German manufacturer of mining, tunnelling and excavation machinery and equipment Industrie-maschinen-Bergbau-Service (IBS) will be visiting the Big 5 with a view to seeking out a reputable firm to represent its quality brand of heavyweight products.

“IBS has been on the quest for a renowned firm in Dubai to represent for our ‘Made in Germany’ products for some time. We have also been considering setting up a branch office following our participation at the Middle East Construction and Industrial Equipment Show in 2005,” says Frank Santo, head of marketing and public relations. “We are highly optimistic that the Big 5 will offer us a fruitful opportunity to get in touch with our existing contacts in the region as well as meet new interested parties.”
Since it was formed in 1994, IBS has become internationally known mainly for its range of mining and tunnelling roadheaders (SM series) in several weight-class categories.
Furthermore, the company also builds transfer conveying stations and cutting attachments – the AS series – for nearly every type of excavator available on the market, besides wear protection plates, according to Santo. It also has a rich welding experience and provides welding services geared to its main product range, he says.
In its roadheader range, IBS has sold more than 100 SM series machines worldwide – split roughly 55:45 between mining and tunnelling – which have been exported to Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India, Russia and Australia.
Says Santo: “These machines have been used in coal and salt mines, sewage tunnels, several highway and railway tunnel constructions and for bypass tunnels for hydroelectric projects. They have also been used in large projects such as the EU’s CERN project, a new nuclear research centre near Geneva, Switzerland. The centre’s tunnels have been built and created with IBS’ roadheader machines.
IBS’ roadheader machines for tunnel construction and excavator milling attachments for road construction have been in use In the Gulf region since 2003.
In addition, the company has also received enquires for its road and tunnel construction machines from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, as well as neighbouring countries, he says.
Committed to innovation and continuous improvement, the company plans to extend the SM roadheader series with bigger and more powerful machines, to introduce innovative modernised technology with the latest machine standards and minimise maintenance, he says.
“IBS is always keen on meeting customer requirements with new products and hence has been continuously pushing ahead with innovation and upgrades. Its extensive experience in the worldwide tunnel, road construction and mining sectors as well as the feedback it receives from end-user have helped it to anticipate market demand. By next year, IBS will introduce its new roadheader machines for tunnel construction and mining in the 80-tonne heavyweight class,” Santo comments.
The company is certificated with DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 and adopts a top-quality management system.
In recent years, the company has embarked on a diversification plan, along with its parent engineering company MSB Maschinenbau Schmitt.
MSB, founded in 1900, is specialised in heavy metal and steel construction, automated systems for the automobile and aircraft industries.
IBS has also boosted its workforce with an additional 200 employees in the fields of component and spares manufacturing, material handling, machining related equipment and machining and refurbishment services. In the process, the company has extended its premises to a 21,000 sq m production area, with the addition of a welding shop, three assembly halls, a paint shop and new office buildings.
“The extra space has not only created operational flexibility, but has also allowed the development of special welding processes, and the ability to produce wear-resistant materials and handling equipment for mining, amongst other things. In particular, IBS is now able to make patented wear plates comprising a metal powder material welded to a range of high-strength steels.
The company can also machine hard steels such as Creusabro and Hardox, which has made it the main supplier of chutes, conveying and other wear resistant equipment to the German coal industry, Santo adds.