Cifa, an industry leader in Italy for years with an extensive presence in the global market in concrete production, transport and casting, has recently introduced a wide range of innovative products to the international and Gulf markets.

They include the highly advanced K48, K52 and K58 truck-mounted concrete pumps, new SL series truck mixers, and high-performance batching plants with high hourly outputs, all tailor-made to customer requirements.
“We manufacture a range of products for concrete production, transport and placing, including special equipment for tunnelling and forms,” says Dr Riccardo Malfer, export sales manager of Cifa’s plant division. “Cifa Magnum, which is the first combined truck-mixer and concrete boom pump in world, is a clear expression of our elaborate and continual research and development efforts. We have stationary pumps also in high pressure version to pump in high tower and stationary placing and self-climbing booms. Tunnelling is also a special department of Cifa which studies with the contractors the needs of each project individually,” he says.
Cifa’s product range includes the SL series of truck mixers from 7 to 12 cu m, truck-mounted concrete pumps with 24 to 58 m booms, and concrete batching plants in capacities of 50 to 240 cu m/h. It also includes special plants for dam construction and other major civil projects.

Wide range
“The new-generation SL truck mixers combine all of Cifa’s expertise and technologies for the highly demanding and competitive ready-mix market,” says Malfer. “The materials, volumetric capacity of the drum and design of the main components of the machine have all been completely re-engineered. One of the goals was to achieve a considerable reduction in the machine’s weight, which is vital for guaranteeing maximum concrete flow rates without exceeding the weight limits permitted for road transport.
“The load capacity of the drum, which conforms to DIN 459-1 standards, makes it a leader in its category. The drum is made from special wear-resistant steel that guarantees excellent durability plus a reduced weight. The base frame and front and rear drum supports have also been designed to limit overall machine weight and simplify operator access during cleaning as well as maintenance.
“The SL range, which came into being with the 9 cu m capacity SL9 model, has been expanded to include the new SL7, SL8 and SL12 models, which have a 7, 8 and 12 cu m capacity respectively.
Moving on to the new truck-mounted concrete pumps, he says: “The K35L XZ, a compact and versatile pumping truck with its optimal pump/chassis configuration, boasts a performance that is unique in its class. Thanks to the exclusive rotor, which ensures continual rotation of the last section, the machine is suitable for use even in difficult and hard-to-access areas. Some of the main features of the pump include a 35 m boom with five sections, each 5 ft long; a Z-ZR configuration with patented rotor on the last section; simple X-configuration front outriggers and rear extension; possibility to assemble the pump on a three-axle chassis with standard wheel bases (wheel base 4,200 mm); and two possible configurations for pump units: open circuit and closed circuit with the HPG 1408 IF9 model.
“The K41L XRZ, meanwhile, is a further development of the highly successful K41. The model has been restyled with a particular focus on the placing boom, with a reduction in total weight and the tilting moment, whilst increasing resistance and rigidity. These modifications have created an even more stable and well balanced machine with an overall lower weight as well as less weight on the rear axle of the lower chassis.
“The truck has a five-section, 41-m boom, with a 125 mm pipeline diameter and RZ folding system. Telescopic outriggers and rear jacks, assembled on a four-axle chassis with a standard wheel base greater than 4,500 mm, plus two configurations for the pump units, with open and closed circuit. The machine  comes with a HPG 1408 pump unit with the EPC closed electronic circuit version.
“The HPG 1408 optimises the cutting-edge design of CIFA pump units, renowned for their reliability and performance. The pumps are characterised by a detachable nine-inch S-valve for maximum suction and pumping performance, without any reduction between the concrete pipelines and valve, plus ultra-easy maintenance and a newly designed open hopper pit, reinforced for an outstanding performance yet easy to disassemble. The pit ensures excellent concrete mixing in the hopper, avoiding stagnation points and guaranteeing even easier cleaning.”
The Cifamix batching plants are characterised by their extremely modular system which enable several configurations either for production capacity or for particular climatic conditions. The plants offer high outputs of 90, 100 and 120 cum/h of compacted concrete; constant quality under control; reliability for long time; low maintenance costs; protection of the environment and reduced area for installation, says Malfer.
