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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
NOVEMBER 2016
39
AFRICA
South African based consulting firm, Thuthukani has teamed up with
Fermel to design and manufacture the electric traction system for
Fermel’s new 25 t electric hauler. The development of the system
has led to breakthroughs in battery management and electric drive
technology, and most importantly, in zero emissions mining technology.
Together, Thuthukani and Fermel are playing their part in ensuring a
bright future for South African mining operations.
In developing a new 25 t electric hauler vehicle with applications in
soft and hard rock mining, Fermel tasked Thuthukani with the design
and development of the hauler’s electrical traction system, including
all auxiliary systems, the battery storage system, electrical propulsion
including traction control and torque vectoring, the cooling system,
electrical management and the distribution system. The first working
prototype is set for implementation in 2017.
AUSTRALIA
Australian mining and heavy equipment rental giant Emeco has agreed to merge with
Orionstone and Andy’s Earthmovers in a three-way transaction that also includes
its recapitalisation. Based in Mackay, Queensland, Orionstone is a privately-owned
heavy earthmoving equipment supplier with a fleet of over 200 machines located
across the Australia.
Andy’s Earthmovers is a privately-owned equipment rental business based in
Bendigo, Victoria, covering mining and civil customers located in South Australia,
Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Its fleet
includes 145 machines. The combined entity, which will remain as a listed company,
will seek to raise AU$20 million from investors once the deal has been approved.
EUROPE
European earthmoving equipment sales (excluding telescopic handlers) reached a level of 84 000 units in the first half of 2016, the
highest since 2008, and corresponding to a year-to-date growth of 14% after six months.
There are various reasons for the strong performance in the earthmoving equipment sector: the demand push following bauma 2016,
much stronger investment activity by the rental sector, a good performance in the civil engineering sector, but most significantly,
a concurrence of positive market developments across European countries and regions, according to the Committee for European
Construction Equipment.
ASIA
As part of Manitowoc’s new sales
organisation, the crane maker has made
two senior appointments for the Asia and
Middle East region. Both David Semple
and Christophe Simoncelli, who have
assumed the new roles, have close to 20
years of experience at Manitowoc, working
primarily in sales and general management
functions across the company’s product
lines.
The new roles have been created
in alignment with Manitowoc’s recent
reorganisation, which saw its tower crane
activities operated independently from its
mobile crane and crawler crane operations.
From a regional perspective, the company’s
sales and marketing activities for Asia
were also combined with those of the
Middle East. As a result, Simoncelli takes
on the new role of vice-president, tower
crane sales, Asia and the Middle East,
while Semple becomes senior vice-
president, mobile cranes, Asia and the
Middle East.
GLOBETROTTING
The
Chinese
construction
industry
continues to find the going tough. Against
this backdrop, what technical equipment
will be especially in demand in China
in the years ahead? The 8
th
edition of
bauma China will be taking place in the
Shanghai New International Expo Centre
(SNIEC) from November 22 to 25 this
year. The international trade fair is a
focal point for new products and what’s
currently in demand in the construction
machinery, building material machines,
mining machines, construction vehicles
and construction equipment fields.
Notwithstanding
the
unfavourable
auguries, the figures for bauma China 2016
are looking positive: 2 810 exhibitors (as of
September 19, 2016) have registered to date;
the trade fair will again occupy the entire
SNIEC site, a total of 300 000 m
2
.
Ahead of bauma China 2016, whereas
machinery sales in China in almost all
construction machinery product sectors are
significantly down, Off-Highway Research
identifies a slight year-on-year increaseof
4% in asphalt pavers. The reason for this is
the persistently high investment by the People’s
Republic in infrastructure development. For
example, in 2015 alone 11 000 km of new
highways were built.
According to Off-Highway Research,
compact loaders also proved to be very stable
with only a minor drop in sales. Generally,
the research company sees good long-term
prospects for smaller, more technically
sophisticated machines. The backdrop to this
is the increasing environmental awareness
in China on the one hand and on the other
the imperative of solving new tasks in the
technically most optimal way possible.
Building maintenance is one of the country’s
comparatively new challenges. For example,
the 13
th
Five Year Plan (2016 to 2020) envisages
the renovation or construction of 20 million
residential units in urban areas.
b
PATCHY UPWARD TREND FOR CHINESE CONSTRUCTION
Ahead of bauma
China 2016,
machinery sales
in China in almost
all construction
machinery
product sectors
are significantly
down.