live

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INDUSTRY

Subzero success: essential tips for a winter-ready construction site

by Caitland Shaw, Marketing Specialist, Pal Hire As we gear up for another year in construction, it’s time to tackle the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead.

This article is your go-to guide for a hassle-free site setup, positioning you ahead of the competition and ensuring a smooth start to 2024.

Early haulage booking for timely deliveries In construction, timing is critical and the new year poses challenges with

limited transport availability. Early booking isn’t just about efficiency; it’s the key to unlocking success. Secure your transportation early to gain a competitive edge, ensuring seamless operations for the new year.

Efficient return processes for minimising downtime Streamlining the return process for equipment is crucial. Efficient checkins and inspections ensure the return of machinery to the site after Christmas. Consider digital tracking systems and automation for accuracy and speed.

Employee training and preparedness Empower your employees with targeted training sessions that highlight precision, ensuring your team is wellprepared to navigate postholiday procedures. Share this article to pass on the knowledge.

Welfare unit tips For winter care, treat plastic toilets with a saltwater brine solution to prevent freezing.

Skip this for units containing sinks to avoid basin staining.

Additionally, for powered welfare units like canteens, turn off isolators to prevent fuel wastage.

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Weather-ready plant machinery Prepare plant machinery for winter downtime. Protect them from the cold by emptying water, securely storing and lowering booms. Consider securing booms inside an empty skip for added protection. If you can’t keep your machines inside during the cold months, covering them can also help shield them against the elements.

Power tips (20KVA Generators and above) Keep the generator in top shape, whether it’s running or not. If not in use, activate the battery supply isolator key, lock all doors and secure the fuel tank. For running generators, maintain regular oil and water checks, and keep the fuel topped up.

General winter preparations: Take the lead in getting ready for winter by putting salt down early, keeping a snow shovel ready, and making sure there’s no frozen water in any of your equipment like bowsers or jet washes. Thinking ahead safeguards your assets and keeps the workflow running smoothly during the colder months.

As winter approaches, prepare your construction site with early haulage bookings, optimised return processes, winterised equipment protection, comprehensive training, and preparations for snow. By embracing foresight and efficiency, you’ll navigate the challenges of winter and achieve unwavering productivity. www.diggers.live

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INDUSTRY

Susanne Cobey and Akio Takeuchi inducted into AEM Hall of Fame

During the final evening of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, two trailblazing figures who revolutionised product segments in the equipment manufacturing industry were inducted into AEM’s Hall of Fame – Akio Takeuchi, the visionary behind Takeuchi Manufacturing, and Susanne Cobey, the driving force as President and CEO of Eagle Crusher. Both are credited with spearheading innovative product segments.

AEM President Megan Tanel said: “AEM takes great pride in welcoming Susanne Cobey and Akio Takeuchi to our Hall of Fame roster of esteemed 88 DIGGERSLIVE

industry leaders. They both serve as inspiration for the next generation to cultivate and pursue transformative ideas for the industry and the betterment of all.

“Akio Takeuchi’s strategic leadership within the compact equipment market, coupled with his attentive approach to customer needs and product development, has notably pioneered a distinct industry segment. Similarly, Susanne Cobey, confronted with challenges in the crusher industry during the 1980s, ingeniously used Eagle Crusher’s technology to spearhead the pavement recycling sector, contributing significantly to concrete and asphalt waste reduction.”

Akio Takeuchi (1933-) Founder, Takeuchi Manufacturing Akio Takeuchi has been part of the construction equipment industry for six decades. In 1963, at the age of 29, Takeuchi founded Takeuchi Manufacturing. Early on, he learned the value of listening to customers and understanding their needs. When a local business partner asked Takeuchi to create a new machine that would help his employees do their jobs faster, more easily and with less manual labour, he listened. The result was the world’s first compact excavator. Since then, Takeuchi Manufacturing has presented more innovations, including the first offset boom excavator and the first compact track loader.

The Takeuchi Way embraces the spirit of creation, challenge and cooperation.

To this day, Takeuchi listens to the ideas and opinions of the people who are closest to the end user. Takeuchi has always recognised the power of teamwork, believing there’s virtually no limit to what dedicated people can accomplish together.

Today, Takeuchi Manufacturing continues to offer equipment designed to make short work of tough jobs. Takeuchi still believes that when you put your customers’ needs first, sales and profits will follow. He has not only built a solid, quality-driven compact construction equipment company, he has also built a legacy. www.diggers.live

INDUSTRY

Susanne Cobey (1951-) CEO, Eagle Crusher Susanne Cobey joined Eagle Crusher Company, Inc. in 1970 as Parts Manager and quickly advanced through multiple ranks to become President and CEO in 1990.

Eagle Crusher has always been a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty crushing and screening equipment. But when significant industry changes in the 1980s impacted Eagle Crusher, Cobey spearheaded the commercial recycling industry in the United States, building the first US commercial recycling plant, Eagle Crusher’s Jumbo 1400, in 1984. Her www.diggers.live

innovations created a new product line for Eagle Crusher and a new American industry.

Under Cobey’s bold vision, the plant took crushing to a new level with its abilities to process high volumes of aggregate, concrete and RAP. These improvements saved innumerable tons of concrete and asphalt from landfills. A whole line of portable horizontal impactor plants soon followed, creating a boon for the aggregate crushing, recycled concrete and RAP markets.

A female pioneer in a male-dominated industry, Cobey has dedicated herself to helping other women in the industry

succeed. She has addressed the topic of women in the industry in numerous videos and news articles and serves as a keynote speaker and role model at many commencement addresses. She hopes that her experience inspires a new generation.

The AEM Hall of Fame has been recognising luminaries in the construction equipment manufacturing industry since 1993, and includes such names as Benjamin Holt (Caterpillar), Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB), Jerome Increase Case (CNH Industrial), John Deere (Deere & Co.), Gus Ramirez (HUSCO International) and Mary Andringa (Vermeer). The induction of Takeuchi and Cobey brings the total number of inductees to 69.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Hall of Fame pays tribute to the pioneers whose inventions, ideas, leadership and courage have built, fed and powered our modern world. AEM congratulates Mr Takeuchi and Ms Cobey and their families on their inclusion into the AEM Hall of Fame in 2023.

