construction machinery me february 2014

Plus: ACROss THE INDusTRY * NEWs & VIEWs * IRAN * INTERmAT mE REVIEW * AND muCH mORE

HEAVY HITTERs INTERVIEW

ISSUE 28

FEBRUARY 2014

THE HIGH LIFE Manlift access all areas

STILL GOING AT STEVIN The kit that helped the quarry tick

MILAN TO MAdINAHThe Italian crane that will be built in KSA

ANd THE WINNER IS...2013’s big and most surprising GCC success

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

The Construction Machinery Show 2014 is the largest heavy construction machinery event in the region, showcasing a wide variety of products ranging from heavy equipment to machinery, from lighting to generators as well as dealers and service providers.

The event will provide an invaluable platform for customers in the Arab world bringing together manufacturers, distributors and buyers.

The Construction Machinery Show 2014 is also the only event in the region where buyers can see a huge range of equipment in

action via its programme of live demonstrations and the largest ever showcase of its type in the Middle East.

In 2014, the Construction Machinery Show 2014 is teaming up with leading Saudi exhibition organiser, Dhahran International Exhibitions Center (DIEC). This year’s show will run in conjunction with the popular BUILDEX event, now in its 16th year.

Both events will attract worldwide industry experts, investors and buyers to the largest tradeshow in the Eastern Province.

LIVEDE

MONST

RATIO

NS

16-20 February 2014

Dhahran International Exhibition Center,Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaShow timings: 9:30-12:00 and 16:00-22:00

DAMMAM

Raz IslamPublishing [email protected]: +971 50 451 8213

Michael StansfieldCommercial Director [email protected]: +971 55 150 3849

Co-located with Organised byGold SponsorInformation Partner Power and Lighting by

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

CMME_DPS_480x300_AW_HR.pdf 1 1/23/2014 1:07:48 PM

13010128_AD_line_up_240x300_ENG_2111.indd 1 11/19/13 11:05 AM

Contents

02 Editorial When your reputation precedes you

10 NEws aNalysis One of Italy’s biggest crane manufacturers now has a Saudi

owner as KSA manufacturing grows in strength

14 hEavy hittErs: MaNlift CMME talks to the team at Manlift to find out more about its

international expansion

18 still goiNg at stEviN rock Stian Overdahl ventures back to Stevin Rock to see how equipment is letting it ramp up productivity

22 iraN: what happENs NExt? What could Iran’s return to the international scene mean?

24 sitE visit A construction site that is on course

30 aNd thE wiNNEr is...? Why Tadano was 2013’s unlikely winner

2623

ISSUE 28

FEBRUARY 2014

page 42 Making an impact

in Abu Dhabi “Powerscreen sees the Middle

East as an importantmarket. Intermat ME

is a good opportunity to get closer.”

48

Raw power

42

06

48 2828

Page 33 NEW RELEASE ROUND UP What’s hot in new machinery this month? Page 39 TOP TEN: GUIDE TO LOOKING AFTER YOUR CUSTOMER CMME’s guide to looking after your heavy equipment customers. Page 42 SHOW REVIEW: INTERMAT MIDDLE EAST A look at the small show with a big name in Abu Dhabi. Page 46 UP FOR GRABS The perfect add-on for people that like to pave.

Page 51 EXPO 2020 A final look at the ramifications of Dubai’s win. Page 54 THE LAST WORD

Editor’s Letter

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST2

Plus: ACROss THE INDusTRY * NEWs & VIEWs * IRAN * INTERmAT mE REVIEW * AND muCH mORE

HEAVY HITTERs INTERVIEW

ISSUE 28

FEBRUARY 2014

THE HIGH LIFE Manlift access all areas

STILL GOING AT STEVIN The kit that helped the quarry tick

MILAN TO MAdINAHThe Italian crane that will be built in KSA

ANd THE WINNER IS...2013’s big and most surprising success

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

Stephen White, Group Editor, CMME

GROUP

GROUP CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER

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GROUP CEO NADEEM HOOD

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PUBLISHING DIRECTOR RAZ [email protected]+971 4 375 5471

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while the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

NOW ONLINE You can now catchthe online edition every month at: www.constructionmachineryme.com

A LUKE WARM RECEPTION

CMME is a supporter of trade events – they are and always will be a fantastic way to make new friends and drink

copious amounts of luke-warm coffee. The team especially loves seeing new machinery and equipment at these shows. All this and more was in abundance at last month’s InterMat Middle East.

This is being re-stated because within minutes of arriving at InterMat Middle East, CMME was notified by someone at the event that last month’s preview issue had not been warmly received by those involved in the show. That it was too critical and hostile.

Describing an event as a solid representation of the machinery industry and praising its array of new equipment and conference is a positive observation – not a criticism.

Noting the footfall was disappointing and that exhibitors told CMME that they moved from one event to another because of it and a variety of other reasons is reporting. That’s our job.

The magazine would also not align itself with an event it does not believe in, hence our participation as a media partner for this year’s show. This was a decision chosen despite being disappointed by the last one.

For the next event, CMME is more than happy to give our feedback and suggestions for improvement. The magazine will also welcome any comment or reply from the organisers.

On the note of feedback, I must say it was highly commendable and refreshing that the press release that followed the show had exhibitors quoted as saying that there was a lack of quantity when it came to visitors at the show. There was – they said – quality when it came to those that turned up.

Our own research showed that there were others who also said they got some good leads from the show – so clearly it has some possible role to play in the market. I’m just not sure whether the construction industry knows what it is yet.

My worry is that it is caught in a bit of a vicious circle situation after its third edition. The show could do with more visitors to create a buzz, it needs more exhibitors to attract more visitors, more exhibitors would come if there were more visitors, and so on and so forth.

As I say in the review, InterMat Middle East is a big name but a small show. For those of us that appreciated seeing Cifa’s new pump, Bobcat’s new telehandler, Shantui’s UAE range, and much more, that should be a slightly depressing fact. We may have one of the world’s biggest machinery show organisers bringing an event to our doorsteps, but after a third, thinly attended edition, it is still unclear whether we’re ready to let it in.

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 5CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 5February 2014

Company intelligenCeBauer Maschinen Group will exhiBit a larGe ranGe of its foundation equipMent at conexpo in las VeGas in March, with the main focus given to its Bg series of rotary drilling rigs. its Bg 11 H, a new rig type, will be presented to the public for the first time. Designed as a compact rig, its small size allows for easy and fast transport, rigging and derigging. the unit weiGhs only 34 Metric tons includinG rotary driVe and Kelly Bar.

VolVo construction equipMent Machines are BeinG used in the harsh enVironMent of a potash Mine in canada. K+S group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of fertilizer and salt producers, and its new K+s potash canada Mine is scheduled to Go into production in 2016 – with a capacity of 2.86 million tonnes a year, a figure expected to be reached by 2023. potash is mainly used in fertilizers – over 40 million tonnes was mined worldwide last year, a large proportion of which came from Saskatchewan, in central Canada.

Manitou Group has appointed Michel denis as the new president and ceo, as the manufacturer of rough terrain handling and industrial material handling equipment looks to return to full market strength.the company, whose brands include manitou and gehl, had revenue of $1.73 billion in 2012. Denis was appoointed to a four-year term, expiring in 2017. marcel Braud, chairman of the board, thanked the outGoinG interiM ceo doMinque BaMas.

italian crane tower crane manufacturer raiMondi has Been purchased By saudi araBia’s hrh prince Khaled Bin alwaleed al saud. the 150 year-old company was purchased by prince Khaled through his investment holding company KBW Holding for an undisclosed amount. according to a statement, the company will now embark on an investment programme worth $100 million, including plans to build new production facilities in Saudi arabia, which would make it the only tower crane manufacturer with a factory in the Kingdom.

Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers says it recorded total sales of $3.8 billion in 2013, a slight decrease on the previous year, which had been the highest recorded for the company.

Still, in the fourth quarter the company turned over a record $1.1 billon – the highest-ever fourth quarter sales, and a 10% increase on 2012. The company

also saw a new high reached for online buyers – with online bidders purchasing more than $1.4 billion of equipment in 2013, or approximately 37% of total sales. New markets were also opened, with first auctions held in China and Finland.

Peter Blake, CEO of Ritchie Bros said that in Canada, its most established market, RBA continued to grow and again surpassed gross auction proceeds of over $1 billion. He also welcomed the increase in online bidding.

“We’re pleased that our customers are finding convenience through our online bidding option, and comfort in the ability to test

and inspect the equipment being sold in our yards before each auction. More than 43,000 consigners trusted us to sell their equipment at our industrial auctions during the year, and over 425,000 potential buyers registered to bid on items.”

The company held a total of 245 auctions globally in 2013 (up from 221 in 2012), with 425,000 bidder registrations and 104,550. The auction average represented gross auction proceeds of $14.3 million (down from $16.5m), with 1,740 registered bidders (down 20), with 180 consignors (down 10), and 1,230 lots (down from 1,300 in 2012).

Ritchie BRos. AuctioneeRs sell $3.8 Billion of kit in 2013

1 duBai-Based deVeloper Kleindienst has started work on a resort complex on

‘the world’, a man-made archipelago off dubai’s coast. the ‘heart of europe’ complex includes luxury hotels and villas across six small islands based 5km off mainland dubai, and is due for completion by the end of 2016.

2doha festiVal city appointed Gulf contracting company and alec qatar joint

venture as the contractor for construction of the development’s Mall worth $1.6Bn (qar6Bn).

tenDer upDateS

saudi Arabia’s Al Qahtani Vehicle & Machinery co dominated liuGong’s recent 2013 award ceremony.

During the annual meeting for liuGong and its 201 dealers all over the world, Al Qahtani Vehicle & Machinery co won a series of trophies in recognition of its work in 2013.

While Al Qahtani was globally ranked the third best dealer in terms of sales, it came out first in the categories of service, parts, sales growth, finance performance and branding. it also won the award for best dealer in the Midlde east for 2013.

the event marked liuGong’s 55th anniversary and his excellency sheikh tariq Al Qahtani delivered an address on behalf of its 201 dealers.

in his speech, his excellency showed his appreciation for liuGong’s development in all directions and for completing their product line. he also expressed his recognition for “liuGong maintaining their globalism through creating a unique image and high standards”.

he also requested that liuGong expedites its JV with

its hydraulic partners as it has with cummins and Zf.finally, his excellency wished liugong “all the best

through breaking the ice, overcoming all obstacles, and taking advantages of all opportunities to reach a new height”.

looking back on Al Qahtani’s achievements in 2013, managing director khaled el shatoury hailed the dealer’s harmonious approach which ensured that every details was covered and each member of the team had a clear set of directions.

“this achievement in 2013 was a result of professional hard work, and total dedication resulting from the goals strategy that has been selected and implemented,” said el shatoury. “everything was very clear and determined - that made every piece of work well known for who is doing what and how.”

“Work was going parallel in many things and all of us were very keen to accomplish each objective, target and goal in a certain timeframe given. it was a melody played by our teamwork.”

Saudi arabia’S al Qahtani iS the biggeSt winner at liugong global awardS

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST4

News Round-Up

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST4 February 2014

News Round-Up

NEWSNew machines, new offices, new projects, new initiatives – we look around the region at what’s new this month.

Construction Machinery Show 2014 to demonstrate kit

If you’re in the mood to catch some live demonstrations of some of the newest and latest heavy equipment in the market, then you should

be planning a trip to the Construction Machinery Show 2014 in Dammam this month.

The event, the biggest of its type in the region, is dedicated to the construction machinery sector and will provide an essential chance to bring together manufacturers, distributors and buyers. Names attached to the event include LiuGong, Case, Doosan, Bobcat, Terex, Putzmeister, and many, many more. The Construction Machinery Show 2014 is also the only event in the region where buyers can see a large

range of equipment in action via its programme of live demonstrations.

“The 2014 show will host over 10,000 sqm of live demonstrations of the various construction and heavy equipment on display. This section will enable our trade visitors, buyers, suppliers and dealers to examine the various capabilities of the equipment on display and learn more information about their use, abilities and the way these machines can contribute to the success of their business operation,” said CPI publishing director Raz Islam.

The event will be held at Dhahran International Exhibitions Centre, Dammam, KSA from 16-20 February.

Chaudhary Transport Company, a New Delhi-based rental and transport company, has purchased its first Terex crane, a Toplift 55 truck crane with a capacity of 55t and a maximum boom length of 42m.

The machine is already deployed at an oil refinery in the northwest state of Rajasthan, India, where its 32m fully extended working radius is being used for a variety of jobs.

With a wide wheelbase, 40% gradeability, two drive axles and two steering axles, the crane can provide sure-footed on-site maneuverability and performance.

Sandeep Sehrawat, managing partner, Chaudhary Transport Company, said that the company had decided to seek a new manufacturer for our latest acquisition, wanting to improving their fleet’s reliability and performance.

“Terex has a good reputation amongst end users in India and we know of many companies who already appreciate the quality and performance of Terex products. It is also reassuring to know that many of my industry counterparts rate Terex service and support highly.”

“As a rental company, efficiency and reliability are essential to provide the service as per our customer’s demand. With new orders of big national and multinational players in the oil industry in our pipeline, the Terex product to deliver to us as well as to our esteemed customers”

Established over 30 years ago, the company specialises in the transportation and lifting of large and heavy loads. With a track record in turnkey projects, it also handles containers, cement and large structures.

Chaudhary TransporT buys firsT Terex

ThE CM ShoW RETURNS!

February sees the return of the Construction Machinery Show in Dammam as the event opens its

doors at the Dhahran International Exhibitions Centre from 16-20

February. See you there!

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST6

News Round-Up

CONSTRUCTION


Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has said that construction and investment in the Kingdom’s mining sector will create thousands of jobs for citizens of the country, especially in technical jobs.

Speaking during an inspection tour of Ma’aden Company projects in Ras Al Khair City in the Eastern Province, Ali Al Naimi said that the ongoing megaprojects would contribute towards economic diversification.

“These mega projects contribute towards economic diversification, achievement of high returns for shareholders and investors, transfer and localisation of technical professions with high skills. The mining industry constitutes an important basis for the diversity of the economy and the development of new industries based on their outputs,” the Minister said.

During the tour, he was acquainted with the production lines, manufacturing units and vital utilities for the company that form integrated mining industries that the company is developing so as to enable the growth of its mining investments, a report in The Saudi Gazette said.

Also included in the tour was the aluminium smelter, which has an annual capacity of 740,000 metric tons. With production beginning at the end of 2012, the smelter provides manufacturing industries with opportunities in the aluminium sector.

The minister and his delegation also observed the progress of

work in the rolling of aluminum sheets belonging to Ma’aden. Its test run began at the end of 2013 in preparation for the start of commercial production in the second quarter of 2014. The production capacity will reach 380,000t annually. It is the only factory of its kind in the region, and will be one of the most advanced technologically in the world.

They also saw the ongoing construction operations in the sheets factory necessary for the automobile industry. About 56% of the project has been completed. Production is expected to begin at the end of 2014 with a production capacity of 100,000 tons annually.

Meanwhile, the mining operations in Al-Be’aithah Mine have started as planned. About 4 million tons of bauxite will be transported annually by train from the mine to Ras Al-Khair.

The tour included the alumina refinery. Over 77% of the project has been completed. Its production capacity will reach 1.8 million mt annually. Production will begin at the third quarter of 2014.

Al-Naimi and his entourage visited also the phosphate complex and the support utilities. The production capacity for the phosphate project reaches 3 million tons annually. The tour also included Ras Al-Khair Port that has six wharfs for the export of Ma’aden products. The port began work in February 2011. They also saw Ma’aden village residential project in Ras Al-Khair that comprises 2,509 housing units.

