

RECORD sales, full order books and booming markets are a thing of the past. Instead most companies are facing drastic drops in demand and turnover. German trade with the Gulf is no exception with value of total equipment sales last year to the region recording just €580 million ($790 million) – a significant drop compared to the previous year, which was well above €600 million ($817 million). The 2008 sales stood at €800 million ($1.09 billion).
Worldwide sales for the German construction equipment and building material machinery industry fell in 2009 nominally by 43 per cent to €9.5 billion. “2009 has been the most difficult year ever for our industry,” says Dr Christof Kemmann, chairman of VDMA, the German Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Industry Association.
The construction equipment and building material machinery industry is highly dependent on export and therefore is currently fighting the loss of foreign markets. Throughout last year, the industry had to do without its markets in Russia and Eastern Europe, the Middle East – a booming market until 2008 – as well as the US and some European high-volume markets such as Spain.
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Bilfinger Berger designs for bridges ... nominated for the bauma Innovation Award. |
Unfortunately, these do not look very promising either for the current year. Foreign sales for the entire industry fell by 46 per cent compared to the previous year – domestic sales remained more stable in comparison and only fell by 33 per cent. For the first time in a number of years, the export quota for the entire industry dropped and now is 66 per cent for construction equipment and 79 per cent for building material machinery.
Forecast
2010 will be better. After the slump throughout the previous year, manufacturers of construction machinery are expecting a slight increase in turnover by five per cent. “Even a slight growth will not prevent the industry from reaching a level that will be far below those of previous years,” says Kemmann. “Today’s level has to be compared to that before the boom. We are not talking of the crisis any more at this stage, but rather of a ‘new and at the same time old’ reality.”
In order to ensure taking steps that are necessary in this current situation, adaptations in capacity may no longer be taboo.
In 2010, the industry puts its hope on its traditional markets in Europe and, in particular, on regions of growth in the Far East, especially China and India. But South America and North Africa have proven to be stimulating as well. “We are convinced that bauma will help also to boost the change in mood,” Kemmann believes.
bauma 2010 – the 29th international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machine, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment – is likely to be affected by general market scenario too. The current circumstances, in the run up to the fair, are significantly different from the previous fairs held, for instance, in 2004 and 2007. However, in light of all these negative trends, a positive sign is that bauma 2010 is fully booked!
The fair is becoming an important indicator of the situation the industry finds itself in. The industry will be keen to find out what solutions have been devised by every single manufacturer to meet the challenges.
Kemmann comments: “We must not expect miracles to happen throughout 2010 but we hope that a strong bauma in April this year will help support a change in outlook which is so very important for the construction equipment and building material machinery industry worldwide.”
Kemmann expects bauma 2010 to underline once again its reputation of being a trade fair for innovations. More than 200 applications for the bauma Innovation Award 2010 are already an indicator of this, according to him.
Innovations for sustainable growth
bauma is a brand standing for innovation, which is long-lasting and of high importance, especially during the economic crisis. The high number of applications from German companies handed in for this year’s bauma Innovation Award indicates their keenness to be ahead of their competitors with the innovations they offer. These focus on criteria such as forward-looking development, high practical use, contribution to environment, humanisation of work, improvement of efficiency and productivity while reducing energy and costs, and image value for the construction equipment and building material machinery industry.
The bauma Innovation Award is offered in five categories and the winners will be declared at the opening ceremony on April 18, at Allerheiligen Hofkirche in Munich. Almost all innovations will be showcased at bauma.
Some of the nominations for the innovation award are:
• Foam drilling system for diamond drilling by Saint-Gobain Abrasives. Here a special, biodegradable foam is used as coolant instead of water. This foam allows an easier collection and transportation of the coolant as well as the slurries. There are, in particular, three advantages of this system: construction work can be carried out without the danger of water contamination and without its surroundings having to be perfectly protected; the surroundings of the work site do not need to be carefully protected against water spraying prior to construction work being carried out; and only 10 per cent of liquid (a foam-liquid mix) is necessary – compared to the amount of water normally required.
• Compact geothermal drill Terra-Drill by Terra, Reiden. Although compact with a modular design, it is as powerful as a conventional large drilling machine. The drill jumbo is less than 1 m wide and its weight is also rather low.
• SL750 EiControlPlus shearer loader by Eickhoff Bergbautechnik. With this shearer loader, it is possible – for the first time ever – to operate underground long-walling fully automatically, with the operator only having to monitor functions while being in a safe surrounding.
• Down-the-hole flushing head for drilling rods by Bauer Maschinen. With this innovation, Kelly drilling can now also be efficiently performed in very strong rock. In addition, the drilling performance is also higher. Moreover, this method is environment-friendly, as the complicated and cost-intensive setting up of a slurry drilling system with slurry tanks and slurry treatment on the surface are no longer required.
• Thermo-hydraulic free piston engine by Bosch Rexroth. Conventional mobile hydraulic drives usually consist of combustion engines flanged with axial piston pumps. This thermal hydraulic free piston engine, however, combines the function of these two components in one device. It significantly reduces the energy consumption and the pollutant emissions by up to 35 per cent and requires a small installation space.
• Energy storage cylinder by Liebherr Hydraulikbagger. It is, in fact, an energy regeneration system designed especially for hydraulic excavators used in material handling work – which means less fuel consumption and less pollutant as well as noise emissions.
• HD+ Tandem rollers with the ‘plus factor’ by Hamm. Entirely geared to the driver offering high visibility and an extra-large cabin, these rollers ensure a comfortable environment that enhances efficiency and safety. The air shroud is cleverly constructed and leads the engine’s heat loss away from the cabin.
• Liebherr LH 120 C by Liebherr Hydraulikbagger. Featuring a new functionally optimised shape, it offers a comfortable cabin with optimal ergonomy and vision. It provides a roof under which maintenance work can be carried out even under poor weather conditions. Servicing points are neatly laid out and the fuel tank is exceptionally large requiring refuelling less frequently.
• DPU 130 by Wacker Neuson. This new vibratory plate offers its operator the same control handling seen in manually controlled, walk-behind vibration plates, thereby delivering the same power as a roller weighing 7 tonnes (see separate article).
• Detectino by Clausthaler Umwelttechnik-Institut. The institute together with its partners has developed a mobile device for the detection of supply lines, which gives a virtual image of the ground down to a depth of up to 4 m.
• An acoustic geo scanner developed by Clausthal University of Technology. This new acoustic scanning device is used for surveying ground and deposits as well as detecting unconsolidated rock in an effective and professional way.
• New drilling procedure by Technical University of Dresden. At the university, a down-the-hole tool was developed, which can be integrated into the drilling process just like a conventional drilling tool. The advantages of this new method: nearly no wear out as no mechanical forces are working on the device and a higher drilling speed of 4 m/h in granite, leading to cost saving of nearly 30 per cent.