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INDUSTRY

Infrastructure: paving the way to the new year

Grinding away the old year with MB Crusher drum cutters

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As 2023 draws to an end, MB Crusher is breaking ground in the most literal sense: tunnels, utility lines and roads. All done

by MB Crusher drum cutter, the musthave tools in today’s fast-paced world.

Let’s prepare the way for the new year.

Tunnels, road networks, hydroelectric networks, excavation work and profiling of new tunnels are all construction sites where precision, speed, power and continuity are required. On them MB hydraulic drum cutters allow you to reduce costs, and time and simplify site management.

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At the end of the year, we all make a few New Year resolutions but before we begin with 2024 let’s see how our customers managed by changing the way they work with MB Crusher equipment in 2023.

The light at the end of the tunnel Six days and 1,500m3 of milled tunnel.

This is what our Croatian customer did when he unleashed his secret weapon: the MB Crusher MB-R500 cutter installed on his Takeuchi TB290. He renovated

an old Slovenian tunnel in Ploče and if he had treated the Dalmatian white stone with a hydraulic hammer, it would have taken more than a month of work and he would not have obtained smooth and uniform walls.

A larger model of the hydraulic drum cutter, the MB-R800, in Nepal: installed on a Volvo EC210, completed the Hydro Power project in a very short time. It involved cutting a seven-metre wide road and a 6.5-km long, 3.5-metre wide and 4.5-metre high tunnel. The drum cutters

can work in confined spaces and due to the low vibrations of all MB Crusher models, they make projects much easier to manage.

Shorten your distances – make way for the water In India, projects are big. Several irrigation canals branch out from one of the largest dams in the country, bringing water for agriculture, livestock and numerous economic activities. As part of an ambitious project that involves the enlargement and maintenance of these irrigation channels, our client had considered the use of a hydraulic hammer, a solution that he later discarded due to the need for precision required by the project. The precision that the MB-R drum cutter, equipped with a Direct Drive Twin Motor System able to calibrate the milling force and distribute it in both drums, can guarantee. Thanks to the MB-R800 hydraulic drum cutter, all the objectives set for the project have been achieved: milling precision and high productivity for a medium-hard rock.

Impressed by the performance and work of the MB-R800 doubleheader, the customer bought five more units, which he put in place for the construction of more than eight km of irrigation networks.

Why stress about bumpy roads when you can grind away the problems?

In a viaduct in Custonaci in the province of Trapani, Sicily, it is necessary to mill both asphalt and concrete to lower the level and simplify all the reinforcement operations for the restoration of the curbs.

The problem was solved by installing an MB-R500 cutter on a Komatsu PC50 mini-excavator, the smallest model in the MB Crusher range.

In short, when it comes to making progress, MB Crusher’s hydraulic cutters are a very effective way forward, especially when it comes to finishing precise profiling work: they work on the road surface, removing the asphalt for subsequent restoration, profiling any protruding boulders, clearing the rocky terrain for the construction of new road arteries. In addition, they work continuously, ensuring greater efficiency.

The low vibrations and reduced noise also allow you to operate in residential areas and historic centres.

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INDUSTRY

From surveying to automation: The evolution of machine control systems John Lawrence, Product Manager for Site Technology Solutions at SMT GB, takes us on a trip through time, sharing how the machine control landscape has evolved in Great Britain and how SMT GB, as an original equipment distributor (OED), is supporting its customers to leverage this technology Machine control systems have taken the UK by storm in recent years. They’ve changed the game for earthmoving and construction contractors, bringing new levels of productivity, efficiency and precision, plus contributing to greater sustainability. While these systems may feel relatively new, however, the same technological principles have been around for a long time in site surveying.

In fact, that’s where my career began.

I spent 10 years working with land surveying equipment before becoming a support application engineer for machine control systems around four years ago. I joined SMT GB specifically as a product manager for Dig Assist, Volvo Construction Equipment’s own machine control solution for excavators.

Back in the day, land surveying meant someone behind a tripod watching another person with a stick, moving about the site. Now, robotic optical instruments automate all the tracking. This shift means greater accuracy, fewer people on a potentially hazardous site and fewer salaries to pay.

Machine control systems simply took 92 DIGGERSLIVE

that survey toolkit – GPS, a screen and data – and brought it to construction equipment. So now, instead of a person pacing around with strings, lines and spray paint, machine operators get all the site design information they need directly on a screen in the cab, preventing costly or dangerous mistakes like digging too deep.

The trickledown effect Construction contractors are now beginning to experience the benefits of digitalisation and automation, but our government is pushing for it too. Public bodies, such as the National Highways Plant Engagement Council, want machine control systems in their construction projects. Looking at the big picture, the National Highways (formerly Highways England) Connected and Autonomous Plant (CAP) Roadmap to 2035 lays out plans for smarter, automated construction throughout the UK by 2035, in which machine control systems play a significant part.

Why this push? Two big reasons: safety and productivity. The government wants to reduce the risk of injury to

workers on construction sites by having fewer staff on the ground, close to machinery. Plus, ONS statistics point to construction lagging behind other sectors in productivity. With machine control systems, projects wrap up faster and with less disturbance to the public.

Automation also contributes to mitigating environmental impact and the labour shortage and skills gap.

As a human machine interface (HMI), machine control systems aren’t fully automated, but they are an important steppingstone. As a step up from the Volvo Dig Assist machine control system, for example, Volvo Active Control automates some of the boom and bucket movements to improve excavation efficiency. The sensors and processes that form part of machine control systems will be an enabler for further automation in the future.

As public bodies back these systems, there’s a trickle-down effect from the Tier 1 contractors to the rest of the industry, which has led to an incredible surge in demand over the past year. At SMT GB, we have been offering Volvo Co-Pilot www.diggers.live

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with Dig Assist for a while, which is an integrated machine control system from the Volvo factory that stays on the excavator as it is sold.

manufacturers. We recognise that many customers have mixed fleets and appreciate the convenience of standardisation in their systems.