Liebherr’s fast climberLiebherr has carried out an intensive series of tests on its new 1000 EC B 125 Litronic Flat-Top crane, first unveiled last year at Munich.

The tower crane has been designed with new climbing equipment, developed to ensure particularly fast, safe and simple climbing. At around 45 minutes, each stage in the climbing process can be completed twice as fast as with conventional climbing equipment.

The tests, carried out at the test site of the tower crane unit Liebherr-Werk Biberach, measured the performance of the new climbing equipment but also includes dynamic and static overload tests.

A cable-based remote control for the hydraulic unit makes the job of climbing much easier, since the fitter is always at eye level with what is happening. The climbing process meets the high safety standard of the EN standard 14439. During the assembly of the prototype, the optimal erection procedures for climbing as well as jib assembly were further improved.

The test hoists with the maximum lifting capacity of 125t were supplemented with dynamic and static overload tests. The static overload tests were carried out using 125% of the maximum lifting capacity. The new Flat-Top crane managed to hoist loads of up to 158t.

SHip To SHoreADPC, the master developer of ports and industrial zones and ADT revealed three of the world’s largest and most modern ship-to-shore Super Post Panamax quay cranes, arrived from China at Khalifa Port in January.

ConstruCtion in KsA mining seCtor will diversify eConomy

Shantui to build in US?Rumours in US city of Dayton suggest Shantui is preparing

to take over a former General Motors plant

LiNDeN To SHoW LATeSTLCA will explain its new developments and cranes at ConExpo including the new LCL 165 luffing jib crane, which completed the LCL Series.

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST6

News Round-Up

CONSTRUCTION


Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has said that construction and investment in the Kingdom’s mining sector will create thousands of jobs for citizens of the country, especially in technical jobs.

Speaking during an inspection tour of Ma’aden Company projects in Ras Al Khair City in the Eastern Province, Ali Al Naimi said that the ongoing megaprojects would contribute towards economic diversification.

“These mega projects contribute towards economic diversification, achievement of high returns for shareholders and investors, transfer and localisation of technical professions with high skills. The mining industry constitutes an important basis for the diversity of the economy and the development of new industries based on their outputs,” the Minister said.

During the tour, he was acquainted with the production lines, manufacturing units and vital utilities for the company that form integrated mining industries that the company is developing so as to enable the growth of its mining investments, a report in The Saudi Gazette said.

Also included in the tour was the aluminium smelter, which has an annual capacity of 740,000 metric tons. With production beginning at the end of 2012, the smelter provides manufacturing industries with opportunities in the aluminium sector.

The minister and his delegation also observed the progress of

work in the rolling of aluminum sheets belonging to Ma’aden. Its test run began at the end of 2013 in preparation for the start of commercial production in the second quarter of 2014. The production capacity will reach 380,000t annually. It is the only factory of its kind in the region, and will be one of the most advanced technologically in the world.

They also saw the ongoing construction operations in the sheets factory necessary for the automobile industry. About 56% of the project has been completed. Production is expected to begin at the end of 2014 with a production capacity of 100,000 tons annually.

Meanwhile, the mining operations in Al-Be’aithah Mine have started as planned. About 4 million tons of bauxite will be transported annually by train from the mine to Ras Al-Khair.

The tour included the alumina refinery. Over 77% of the project has been completed. Its production capacity will reach 1.8 million mt annually. Production will begin at the third quarter of 2014.

Al-Naimi and his entourage visited also the phosphate complex and the support utilities. The production capacity for the phosphate project reaches 3 million tons annually. The tour also included Ras Al-Khair Port that has six wharfs for the export of Ma’aden products. The port began work in February 2011. They also saw Ma’aden village residential project in Ras Al-Khair that comprises 2,509 housing units.

Liebherr’s fast climberLiebherr has carried out an intensive series of tests on its new 1000 EC B 125 Litronic Flat-Top crane, first unveiled last year at Munich.

The tower crane has been designed with new climbing equipment, developed to ensure particularly fast, safe and simple climbing. At around 45 minutes, each stage in the climbing process can be completed twice as fast as with conventional climbing equipment.

The tests, carried out at the test site of the tower crane unit Liebherr-Werk Biberach, measured the performance of the new climbing equipment but also includes dynamic and static overload tests.

A cable-based remote control for the hydraulic unit makes the job of climbing much easier, since the fitter is always at eye level with what is happening. The climbing process meets the high safety standard of the EN standard 14439. During the assembly of the prototype, the optimal erection procedures for climbing as well as jib assembly were further improved.

The test hoists with the maximum lifting capacity of 125t were supplemented with dynamic and static overload tests. The static overload tests were carried out using 125% of the maximum lifting capacity. The new Flat-Top crane managed to hoist loads of up to 158t.

SHip To SHoreADPC, the master developer of ports and industrial zones and ADT revealed three of the world’s largest and most modern ship-to-shore Super Post Panamax quay cranes, arrived from China at Khalifa Port in January.

ConstruCtion in KsA mining seCtor will diversify eConomy

Shantui to build in US?Rumours in US city of Dayton suggest Shantui is preparing

to take over a former General Motors plant

LiNDeN To SHoW LATeSTLCA will explain its new developments and cranes at ConExpo including the new LCL 165 luffing jib crane, which completed the LCL Series.

www.shantui.com

TunisSociété Commerciale de Matériels (COMAT)www.comat.tn+216-74468710AzerbaijanGrand Motors LLCwww.grandmotors.az+994-125647494

United Arab EmiratesGeneral Navigation And Commerce Company (GENAVCO) L.L.C(Member of Juma Al-Majid group)

www.genavco.com+971-43961000Saudi Arabia-Arabian Bugshan Group(Earthmoving machinery)

www.abugshangroup.com+966-14931018-Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Co., Ltd.(Concrete machinery)

www.kanoocom.com+966-22632959

OmanGeneral Engineering Services Est.(Genserv)(Member of Juma Al-Majid group)

www.genserv-oman.com+968-24490755QatarAl Arabia Heavy Equipment Co. L.L.C.(Member of Al Fardan Group)

www.alarabia.com.qa+974-44971090

BahrainZAYANI MOTORS W.L.L.www.zmotors.com+973-17703703KuwaitBahrah Trading Company W.L.L.www.bahrahtrading.com+965-1802008

IraqAl Ittihadia General Trading Co.( Member of Sardar Group)

www.sardargroup.com+964-662569888AlgeriaS.A.R.L. SOCOPEwww.socope.net+213-43273939

Shantui‘s value proposition made Shantui a leader in China’s fast-growing construction machinery industry.

Now, with a fully diversified line of products and a mature international sales network, Shantui is uniquely able to put that value proposition to work globally, meeting the need for value and exceeding the performance expectations of heavy construction machinery customers around the world.

It’s the Shantui Way.

THE SHANTUI VALUE PROPOSITION

No one else offers the unique balance between high performance and great price that Shantui delivers.

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST8

News Round-Up

CONSTRUCTION


Nakheel evaluates coNstructioN bids for the PoiNte Project

Chinese construction machinery manufacturer LiuGong views Qatar and Iraq as the two key markets in the Middle East that should experience significant growth in the coming years, LiuGong Middle East president York Liang has said ahead of the Intermat show in Abu Dhabi.

“With the rebuilding project for Iraq in development and the World Cup in to be held in Qatar, we see Iraq and Qatar as the two major countries in the Middle East that would show growth in terms of construction. Of course the UAE will also be on the list now that it has won the bid for Expo 2020. In general construction will grow. As far as countries that are difficult to enter, Qatar seems to be a difficult country for us to enter.”

LiuGong launched its partnership with local Qatari dealer Al Attiyar Motors and Trading Co. last year at Project Qatar. At Intermat in Abu Dhabi, LiuGong will showcase products including wheel loaders, excavators, roller, backhoe loader, and mobile crane. “An increasing number of LiuGong products are being launched in the MENA region with tailored configuration, keeping in mind the high temperature and dust,” explained York.

Concrete equipment supplier CIFA will also exhibit, with a K38L truck pump that has been purchased by

customer New Mix. Diego Bertati, service and field manager, Gulf area for CIFA, described the K38L truck mounted concrete pump as the perfect choice for small and medium sites.

“With a 4-sections-boom it combines ease of use with a compact truck layout. It is adequate also when a relevant delivery capacity is needed: bridges and deep pours, car parking and basements. The pump can be equipped both with an open loop and closed loop pumping unit to reach the highest performances.”

Speaking about business prospects in 2014, Bertati said that the GCC markets present strong opportunities for machinery sellers.

“In Saudi Arabia, we know there are very big projects to build new cities, so perspectives are good. For the UAE we think that, after the boom in 2007-2008, we should see a stable market for the coming years especially with the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai. Oman is also a very interesting market for construction, even more than Qatar. In terms of sectors, surely big infrastructure projects and underground works are the ones that show most growth potential at present.”

The third Intermat show took place on 14 – 16 January 2014 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) (Read CMME’s review on page 42).

Qatar and IraQ key markets for LIuGonG

Nakheel, the master developer of the Palm Jumeirah, has announced that it has received construction bids for its 136,000sqm The Pointe project.

Located at the tip of the Palm and opposite the Atlantis, The Pointe is a waterfront retail and entertainment project that will contain restaurants, boutiques and landscaped gardens.

Nakheel has started the evaluation process with the contract due

to be awarded within the first quarter of 2014. Earlier this year the contract for ground improvement work at the site was awarded, the developer said.

Ground preparation work included vibro-compaction, topographic survey and factual site investigation, Nakheel said, adding that it was now complete.

Leasing will commence in January 2014, with the project featuring over 200 retail opportunities. In addition, road access

work and parking will also be developed.

The Pointe will also be accessible via the Palm monorail system which will soon be connected to the mainland tram system, while water taxis will shuttle visitors across the bay from nearby hotels directly to the mall’s marina.

The project is one of several new Nakheel developments underway at Palm Jumeirah. Others include Nakheel Mall, The Boardwalk and Palm West Beach.

Vacant plots blocking the Haramain High Speed Rail project in Saudi Arabia have increased by 40.6% in the last two months, an anonymous source from the Ministry of Transport informed.

These plots, whose owners have not yet finalised expropriation procedures, are a part of the Jawhara Thuwal Plan in north Jeddah, said a report by Arab

News. The rail project will go ahead despite these lands, continued the source, and the ministry will address the Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO) to invite the owners of these lands for the same.

The 49.2km-long Haramain project, joining Makkah and Madinah, requires over 130 plots to be taken over during its course of development.

vacaNt Plots blockiNg haramaiN Projects iNcrease

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST8

News Round-Up

CONSTRUCTION


Nakheel evaluates coNstructioN bids for the PoiNte Project

Chinese construction machinery manufacturer LiuGong views Qatar and Iraq as the two key markets in the Middle East that should experience significant growth in the coming years, LiuGong Middle East president York Liang has said ahead of the Intermat show in Abu Dhabi.

“With the rebuilding project for Iraq in development and the World Cup in to be held in Qatar, we see Iraq and Qatar as the two major countries in the Middle East that would show growth in terms of construction. Of course the UAE will also be on the list now that it has won the bid for Expo 2020. In general construction will grow. As far as countries that are difficult to enter, Qatar seems to be a difficult country for us to enter.”

LiuGong launched its partnership with local Qatari dealer Al Attiyar Motors and Trading Co. last year at Project Qatar. At Intermat in Abu Dhabi, LiuGong will showcase products including wheel loaders, excavators, roller, backhoe loader, and mobile crane. “An increasing number of LiuGong products are being launched in the MENA region with tailored configuration, keeping in mind the high temperature and dust,” explained York.

Concrete equipment supplier CIFA will also exhibit, with a K38L truck pump that has been purchased by

customer New Mix. Diego Bertati, service and field manager, Gulf area for CIFA, described the K38L truck mounted concrete pump as the perfect choice for small and medium sites.



“In Saudi Arabia, we know there are very big projects to build new cities, so perspectives are good. For the UAE we think that, after the boom in 2007-2008, we should see a stable market for the coming years especially with the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai. Oman is also a very interesting market for construction, even more than Qatar. In terms of sectors, surely big infrastructure projects and underground works are the ones that show most growth potential at present.”

The third Intermat show took place on 14 – 16 January 2014 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) (Read CMME’s review on page 42).

Qatar and IraQ key markets for LIuGonG

Nakheel, the master developer of the Palm Jumeirah, has announced that it has received construction bids for its 136,000sqm The Pointe project.

Located at the tip of the Palm and opposite the Atlantis, The Pointe is a waterfront retail and entertainment project that will contain restaurants, boutiques and landscaped gardens.

Nakheel has started the evaluation process with the contract due

to be awarded within the first quarter of 2014. Earlier this year the contract for ground improvement work at the site was awarded, the developer said.

Ground preparation work included vibro-compaction, topographic survey and factual site investigation, Nakheel said, adding that it was now complete.

Leasing will commence in January 2014, with the project featuring over 200 retail opportunities. In addition, road access

work and parking will also be developed.

The Pointe will also be accessible via the Palm monorail system which will soon be connected to the mainland tram system, while water taxis will shuttle visitors across the bay from nearby hotels directly to the mall’s marina.

The project is one of several new Nakheel developments underway at Palm Jumeirah. Others include Nakheel Mall, The Boardwalk and Palm West Beach.

Vacant plots blocking the Haramain High Speed Rail project in Saudi Arabia have increased by 40.6% in the last two months, an anonymous source from the Ministry of Transport informed.

These plots, whose owners have not yet finalised expropriation procedures, are a part of the Jawhara Thuwal Plan in north Jeddah, said a report by Arab

News. The rail project will go ahead despite these lands, continued the source, and the ministry will address the Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO) to invite the owners of these lands for the same.

The 49.2km-long Haramain project, joining Makkah and Madinah, requires over 130 plots to be taken over during its course of development.

vacaNt Plots blockiNg haramaiN Projects iNcrease fast, stable, versatile

AFGHANISTANFAMCO (Al-Futtaim Auto & Machinery Co. LLC)+ 971 4 213 5100 (UAE) [email protected]

AZERBAIJANAztexnika Ltd+ 994 502 452 [email protected]

BAHRAINA.A. Bin Hindi B.S.C (c)+ 973 17 [email protected]

GEORGIAElite Motors Ltd+ 995 577 769 [email protected]

IRAQSardar Automobile andMachinery Trading Co.+ 964 750 344 [email protected]

KUWAITAl-Zabin International Group Co.For Heavy Equipment+ 965 2433 [email protected]

LEBANONAMTRAC (Abdelmassih Trading Company) + 961 3 [email protected]

PAKISTANVPL Limited+ 92 42 111 875 875uzair.shahid @panasiangroup.com

QATARArabian Agencies Company WLL+ 974 44 50 [email protected]

OMANGENSERV (General Engineering Services Est)+ 968 244 90755 [email protected]

SAUDI ARABIA FAMCO (Al-Futtaim Auto & Machinery Co. LLC)+ 966 2 680 4444 [email protected]

SYRIANassib Saad Est. Trading & Import+ 963 11 222 [email protected]

TURKEYAscendum Makina+ 90 216 581 80 [email protected]

TURKMENISTANEz Aziya-Hyzmatdash+ 993 124 37278h.hangeldyev @aziya-hyzmatdash.com

UAEFAMCO (Al-Futtaim Auto & Machinery Co. LLC)+ 971 4 213 5100 [email protected]

YEMENElaghil Trading Co+ 967 1 207 [email protected]

With rapid cycle times and road speeds of up to 36 km/h, the EW205D is built for productivity.

