Author: Stephen White

The brothers who invented the world’s first compact loader (later named the Bobcat skid-steer loader), have been selected as 2023 inductees for the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) in the USA. Cyril and Louis Keller built their first three-wheeled loader with two drive wheels in front and a caster wheel in the rear – the predecessor to the modern skid-steer loader in 1957. In the 1950s, brothers Cyril and Louis operated a small machinist-blacksmith shop in Minnesota together, building and repairing machinery for local farmers. The idea for a new form of loader came after a farmer approached them…

2023 could be a challenging year for the cement industry according to World Cement Association (WCA) Director, Emir Adiguzel. He made the comments as part of his Outlook for 2023 presentation. Reflecting on the past two years of high demand post pandemic, Adiguzel said that several issues including tighter monetary policies, increased sea freight rates, and high fluctuations in the cost of energy may gradually exert pressure on cement producers to establish higher cement prices. In addition, Adiguzel stated that major multinational cement companies will continue to divest cement assets in emerging markets, creating a unique opportunity for players in…

Everyone knows the lyrics to the hit song ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but few outside the construction business are aware of the crucial function diamonds play in the industry, where diamond tools must perform to extremely high standards. Rock, concrete, steel and brick are some of the most challenging materials known to man, and cutting through them with immense precision requires something even harder – a diamond tool. Construction sites are fitted out with equipment designed to use optimized diamond tools to treat construction material quickly and exactly. Worldwide demand for diamond tools is projected to increase owing…

Quick support in emergencies – flexible and extremely agile ATLAS 140W blue mobile excavator – 15 t power and effectiveness in operation – excellent performance in challenging assignments like fires, danger of collapse and securing of a crime scene. The members and experts of the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) provide professional help in numerous situations of threat, such as fires, buildings in danger of collapsing, crime scene evidence securing and many more. They offer experience, dedication and modern equipment. The ATLAS mobile excavator and its potential are regularly put to use. Two years ago, the THW integrated 30 ATLAS 140W blue…

Hyundai Doosan Infracore (HDI) has announced that is replacing the DOOSAN brand on its construction equipment and introducing its new brand named ‘DEVELON’. HDI confirmed today that it will be changing the brand name on its construction equipment to ‘DEVELON’, a change which takes place a year and a half after HDI becoming a subsidiary of HD Hyundai. With the change of the brand name, the new DEVELON decal will be used on HDI’s construction equipment. It added that the launch of the new brand had been planned since it became a subsidiary of HD Hyundai in August 2021. It plans…

2022 was the eighth year in a row of temperatures which were more than 1C above the pre-industrial level. Further, each boreal summer month during the year were at least the third warmest globally, reveals a new report. Several high temperature records were broken in Europe and across the world, while extreme events such as drought and flooding affected large regions of the world, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service’s (C3S) 2022 Global Climate Highlights report. The report is based on the ERA5 dataset produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). C3S is itself implemented by…

The Aluminium Recycling Coalition has been launched by Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA). The coalition was launched at EGA’s facility in Al Taweelah in the presence of His Excellency Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, and Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment. Members of the coalition include EGA, Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company (Tadweer), Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company, Coca-Cola Al Ahlia Beverages Company, BEEAH Tandeef, Pepsi-bottler Dubai Refreshment, CANPACK, Crown Bevcan EMEA, DULSCO Group and Veolia. “The Aluminium Recycling Coalition is led by Emirates Global Aluminium, the biggest ‘premium…

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has announced PRO, which is billed as a ACI Centre of Excellence for advancing the concrete industry’s productivity. Commenting on the facility, the firm said that PRO will collaborate with designers, materials suppliers, and contractors to identify and resolve issues that negatively impact productivity in concrete construction, and will act as a catalyst for solving the barriers of constructability to advance concrete construction productivity. “The concrete contractor’s input on design details, specifications, and material criteria that embraces the construction process is long overdue. Improving construction productivity through concrete design is the key to unlocking project…

Liebherr is set to sell used machines, attachments and spare parts to customers via an all-new digital marketplace. The global trading platform is being developed in partnership with software-as-a-service provider Krank. Krank is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that provides a new way to remarket used equipment. Subscriber-branded (Liebherr in this case), it helps customers sell faster and improve revenues. The UK headquartered firm enables customers to manage the sale process and keep direct control of their business network and data. Replacing an existing digital marketplace, the new solution will centralise the sale of Liebherr used mining, construction and material handling…

In the wake of the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic, the construction and engineering industry will need to continue its fight to become more resilient and agile. As the global market continues to be pressured from new events including recessions, increased supply chain complexity brought by geopolitical conflicts, material price increases and labor shortages, a new layer of uncertainty is making its way throughout the industry. Thankfully, there is huge potential for those looking to adapt and become more resilient. In this year’s construction and engineering trends and predictions, IFS’ Kenny Ingram, VP of Construction & Engineering and Chris Knight, Global Industry…