Given this landscape, it comes as no surprise that customers buying a Volvo excavator from us in Great Britain often ask if we can work with a thirdparty provider, such as Leica, Trimble or Topcon to include a retrofit solution.

That’s why we’ve become an official dealer for Unicontrol machine control systems.

Factory fit versus retrofit Dig Assist is an impressive system, offering so many customer benefits.

However, we understand that it may not be suitable for everyone, particularly considering that Great Britain primarily operates as a hiring market. Here, equipment is rented for project durations, aligning with a focus on operational expenses (OpEx). Given this preference to minimise upfront capital expenditures (CapEx), retrofit systems provide customers with the flexibility to move systems between machines and get more longer-term value from their investments.

The retrofit market for machine control systems is also very well established in Great Britain. Retrofit machine control systems first appeared on bulldozers and motor graders about 20 years ago. Fast-forward to today, and contractors are running these systems on all sorts of equipment from different

A new partnership Unicontrol is a fairly new player in the industry, founded in Denmark in 2018 with a mission to create a simple, userfriendly 3D machine control system that seamlessly fits into contractors’ existing routines. The technology is agnostic, using the same machine files and hardware, so it can work with any machine. Theoretically, you could even move it between different types of machines within a fleet.

So if a customer decides to buy a Volvo excavator from SMT GB, we can now deliver it ready to use with a Unicontrol machine control system.

We’ll install the hardware, set up the software and ensure its precision. Plus, we’ll provide ongoing support and offer a comprehensive warranty. In Great Britain, our competitors typically offer warranties only for parts, but our packages cover both parts and labour.

We proudly unveiled our partnership

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with Unicontrol in January 2023, becoming the brand’s third dealer in Great Britain, as well as its only national and OED dealer. Before making the announcement, however, we thoroughly tested the waters behind the scenes to ensure we could truly deliver an outstanding solution. Back in Autumn 2022, we approached a select group of strategic customers across different regions of Great Britain, who were already using machine control systems extensively in their fleets and invited them to put the Unicontrol system and our service support to the test.

The response was beyond our expectations. The system seamlessly integrated into their existing workflows, earning praises from their teams for its user-friendliness. Now, we eagerly anticipate the data results over the long term. Our next step is to extend the use of this technology to owner-operator customers. While this leap might seem daunting, the benefits are significant, and we want them to experience them too.

Our commitment to our customers is unwavering – we’re dedicated to meeting their needs and assisting them in optimising their operations. Together, as we forge ahead, offering a choice of machine control system solutions backed by reliable service support, we’re creating a safer, more productive, and more sustainable future for the construction industry in Great Britain.

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Bryan Contractors takes first Unicontrol machine control system from SMT GB Built around the core principles of accuracy, user friendliness and versatility, Unicontrol3D represents a reliable and simple solution for operators of all levels of familiarity with machine control systems.

With a keen interest in finding smarter ways to work and ensuring that the full capabilities of both fleet and operators are harnessed, Bryan Contractors has taken the first Unicontrol3D machine control system supplied by SMT GB. Fitted to a Volvo EC140E excavator equipped with a Steelwrist tiltrotator, the Unicontrol3D system has greatly enhanced the autonomy and versatility of Bryan Contractors’ operators, who are currently working on a civil engineering project near Dundee.

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Commenting on the system, plant operator Mark Anderson states: “You need to get an image in your head of what the site will look like, and what the first task that you can undertake will be.

Normally, it’s taking everything down to grade, which the Unicontrol system makes so much easier.”

Continuing, Mark adds: “You’re checking your datum and heights just to make sure everything’s right, and you’re walking around with a laser for maybe half a day, but as soon as you turn the system on, you’ve got your datum and you’re away – it’s unbelievable how much time it saves.”

Describing the need for companies to adopt machine control systems, SMT GB product manager John Lawrence explains: “While there is no one solution

to the challenges the construction industry currently faces, making use of a cost-effective and easy-to-use 3D machine control system will certainly alleviate some of the pressure that companies are facing.”

Continuing, John adds: “Unicontrol3D provides exactly what the industry has been looking for – a simple and user-friendly 3D machine control solution. Its adaptability is key to what makes a great product, with Unicontrol providing full support throughout the fleet, regardless of machine type or manufacturer.”

When asked about the set-up process of the system, Mark explains: “With John’s help, we went through the basics.

For the first job, I was setting batons out and grading on the 2D system and used it throughout that job. Now we’ve got the 3D system, and it’s crazy how much time we’re saving.”Designed to be retrofitted to machines, the system represents a retainable investment for customers, as one of the key advantages of the Unicontrol3D machine control system over other competing systems is its versatility, as it is not tied to any one machine within a customer’s fleet, and is designed to be interchangeable.

Customers using the Unicontrol system can digitally create an entire project, and assign specific machines fitted with Unicontrol3D from their fleet to the project. Additionally, Unicontrol also provides insight data from the machines working on the project and, if required, even allow for a customer to make adjustments to the project as it progresses.

Moreover, Unicontrol3D is the only system on the market that provides full support of the swing boom, helping to guarantee the best functionality and flexibility for smaller excavators.

Unicontrol3D helps to save time and resources by delivering exact data for excavation, making machine control simple.

Based in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Bryan Contractors is a family run business with over 50 years’ experience in agricultural, commercial and domestic operated plant hire. Today, the company specialises in all aspects of demolition, drainage, groundworks, renewables and road construction.

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Yanmar celebrates 30 years of zero tail swing ViO excavators working safely in tight locations With the launch of the ViO series in 1993 Yanmar Compact Equipment popularised the zero tail swing excavator concept, revolutionising the ability to work safely in confined locations.

The launch 30 years ago of the Yanmar CE ViO range of compact excavators caused a sensation. Unlike other excavators of its kind at the time, at no stage of the ViO’s rotation did the rear of the cab/superstructure extend beyond its tracks. This meant that the machines could operate in the tightest of spaces without fear of a rear collision with nearby buildings, vehicles or people. The concept was embraced by the global industry and soon displaced as much as 70% of the standard models on worksites.