The rigid reliability of the steel undercarriage ensures stability and strength. And a wide range of

Volvo attachments can be fitted quickly and easily using the quick-coupler, making this machine

a versatile addition to any fleet. Discover a new way.

volvoce.com

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST10

News Analysis

CONSTRUCTION


Saudi princebuys crane companyKingdom Tower builder’s son Prince Khaled plans to build KSA factory

Last year the region saw the launch of its first magazine dedicated to manufacturing. Its appearance on the publishing scene was short-lived however,

reflecting a situation where – in the Gulf where it was licensed – manufacturing remains a niche and low level industrial activity.

In a region with scarce natural resources it is hardly surprising that examples of even small-scale production are few and far between.

However that is not to say that there isn’t interest in investing into industrial companies and last month we saw one of the richest families in the world dip into construction machinery.

January saw the announcement that Italian crane tower crane manufacturer Raimondi had been purchased by Saudi Arabia’s HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, the only son of the mega-investor

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal AI Saud, owner and chairman of Kingdom Holding.

The 150 year-old company was purchased by Prince Khaled through his investment holding company KBW Holding for an undisclosed amount.

Raimondi’s distinctive cranes, with their rounded operator cabs, are used through-out the Gulf, and the company enjoys a solid reputation in the major crane market of India.

According to a statement, the company will now embark on an investment programme worth $100 million, including plans to build new production facilities in Saudi Arabia, which would make it the only tower crane manufacturer with a factory in the Kingdom. (Considering that Kingdom Holding is currently building the world’s tallest building, it would seem plausible that some of that production could be directed towards the building.)

September 2011

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 11CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 11February 2014

Zahid to build trucks

King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) recently signed a land plot to purchase 225,000 sq. meters in KAEC’s Industrial Valley for the construction and operation of Volvo and Renault trucks.

The plant, constructed by Zahid Tractor and Heavy Machinery Company, will be developed on an area of 60,000 sqm and is expected to produce 4,000 trucks a year and provide 400 new jobs.

Fahd Al-Rasheed, Managing Director and CEO of KAEC, said “the new trucks assembly plant, which will be constructed by Zahid Group, is considered a major milestone in the growth of King Abdullah Economic City.”

“The choice reflects the numerous advantages that KAEC offers to local and global companies which create a unique atmosphere for investments. These advantages include world-class infrastructure, clear and business-encouraging regulations and hassle-free processes, ease of issuing permits and licenses and the possibility of providing qualified manpower through training centers for Saudi talents. The availability of housing solutions within the vicinity of the Industrial Valley, and the direct link with King Abdullah Port makes the IV a global logistical hub and an access point to reach about 250 million consumers in the Middle East and North Africa, not to mention the availability of Haramain Railway station in KAEC and the future land bridge.”

Amr Khashoggi, VP, Corporate Affairs of Zahid Group, said: “We are proud of being here in King Abdullah Economic City, which is one of the most important outputs of the economic stimulation process and has supported the Kingdom in occupying a leading position among the most prominent investment areas in the region and the world.”

“Our investment in the Industrial Valley is one of the Zahid Group’s most important expansion stages and will provide a quantum leap for Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy. The factory will produce Volvo trucks which are world famous for strength, durability and safety, and which are sold and serviced in more than 130 countries, making Volvo Truck Corporation the third largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in the world in terms of large production capacity compared to its counterparts,” he added.

Khashoggi noted: “In the upcoming period we will be working on finishing the factory designs in order to start construction during the first quarter of 2014.”

In addition the company will expand its manufacturing facilities in Italy, as well as building new factories in Brazil and India.

In announcing the deal, Prince Khaled visited the company’s headquarters in Milan, meeting staff and posing for photos.

“Raimondi’s acquisition is a key addition to our global strategy, and one in which I take great personal pride and interest,” said the new owner and chairman. “If I have learned anything from my father’s strategy in investments, it’s investing in companies that have a long and successful history.

“Raimondi now seeks to further strengthen its technological capabilities to achieve even higher quality and performance with new and reliable technology in all of its products range. This translates into greater competitiveness and global reach.”

If any country can be given the title of manufacturing hub in the region then Saudi Arabia is probably the best candidate.

The close of 2012, saw the first Isuzu truck roll off the production line in Dammam, and other marques are likely to follow to use the Kingdom to assemble kits of their products.

The Isuzu plant in Dammam assemble medium-duty trucks using parts supplied from the company’s operations in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and China.

“Soon we will start manufacturing some of the spare parts right here in the Kingdom,” said Isuzu President Hosoi at its opening. “We will produce 600 units for the Saudi market as of now, and by the end of 2017, we will be producing 25,000 light and heavy-duty trucks ... 40% of them will be exported to countries in and around the region.”

Soon after Isuzu started its operation Azzam Shalabi, president of the National Industrial

Clusters Development Program, signed a deal with the Tata Group to set up a Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing plant in Yanbu, and Zahid Tractor announced in December that is currently developing a site in King Abdullah Economic City to produce 4,000 trucks per year.

CMME has been following the progress of Etali, a UK Group that is exploring the possibility of setting up its own Technology Centre that will produce forklifts in Saudi Arabia for two years. Director David O’Callaghan sees advantages in producing local equipment for local companies.

“There have been some quite major changes in the materials handling industry over the last year these have brought up some very interesting opportunities like the Linde heavy Lift truck plant in Wales and Sany’s new heavy truck plant near Dusseldorf in Germany,” he says.

O’Callaghan believes that there will be more consolidation between manufacturers in 2014 with the larger manufacturers taking more of the market share globally. The top five manufactures at the end of 2013 controlled around 68% of the global market, he explains.

“This would give a local manufacturer, like we plan, a good advantage in the local market as long as the product meets local demands, as our product can do,” he says. “We hope to have the first fully built trucks in Saudi early next year though we would enter the market before this with trucks that will be built here in the UK and as the company grows with our Saudi partner. Production will slowly start first with assembly but by the end of the year or early next year full production will be done in the Saudi plant. Only the engine and transmission will be imported all the rest of the truck will come from inside Saudi if local tyre manufacture is available.”

The world’s largest boom on 4-axles!

Putzmeister Concrete Pumps GmbH · 72631 Aichtal · Germany · www.putzmeister.com

Putzmeister Middle East · Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) · Swiss Tower · Office 1403 · P.O. Box 262657 · Dubai, U.A.E. · Tel: +971 (0) 4 454 27 83 · Fax: +971 (0) 4 454 27 82

For inquiries:(General) (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia) (Oman, Qatar, U.A.E.)Jens Bawidamann, Regional Director Bastian Dreher, Sales & Project Manager Derong Li, Sales & Project ManagerE-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected]: +971 (0) 506009972 Mobile: +971 (0) 501009985 Mobile: +971 (0) 504818865

newThe 56-52823_GB_480x300_70_5.indd 1 24.10.2013 08:53:05

February 2014

ConSTRuCTion

Middle eaST14

Heavy Hitters

Feeling blue and yellowCMME meets with Tom Cunningham and the team at Manlift to find out more about one of the region’s biggest access and power providers

Heavy Hitters

February 2014

ConSTRuCTion

Middle eaST14

Heavy Hitters

February 2014

ConSTRuCTion

Middle eaST14

Heavy Hitters

Feeling blue and yellowCMME meets with Tom Cunningham and the team at Manlift to find out more about one of the region’s biggest access and power providers

Heavy Hitters

February 2014

ConSTRuCTion

Middle eaST14

Heavy Hitters

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 15

Manlift is in the enviable position of holding onto a large share of the region’s inventory of lifts and access platforms as well as a sizeable inventory of power generators. For a man who has

developed a CV that leans heavily towards turning companies around, Manlift’s recently installed managing director would appear to have a relatively easy task ahead of him at the access platform and generator rental specialist. Rather than tearing up the blueprint, Tom Cunningham tells CMME that the challenge for him is to refine the operation and place it in a position for even greater growth.

“The last company I was at was a true turnaround situation,” says Cunningham. “It was in a lot of trouble but we made it completely successful. Manlift is a totally different situation. I’ve come in to what is probably the best brand around here with a great team and track record. My skills is really managing P&L (profit and loss). Whether that’s a turnaround or a growth P&L it is the same skill-set in most ways. With Manlift, the trick is to take it to the next level.”

Leaving a pun at the end of his last sentence, he jokes that when you are talking about a company like Manlift it is almost impossible to talk about growth without dropping in the odd height-related word.

“We’ve also said that we want to go up and over what we did last year – it’s difficult not to,” he jokes. “The last company I was in was in gas detection. The only thing you could think of in that direction was bad!”

Cunningham joined Manlift in June, marking his entry into the generator and access platform business. Unlike many of his peers who have worked in both the region and industry for a number of years (it is rare to find someone who hasn’t come through Volvo or Caterpillar in the Middle East), he describes himself as “industry-agnostic”. As he has shifted through a variety of sectors he has learned that the principles of operating a business remain largely the same.

“The first thing you do in any of these businesses is the team,” he says. “You get the right people in the right seats because those leaders will drive the rest, so getting that second layer of management

right is key and from there on it is about strategy and objectives.”

Unsurprisingly his first impressions of Manlift were largely positive with Cunningham realising that much of its strength resided in its brand and customer recognition of its famous blue and yellow two tone livery.

“The brand is so well recognised that even in other countries the blue and yellow is strong,” he says. “And putting all public relations mumbo jumbo aside, when I talk to customers they tell me that they like new equipment that doesn’t break down and excellent service and training. Not everyone is providing that. It occurred to me very quickly that the Manlift brand is really built on this service element.

“When you go to our yard, the guys are really enthusiastic: they’re smiling, they’re positive, they’re working hard. I think that really shines through to the customers.”

Bringing his experience to bear on Manlift, he is overseeing a series of lean initiatives to streamline the business. The trick will be to maintain the quality of service customers expect while tackling weaknesses in the balance sheet of the operation. He explains that in 2014, the company is looking at everything from the layout of the yard, truck turnaround time for loading and unloading, ‘dwell time’ of equipment moving through the workshop, customer feedback and a series of other quality metrics. Much of his concern is classical time and motion monitoring – refining Manlift’s processes to improve its delivery to customers.

“I myself am a Six-Sigma blackbelt [a set of techniques and tools for process improvement developed by Motorola in the 1990s) and it is

“EVERYoNE kNoWS WHAT To do, THE TRICk IS HoW YoU do IT ANd WHETHER YoU gET IT doNE. THAT CoMES doWN To THE PEoPLE THAT ARE IN CHARgE ANd WHAT YoU MEASURE”

Tom Cunningham and regional operations and technical manager Rob Cavaleri are among a team at Manlift focused on pushing the message of safety and reliability to its internationally growing number of customers.

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST16

Heavy Hitters

very much a lean initiative which you could find anywhere. I wouldn’t say there is any secret sauce to what we are doing,” he says. “Everyone knows what to do, the trick is how you do it and whether you get it done. That comes down to the people that are in charge and what you measure.”

While he jokes that he doesn’t own a clipboard to track timings, he is demonstrably serious about the impact it can make on Manlift’s operation and costs as it continues to spread across the region and beyond. Communication at all levels is fundamental when you overhaul an operation in the way that Manlift is attempting. Cunningham says that can be a matter of filtering the message through or via quarterly general assemblies held at Manlift’s many and various sites.

“I talk about our goals and our challenges,” he explains. “That’s where we deliver a lot of motivational messages, but more importantly and quantitatively show a lot of the progress we are making. When people can see progress and their part in it, early wins turn to bigger wins later on.”

He believes that customers will see fewer breakdowns, faster repairs, better availability and on-

Beyond its major offices in Dubai, Manlift has facilities in Abu Dhabi, Doha, several sites in India, and forward workshops and small yards in other countries such as Angola, Burkina Faso, Iraq for supporting (mostly largely government-owned) projects. The project work frequently means sending Manlift team members on-site to “take care of the equipment” as they help

construct much-needed infrastructure, metros, utilities and housing.

“It takes a lot of effort to set these things up but these are usually long-term contracts. We work it out with the customers so it makes sense for both parties. When you talk about utilities power you are not talking about a commodity. You are talking about powering

schools and hospital. We even power a village.”

While power is frequently a requirement in those countries, Cunningham says that they are also finding demand for its access solutions too.

“Looking at these emerging markets you can see that everything is moving in the same direction. In every country

there is a trend where the regulations for safety only move in one direction and they eventually get there. Unfortunately it seems to be when people get hurt that pressure is put on governments. As safety standards improve in these countries we want to be on the forefront with our technologies and services, helping them understand where they are trying to go.”

Spreading internationally

time delivery: “They will have what they want when they want it. When something does go wrong, we’re there quickly with a smile and great technical skills and we fix their problem first time. For our brand, I think that’s where we distinguish ourselves.”

In the rapidly evolving rental landscape of the region, there are two emerging styles of companies coming to the fore. There are those that provide their own operators (as their equipment is complex or used for complex operations, and generally large and expensive to replace) and there are also those, like Manlift, that do not necessarily protect their investment in equipment by placing their own guys on the equipment. Instead, as Cunningham explains, Manlift protects both its equipment and its customers by offering comprehensive training following international standards such as IPAF.

“Our goal is to train the customer as much as we can,” he emphasises.

While it is headquartered in Dubai, Manlift is firmly established internationally. It is currently active in more than 20 countries, working on projects in the Middle East and Africa. Cunningham says that the challenge is to address the many different cultures and competencies the company deals with in those countries. For customers used to using more traditional approaches to working at height, particularly in the lesser developed countries which Manlift operates in, the challenge is to educate them in the financial benefits of using its services and kit.

“It is our obligation to educate them on the benefits, so that they will want to use it and the cost advantages of this method. There are some applications where those technologies are better but we try to show the customers how they can benefit.”

He continues: “We get a lot of repeat business from people that already understand the technology and that is a huge part of our business, largely because Manlift and other companies have already educated that market and allowed it to develop. In other countries like India, where they are not that far along yet in terms of the understanding of the technology and safety regulations have not come as far, we spend more time in trying to educate and convert people.”

While he emphasises that access platforms are safer than using scaffolding and ropes, the training of customers – 250 individuals so far – is essential.

“We have to be prepared but whenever someone rents the equipment it is our obligation to train them. We have 42 IPAF trained employees, three instructors and six demonstrators. We run a preferred IPAF centre here and are recognised as one of the leading if not the work platform training providers. Sometimes it’s a trainer-to-trainer situation where we train lead people and they train their own people or sometimes they bring them here and we train them directly. It is whatever the customer’s need and safety is the name of the game – we sell on safety and productivity.”

“WHEn SOMETHIng DOES gO WrOng, WE’rE THErE quICkly WITH A SMIlE AnD WE FIx THEIr PrOblEM FIrST TIME”

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST16

Heavy Hitters

very much a lean initiative which you could find anywhere. I wouldn’t say there is any secret sauce to what we are doing,” he says. “Everyone knows what to do, the trick is how you do it and whether you get it done. That comes down to the people that are in charge and what you measure.”

While he jokes that he doesn’t own a clipboard to track timings, he is demonstrably serious about the impact it can make on Manlift’s operation and costs as it continues to spread across the region and beyond. Communication at all levels is fundamental when you overhaul an operation in the way that Manlift is attempting. Cunningham says that can be a matter of filtering the message through or via quarterly general assemblies held at Manlift’s many and various sites.

“I talk about our goals and our challenges,” he explains. “That’s where we deliver a lot of motivational messages, but more importantly and quantitatively show a lot of the progress we are making. When people can see progress and their part in it, early wins turn to bigger wins later on.”

He believes that customers will see fewer breakdowns, faster repairs, better availability and on-

Beyond its major offices in Dubai, Manlift has facilities in Abu Dhabi, Doha, several sites in India, and forward workshops and small yards in other countries such as Angola, Burkina Faso, Iraq for supporting (mostly largely government-owned) projects. The project work frequently means sending Manlift team members on-site to “take care of the equipment” as they help

construct much-needed infrastructure, metros, utilities and housing.