The mixing unit is equipped with twin-shaft horizontal mixers connected to the aggregates storage and batching modules in 4, 5, or 6 compartments with capacities ranging from 100 to 300 cu m and the option of a double production line, all equipped with a high-capacity extraction belt to ensure the fast extraction of the batched materials.
The Cifamix range offers solutions for the production of 90, 100 and 120 cu m/h, depending on the capacity of the mixer. The structure made in hot-galvanised steel is composed by modular elements equipped with pre-assembled components for an easy transport, simple installation and ergonomics.
In the UAE, Cifa is represented by Bin Brook Motor and Equipment, which has its head office in Abu Dhabi and branch offices in Dubai and Al Ain. In the past 10 years, the company has had a growing list of clients, according to Fabio Assouad, Cifa’s area manager for Middle East.
“Bin Brook Motors’ vast experience in the UAE market coupled with high quality concrete equipment from Cifa has been a great incentive to the local customers. Our progressive movement in the market share is a testimony to this fact,” says Assouad.
The UAE and the rest of the GCC, which is experiencing a massive construction boom, has been a very attractive and buoyant market for Cifa, according to Malfer.
The other booming markets,  are Russia, India, and China. This is in contrast to the markets of Europe and the US, where the concrete transportation industry in general has witnessed a decrease in demand foreseen up to the end of year 2009, he says.
Major concrete producers in the UAE such as Al Falah Readymix, Tremix, Readymix Beton, Quickmix Beton, Qualitymix and Gulf Readymix are currently using Cifa concrete equipment such as batching plants, concrete pumps and transit mixers, says Malfer.
“We offer complete customer support through our service centres in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and three mobile workshops. The local market understands that support is a critical factor in the heavy equipment business,” he says. “Given our growth in the UAE, we are also planning to set up a branch which will enable it to serve our customers better.”
For the UAE market, Cifa is currently busy with orders for several concrete batching plants of 120 cu m capacity, SL truck-mixers and truck-mounted concrete pumps with 41, 48 and 52 m booms, says Malfer.
“Currently there are about 40 Cifamix concrete batching plants with 90 and 120 cu m/h capacities in operation in the UAE. The plants have been serving some 500 Cifa truck-mixers of 9, 10 and 12 cu m capacities and 60 Cifa truck-mounted concrete pumps with booms of 36, 41, 44, 48 m, being used in the construction of many important buildings, towers, infrastructures and entire projects,” Malfer says.
Al Falah Readymix is currently working on a number of leading projects across the UAE, including the Dubai Waterfront, and the new Ritz-Carlton hotel and residential complex currently being built in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Its fleet of machines and equipment includes batching plants Cifa Personal 5.30-170 and Cifamix 120, and Cifa concrete pumps K 41 and 48.
Cifa has supplied two fully computerised Cifamix wet plants, each having a production capacity of 90 cu m/hr, to Quickmix Beton. It has also commissioned Cifamix Dual, a twin plant with a combined output of 240 cu m/hr, while another three units of Cifamix 120 cu m/hr have been ordered. Several units of Cifa transit mixers are part of Quickmix Beton’s fleet for the effective supply at the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.
Another of Cifa’s Dubai-based clients, Quality Mix, has batching plants with a total production capacity of 300 cu m/hour, reaching 30,000 cu m/monthly for each plant. Quality Mix has also acquired Cifa’s new SL series, which are designed for the export market, and truck-mounted concrete pumps ranging from 41 m to 48 m.
Cifa’s stationary pumps with placing booms have also been used in the precast factory for all the elements of the Dubai metro project, according to the company.
Elsewhere in the region, Cifa has developed a wide network of distributors and representatives, covering other GCC countries, which include Orient Marketing and Trading Company in Saudi Arabia; Kharafi National in Kuwait; Al Bahwan in Oman; Ahmad Mansour Al Ali in Bahrain; and Nasser Bin Khaled in Qatar.
Globally, Cifa has reported major growth rates over the last few years, both in Italy and on international markets, with foreign sales accounting for 70 per cent of total sales revenue, says a spokesman for the company.
In 2006, Cifa achieved an important goal, registering sales of €300 million ($443 million), a 25 per cent increase over the previous year.