Although zero tail swing excavators are now a dominant part of the compact equipment market, the ViO is still leading the way 30 years on. Collectively, many

thousands of collisions and accidents have been avoided, and work in the tightest of spots been made possible all thanks to the launch of Yanmar CE’s ViO range.

Defying the laws of physics The zero tail swing concept is much cleverer than just shrinking the size of the superstructure. In traditional excavators having a protruding counterweight at the rear of the excavator is useful in balancing loads at the front, when lifting or digging, for example. But with this removed, the engineers at Yanmar CE needed to create similar counterweight forces by other means, while still maintaining impressive lift capacity.

The ViO is incredibly versatile and able to work in the tightest and narrowest of job sites. Now in its seventh generation, the range has expanded and is still going strong. Recently the designed-for-Japan

ViO80-7 was declared a winner in this year’s prestigious Japan Institute of Design Promotion’s 2023 Good Design Award.

The ViO zero tail swing concept has consistently developed over the last 30 years. The ViO17 is a good example of the current breed. Neither the counterweight, nor the front part of the upper frame extend beyond the track width. This gives the 1.8-tonne model an extremely tight turning radius. And yet, thanks to its 1,280-mm-wide undercarriage, large counterweight and good weight distribution, it equals or surpasses conventional machines, as well as having great lifting capabilities.

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Mecalac celebrates platinum manufacturing milestone Mecalac is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its globally acclaimed site dumper range. Originally licensed under the Benford brand, the company’s Coventry manufacturing operations have assembled thousands of models since the very first unit rolled off production in 1953.

Seventy years later, each model is still renowned for its robust design and classleading performance, but now features a whole host of state-of-the-art technologies to maximise efficiency, productivity, safety and comfort for the operator.

Heath Davies, General Manager at Mecalac Construction Equipment UK, said: “Since developing our very first site dumper in 1953, we’ve been hugely proud to manufacture some of the market’s most acclaimed machines. Renowned for excellent build quality and unmatched performance – all at a highly affordable price point – our site dumpers are the perfect addition to any job site.

Mecalac site dumpers available are from the ROPS TA range, and the MDX cabbed range, which are ready now from dealerships this year.

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US market continues to strengthen for Rokbak Rokbak Regional Sales Manager Kevin Clark has been working with trucks for over four decades. With a large region to cover in the USA, he discusses increasing Rokbak hauler market share, as well as the positive response to the trucks since the Volvo Group acquisition and the rebrand in 2021

Rokbak is continuing to see huge demand for its RA30 and RA40 articulated haulers in North America, much to the delight of Kevin Clark, Regional Sales Manager. In his territory – the north-east of the United States, which stretches from the Canadian border down to the state of South Carolina, encompassing Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the Carolinas – Rokbak’s market share has improved by 55% in the last three years.

“One of the big things that sets us aside from other articulated hauler manufacturers, is that our trucks are simple to operate and maintain,” says Kevin. “They are hardworking and good value for money. We don’t go for all the excessive, fancy bells and whistles that make it more difficult for an operator to use.

“North America is the number one market for the truck line right now, and our customers really like the reliability, the savings they can get 98 DIGGERSLIVE

on fuel efficiency and the look of the trucks.”

The majority of the articulated dump trucks that leave the Rokbak Motherwell factory in Scotland currently head across the Atlantic. The US is leading demand with huge infrastructure spend and a lot of construction activity around house and road building. The total articulated hauler market for North America is usually around 3,500 units. However, the market has exceeded 5,000 units over a rolling 12 month period, with the total global market exceeding 10,000 units in the same period.

Hard at work Mining, quarrying, urban infrastructure, highways and housing developments are the big sectors for Rokbak ADTs. Kevin has also seen the trucks used to move wet concrete for airport runways, snow removal and ruby gem mining.

“In my territory, the areas we see Rokbak trucks working in are usually urban, so our customers appreciate the easy manoeuvrability of the trucks,” explains Kevin. “They can be operating in

very confined spaces sometimes, especially up in the north-east corner.”

Extensive experience With over four decades’ experience with articulated haulers, Kevin’s whole career has been around the truck line, whether it’s been in retail, equipment management for an end user, or as a representative on the manufacturing side.

After starting out selling construction equipment at 18, he spent seven years as an equipment manager for Terex Trucks’ largest North American customer, Atlantic Contracting and Material, which had a fleet of 58 Terex Trucks. The company continues to be one of Rokbak’s largest end users of equipment in the US. Kevin joined what was to become Rokbak in April 2018, four years after the Volvo Group bought the off-road truck product line from Terex Corporation.

However, it was long before that, when he was on a trip to the articulated hauler factory in Motherwell, that he decided that he wanted to work for the company.

“I just knew as a young retail guy I wanted to get to that position where I was www.diggers.live

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representing the manufacturer, because I felt so strongly about the product and its capabilities,” says Kevin. “I knew this is where I wanted to be, it was the direction I wanted my career to go. And here I am today!”

The right moves with Rokbak As an equipment manager, Kevin saw first-hand the issues with the older Terex Trucks prior to the Volvo Group’s investment. Moving to the other side of the fence, he then saw all the improvements that addressed issues with the transmission and improved reliability and uptime.

“The trucks have never been better,” concludes Kevin. “Feedback from our dealer partners and customers is incredibly positive. There have been huge improvements in reliability, the trucks are simple to operate and maintain and they have a spacious and comfortable cab.

“Rokbak trucks are hardworking, and they are designed to make it easy for operators to perform the tasks they’ve got to do. Feedback from dealers and customers is always ‘We like this truck because it’s easy to operate’.” www.diggers.live

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Finning helps FCC operators with ‘don’t be fuelish’ training scheme FCC Environment is putting its quarry plant operators and managers through their paces with Finning training experts to improve fuel efficiencies and cut fuel burn.

More than 30 FCC machine operators and plant managers have completed the Finning Eco-Drive™ operator training programme so far, which is part of a company-wide initiative called Don’t Be Fuelish. The campaign aims to crack down on machine idle time and minimise fuel burn, as well as improving CO2 emissions and reducing operating costs.