“It takes a lot of effort to set these things up but these are usually long-term contracts. We work it out with the customers so it makes sense for both parties. When you talk about utilities power you are not talking about a commodity. You are talking about powering

schools and hospital. We even power a village.”

While power is frequently a requirement in those countries, Cunningham says that they are also finding demand for its access solutions too.

“Looking at these emerging markets you can see that everything is moving in the same direction. In every country

there is a trend where the regulations for safety only move in one direction and they eventually get there. Unfortunately it seems to be when people get hurt that pressure is put on governments. As safety standards improve in these countries we want to be on the forefront with our technologies and services, helping them understand where they are trying to go.”

Spreading internationally

time delivery: “They will have what they want when they want it. When something does go wrong, we’re there quickly with a smile and great technical skills and we fix their problem first time. For our brand, I think that’s where we distinguish ourselves.”

In the rapidly evolving rental landscape of the region, there are two emerging styles of companies coming to the fore. There are those that provide their own operators (as their equipment is complex or used for complex operations, and generally large and expensive to replace) and there are also those, like Manlift, that do not necessarily protect their investment in equipment by placing their own guys on the equipment. Instead, as Cunningham explains, Manlift protects both its equipment and its customers by offering comprehensive training following international standards such as IPAF.

“Our goal is to train the customer as much as we can,” he emphasises.

While it is headquartered in Dubai, Manlift is firmly established internationally. It is currently active in more than 20 countries, working on projects in the Middle East and Africa. Cunningham says that the challenge is to address the many different cultures and competencies the company deals with in those countries. For customers used to using more traditional approaches to working at height, particularly in the lesser developed countries which Manlift operates in, the challenge is to educate them in the financial benefits of using its services and kit.

“It is our obligation to educate them on the benefits, so that they will want to use it and the cost advantages of this method. There are some applications where those technologies are better but we try to show the customers how they can benefit.”

He continues: “We get a lot of repeat business from people that already understand the technology and that is a huge part of our business, largely because Manlift and other companies have already educated that market and allowed it to develop. In other countries like India, where they are not that far along yet in terms of the understanding of the technology and safety regulations have not come as far, we spend more time in trying to educate and convert people.”

While he emphasises that access platforms are safer than using scaffolding and ropes, the training of customers – 250 individuals so far – is essential.

“We have to be prepared but whenever someone rents the equipment it is our obligation to train them. We have 42 IPAF trained employees, three instructors and six demonstrators. We run a preferred IPAF centre here and are recognised as one of the leading if not the work platform training providers. Sometimes it’s a trainer-to-trainer situation where we train lead people and they train their own people or sometimes they bring them here and we train them directly. It is whatever the customer’s need and safety is the name of the game – we sell on safety and productivity.”

“WHEn SOMETHIng DOES gO WrOng, WE’rE THErE quICkly WITH A SMIlE AnD WE FIx THEIr PrOblEM FIrST TIME”

03332 Terex Middle East Ad 300x240.indd 1 29/01/2014 12:30

February 2014

ConStruCtion

miDDLE EASt18

Special report

A mountAin of workCMME’s International Editor Stian Overdahl returns to Stevin Rock to learn how operator training has helped the huge mine fill orders and boost productivity in the last year

February 2014

ConStruCtion

miDDLE EASt18

Special report

A mountAin of workCMME’s International Editor Stian Overdahl returns to Stevin Rock to learn how operator training has helped the huge mine fill orders and boost productivity in the last year

February 2014

ConStruCtion

miDDLE EASt 19

A mountAin of work D

rive north past the city of Ras Al Khaimah, in the UAE’s northernmost emirate, and you’ll soon find yourself on a sliver of land alongside the Arabian Gulf, surrounded by industrial plants, factories, a huge

harbour, and the trucks and conveyors that move material between them. But the landscape is dominated by the brownish mountains that rise up from the land, and for the government of the emirate contain a wealth of limestone resources. Stevin Rock, the quarrying company owned by the ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, which access to 17 billion tonnes of surveyed reserves.

And it is the Q2 site, that begins inland a few hundred metres from the port, which is the largest site of extraction. Last year 29.5 million tonnes of material was produced by Q2, an increase of nearly two million tonnes on the previous year’s production. The hills contain limestone of the highest quality, with low silica and low magnesium content, which is needed for the production of steel, and other industrial processes. Stevin Rock supplies several million tonnes each year to the steel industry in India, as well as to local factories such as RAK Ceramic, the largest ceramic manufacturing company in the world. Limestone with higher silica content is used for general purpose aggregate, such as in construction.

The varying qualities of the limestone means that the quarry has to be mapped out by a geologist, and the different materials kept separate, to avoid contamination, or in cases blended together to produce the required chemical content.

Alastair Gibson, shift superintendent, has the job of roving about the mine during the day, keeping an eye on all the processes, and intervening where necessary. “I’m everywhere on the course of the day”.

Gibson reports to the operations manager, Simon Turner. As a background, Gibson has worked in open cast coal mining in Scotland, and in a limestone quarry in the UK. The quarry, which had an annual output of 1.5mt, was deemed one of the largest in the UK. By comparison, Stevin Rock produces 2.5mt every month.

“It’s a different scale here”, says Gibson. The company runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the staff working two 12 hour shifts each day.

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST20

Special report

The day shift has a one hour break, during which blasting takes place, while breaks during the night shift are staggered. Up to 700 people will work on a shift, and at the Q2 site, there are about 1,200 people working.

The continuous nature of the operation means that machines are putting in long hours. Gibson says that during a recent trip to Japan to visit the Komatsu manufacturing facilities, the staff there were shocked to learn that the amount of work the machines were doing, since in Japan, quarries work no more than 10 hours a day.

“We can easily put 6000 hours on a machine in a year. They were shocked when we told them that. But that’s 22 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

The machines will be taken out for regular servicing, but other than that they will continuously, in effect until they are too old, at which point they are likely to be moved to one of Stevin Rock’s smaller quarry sites. At the Q2 site office is the machine workshop, itself a small factory with some 200 staff, who can repair buckets, teeth, and even build customer grabbers for the marine armour work. The company can do virtually everything for a machine – it even has its own oil testing facilities, to monitor wear levels on its machine components, while the local dealers will work on the machines at the site where it is covered by the service agreement.

Doing the oil samples in-house means that test reports can come back that same day, and so they very quickly know if there is fault with a part in a machine. There is also a full revamp shop for refurbishing of engines and transmissions, while the manufacturers hold a significant amount of spare

parts, with Caterpillar and Komatsu having their Middle East spare parts centres in Jebel Ali.

The scale of the operation at Stevin Rock inevitably gives it an advantage when it comes to filling its customers’ orders, since it can virtually guarantee it can fill an order, on time and with the specified qualities. By one industry estimation, Stevin Rock is responsible for producing 70% of total limestone produced in the UAE. The mine holds very little in the way of stockpiles, since material can be weathered or contaminated if stored on site, so most of the material is being mined for orders that are being filled – straight out of the ground, down the mountain, and on to the boats.

Production in 2013 outstripped the previous year, and Gibson credits improvement in operator skills as being a big factor in being able to increase output. The staff have worked to educate drivers on improved technique, and the manufacturers of the loading machines (Komatsu and Caterpillar) have also brought driving instructors to the site to carry out training. The skill of the operators in the loading machines can make a large difference in the overall efficiency of the quarry, whereas the skill of the truck drivers is less of a factor.

For the Caterpillar 390 excavators, the goal is to load the trucks in 10 passes, in 3-3.5 minutes.

“WE CAn EASily PUT 6,000 hoURS on A MAChinE in A yEAR. KoMATSU WERE ShoCKED WhEn WE TolD ThEM ThAT”

annual working hours for a loading machine

6000hours: 29.5million tonnes:production output in 2013, a nearly two million tonnes increase

1200:staff working at Q2 site

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Special report

The day shift has a one hour break, during which blasting takes place, while breaks during the night shift are staggered. Up to 700 people will work on a shift, and at the Q2 site, there are about 1,200 people working.

The continuous nature of the operation means that machines are putting in long hours. Gibson says that during a recent trip to Japan to visit the Komatsu manufacturing facilities, the staff there were shocked to learn that the amount of work the machines were doing, since in Japan, quarries work no more than 10 hours a day.

“We can easily put 6000 hours on a machine in a year. They were shocked when we told them that. But that’s 22 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

The machines will be taken out for regular servicing, but other than that they will continuously, in effect until they are too old, at which point they are likely to be moved to one of Stevin Rock’s smaller quarry sites. At the Q2 site office is the machine workshop, itself a small factory with some 200 staff, who can repair buckets, teeth, and even build customer grabbers for the marine armour work. The company can do virtually everything for a machine – it even has its own oil testing facilities, to monitor wear levels on its machine components, while the local dealers will work on the machines at the site where it is covered by the service agreement.

Doing the oil samples in-house means that test reports can come back that same day, and so they very quickly know if there is fault with a part in a machine. There is also a full revamp shop for refurbishing of engines and transmissions, while the manufacturers hold a significant amount of spare

parts, with Caterpillar and Komatsu having their Middle East spare parts centres in Jebel Ali.

The scale of the operation at Stevin Rock inevitably gives it an advantage when it comes to filling its customers’ orders, since it can virtually guarantee it can fill an order, on time and with the specified qualities. By one industry estimation, Stevin Rock is responsible for producing 70% of total limestone produced in the UAE. The mine holds very little in the way of stockpiles, since material can be weathered or contaminated if stored on site, so most of the material is being mined for orders that are being filled – straight out of the ground, down the mountain, and on to the boats.

Production in 2013 outstripped the previous year, and Gibson credits improvement in operator skills as being a big factor in being able to increase output. The staff have worked to educate drivers on improved technique, and the manufacturers of the loading machines (Komatsu and Caterpillar) have also brought driving instructors to the site to carry out training. The skill of the operators in the loading machines can make a large difference in the overall efficiency of the quarry, whereas the skill of the truck drivers is less of a factor.

For the Caterpillar 390 excavators, the goal is to load the trucks in 10 passes, in 3-3.5 minutes.

“WE CAn EASily PUT 6,000 hoURS on A MAChinE in A yEAR. KoMATSU WERE ShoCKED WhEn WE TolD ThEM ThAT”

annual working hours for a loading machine

6000hours: 29.5million tonnes:production output in 2013, a nearly two million tonnes increase


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Terex’s largest rigid frame dump truck is the is the TR100, with a 91 metric tonne payload, and a Cummins engine producing 783kW of power. The TR100s are

the main dump truck in use at Q2, and Gibson says that the company will get a long life out of a truck, though the newer trucks obviously perform better. The heaped

capacity of the vehicle is 57m³, while features include powertrain synchronisation, with shift energy management to ensures smooth shifting and improved

drivetrain durability, as well as a frame design with a chassis fabricated from box section rails with high strength castings for structural rigidity and durability.

Terex’s Tr100Anything above that is caused by very bad blasting, or a poor operator, says Gibson.

The shift superintendent spends a lot of time on a daily shift monitoring performance of vehicles operators - “Are machines being operated efficiently, are they being operated correctly? Do we have the machines in the right place, are we feeding the right amount of trucks? Are we loading in the right areas?” They monitor the production of the quarry over three hour periods, and if production starts slow at the beginning of a shift, it needs to be picked up to reach the shift’s targets. Production outputs can vary – machines may need to be swapped around or moved early in the morning, and there tend to be a lot of variations in daily production explains Gibson. The police are in charge of monitoring the safety of the blasting, and at times they will ask for machines to be removed from near the blasting area, which can be time consuming.

On top of the business of extraction, the team are also engaged in serious construction project on-site, a long term plan to move the 2nd crusher higher up the hill, and closer to the blasting faces. At the same time, they are building a conveyance system which will bring the crushed material down the mountain from the main crusher to the screening plants. The system of conveyors is being designed and built by Quarry & Mining, a local company that is the agent for Kleemann and Stiebel, as well as manufacturing material handling systems. It has previously installed a conveyor system on the other side of the quarry, taking the material down the hill from crusher 1, and even using the braking energy to generate electricity. The chief advantage of the

conveyor system is that it replaces the use of trucks, and Gibson has estimated that the new system, with up to 14km of track will take 8-10 of the large 100 tonne dumpers off the mountain. The new placement of the crusher will also see increased flexibility: the crusher will be installed with a 800 tonne dump hopper – double the size of the current hopper – and it will also have a total of six dump stations for trucks to unload into it. The conveyor system will also have two lines, the B-grade line coming from the aggregate crusher, and the a-grade line.

Having increased flexibility and redundancy in the system will help to mitigate the inevitable production snags that occur in an operation of this size - on the day that CMME visited the mine, the number two crusher had its operation interrupted after a foreign object went into the jaws. Trucks backed up with full loads, and loading machines stood idle waiting for empty trucks. It was a vivid illustration of how important it is for the mine’s productivity that all aspects of the process flow smoothly, or, at least, the importance of in-built redundancies.

Looking to the year ahead, and the demand from the industrial users is expected to be stable, while the possibility for growth comes from construction contracts being awarded in the UAE, especially with the impetus of the 2020. Qatar is also a market for the mine, and it is likely it will have to provide a large amount of material for the construction work there – but the exact dates and amounts are not yet timetabled. With the number of contracts rising and falling, any month can be the largest for production – in 2013, it was July and August that had the largest outputs, rising to 2.7 and 2.8mt– meaning that men and machines have to be prepared for the gruelling work and long hours.


200:number of staff working on mobile and static machinery maintenance

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Will emergence of iran impact 2014?Removal of sanctions against Iran would present opportunities and challenges for machinery sellers, says CMME International Editor Stian Overdahl

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While in the political sphere there are myriad interests, ideologies and matters of national security being played out in the competing interests of the gulf states, America and Iran, in

the world of construction machinery the reality is a lot more simple: companies just want to sell some kit.

Since European and US companies were barred from selling machinery and vehicles to Iran, their overall sales figures in the middle east region have suffered to some extent – with some companies that had a larger share of the Iran market more heavily impacted by the freeze. And for good reason: Iran is the largest market for vehicles, and one of the largest markets for machinery in the wider region. Many truck sellers had assembly facilities in the country, and there exist long-standing relationships with local distributors.

It’s no secret that virtually the day after sanctions are lifted (and all signs are pointing that they will be) the flights into Tehran will be full of representatives from the various equipment sellers, looking to re-establish connections, and their presence, in the market. After all, there must be a huge and unmet demand for spare parts in the country.

But on arrival they may find a country where the trading environment has changed massively. Chinese manufacturers – unconstrained by political sanctions – have made massive in-roads into the market, both for heavy machinery and trucks, busses and passenger vehicles. Other manufacturing nations have also been similarly unrestrained – on a recent trip to Taiwan (see CMME December 2013), I was told by companies there that there were no restrictions in trade with Iran, as long as their technology did not contain any elements licensed or built by a us company.

Nevertheless, practically speaking, Chinese equipment sellers have talked about the difficulties of receiving payment for machines – after all, the international links for Iran’s banking system were shut down by the sanctions. Chinese brands have in the past been beset by quality issues in some markets – but with the new wave of machinery of

a tougher design, it will be interesting to see how deeply the Chinese brands have penetrated the Iranian market, and whether the western brands will be able to wrestle back something approaching their former market shares.