Finning, the world’s largest dealer of Cat® equipment and parts, launched its Eco-Drive™ operator training in 2009 aimed at refining operator skills to increase performance and crucially cut costs by giving operators the skills they need to better utilise the tools and technologies available in the equipment.

Due to the popularity of the operator training, Finning recently added an Advanced Performance programme specifically aimed at managers and supervisors to enable them to better manage the fleet operations and deliver greater efficiency, safety and productivity.

Bill Stone, Group Plant Manager at FCC Environment, said: “We’ve 100 DIGGERSLIVE

been doing business with Finning for some time and enjoy a good working relationship with them. We started looking at all our operational data to identify how we can improve idle times – and vitally cut fuel costs – and the training delivered by Finning was an important part of that.

“We’ve done four sessions of the operator training so far and feedback has been good. Many of our quarry operators have been with us for 10 years or more, but many of them don’t typically use the technology that is fitted as standard in new Cat machines, which can save them time and fuel. The great thing was when they came out of the sessions, they were all fired up and telling other operators’ things they’d picked up – which was great.

“I think they really appreciated the fact that they had the opportunity for one-to-one interaction with the trainer – who were on their level as former operators, so they really engaged with them.

“I attended the advanced course for managers, and it was very good. For example, we learnt about the impact of using incorrect ground engaging tools and how this affects machine productivity.”

The advanced course also addresses topics such as assessing and measuring equipment capability to optimise fuel usage, identifying inefficiencies as well as looking into best practice operating techniques and the fundamentals of machine application. Participants on the course develop their own site improvement plan, with the Finning team providing a follow-up review to provide any ongoing guidance and support.

Bill adds: “We’ll never completely cut out zero idling, but this campaign and dedicated training with Finning experts helps the operators understand how much money is wasted in terms of fuel and repair and maintenance. Educating the managers so they understand the economic and environmental gains achieved by only having machines working when they’re needed is already yielding savings across the company.”

Jonathan Davies, Finning UK & Ireland Industry Manager for Industrial & Waste and Paving, said: “When you’ve got a quarry working 2,000 hours a year every penny counts, and you must make sure you get the best per cost per tonne.

“While we can supply efficient and reliable machines, the greater the operator skill and efficiency the less wear and tear there is on the machine and fuel wastage and the greater the site efficiency.”

Both the Eco-Drive™ Operator Training and Advanced Performance Training courses are Institute of Quarrying CPD accredited and are available from one of Finning UK & Ireland’s facilities, or group training can be delivered at a customer site. www.diggers.live

t: 0330 555 2000 e: uk@astrak.com SCAN ME

Large Stock Availability We have the largest central stockholding in the UK, which is supported by a finely tuned stock control program, a highly organised warehousing system and carefully selected logistics partners.

This allows Astrak to have the undercarriage parts that you need available when you need them, minimising machine downtime.

Extended Warranty Once it’s on the machine, our extended warranty is the most comprehensive in the market place.

Each of our rubber tracks come with an extended 24 month warranty as standard.

Quality Approved All of our undercarriage and wear parts are manufactured in IS0 9001 and OEM approved production facilities with rigorous quality control procedures.

Fast Delivery Place your order prior to 4.30pm and it will be despatched for delivery on the next working day.

Undercarriage and Wear Parts Our wide range of heavy-duty components will keep your excavators, dozers and tracked machinery working harder, for longer. Every hour of machine downtime incurs avoidable costs! This is why you need a reliable partner you can rely on. Stocking the widest range from bucket teeth, cutting edges and OEM quality undercarriage components through to custom made wear parts. Astrak providing you complete undercarriage and wear part solutions. The right part, to the right place, at the right time!

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Lake District groundworks contractor builds on CASE fleet

Specifications: CX25D Operating weight (with cab): 2,710 kg Engine power: 13.7 kW Maximum digging depth: 2,700 mm Bucket breakout force: 22 kN Arm breakout force: 14.5 kN CX90D Operating weight: 8,360 kg Engine power: 50.7 kW Maximum digging depth: 4,590 mm Bucket breakout force: 56.9 kN Arm breakout force: 39.5 kN 102 DIGGERSLIVE

It is difficult to imagine improving the incredible views over Lake Windermere, in Cumbria’s Lake District. Yet Kendalbased groundworks contractor Andrew Harvey does just that, providing a range of groundworks services, hard and soft landscaping, external works and construction up to DPC, for many customers in the area.

The company completes that work with a range of compact machines, including the latest 2.5-t CASE CX25D and a 9.0-t CX90D, both recently supplied by local CASE Construction Equipment dealer Dennis Barnfield of Carnforth. The CASE mini and midi excavators are equipped with Engcon tiltrotators and the company has a Digitec iDig 2D machine guidance system that can be used with either model to maximise versatility and productivity on site.

Andrew Harvey is no stranger to the CASE Construction Equipment brand.

Initially from an agricultural background, he started the groundworks business in 1997 with a CASE 580 backhoe loader and has been using machinery from Dennis Barnfield since that time.

Harvey said: “The support from the whole team at Dennis Barnfield over the last 25 years has given us the confidence to specify the machines the way they are today. We know from our own experience that we’ve got a reliable product and a dealer that will back us up if there is ever an issue. That in itself is almost priceless to a smaller business in today’s climate.” www.diggers.live

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Both excavators have been built to the company’s own specification, with additional counterweight on the smaller CX25D to offset the weight of the tiltrotator. The CX90D is equipped with rubber bolt-on track pads, allowing the machine to work on finished driveways.

Both machines have extra LED lighting, on top of that supplied by Dennis Barnfield to all CASE excavators, for maximum visibility in poor weather and light conditions.

Perhaps most strikingly, the firm has had the side and rear glazing tinted, to prevent glare in the cab on sunny days.

This modification has proven so popular with other businesses in the area, that Dennis Barnfield has already been asked if it can provide a similar specification.

Andrew Harvey’s son Mark, who joined the company four years ago, is also driving forward the use of technology within the business, including the investment in the tilt-rotators and the machine guidance system. The company has a growing range of attachments to suit the Engcon tilt-rotators, including pallet forks and a grading bar, which may soon be joined by a materials handling grab.

“It’s just a completely different way of working,” said Andrew Harvey. “We looked at another brand, but we wanted to be sure of dealer backup. We’d had the CASE machines supplied by Dennis Barnfield and they are training up an engineer on the Engcon tilt-rotators, so we will have someone to talk to if necessary.” www.diggers.live

The company purchased its first eight-tonne CASE excavator in 2006 and had moved up to a 13-tonne model in the past. However, the CX90D offers the perfect combination of size, power and reach for Harvey’s mainly residential contracts. Having the main boom mounted in front of the upper structure, with an offset facility, also makes the CX90D ideal for tighter working conditions and, when combined with the tilt-rotator, it is possible to operate a cross a wider envelope around the machine, rather than relocate on the tracks.

“The nine-tonne machine has bags of reach and it’s really stable,” said Andrew Harvey. “We can lift a full pack of blocks over the side on pallet forks, even with the Engcon tilt-rotator. It’s got the dozer blade

as well, which makes it perfect for us.”

Mark Harvey added: “The D-Series is a lot lighter on fuel than our previous machine. We are saving 1-1.5 litres an hour against the C Series. It’s fast and it’s smooth, you really can’t knock it.”

With five full time staff, the business operates within a 20-mile radius of Kendal, in Cumbria. It has plenty of return business, though there is no intention to expand further in the short term.

Mark Harvey said: “We’re lucky we are well established in Windermere, Ambleside and Bowness and we don’t need to get a lot bigger. We like to have a family relationship with our clients. We’ve been happy with the dealer backup since 1997.”

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INDUSTRY

Forshaw Demolition adds to growing HD Hyundai fleet North-west specialist contractor Forshaw Demolition has added two HD Hyundai HX330AL crawler excavators to its growing fleet of equipment. Reliability, durability and the high level of back-up from local dealer HES Enterprises, have seen the company move almost exclusively to the Hyundai brand for crawler machines.

The family-owned business, with more than 80 years of demolition experience, was initially involved in the haulage industry, before moving into demolition after the Second World War. It now specialises in all forms of demolition and deconstruction, including industrial decommissioning, asbestos removal and land remediation.

Forshaw’s fleet includes an HX520, two HX380As, the two new HX330As, an HX300A and an HX140A. The machines are operated with a wide range of attachments, from buckets and hydraulic breakers, to shears, selector grabs, pulverisers and a magnet.

Director Chris Forshaw said: “We used to have other brands, but Andy Shaw at HES had been working to get a

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machine into our fleet. We started with an HX380AL during the pandemic.

Now, as the machines have come due for replacement within the fleet, we have changed them to Hyundais.

“They are reliable and pretty good on fuel. But it’s the backup, if we had an issue with this machine now, HES would be here today. If there is any issue, HES always helps us out.”

The dealer also prepares the HD Hyundai machines to Forshaw’s own exacting demolition specification, adding protective side skirts and additional safety handrails to the upper structure. A full cab protection frame is included, while rebar cutters are added to the track frames to protect the undercarriage and the upper structure of the machine. The company opts for OilQuick and Steelwrist quick couplers, that don’t require the operator to leave the cab when changing between attachments, boosting site safety.

Working predominantly throughout the north-west, Forshaw Demolition is prepared to travel further afield for existing customers. It currently has work

in Southampton and in Gateshead, though the majority of projects are closer to its Bolton, Lancashire base. The new HX330AL models are the most popular excavator in the fleet, capable of handling a wide range of tasks on site.

Forshaw said: “We always have a 14-tonner around, it’s just so handy for all the smaller projects. Our 50-tonne machine was purchased for a particular job, but the 33-tonne machines are just the right size to tackle most demolition projects. From 30 to 40 tonnes is the main machine for most of our contracts.”

With a busy order book stretching well into next year and a number of major projects starting over the coming months, Forshaw’s HD Hyundais are certainly being kept busy. The company has a fiveyear replacement policy, so reliability and longevity are important considerations, particularly in the arduous working environment of a demolition project.

However, with the dedicated backing of local dealer HES, Chris Forshaw is confident that the Hyundai machines are equal to the task.

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DEVELON enters European dozer market with new DD130 model DEVELON has entered the European dozer market with the launch of the new DD130 model. The new DD130 dozer offers a wide range of features of interest to customers, resulting in a productive fine-grading solution for residential and light commercial construction projects.

High visibility One of the biggest differences between the DD130 and other dozer brands is the visibility the DD130 provides of the machine’s dozer blade. To facilitate this, the front engine compartment offers a narrower design to make it easier for operators to see their work. Other aspects of the DD130 that provide optimum visibility include: The precleaner is also tucked away in the engine compartment to maximise front visibility, Relocating the electronic cooling system to the back of the dozer has further improved front visibility, The cab’s low-profile front pillars provide maximum glass area, The all-glass doors provide a full view of the working environment.

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Specifications Engine power (gross): 117 kW Operating weight: 15,300 kg Standard LGP blade width: 3,300 mm with 3 m in transport position (3.5 m3 capacity) and 710 mm shoes Optional LGP blade width: 3,655 mm with 3.35 m in transport

position and 760 mm shoes Optional XL Blade width: 3,105 mm with 2.87 m in transport

position and 560 mm shoes Blade angle: 25 degrees Drawbar pull: 21,999 kg Max travel speed: 5.6 mph Cab is ROPS/FOPS certified For further visibility and safety, a standard rearview camera provides operators with an additional view of the dozer’s surroundings. The fullcolour, eight-inch Smart Touch display shows the feed from the rearview camera. Also standard are highillumination LED lights and four premium wiper blades.

Full comfort The DD130 offers a high level of comfort with a premium high-quality seat. The operator has total control of the machine via two smooth and precise, fully electronic joysticks. The seat and joysticks move together via the air suspension system, to absorb all vibrations. www.diggers.live

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Advanced technologies Advanced technologies in the DD130 dozer deliver more precision to help operators meet exacting specifications.