It’s also worth wondering how successful the sanctions have been in restricting the flow of spare parts into the country – one imagines that where there is a demand, the market will do its best do meet it (though of course this is not to cast aspersions on the integrity of the major companies in abiding by the sanctions). I remember at a recent aftermarket expo in Dubai, hearing at the booths the numbers of buyers from Iran who were looking to purchase spare parts including tyres, air, oil and water filters, that could be containerised and shipped across the Arabian gulf. With these sorts of cheap parts able to be sourced en masse from smaller suppliers in china and elsewhere in Asia, it’s a likelihood that some traders in Dubai – ever the trading hub – have seen excellent business. But certainly there must be many OEM machines operating in Iran which are in need of a good overhaul with the less common parts.

Closer to home, there may also be indirect effects. The removal of sanctions could also see a sudden flood of oil to the market, with Iran saying that it was to return to ramp up production as soon as the restrictions are lifted. Since the sanctions it has only been able to sell oil to a handful of nations, including china.

While there are many benefits for a lower price per barrel of oil, any significant drop will also impact on the earnings of the gulf states, to varying degrees (oil revenues only make up a fraction of Dubai’s budget, for example). The price of oil is closely watched by industry insiders as a barometer of health for the construction industry, since the government budgets play such a big role in the constitution of the construction sector in the gulf. If the price of oil is high, then money will more readily be released for projects; if it drops to a medium price, then projects will continue, but with money released at a slower pace; and if the price of oil drops too low, then some publicly-funded projects may come to a halt.

Nevertheless, it’s too early at this stage to guess what other oil producing nations will do in response to an increase in Iran’s production output, and whether the price of oil will remain stable at historically high levels – but it’s certainly a contingent factor when it comes to business forecasting in the region.

“ChINESE EqUIpMENT SEllErS hAvE TAlkED ABOUT pAYMENT DIffICUlTIES”

February 2014

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February 2014

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AkoyA Tees offAkoya by Damac, the Trump backed luxury golf and housing estate is set to prove that Dubai’s largest private property developer is ready to move over to master development. Gavin Davids reports

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In May of last year, Damac Properties, the largest private property developer in the Middle East, announced plans to develop an 18-hole Championship Golf Course, right at the heart of its 3.91 million sqm master

planned development, Akoya by Damac.Since then, work on the project has progressed at

pace, with the property developer keen to keep to its five year construction plan despite the mammoth size of the project. In fact, so confident is the developer, it recently acquired an additional 1.27 million sqm of land for the project, bringing its total area to 3.91 million sqm

Included across the Akoya project will be a variety of residential, retail, leisure and educational facilities, says Niall Mcloughlin, the senior vice president of marketing and communications at Dama, during a tour of the site.

Of course, at the heart of the project will be the Trump International Golf Club, Dubai – an 18 hole PGA Championship Golf Course which is being developed in collaboration with Damac. The 7,205 yard, par 71 course will be developed by renowned golf course architect, Gil Hanse.

Having previously designed the course for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and spearheaded the redesign of the famed ‘Blue Monster’ at Trump National Doral, Miami, Hanse was the perfect choice for the Dubai course says Mcloughlin.

“Trump International Golf Course had a relationship with Gil Hanse and we very quickly came to an agreement that they would do the golf course in Dubai. It’s their first golf course in Asia, which is a very important market for them and their global strategy. Trump is a very well known brand that’s associated with luxury, they were aligned with what we wanted to do and deliver. We categorically said that we wanted the best golf course in the region. It has to be,” he says at the Akoya site.

“That was associated with the other product portfolios of Damac, which was Fendi, which was Paramount. It was the perfect mix to deliver a lifestyle community,” he explains. “It was the extension of a relationship that was already working. We had partnerships with Fendi, with Versace and with Paramount. These were relationships that were working, that we liked and that understood the value proposition that branded residential brings to

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Site Visit

the market, so they were happy to work with us on the extension of the relationship.”

While it’s a given that the bulk of the land area will be taken up by the golf course, Mcloughlin adds that Damac has quite a few interesting plans in place for the remaining space.

“Out of the 3.91 million sqm there will be approximately 1.67 million sqm built. So it’s not going to be a very densely built project. That’s one of the components of the Akoya Park, which is a 418,000sqm green park.

“Dubai is known for residential living on golf courses, but we don’t think that there’s anything that will compare to our residents opening their back doors and having a 418,000 sqm garden,” he enthuses.

A number of main contracts have been awarded for the project, with 677 luxury villas awarded to contractors, while 480 apartment units also have contractors appointed.

“Trojan General Contracting is on board for 446 villas in various clusters and Ghantoot Contracting is on board for 231 villas,” says Mcloughlin. “Ascon is on board for six of the low rise buildings, which are ground plus seven. So the main contractors are on board for more than 50% of the villas, and for 30% of the apartments, the main contractors (have been appointed).”

Prior to this, work orders were placed with Al Naboodah Contracting Company for the bulk earthworks required for the project.

In addition, a 132KV substation has been built with ETA, while the Desert Group was appointed to oversee the construction, completion and maintenance of the golf driving range. More than 100 pieces of heavy machinery were used to shape the land, Mcloughlin says.

“We’re in talks with schools and retail centres to get them on board,” he adds. “The catchment area here is tremendous. We have Sports City, Motor City and Arabian Ranches all within driving distance. So the spa, the clubhouse and the retail centre will be very popular, we think.”

Given its size, it’s only natural that the construction schedule for the project comes under scrutiny, but Damac remains adamant that it will meet its scheduled completion dates.

The first stage of the villas will be completed in the first quarter of 2015, while the actual golf course is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year.

“Because we’ve broken up the contractors, they’ll

“ThE MAIN CONTRACTORS ARE ON BOARD fOR MORE ThAN 50% Of ThE VIllAS, AND fOR 30% Of ThE APARTMENTS, ThE MAIN CONTRACTORS (hAVE BEEN APPOINTED)”

StatS: Project Name: aKOYa BY DaMaCProject type: Mixed Use Development (Residential, Sport, Retail)Project Developer: Damac PropertiesContractors: trojan General Contracting, Ghantoot Contracting and ascon ContractingGolf Course Design: Gil Hanse Golf Course Design

PROjeCt SPeCifiCatiONS:total area: 3.91 million square metrestotal built area: 1.97 million square metresakoya Park area: 418,000 square metres GOlf COURSe SPeCifiCatiONS:18 holes7,205 yardsPar 71

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Site Visit

the market, so they were happy to work with us on the extension of the relationship.”

While it’s a given that the bulk of the land area will be taken up by the golf course, Mcloughlin adds that Damac has quite a few interesting plans in place for the remaining space.

“Out of the 3.91 million sqm there will be approximately 1.67 million sqm built. So it’s not going to be a very densely built project. That’s one of the components of the Akoya Park, which is a 418,000sqm green park.

“Dubai is known for residential living on golf courses, but we don’t think that there’s anything that will compare to our residents opening their back doors and having a 418,000 sqm garden,” he enthuses.

A number of main contracts have been awarded for the project, with 677 luxury villas awarded to contractors, while 480 apartment units also have contractors appointed.

“Trojan General Contracting is on board for 446 villas in various clusters and Ghantoot Contracting is on board for 231 villas,” says Mcloughlin. “Ascon is on board for six of the low rise buildings, which are ground plus seven. So the main contractors are on board for more than 50% of the villas, and for 30% of the apartments, the main contractors (have been appointed).”

Prior to this, work orders were placed with Al Naboodah Contracting Company for the bulk earthworks required for the project.

In addition, a 132KV substation has been built with ETA, while the Desert Group was appointed to oversee the construction, completion and maintenance of the golf driving range. More than 100 pieces of heavy machinery were used to shape the land, Mcloughlin says.

“We’re in talks with schools and retail centres to get them on board,” he adds. “The catchment area here is tremendous. We have Sports City, Motor City and Arabian Ranches all within driving distance. So the spa, the clubhouse and the retail centre will be very popular, we think.”

Given its size, it’s only natural that the construction schedule for the project comes under scrutiny, but Damac remains adamant that it will meet its scheduled completion dates.

The first stage of the villas will be completed in the first quarter of 2015, while the actual golf course is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year.

“Because we’ve broken up the contractors, they’ll

“ThE MAIN CONTRACTORS ARE ON BOARD fOR MORE ThAN 50% Of ThE VIllAS, AND fOR 30% Of ThE APARTMENTS, ThE MAIN CONTRACTORS (hAVE BEEN APPOINTED)”

StatS: Project Name: aKOYa BY DaMaCProject type: Mixed Use Development (Residential, Sport, Retail)Project Developer: Damac PropertiesContractors: trojan General Contracting, Ghantoot Contracting and ascon ContractingGolf Course Design: Gil Hanse Golf Course Design

PROjeCt SPeCifiCatiONS:total area: 3.91 million square metrestotal built area: 1.97 million square metresakoya Park area: 418,000 square metres GOlf COURSe SPeCifiCatiONS:18 holes7,205 yardsPar 71

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work in parallel with each other,” says Mcloughlin. “We’re looking at a five year roll out for the whole development.”

“The end of 2017 (is when full completion will be achieved) and we anticipate things like the retail centre,. It’s 8,825sqm of retail and we’re in final negotiations with anchor tenants, and we’ll be signing HOTs within the next few days. It will have top end retail and luxury outlets and a 2,322.5sqm grocery supporting the residence.”

In order to keep up to date, Mcloughlin says that the thousands of workers on site will have to stick to a regimented work schedule that will see them continue the impressive pace they’ve set in 2013.

“The schedule isn’t 24 hours, but it’s a comprehensive schedule of six days a week. It’ll ramp up and down as time management dictates,” he asserts.

“Building something like this is much easier than building a 84-storey tower, for example. That’s because of shorter build terms and you don’t have the complexity in a villa. A villa can be built in 14 months; it isn’t any more difficult than anything we’ve been doing successfully for the last decade. The challenge here, which we believe we’ve overcome, is bringing a mix to the development, which adds value to it.

“The infrastructure is another challenge. Everything within the development, we’ll be

doing, supported by the Dubai Government, in relation to the water supply and the electricity supply, which is being fed to the power station. The infrastructure internally is being developed by Damac, and that’s a major challenge, bringing the infrastructure along with the development. Projects such as this, as long as they’re planned correctly, to build them isn’t super challenging.”

With a team of 279 people already employed in Damac’s technical and development department, the Akoya project is set provide the base for the

World-renowned golf course architect Gil Hanse has been confirmed as the designer for the golf course at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, set in the heart of the ‘AKOYA by DAMAC’ master development.

Hanse is one of the most respected names in the industry and has not only been commissioned to design the course for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil but was also hired last year by Donald J. Trump for the renovation of the famed, ‘Blue Monster’ at Trump National Doral, Miami which is currently home to the World Golf

Championships - Cadillac Championship, an official PGA TOUR event.

The 7,205-yard, par 71, 18-hole Championship course is the focal point of ‘AKOYA by DAMAC’, a 3.91 million square metre master plan development on Umm Sequim Road, just 10 minutes from Sheikh Zayed Road.

“We have always aspired to design courses around the globe and Dubai is one of the most sought after golfing destinations in the world,” said Hanse. “It is an honour to team up with Mr. Trump again and we

are looking forward to bringing forth our expertise to develop a strategic, fun and interesting course, which will fit into its surroundings, while being accessible for all.”

Hanse has been charged with delivering the finest course in the Middle East, with the goal of hosting a professional tour event.

In addition to the course Hanse will also oversee the development of the academy, double-ended driving range, chipping area and putting greens, which will all reflect the same challenges

and tests on the course itself.

“Gil is easily one of the most sought after golf course designers in the world today and we have enjoyed working with him and his team on ‘The Blue Monster’ at Trump National Doral, which we will be unveiling early next year,” said Mr. Donald J. Trump, Chairman & President of The Trump Organization. “We are confident that Gil will bring his unique perspective and expertise to what will soon become the greatest golf course in the region.”

ON COURSE FOR DEVELOPMENT

developers plans to move away from being a property developer to a master developer.

As Mcloughlin puts it, there is a huge opportunity awaiting Damac and it only needs the developer to reach out and seize it. He’s crystal clear that this is exactly what it intends to do.

“Historically in the UAE Damac has always been a plot developer, where we buy a plot from a master developer and we build a tower. We’ve always been looking to become a master developer because we believe that we have very strong capabilities. Internally, we have over 1,000 employees, so we have very strong capabilities, from project management to MEP to interior design and so forth.”

“We looked at our portfolio; we looked at what the market was missing and what would complement the offering within the lifestyle space within the market, and we believe that if there’s a Trump golf course in Dubai, it’ll have a lot of appeal to the golfing community, golf tourists will come to Dubai, and also the value of golf courses add to residential components.”

“THE scHEDUlE Isn’T 24 HOUrs, BUT IT’s A cOMPrEHEnsIvE scHEDUlE Of sIx DAys A WEEk. IT’ll rAMP UP AnD DOWn As TIME MAnAGEMEnT DIcTATEs”

Jeddah Tel 012 6877058, Fax 012 6812311 Riyadh Tel 011 4950898, Fax 011 2131779 Ext 212Dammam Tel 013 8176593, Fax 013 8177169 Asir Tel 017 2234392, Fax 017 2215651Email [email protected]

The choice of MH professionals worldwide

February 2014

ConsTrUCTIon

MIddLe easT30

Special Feature

In the Middle East Tadano expected to sell $160m worth of lifting equipment in 2013, up from $97.8m in 2012. While this represents real growth of 63.5%, it also lifted the Middle East as a region, to make up 9.4% of Tadano’s total

sales worldwide, up from 7.5% in 2012 – and this at a time when its total sales grew 30%.

In the first half of the year, in the Middle East alone Tadano had sold 287 rough terrain cranes, 101 all-terrain cranes, and 46 truck cranes. From its own calculations it grew its market share in the region from 20.2% to 31.3% - a figure that excludes Chinese and Russian production from the global demand.

Globally in the first half of the year Tadano sold 4,218 units, up from 3,906 in 2012, and grew its worldwide market share from 23.5% to 27.8%.

2013 was a good year for sellers of construction machinery in the Gulf, with business confidence growing, but it may be mobile crane seller Tadano who made the biggest gains. Japan’s largest manufacturer

of cranes and lifting equipment grew its full year interim revenue by some 38%, to $840 million, and reported its highest ever profit, in its 2013 interim results. Its forecast for total sales in 2013 is $1.7bn, growth of 40% from the previous year.

And the Middle East also made a big impact on Tadano’s bottom line: sales revenue here grew more than 100% in the first half of the year, from $36 million to $74.6m.

On a unit basis, it sold 434 mobile cranes in the first six months of 2013, up from 331 in 2012; and its market share in the Gulf rose from 20.2% to a massive 31.3%, though this figure excludes mobile cranes manufactured by Chinese companies. For the full year, it expects to sell $160m worth of lifting equipment here, an almost unfathomable growth figure of 63.5%.

As CMME reported last year, Japanese sellers of machinery have seen their fortunes improve steadily with the weaker Yen benefitting exporters, even to

Tadano Is 2013’s bIg wInnerJapanese mobile crane seller Tadano experienced stratospheric sales growth in the Middle East in 2013, growing its sales revenue in the first half of the year by more than 100%

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the point of over-demand, especially with the strong demand for mobile cranes globally, as well as the disaster recovery in their domestic market. But it seems that a close focus on the Middle East is bearing fruit for Tadano – its Dubai office opened in 2003, and its cranes are popular with rental companies, oil & gas, and construction companies.

Tadano’s dealers – including United Alsaqer Heavy Equipment in UAE, and Saleh & Abdulaziz Abahsain in Saudi Arabia, have seen strong sales growth. Abahsain said that it expected to sell 150 mobile cranes in 2013, with major customers including SABIC, as well as the crane rental companies that service Saudi Aramco

In September the dealer sold the first Tadano ATF400G-6 hydraulic all terrain crane sold in the Middle East. The ATC has a 5-section telescopic boom that extends to 60m, and its 49.6m fixed jib gives it an overall reach capacity of 109.6m, mounted over a special 12x8 all-wheel steerable chassis. The customer, Y K Almoayyed and Sons, also bought one 220t and two 110t all-terrain cranes in the same order.

In the UAE, the major buyer of Tadano is the oil and gas sector, says United Alsaqer’s sales manager, Walid El Dessouki. Its technology is well-adapted to the Middle East working conditions where reliability is a major factor, and the cranes are built with the well-regarded Nissan engines.

“In oil and gas, uptime is critical. We provide high quality after sales service through our fully equipped workshop and high qualified technicians,” said El Dessouki.

As strong as its sales performance was in the first half, on the technology front it also advanced.

In August it announced a new model designed specifically for the energy markets in the Middle East and North America. The GR-1450EX-2 is the highest capacity rough terrain mobile crane in production, with a 145t rated lift, and already it is selling well.

The product was developed due to demand from the oil and gas industry, where jobs are requiring cranes with larger lifting capacities and longer boom length – the crane has a 61 metre, 6-section boom, plus two stage jib, extending the maximum working height to 78.3m and working radius to 64.9m. Built over three axles, it is also able to manoeuvre on tight jobsites.

Meanwhile in Japan, Tadano is known for its complete portfolio of mobile cranes, truck loader cranes and aerial work platforms. The company wants to expand its presence as an exporter, and is aiming to grow its international sales, from historical ratio of 50:50, to 20:80, with the majority being sold internationally.

In 2013, in a landmark move, the company opened a new plant in Thailand, its first plant for loader-cranes outside of Japan. Thailand is a popular manufacturing base for Japanese companies, due to the prevalence of second tier component suppliers there, and to de-couple production costs from the vagaries of the yen.

As production ramps up at the Thai plant, eventually reaching 1,000 units a year, the Middle East is again seen as a key market for overseas growth. The small truck-mounted loader cranes that are produced there allow operators to load, transport, and install cargo with a single unit. At the Thai plant it will produce 8t class and 5t class truck loader cranes.

There is also the option to expand production into other product areas in line with global demand, while the factory can be expanded to a point where it can produce 2,000 units annually – not an unlikely proposition if the company continues with its trajectory of strong growth.

“AS pRoDUCTIoN RAMpS Up AT THE THAI plANT, THE MIDDlE EAST IS AGAIN SEEN AS A KEY MARKET FoR ovERSEAS GRoWTH”

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Raw powerProduct Focus

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW.

page44 ON SHOW Some show feedback fresh from InterMat Middle East.

page 39

BE A TRUE PARTNER

Construction Machinery ME’s guide to really delivering on

those promises of being a good partner to customers and

clients.

page 35IN THE NEW MIX CMME looks at New Mix’ new Cifa-manufactured concrete pump – the K38L.

page 52 A NEW VIEW

A sideways overview of the Expo 2020 event to be held in Dubai.

page37 STACKS UP How does Genie’s newest telehandler look?

page 46 A TIGHTENING GRIP CMME looks at Hunklinger’s new addition to the region’s paving toolbox.

February 2014

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Raw Power

B obcat has launched new advanced versions of the company’s two largest rigid frame telescopic handlers. The new T40140 14m and T40180 18m models both have

increased maximum lifting heights and are based on an easy-to-use design that provides class-leading efficiency and productivity backed by state-of-the-art safety systems.

The hydrostatic transmission in the T40140 and T40180 telehandlers provides a 95% performance efficiency, providing high power coupled with low fuel consumption. The hydrostatic transmission makes it possible to place a load to the exact mm. In addition to precision, this is an important factor contributing to safety, particularly when loads have to be positioned at significant heights or distances from the machine.

The unique, patented Bobcat side shift system is a standard feature on the T40140 and T40180 models, ensuring there is no need to reposition the machine if it is not aligned with an opening, providing maximum flexibility with a +/- 700 mm side shift. This is combined with the unique integrated frame levelling system which works independently of the main frame

to provide a tilt correction on inclined surfaces of +/- 4o on tyres and up to +/- 12o on stabilisers for safe, optimum positioning of loads.

Featuring optimised ROPS/FOPS protection, the new cab on the T40140 and T40180 telehandlers offers increased safety and visibility through a curved front window providing a better view of loads and attachments at height; a larger back window increasing sight to the rear and a cab door with windows above and below the handlebar for optimum visibility when manoeuvring close to walls or other obstacles. Overall the new cab is designed to provide an exceptional work environment and a new higher level of comfort for the operator, reducing fatigue and improving safety and performance on site.

From their comfortable mechanical or air suspension seat, the operator is provided with an ergonomic array of machine controls all within easy reach and including a new forward/reverse (FNR) control button on the joystick; a new digital display; an adjustable steering wheel and an integrated airflow solution.

The FNR control on the joystick, first seen on the new Bobcat TL470 and TL470HF 7m telehandlers, ensures the operator has maximum control at their fingertips, allowing the driving direction to be selected at the touch of a button while still keeping a grip on both the steering wheel and the joystick for improved safety and productivity.

Semi-automatic wheel alignment provides automated assistance to the operator ensuring the wheels are always aligned when changing between the three steering modes of 2-wheel, 4-wheel or crabbing. Auxiliary flow control is also easily and precisely controlled from the joystick.

Why get them?Precision loadingHigHer safety

New top-of-the-raNge BoBcat telescopic haNdlers

SpecificationS: t40140 telehandler• power: Perkins1104D-44TA75kWdieselengine.• max capacity: 4.1t• max lift height: 13.71m• capacity at max lift height is 4t,• max reach: 10.43m,• capacity at max lift height: 1.3t• tilt crowding force 12300daN.

SpecificationS: t40180 telehandler• power:Perkins1104D-44TA75kWdieselengine.• max capacity: 4t• max lift height: 17.52m• capacity at max lift height is 2.5t,• max reach: 13.7m• capacity at max lift height: 0.56t• tilt crowding force 12300daN.

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 35

The GTH-2506 compact telehandler has been newly updated in terms of re-styled interior, high visibility and easy serviceability. High performing with its 2.5t capacity and 6m lift height in a small package, the model is equipped with the Stage IIIA compliant Deutz engine developing 55kW of power – a 10 percent increase over the previous model - which speeds operations and increases productivity.

Externally, the hydrostatic drive GTH-2506 telehandler retains its compact dimensions: below 2m in height, 1.9m in width and 3.84m between the rear of the machine and the fork holder plate. The new generation gains an even tighter turning radius of 3.25m, a higher (26km/h) travel speed and new steel mudguards that can now accommodate the optional 18-inch tyres in place of the standard 16 inch versions which lifts the ground clearance from 33cm to 35cm and further increases the travel speed to 28km/h.

Other major changes include a re-styled interior to the ROPS/FOPS certified cab with new fabric and materials. Operator comfort was also a major consideration when redesigning the cab’s FOPS grid and the improvements have been achieved without

Genie’s GTH can Tele-Handle iT

WHy GeT iTEnErgy EfficiEncySimplE opEration

compromising the all-round excellent visibility for the operator.

Serviceability has also been enhanced with the hydraulic distributor repositioned for easy access and the front and rear lights are now protected by metal grills and a dense rubber bumper.

Concrete equipment supplier CIFA exhibited a K38L truck pump that has been purchased by customer New Mix at last month’s Intermat Middle East. Diego Bertati, service and field manager, Gulf area for CIFA, described the K38L truck mounted concrete pump as the perfect choice for small and medium sites.



“In Saudi Arabia, we know there are very big projects to build new cities, so perspectives are good. For the UAE we think that, after the boom in 2007-2008, we should see a stable market for the coming years especially with the upcoming Expo2020 in Dubai. Oman is also a very interesting market for construction, even

more than Qatar. In terms of sectors, surely big infrastructure projects and underground works are the ones that show most growth potential at present.”

The K 38L truck mounted concrete pump is the perfect choice for small and medium sites. With a 4-sections-boom it combines ease of use with a compact truck layout. It is adequate also when a relevant delivery capacity is needed: bridges and deep pours, car parking and basements. The pump can be equipped both with an open loop and closed loop pumping unit to reach the highest performances.

neW Mix for cifa’s K38l TrucK puMp WHy GeT iT?faSt aSSEmblyHigHly rESiStant

specificaTions:• pipeline diameter: 125mm• Max. vertical reach: 37.6m• Max. horizontal distance: 33.4m• Min. unfolding height: 9.1m• section numbers: 4• Max. output: 150/90 140m3/h• Max. pressure on concrete: 53/95 80 bar

specificaTions• capacity: 2.5t• power: 55kW• Height: 2m• Width: 1.9m

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 35

The GTH-2506 compact telehandler has been newly updated in terms of re-styled interior, high visibility and easy serviceability. High performing with its 2.5t capacity and 6m lift height in a small package, the model is equipped with the Stage IIIA compliant Deutz engine developing 55kW of power – a 10 percent increase over the previous model - which speeds operations and increases productivity.

Externally, the hydrostatic drive GTH-2506 telehandler retains its compact dimensions: below 2m in height, 1.9m in width and 3.84m between the rear of the machine and the fork holder plate. The new generation gains an even tighter turning radius of 3.25m, a higher (26km/h) travel speed and new steel mudguards that can now accommodate the optional 18-inch tyres in place of the standard 16 inch versions which lifts the ground clearance from 33cm to 35cm and further increases the travel speed to 28km/h.

Other major changes include a re-styled interior to the ROPS/FOPS certified cab with new fabric and materials. Operator comfort was also a major consideration when redesigning the cab’s FOPS grid and the improvements have been achieved without

Genie’s GTH can Tele-Handle iT

WHy GeT iTEnErgy EfficiEncySimplE opEration

compromising the all-round excellent visibility for the operator.

Serviceability has also been enhanced with the hydraulic distributor repositioned for easy access and the front and rear lights are now protected by metal grills and a dense rubber bumper.

Concrete equipment supplier CIFA exhibited a K38L truck pump that has been purchased by customer New Mix at last month’s Intermat Middle East. Diego Bertati, service and field manager, Gulf area for CIFA, described the K38L truck mounted concrete pump as the perfect choice for small and medium sites.



“In Saudi Arabia, we know there are very big projects to build new cities, so perspectives are good. For the UAE we think that, after the boom in 2007-2008, we should see a stable market for the coming years especially with the upcoming Expo2020 in Dubai. Oman is also a very interesting market for construction, even

more than Qatar. In terms of sectors, surely big infrastructure projects and underground works are the ones that show most growth potential at present.”

The K 38L truck mounted concrete pump is the perfect choice for small and medium sites. With a 4-sections-boom it combines ease of use with a compact truck layout. It is adequate also when a relevant delivery capacity is needed: bridges and deep pours, car parking and basements. The pump can be equipped both with an open loop and closed loop pumping unit to reach the highest performances.

neW Mix for cifa’s K38l TrucK puMp WHy GeT iT?faSt aSSEmblyHigHly rESiStant

specificaTions:• pipeline diameter: 125mm• Max. vertical reach: 37.6m• Max. horizontal distance: 33.4m• Min. unfolding height: 9.1m• section numbers: 4• Max. output: 150/90 140m3/h• Max. pressure on concrete: 53/95 80 bar

specificaTions• capacity: 2.5t• power: 55kW• Height: 2m• Width: 1.9m

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST36

Raw Power

JCB used the year-closing Agrictechnic event in Germany to reveal its upgrade to its successful 2000 series of tractors.

Unveiling a brand new Fastrac for 2014 and beyond marks a new level of performance and sophistication for tractors with a rated power of up to 220hp, said the UK company.

The all-new machine will replace the Fastrac 2000 Series with improvements in all aspects of its design, performance, driver comfort and operator convenience, resulting in higher levels of versatility and productivity.

JCB claims he new Fastrac 4000 will combine a unique combination of features that make it the technology leader for a host of grassland and arable work, and for high speed spraying and spreading. When the

time comes, put it to the test – we’re confident the new machine will be more productive across the farm than any conventional tractor of similar size and power.

Compared with today’s smallest Fastrac, the new machine will be more powerful but more economical, stronger but more nimble, and more versatile yet easier to operate.

It stays true to the original concept but steps up the performance potential with new engines giving significantly higher rated outputs up to 220hp, and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for speed control and operating efficiency.

Powerscreen has launched its new Trakpactor 320SR impact crusher, a midsized horizontal impact crusher with a number of key enhancements, designed for excellent reduction and high consistency of product shape for performance in quarry and recycling applications. The 320SR has an output of up to 320 tonnes per hour.

Damian Power, Powerscreen global product director, described the new machine: “Building upon the success of the Powerscreen Trakpactor 320 impact crusher for the quarry and recycling industry, the new Trakpactor 320SR crusher is set to establish itself as a class leader amongst its peers and demonstrates what is possible when we work with customers in defining features and specifications.”

The crushing chamber of the impact crusher features an 1130mm x 800mm feed opening, hydraulically assisted CSS adjustment, 4-bar

ImPACT CRUShInG FRom PoWeRSCReen

GenIe’S nexT GeneRATIon Boom Why GeT IT?Fast set-upGreater stability

As the successor to the Z-135, the new Genie ZX-135/70 has a great reputation to live up by combining a maximum working height of 43 m, a horizontal reach of 21.3 m with exceptional up-and-over clearance second to none. With the ambitious goal in mind to remain the most advanced manufacturer in the lifting sector, this latest additions to our large articulating boom range includes significant improvements with new features designed make your work easier, fast serviceability and help take

your business higher. Thanks to its patented

X-Chassis design and new angle sensors for precise calibration, the ZX-135/70 also makes safe machine set-up faster and easier than before. Featuring a wider footprint that reduces floor pressure by 30 per cent, its base assembly is equipped with solid box-section axles that pivot smoothly out on vertical mounting pins from 2.4 m (8ft) to up to a width of 5.2 m (17 ft), to adapt to your multiple job site needs.

The new self-erecting jib design offers the versatile flexibility you need when height, long reach and flexible up-and-over clearance count the most. Providing the ability to extend rapidly from 3.7 m (12 ft) to 6.1 m (20 ft) when fully deployed, the ZX-135/70 offers market-leading “up-and-over” capabilities and provides up and over clearance up to 23 m (75 ft) the equivalent of up to

approximately eight floors. This new machine is ideal in high construction applications, oil and gas, refinery and Shipyard booms.

“Providing customers with a new level of aerial boom lift performance, our ZX-135 already sets a new industry standard in the large, articulated boom sector. The new ZX-135 marks the first in a whole series of other new generation models that will be joining the Genie product family in the near future,” Scott Krieger, Senior Product Manager, Booms and Telehandlers, Terex Aerial Work Platforms (AWP).

JCB PUTS 2014 on FASTRAC

SPeCIFICATIonS (Zx350h-5G): • Feed opening: 1,130mm x 800mm• 4-barrotorandtwinaprondesign• output: 320t/h

Why GeT IT? excellent reduction HiGH consistency

rotor and twin apron design, and hydraulic overload protection as standard.

new to this model is an optional fully independent hydraulic pre-screen which improves fines removal and reduces chamber wear costs.

The plant is capable of working in the most demanding environments and features rapid set-up time, fuel efficient direct drive system.

The plant features a recirculating conveyor which raises for transport allowing more ground clearance under the machine when moving on site and loading for transport. The crusher also features a quick-detach post-screen section which converts it to a standard Trakpactor 320 unit.

other available options contributing to the versatility of the machine are a grinding path, hydraulically folding mid-grade stockpiling conveyor, an extended fines conveyor with a class leading discharge height and a twin pole overband magnet.