A 2D grading system (dozing assist) makes precision grading easier, even for novice operators. The operator programmes the needed inputs, and the machine controls blade functions to finish the job faster and with better accuracy. No GPS or lasers are required.

Smooth serviceability The DD130 comes standard with an electronically operated tilting cab that provides access to internal components. Even with the cab tilted, the dozer can be started while the machine is being diagnosed or repaired.

An in-line precleaner, which comes standard, helps improve filter life and is integrated with the air cleaner.

Super compact to fit in the engine compartment, self-cleaning and maintenance-free, the intake system can expel a variety of debris, including mud, snow, leaves, sawdust and chaff.

The dozer undercarriage is designed for convenience and costeffective maintenance. Areas of the undercarriage that naturally experience greater wear and tear are easy to access. For example, a removable side panel provides access to an area to add grease to the undercarriage’s tension system.

Customers can order replacement parts through their local dealer.

A telematics system is a standard feature on the DD130 dozer, making it easy for customers to remotely monitor and maintain their machine.

They can monitor the health, location and productivity of the dozer from a user-friendly mobile app and website.

The customer’s dealer can also see the equipment status and notify them when it is time for a service to minimise machine downtime. www.diggers.live

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HD Hyundai Infracore enhances DEVELON brand affinity with expanding DEVELONCARE programme HD Hyundai Infracore has expanded the company’s DEVELONCARE global customer visit management programme to build on the growing affinity for the company’s market-leading DEVELON brand.

HD Hyundai Infracore’s DEVELONCARE customer visit service involves equipment experts from the company travelling to see customers in person to diagnose their equipment and to assist them in maintaining it in optimal condition.

Global Expansion of DEVELONCARE in 2023 HD Hyundai Infracore actively promoted DEVELONCARE activities in Korea and several other countries, including an inspection tour of China, from February to May 2023. This was to immediately respond to customer requests following the launch of new machinery models earlier this year and to support the introduction of the new DEVELON brand.

As of September, the global DEVELONCARE team had visited major work sites in 21 countries, including Vietnam and South Africa.

The company plans to expand services in Brazil and Indonesia in the fourth quarter to provide an increased focus on customer support by the end of the year.

HD Hyundai Infracore also intends to enhance support for the DEVELON brand by focusing on managing specific customer groups, such as “those using the company’s construction equipment for over 10,000 hours” and “equipment customers in Neom City in Saudi Arabia.”

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Getting under your undercarriage

Undercarriage damage can be costly for machine owners and fleet managers at any time of the year. However, during the winter months, when we experience higher levels of rain, wind and freezing temperatures there can be even greater pressure on the machines. This is why Finning is urging fleet managers and owner-operators to make checking their undercarriage one of their daily on-site tasks to avoid costly downtime and unplanned machine repairs. Here’s our resident undercarriage expert (and Wear Parts Product Manager), Cheryl Griffith, to explain how to check for signs of wear and damage to keep it shipshape.

Do it daily The state of a machine’s undercarriage can significantly impact performance.

A well cared for undercarriage will help to maximise power, increase safety and stability and will keep operational repair costs to a minimum over a machine’s lifecycle.

A daily walk around a machine is a simple but very effective way for operators to identify any obvious issues or damage to the undercarriage. Not doing this 110 DIGGERSLIVE

can cost you – both in terms of any repairs needed – not to mention the costs associated with machine downtime.

Regularly checking your undercarriage will also enable you to get a clearer view on what worn looks like. The rate of wear, very much depends on the environment the machine is working in. For example, a machine operating in a quarry to excavate granite is putting a great deal of strain on the machine. While other materials such as clay or sand can increase the track

tension when solidified.

Certain operational movements can also increase the level of undercarriage damage. These include, for example, making sharp turns, excessive reversing or driving at high speeds. In addition, not having the track tension correctly adjusted can also cause damage over time as will the buildup of dirt and debris causing tracks to stretch and then ultimately break.

Cleaning the tracks thoroughly, www.diggers.live

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particularly in wintery conditions, is also essential to avoid materials drying or freezing on the undercarriage overnight.

Scheduling regular maintenance sessions alongside frequent daily spot checks will reduce the risk of damage and more costly repairs down the line as well as reduced productivity.

Here are our top tips for keeping your undercarriage in tip top condition.

Inspect rubber tracks for cracks, which may be a sign of belt fatigue or damage such as deep cuts or chunks of material missing. Also check for exposed wire that forms the structure of the track, Ensure rubber track treads protrude higher than the rubber belt and they are not separating from the belt, Check any other rubber components for separation of material, cracking, damage, or missing parts, www.diggers.live

Make sure that no steel track pads are missing and that the grouser is still protruding well above the pad, Check any trackpad nuts and bolts to ensure that none are missing or have worked loose, Look at the sharpness of the sprocket tooth – a sharp point indicates high wear, Check roller and idler edges for sharpness, uneven wear, or excessive movement when tracking, Look at the track movement on the frame when the machine is in operation.

Excessive movement could be a sign of a stretched track or other worn components, Inspect the machine for any wet patches on links which may be a sign of leakage, Ensure that track sag (the amount of tension applied to the track links) is correct. If you’re not sure – check the

machine’s maintenance manual for information on how to do this correctly and for relevant specifications, Always ensure that any material is cleaned out of the undercarriage regularly to stop “packing”, which can increase wear.

Finning offers a range of undercarriage repair and maintenance services and plans which can ensure machine operators and fleet managers achieve the lowest cost-perhour support beyond the standard new machine or parts warranties. All repairs carried out by the expert team at Finning include a comprehensive service that comprises an inspection of all components to be reused for wear or cracking, and all hardware is torqued to Caterpillar specifications to ensure the correct amount of tension, which reduces the risk of hardware coming loose.

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Bobcat expands global manufacturing footprint with Mexico factory Doosan Bobcat, a global compact equipment, innovation and worksite solutions brand, has announced its intention to expand its footprint with a new manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Mexico, anticipated to begin production in early 2026.

The investment, planned for approximately £240m, will expand Bobcat’s existing global footprint to create additional production capacity and manufacturing capabilities for selected compact track and skid-steer loader models. The new facility is expected to create an additional 600 to 800 jobs in the region.