SPeCS FoR The e62 InClUDe:• max working height: 43m• horizontal reach: 21.3m• Vertical mounting pins width:

From 2.4m to 5.2m • Jib length: 3.7 m to 6.1 m • Clearance: up to 23m

P.O.Box 128404, Jeddah 21362, KSAFax: +966 12 284 1290

[email protected]

MegaTools serves the Saudi Arabian market with specialized construction industry tools. With a wide range of high quality tools, construction consumables, and added value services in the following product categories:

YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL CONSTRUCTION TOOLS!

Power Tools / Hand tools / Safety and protection / Grooving/threading/pressing tools specialty / Construction consumables

With our Web enabled ordering system, all your tools requirements are just a click away!

P.O.Box 128404, Jeddah 21362, KSAFax: +966 12 284 1290

[email protected]

MegaTools serves the Saudi Arabian market with specialized construction industry tools. With a wide range of high quality tools, construction consumables, and added value services in the following product categories:

YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL CONSTRUCTION TOOLS!

Power Tools / Hand tools / Safety and protection / Grooving/threading/pressing tools specialty / Construction consumables

With our Web enabled ordering system, all your tools requirements are just a click away!

November 2013

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 51

February 2014

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MIDDLE EAST 39

Construction companies are not always the best at keeping their clients, so CMME dips into the Database

Marketing Institute’s guide to show you care

Companies who are truly Customer CentriC know that it is important to build a

mutually benefiCial relationship where there is something for both parties in

exChanging information and serviCes. too many businesses ask too muCh of their

Customers with little if any advantage in return for the Customer.

SHOW SOME RESPECT

ASk fOR AdviCE Create a President’s Club or

an Advisory Board for your top customers. Hold an annual meeting of these top customers. Let them

know they are special and you will have them for life.

Have a contest for the most innovative use of your product or service. Open it to all your customers. Create an outstanding industry panel of judges. Award the prize at the industry trade show. issue handsome award plaques that your customers can display in their reception areas.

GOinG fOR GOLd Create a Gold Team to respond to your Gold customers’

calls. Give the Gold customers a special toll-free number that routes them directly to this team rather than your regular staff. Answer, “Gold Customer Service, can i help you?”

Ten Tips

Top 10 ways to keep clients

A nAME nOT A nuMBER Add caller id to your customer service line, giving your agents electronic access to your marketing database. When your customers call, the caller id will put the customer’s entire record on the screen so that the agents can say, “Mr Muhammad. So glad to hear from you. How is the new model working out?” This type of recognition builds loyalty.

PERSOnALiSE yOuR RELATiOnSHiPAssign a personal account manager to each valu-

able client. if you are not a bank, make it a personal account manager. Have your letters signed by this person. Give the person a personal phone number.

REWARd SuCCESS

November 2013

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MIDDLE EAST48

Ten Tips

November 2013

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST48

Ten Tips

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 41

Make theM feel special create an extranet with a special password on your Web page. cre-ate a special page for each of your best customers. Using cookies, route your preferred customers automatically to their page, which welcomes them by name and includes the products and special prices that apply only to them. put the name of their account man-ager on the page. if they are on an advisory board or if they won an award, put that on the page.

ReMeMbeR to say thank yoU send birthday cards and thank you letters. this is business to business. Why not? What harm can it do? how much does it cost? Do it. Don’t include any literature, specials or advertising. Just say, “thank you for your business. having you as a customer means a lot to me.”

fRee to RoaM let your best customers roam through your warehouse, facility or your technical manuals online using their preferred password access. Make them part of the “inside” team.

Make it cheap anD easy let your customers’ technical

staff advise you on product design or modifications. encourage engi-neers and technicians to preview

your new products, making suggestions.

bUilD a Database collect e-mail addresses via your team of data-base. send e-mails to notify customers of the

status of things.

l

Make the Most of the Web before the internet, getting customers involved with your operation

could be difficult and expensive. With online access, it is easy and

cheap to get them involved in many levels of your operation.

Ten Tips

Show Review

February 2014

ConsTRUCTion

miDDle easT42

InterMat Middle East came to Abu Dhabi in January and CMME was there to see whether it has finally established itself in the UAE

Big name, small show?

Show Review

February 2014

ConsTRUCTion

miDDle easT42 February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 43

With three InterMat Middle East events now passed it is pretty clear that the show is a long way away from delivering the same experience of its sophisticate Parisian

big brother. While CMME readers won’t be surprised to hear that, they may also feel déjà vu when it is reported that there was plenty to admire in terms of the equipment on display but few people to see it.

LiuGong, which launched its partnership with local Qatari dealer Al Attiyar Motors and Trading Co last year at Project Qatar, showcased products including wheel loaders, excavators, roller, backhoe loader, and mobile crane.

“An increasing number of LiuGong products are being launched in the MENA region with tailored configuration, keeping in mind the high temperature and dust,” explained LiuGong Middle East’s president York Liang. “With the rebuilding project for Iraq in development and the World Cup in to be held in Qatar, we see Iraq and Qatar as the two major countries in the Middle East that would show growth in terms of construction.

“Of course the UAE will also be on the list now that it has won the bid for Expo 2020. In general construction will grow. As far as countries that are difficult to enter, Qatar seems to be a difficult country for us to enter.”

Powerscreen used Intermat Middle East to try and ramp up its presence in the region, securing solid leads for Saudi Arabia at the show.

“Powerscreen sees the Middle East as an important market and feel attending Intermat Middle East is a good opportunity to get closer to the local distributors and customers,” Rajen Khoda, director of sales said.

While the Northern Ireland headquartered manufacturer did not showcase its equipment at Intermat Middle East, it did at least exhibit with a full complement of members of the Powerscreen Sales and Marketing staff.

“2014 will be an important year for product launches by Powerscreen,” said the company. “We will be launching the Trakpactor 320SR impact crusher, Premiertrak 300 jaw crusher and Warrior 2100 screen. All of these machines will be on display at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas in March 2014.”

As reported in the preview, concrete equipment supplier CIFA exhibited with a K38L truck pump that has been purchased by customer New Mix.

Diego Bertati, service and field manager, Gulf area for CIFA, described the K38L truck mounted concrete pump as the perfect choice for small and medium sites.


Speaking about business prospects in 2014, Bertati added that the GCC markets present strong opportunities for machinery sellers.

“In Saudi Arabia, we know there are very big projects to build new cities, so perspectives are good.

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 43

“WE’VE PROCURED SOME VERY SOLID LEADS OUT OF ThE ShOW, DESPITE ThE LOW FOOTFALL”

Show Review

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST44

For the UAE we think that, after the boom in 2007-2008, we should see a stable market for the coming years especially with the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai.

“Oman is also a very interesting market for construction, even more than Qatar. In terms of sectors, surely big infrastructure projects and underground works are the ones that show most growth potential at present.”

CMME took the opportunity to tour the T40180 telehandler on the Kanoo stand and will include a full review next month. Suffice to say the Doosan-owned company continues to make great strides in developing a range that marries many of the lessons learned from its compact equipment, including a stripped down but expertly put together cabin and operator set-up that now includes a joystick for precision use.

The new advanced T40180 model is Bobcat’s largest rigid frame telescopic handler and, together with the new T40140 14 m model - both telehandlers have increased maximum lifting heights and are based on a new easy-to-use design that provides class-leading efficiency and productivity backed by state-of-the-art safety systems.

Also included in the display was the Bobcat S130B model, its most popular skid-steer loader in the Middle East and the S510 loader, part of the new 500 platform range of Bobcat compact loaders launched in 2013.

Meanwhile Bahrain-based MH Al Mahroos Company showcased its range of construction projects and services at the trade show

The company promoted road rollers, tamping rammers and other specialised equipment from Mikasa, a leading manufacturer of light-sized compaction equipment for the construction industry and other applications. The dealer also highlighted its substantial support network in the region, raising awareness of Al Mahroos’ recently-launched facilities in UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Talal Hassan Al Mahroos, GCC marketing manager,

Maryvonne Lanoë, InterMat Exhibition Director, said: “We would like to thank the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA), all the exhibitors as well as the attendees for their continued collaboration to make the third edition of InterMat Middle East.”

Andrea Bonomi, Export Area Manager, CARMIX - METALGALANTE SPA, said: “Our participation has been successful and fruitful. Even though the size of the exhibition is not huge, we are extremely satisfied, especially with the quality of the people that attended this exhibition. It is important for us to participate in this exhibition to get contacts and build relationships with people that have job sites and need new solutions for

their proposals and we have made great potential contacts. The exhibition and building was well organised and the people involved are very dedicated. I believe that we will attend again and keep going on this policy of facing and finding highly qualified people in the construction industry.”

Clarence Jacobson, Director, Products & Marketing, ORYX SIMULATIONS AB, said: “We are a Swedish company and decided to come here because it is a very interesting market - the UAE market and the entire Middle East.

“What we have seen is that, even though the number of visitors has been small, we have had a number of quality leads to build relationships on. This exhibition is more about quality than quantity.”

Show feedback

said: “MH Al Mahroos is committed to providing best quality after-sales service through its service centres and facilities through its well-trained technicians.”

“The exhibition was a huge success,” he said. “We would like to thank all who visited our stand for their positive enquiries and feedback. We are looking forward to serving new construction markets in the GCC region and beyond,” he added.

While Al Mahroos was pleased with its presence at the show, others were less pleased.

“Intermat 2014 has had a surprisingly low turnout as compared to its previous editions; only a small part of ADNEC has been used and there is little crowd inside the hall too,” said Lloyd Monteiro, sales engineer (Tennant), Kanoo Machinery. “I don’t think we’d have had any spare time or space had the exhibition been in Dubai at the World Trade Centre!”

Clarence Jacobson, director, products and marketing, Oryx Simulations (Sweden) described the turnout as exceptionally low “at the exhibition on all three days, which is extremely surprising given the rate of construction in the region – but I have to confess, we’ve procured some very solid leads out of the show, despite the low footfall.”

His thoughts were echoed by a fellow exhibitor at Hyva.

“I don’t understand why the response to the exhibition is so weak this year. We’re glad to be present because our brand is a well-known one, but seeing as the turnout currently is,” Sherif El-Sheikh, general manager sales and operaitons, Hyva MEA. “I’m not entirely enthusiastic about returning next year.”

CMME’s verdictInterMat Middle East remains a small and imperfectly formed show that has a myriad of interesting launches and companies. However if it is to benefit from a resurgence in the market then it needs to properly engage with the entire construction industry all year round to generate interest and hopefully greater visitor numbers.

Show Review

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST44

For the UAE we think that, after the boom in 2007-2008, we should see a stable market for the coming years especially with the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai.

“Oman is also a very interesting market for construction, even more than Qatar. In terms of sectors, surely big infrastructure projects and underground works are the ones that show most growth potential at present.”

CMME took the opportunity to tour the T40180 telehandler on the Kanoo stand and will include a full review next month. Suffice to say the Doosan-owned company continues to make great strides in developing a range that marries many of the lessons learned from its compact equipment, including a stripped down but expertly put together cabin and operator set-up that now includes a joystick for precision use.

The new advanced T40180 model is Bobcat’s largest rigid frame telescopic handler and, together with the new T40140 14 m model - both telehandlers have increased maximum lifting heights and are based on a new easy-to-use design that provides class-leading efficiency and productivity backed by state-of-the-art safety systems.

Also included in the display was the Bobcat S130B model, its most popular skid-steer loader in the Middle East and the S510 loader, part of the new 500 platform range of Bobcat compact loaders launched in 2013.

Meanwhile Bahrain-based MH Al Mahroos Company showcased its range of construction projects and services at the trade show

The company promoted road rollers, tamping rammers and other specialised equipment from Mikasa, a leading manufacturer of light-sized compaction equipment for the construction industry and other applications. The dealer also highlighted its substantial support network in the region, raising awareness of Al Mahroos’ recently-launched facilities in UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Talal Hassan Al Mahroos, GCC marketing manager,

Maryvonne Lanoë, InterMat Exhibition Director, said: “We would like to thank the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA), all the exhibitors as well as the attendees for their continued collaboration to make the third edition of InterMat Middle East.”

Andrea Bonomi, Export Area Manager, CARMIX - METALGALANTE SPA, said: “Our participation has been successful and fruitful. Even though the size of the exhibition is not huge, we are extremely satisfied, especially with the quality of the people that attended this exhibition. It is important for us to participate in this exhibition to get contacts and build relationships with people that have job sites and need new solutions for

their proposals and we have made great potential contacts. The exhibition and building was well organised and the people involved are very dedicated. I believe that we will attend again and keep going on this policy of facing and finding highly qualified people in the construction industry.”

Clarence Jacobson, Director, Products & Marketing, ORYX SIMULATIONS AB, said: “We are a Swedish company and decided to come here because it is a very interesting market - the UAE market and the entire Middle East.

“What we have seen is that, even though the number of visitors has been small, we have had a number of quality leads to build relationships on. This exhibition is more about quality than quantity.”

Show feedback

said: “MH Al Mahroos is committed to providing best quality after-sales service through its service centres and facilities through its well-trained technicians.”

“The exhibition was a huge success,” he said. “We would like to thank all who visited our stand for their positive enquiries and feedback. We are looking forward to serving new construction markets in the GCC region and beyond,” he added.

While Al Mahroos was pleased with its presence at the show, others were less pleased.

“Intermat 2014 has had a surprisingly low turnout as compared to its previous editions; only a small part of ADNEC has been used and there is little crowd inside the hall too,” said Lloyd Monteiro, sales engineer (Tennant), Kanoo Machinery. “I don’t think we’d have had any spare time or space had the exhibition been in Dubai at the World Trade Centre!”

Clarence Jacobson, director, products and marketing, Oryx Simulations (Sweden) described the turnout as exceptionally low “at the exhibition on all three days, which is extremely surprising given the rate of construction in the region – but I have to confess, we’ve procured some very solid leads out of the show, despite the low footfall.”

His thoughts were echoed by a fellow exhibitor at Hyva.

“I don’t understand why the response to the exhibition is so weak this year. We’re glad to be present because our brand is a well-known one, but seeing as the turnout currently is,” Sherif El-Sheikh, general manager sales and operaitons, Hyva MEA. “I’m not entirely enthusiastic about returning next year.”

CMME’s verdictInterMat Middle East remains a small and imperfectly formed show that has a myriad of interesting launches and companies. However if it is to benefit from a resurgence in the market then it needs to properly engage with the entire construction industry all year round to generate interest and hopefully greater visitor numbers.

V

February 2014

cOnStrUctIOn

MIddLE EaSt46

Review

Snatchand grabCMME meets Lorenz Hunklinger, a man looking to grab some share in the Middle East’s burgeoning infrastructure and landscaping sector, with his paving clamps and grabs

February 2014

cOnStrUctIOn

MIddLE EaSt46

Review

Snatchand grabCMME meets Lorenz Hunklinger, a man looking to grab some share in the Middle East’s burgeoning infrastructure and landscaping sector, with his paving clamps and grabs

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 47

It’s true – we sometimes neglect the smaller things in life at CMME So, to redress the balance, the magazine met with Lorenz Hunklinger and his back-sparing paving and grab attachments at the recent PMV Live Show.

Hunklinger is the energetic creator of a self-titled range, which on the face of it seems like a small addition to the region but could have major benefits for contractors looking to compete for municipal and leisure landscaping and paving work.

The compact machine Hunklinger ‘tools’ allow for operators to shift pallatised loads of slabs into position on site. Saving manpower in what is often back breaking work. Like many German firms in the equipment sector, Hunklinger is family-owned, but it is no Liebherr-style behemoth, says its CEO.

“We are a relatively small, family business,” says Hunklinger. “We started with development of our first model of product in 1994 and we sold the first in 1999. After 14-15 years, the business is running very well.”

The momentum in the Hunklinger business has come from its enhancement of both dealer ranges and contractor abilities, he adds.

“The attachments keep the universal machine – the excavator – running. And if you sell an excavator, then you need attachments. If there is nothing on in front, then you can’t do anything.”

The Big-5 and PMV Live shows marked the company’s entry into the Middle East market after a chance meeting at Bauma last year with GCC dealer Al Mahroos. “Bauma is always the best place for

making contacts from everywhere; the whole world.”According to Hunklinger, senior executives from M

H Al Mahroos, including former CMME intervieweeds Talal Al Mahroos, were looking for attachments at the world’s biggest equipment show.

“On the Yanmar stand we had put an attachment on and connected for display,” he recalls. “He (Talal) asked, ‘who is this company?’.”

Al Mahroos were clearly impressed (“They came to our stand, said that’s what we need,” says Hunklinger) with what they had seen and were soon inviting Hunklinger to join its ranks in the Middle East.

As at Bauma, a Yanmar excavator is being used to demonstrate the attachment while we speak. Talal Al Mahroos joins his new partner as we watch machine and tool work in tandem.

“Of course, we believe that the two things: the attachment and the excavator go together,” Al Mahroos says. “We were showing the customers the applications and looking for those (types of) products. We had seen in Saudi Arabia and here at different exhibitions full packaged paving machines just for laying stone slabs where you cannot remove the paver.”

Hunklinger adds: “The excavator should be a universal machine.”

Typically in the Middle East the kind of work suitable to the set-up on display is most commonly done manually. Despite this, even with labour being relatively cheap, the process can be a slow and profit squeezing way to make money.

“Save time, save labour, save money,”Al Mahroos affirms.

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Lorenz Hunklinger says his company’s Middle East approach changed after a chance meeting with dealer M H Al Mahroos at Bauma last year. Its entry into the market was formally launched at PMV Live in November.

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST48

Review

“There is a huge number of stones here,” says Hunklinger. “It’s like an investment for a customer. If he decides to buy an excavator, he wants to get the best outcome of his investment. And that means that the machine should run everyday. Every day running and earning money.”

Buying attachments offer a way for contractors to increase their usefulness on site and their ability to win work on other phases or aspects of a project that may have been closed off to them previously.

“It creates new business opportunities for the customer who owns it,” explains Hunklinger. “To get the contracts in.”

PMV Live is an opportunity for Hunklinger and Al Mahroos to explore new business opportunities for themselves. It is with some historical irony then, that the German company’s CEO says that the Middle East had not been under serious consideration prior to that meeting at Bauma.

“We did not think about the Middle East,” he states. “We did not have plans from our side to actively start, come here and search for a dealer because were busy enough at home in Europe. But we always said that if somebody comes to us and shows they will be a good partner, then we will try it.”

Considering Al Mahroos’ offer to act on its behalf was more than certainly made easier by the continuing malaise in Europe, says Hunklinger. Describing the Middle East as a ‘hot spot’, he says the timing is now ideal for his company.

How does it work?The excavator and attachment are deployed on site and where they can pick from palletised stacks of 1sqm paving stones. The paving pattern is half offset allowing each section to come together like a blocky jigsaw pattern. According to Hunklinger, the system

of excavator paving has convinced customers in Europe because of the “minimised movements on freshly laid pavers, simple operation and control of the paver attachment and finally best visibility to the laying edge”.

Keen to demonstrate the attachment in action for CMME, Hunklinger hops into the Yanmar to show how easy it is to use. On one side is a set of concrete paving stones ordered into a series of offset rows a pallet is on the other. The load is swiftly grabbed and swung to a new position. It is a straightforward and simple set-up and one that could be easily imagined on-site.

According to Hunklinger, you can lay 500sqm per day with the set-up.

“However we have customers that have been using it for years, so they’re very well trained and experienced and can do double that.”

Excavator/attachment set-up is made possible by the fully automatic hydraulic control of the clamp enabling the excavator driver to easily handle the special attachment for laying stones. Hunklinger says that the operator experience required is fairly basic.

“The whole operation is controlled by the foot pedal. You just push and the clamping is automatic,” he explains. “You need to be able to drive an excavator and the rest is not difficult.”

With Al Mahroos now on board and a tool that could change the way many contractors work in the region, Hunklinger could find its attachment to the Middle East is not difficult for years to come.”

“WE ALWAYs sAID THAT If sOMEBODY COMEs TO us AnD sHOWs THEY WILL BE A GOOD PArTnEr, THEn WE WILL TrY IT”

Talal Al Mahroos

November 2013

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 55October 2013

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST 43

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February 2014

ConsTRUCTIon

MIDDLE EAsT 51

Special Report

Forever means different things to different people. A mayfly lives for a single day so ‘I will love you until after lunch’ would be a declaration of love. Whereas a Bowhead whale lives for over two hundred years, so that same

declaration would not cut it with Mrs Bowhead whale.And it is thus with construction. I once lived in a

house in Surrey that had been built in 1599. It was a cowshed and house that had been fused together. There was no preservation order on it, as there are hundreds of buildings like that in that part of the world. And crucially it was built to house cows. It’s projected lifespan was probably twenty years, and yet four hundred years later it was prized real estate with a load of original features it hadn’t started with.

The other end of that scale is the original Hard Rock Café in Dubai. It actually stood for fifteen years, and was knocked down earlier this year. That’s a short lifetime for a building, even a ridiculous one. As write this I am wearing a T shirt that is older than fifteen years.

Now you may be unaware that Dubai has recently won the right to host the 2020 World Expo trade convention, they haven’t mad much of a fuss of it really. Earlier World Expos have resulted in iconic buildings. According to the press Dubai will experience a boom bigger than Nagsaki and you can feel the rents rising even as we speak.

Incidentally the best-known ‘first World Expo’ was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title “Great

Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations”. The Great Exhibition, as it is often called, was an idea of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, and is usually considered as the first international exhibition of manufactured products. It influenced the development of several aspects of society, including art-and-design education, international trade and relations, and tourism

Dubai has little history compared to Rome or Britain. Many of the residents are older than the country and no stone-age ruins adorn the area. In fact what Dubai calls history other nations call nostalgia. Imagine living in a country that is several years younger than the Rolling Stones.

In fairness the USA has nearly the same claim, having been officially become a country in 1776.

It is true that Dubai has no past compared to other countries, but crucially it has the same amountof future.

“We renew our promise to astonish the world in 2020,” said Sheikh al-Maktoum, after the win. “Dubai Expo 2020 will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity.”

Dubai authorities say the Expo 2020 will bring in around $23 billion. Meanwhile the organisers have told the world’s media that financing for the six-month event will cost a total of $8.4 billion with the government spending around $6.5 billion on infrastructure projects to support the event.

In2020

VIsIonJonathon Savill gives his own slightly irreverent slant on bringing the Expo 2020 to Dubai

Special Report

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST52

Special Report

Dubai winning the Expo places a degree of responsibility on the UAE’s shoulders. Previously World Expo’s have resulted in world-class buildings. These have been iconic and drawn visitors to the city for decades afterwards, in some cases. But they have mostly started from a distinctive design place in an ordered urban environment. Arguably Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Headquarters building is iconic. As is the Burj Al Arab. The architect Ton Wright who was responsible for the Burj said that any icon should be sketchable by anybody in five seconds. Certainly that applies to the Burj, as it does to the Eiffel Tower. (Incidentally Dubai, Tom Wright has recently left his employer of 20 years and set up a company on his own. Just saying but you can find him on http://wkkarchitects.com).

It is a reasonable assumption that the Expo will attract visitors in droves (a large mass of people moving or acting as a body). Dubai is ready for them. The rulers have allocated a large chunk of its Expo budget to building and developing its infrastructure and improving its logistics facility by 2020. Unlike other sectors, infrastructure is an integral part of a

country’s economy and has paved the way for further sustainable development.

A Standard Chartered report says that Dubai is expected to spend around $9 billion to fund its growth plans for the event: ‘Capital expenditure will be directed to develop city-wide infrastructure that is not already in the pipeline and the Expo area and the immediate vicinity, such as the extension of the Dubai metro red line.’

More good news is that much of the financing for this would come from Islamic sources. The Expo would mean significant infrastructure spending,” Adnan Chilwan, CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC (DIB), said. “Raising funds would require the right financial structures and, in my mind, capital market transactions, bonds or sukuk will see a surge. The way the wind is blowing, sukuk may be the preferred route.”

The headlines refer to Dubai although of course the victory belongs to the UAE. In some ways Abu Dhabi is like a parent at a funfair, ostensibly uninvolved although quietly slipping cash to the teenagers.

But there is good news for Abu Dhabi too: The site chosen for the event, is spread over 438ha and located between the international airports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates.

According to UAE officials, 40% of the estimated 227,000 new jobs expected to be created as a result of Expo will be in the tourism and travel sectors. So Abu Dhabi’s hotels and airline can expect a bonus too.

Trawling through the press coverage gives a long list of statistics and GDP figures. Then, in a report in the National we find the hidden nugget: The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre even pledged to name what is expected to be the world’s tallest tower “Burj 2020.” The building is expected to break ground in 2015.

“We are honoured to dedicate the world’s tallest commercial tower to this historic win, said DMCC chairman, Ahmed bin Sulayem. Dubai just can’t help itself, there is a fair chance that the first inhabitants of the moon will actually have rented a penthouse apartment in Dubai sometime around 2030.

In this case the whole of Dubai seems to have stood behind this bid and so it should. Our city is growing up.

“THE RUlERS HAvE AllOCATED A lARGE CHUNk Of ITS ExPO BUDGET TO DEvElOPING ITS INfRASTRUCTURE AND ITS lOGISTICS By 2020”

February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST52

Special Report

Dubai winning the Expo places a degree of responsibility on the UAE’s shoulders. Previously World Expo’s have resulted in world-class buildings. These have been iconic and drawn visitors to the city for decades afterwards, in some cases. But they have mostly started from a distinctive design place in an ordered urban environment. Arguably Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Headquarters building is iconic. As is the Burj Al Arab. The architect Ton Wright who was responsible for the Burj said that any icon should be sketchable by anybody in five seconds. Certainly that applies to the Burj, as it does to the Eiffel Tower. (Incidentally Dubai, Tom Wright has recently left his employer of 20 years and set up a company on his own. Just saying but you can find him on http://wkkarchitects.com).

It is a reasonable assumption that the Expo will attract visitors in droves (a large mass of people moving or acting as a body). Dubai is ready for them. The rulers have allocated a large chunk of its Expo budget to building and developing its infrastructure and improving its logistics facility by 2020. Unlike other sectors, infrastructure is an integral part of a

country’s economy and has paved the way for further sustainable development.

A Standard Chartered report says that Dubai is expected to spend around $9 billion to fund its growth plans for the event: ‘Capital expenditure will be directed to develop city-wide infrastructure that is not already in the pipeline and the Expo area and the immediate vicinity, such as the extension of the Dubai metro red line.’

More good news is that much of the financing for this would come from Islamic sources. The Expo would mean significant infrastructure spending,” Adnan Chilwan, CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC (DIB), said. “Raising funds would require the right financial structures and, in my mind, capital market transactions, bonds or sukuk will see a surge. The way the wind is blowing, sukuk may be the preferred route.”

The headlines refer to Dubai although of course the victory belongs to the UAE. In some ways Abu Dhabi is like a parent at a funfair, ostensibly uninvolved although quietly slipping cash to the teenagers.

But there is good news for Abu Dhabi too: The site chosen for the event, is spread over 438ha and located between the international airports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates.

According to UAE officials, 40% of the estimated 227,000 new jobs expected to be created as a result of Expo will be in the tourism and travel sectors. So Abu Dhabi’s hotels and airline can expect a bonus too.

Trawling through the press coverage gives a long list of statistics and GDP figures. Then, in a report in the National we find the hidden nugget: The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre even pledged to name what is expected to be the world’s tallest tower “Burj 2020.” The building is expected to break ground in 2015.

“We are honoured to dedicate the world’s tallest commercial tower to this historic win, said DMCC chairman, Ahmed bin Sulayem. Dubai just can’t help itself, there is a fair chance that the first inhabitants of the moon will actually have rented a penthouse apartment in Dubai sometime around 2030.

In this case the whole of Dubai seems to have stood behind this bid and so it should. Our city is growing up.

“THE RUlERS HAvE AllOCATED A lARGE CHUNk Of ITS ExPO BUDGET TO DEvElOPING ITS INfRASTRUCTURE AND ITS lOGISTICS By 2020”

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February 2014

CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE EAST54

Until now it has been widely assumed that

construction equipment made by Chinese

companies, and even equipment made in

China by the leading foreign firms, was

inferior in both quality and technology to gear

produced in the foreign firms’ factories back

home. These assumptions have been crushed by

a new study from CLSA, a broker, which tested

a range of Chinese-made diggers, and found

them to be sturdy and high-performing. Leading

Chinese brands like Sany, Zoomlion and LiuGong,

whose products also have the advantage of being

cheap, will soon be invading building sites across

the globe.

Things have changed drastically since the

global financial crisis five years ago. Until then,

around 90% of the diggers on Chinese building

sites were foreign-branded, albeit often made

inside the country. The government’s huge fiscal

stimulus, in 2008-09, triggered a construction

boom which encouraged existing Chinese makers

to expand, and dozens of new firms to enter

the market. The local firms lacked the technical

know-how of Japan’s Hitachi and the extensive

product range of America’s Caterpillar. But they

offered buyers such generous discounts and

financing that by 2011 they had grabbed half of

the domestic market.

As they have expanded, the best Chinese

firms have rushed to upgrade their

technology by buying, or entering

joint ventures with, foreign

competitors and suppliers.

Sany Heavy bought two

German firms, Putzmeister

and Intermix, and entered

a joint venture with

Palfinger of Austria.

Zoomlion bought CIFA of

Italy. LiuGong and Xugong

formed joint ventures with,

respectively, America’s Cummins and South

Korea’s Doosan, to improve their diesel engines.

As the effect of the government’s stimulus

has faded, demand for construction equipment

has softened. So the foreign firms, which had

hitherto been producing relatively low-tech

“made in China for China” products in their local

factories, have increasingly switched to making

more sophisticated ones for export, in particular

to South-East Asian countries.

CLSA’s researchers subjected Chinese-made

diggers from six companies-Sany, Caterpillar,

Hitachi and Doosan, as well as Komatsu and

Kobelco of Japan-to two weeks of gruelling

tests of their productivity, durability and

fuel efficiency. They all came out well, but

most striking was the performance of Sany’s

machines. Though not quite as good as the best,

made by Caterpillar, they outperformed their

Japanese and Korean rivals. CLSA concluded

that technology gaps between the best Chinese

firms and their foreign rivals are now “almost

non-existent”. It expects that Sany and a

handful of other larger Chinese brands will lead a

consolidation of the local industry, in which 60

firms will become perhaps six

CLSA’s test makes an interesting contrast with

a similar exercise in February, in which Sanford

C. Bernstein, a research firm, stripped down

two leading models of Chinese-branded car, to

examine their build quality. In this case the

Chinese firms were still found to be lagging their

foreign rivals. So Chinese companies have not

yet learned how to make world-class cars, but

they have now cracked how to make top-quality

construction equipment at attractive prices-and

their foreign rivals should be worried.

Chinese close gap

Chinese companies are

global players in terms of

production and acquisitions.

Research company says there is no

difference between China and the RoW

The Last Word

What? No technology gap?

CLSA concluded that technology gaps between the best Chinese

firms and their foreign rivals are now “almost non-existent”. It expects

that Sany and a handful of other larger Chinese brands will lead a

consolidation of the local industry, in which 60 firms will become

perhaps six.

construction machinery me february 2014

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