Scott Park, Doosan Bobcat CEO said: “As a global company with manufacturing facilities, offices, dealerships and customers across the globe, we have seen tremendous growth and increased demand for our products. We are excited to continue growing our footprint to meet demand for Bobcat solutions worldwide.”

The 65,000-m2 manufacturing facility is expected to increase Bobcat’s North American compact loader production capacity by 20%. The facility will feature

areas for welding, painting and assembly, as well as an on-site warehouse and office space. Bobcat will implement state-ofthe-art technology with an emphasis on quality, precision and energy efficiency.

The Monterrey location will manufacture compact loaders for North American distribution. Bobcat has additional locations across its global footprint that also produce compact loaders.

Gary Hornbacher, Doosan Bobcat President for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region said: “Adding the Monterrey, Mexico facility allows North America to meet growing customer demand and enables our Bobcat European production facilities in Dobříš, Czech Republic to focus on manufacturing products for the EMEA region, in the EMEA region, meeting growing demand here. Globally, Bobcat will better serve customers by expanding our manufacturing facilities and shortening lead times.”

The new location was selected after extensive review and consideration of expansions at existing Bobcat locations,

along with the potential for new developments at locations across the globe. Monterrey was selected for its well-established industrial sector, skilled workforce, proximity to the US, cost competitiveness and strong business environment, among other factors.

Bobcat CEO Scott Park

Bobcat EMEA President, Gary Hornbacher

112 DIGGERSLIVE

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INDUSTRY

ProStack adds new Ranger Radial Conveyor to stacker range ProStack®, a leading manufacturer of bulk material handling solutions, is pleased to launch the latest addition to its stacker range – the Ranger 6-24TR Tracked Radial Conveyor.

Designed for stockpiling across multiple applications including the quarrying and mining industries, the Ranger 6-24TR sets a new standard for efficiency, versatility and automation.

A key highlight is the Ranger 6-24TR’s semi-automated stockpile programme that allows operators to stockpile materials in set patterns to suit their specific needs. This feature comes as standard with an optional fully automated programme available. It also features hydraulic discharge height adjustment, allowing for further flexibility when operating in different applications.

These features allow operators to increase efficiency, safety, and productivity.

Transportation is made effortless with the Ranger 6-24TR’s hydraulic fold over feature. The conveyor can be easily folded for transportation, which reduces downtime and ensures swift relocation to different job sites. Coupled with the already compact design, this feature allows the Ranger 6-24TR to be

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transported within a shipping container.

Alan MacCombe, Engineering Manager at ProStack says, “We have really focused on making the Ranger 6-24TR easy to use at every stage of design. Features like the automated stockpile programme and hydraulic discharge height adjustment, coupled with the fact that this conveyor can be operated with a remote control are a result of this focus.”

The Ranger 6-24TR has a working length of 22 m and weighs approximately 17,800 kg. It can achieve a maximum throughput rate of 600 tph. A maximum discharge height of 10.75 m is reached at 23 degrees inclination.

Steven Aiken, Business Line Director for ProStack says: “Our global distribution network has shown great interest in Ranger 6-24TR Tracked Radial Conveyor.

After many months of testing and refinement, we’re excited to finally get to share it with them—it will make a great addition to our product line.”

ProStack invites industry professionals and interested parties to explore the Ranger 24-TR Tracked Radial Conveyor and its exceptional features, as well as more on ProStack’s comprehensive range of material handling solutions by visiting www.terex.com/prostack or contacting your local distributor.

DIGGERSLIVE 113

INDUSTRY

A new chapter for Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. Japanese manufacturer prepares to expand its European headquarters

Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. (KCME) is proud to announce the expansion of its European operations with the relocation of its headquarters from Almere to a larger new purpose-built facility in Lelystad. When Kobelco first returned to Europe in 2013, the location of its headquarters and spare parts warehouse in Almere, The Netherlands, was ideally situated for servicing its European dealers. Over the past 10 years, KCME has continued to enjoy fast, but controlled dealer network growth and now prepares to expand its operations to a much larger, purpose-built facility in Lelystad.

KCME has been working with renowned Genemuiden-based contractor, Groothuis Bouwgroep, and MK23 Architects from Utrecht, to finalise the design of the impressive new 17,500 m2 building, which will be situated on 30,000 m2 of land owned by Kobelco.

The new facility, which is close to the A6 motorway, will comprise three main buildings, including warehouse facilities, 114 DIGGERSLIVE

training centre and three-floor offices.

There will also be a demonstration field for Kobelco construction machinery.

A key milestone in the building project was achieved recently when the first foundations were dug by Makoto Kato, Managing Director of Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. (KCME) using a brand new Kobelco

SK270SRLC-7 excavator. The symbolic ceremony took place in the presence of Dennis Grimbergen, Deputy Mayor of the City of Lelystad, and Akira Yamamoto, President and CEO of Kobelco Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. The new KCME headquarters, expected to be completed by 2025, will meet latest sustainably requirements – all www.diggers.live

INDUSTRY

building work is being completed with particular attention to energy-saving materials, processes and techniques.

The energy-neutral building will also be surrounded by sympathetic landscaping and ecological facilities.

The announcement of the expansion coincides with KCME’s 10th anniversary celebrations, which recently took place at a special event in Amsterdam.

KCME Managing Director, Makoto Kato (image, right, fifth from left), said: “It’s exciting to see progress underway with the symbolic first hole being dug with the new Kobelco SK270SRLC-7.

We are proud to expand KCME’s operations into a new, larger purposebuilt facility that will become a hub for all our European activities. In particular, our new warehouse facilities will be more than three-times bigger than our current warehouse in Almere, which gives us better opportunity to service our European dealers. We are very pleased to take this important step for the future growth of KCME.” www.diggers.live

DIGGERSLIVE 115

651G

IS GOING PREMIUM

CASE’s response to the growing premium business market is an additional step forward in terms of global performance.

The new Wheel Loader 651G comes with cutting-edge enhancements, as new reinforced frame, axles, and new direct-mount rehandling buckets.

Contact your CASE dealer NOW