Connected Construction

According to Sokkia, its new SHC500 field controller offers users a compact handheld option with numerous features. The SHC500suits use in construction and surveying applications and has features such as a touchscreen display and optional 5 MP camera with built-in LED flash. The unit has been designed for the professional operating MAGNET Field, Site and Layout software. The data controller works with all Sokkia GNSS receivers and total stations, and meets or exceeds all field application requirements.

Software specialist SoundPLAN is now offering the latest version of its sophisticated noise-mapping package worldwide. The 4.0 package has been trialled in Germany and can be used to calculate the noise emissions from roads and other infrastructure such as railways. The package is said to be designed for users who only have an occasional requirement for a noise map. The firm says that the software can be used to deliver reliable tabular and graphical results for a standard noise calculation while requir

Pont-de-Veyle is a picturesque village of around 1,600 people in France’s eastern Rhones-Alps region. Being in a tourist area and close to major towns and cities meant that traffic – around 9,000 vehicles a day through its small streets – was becoming a concern The village sits about 30km from the larger town of Bourg-en-Bresse, towards the Swiss border. It also lies around 60km from the city of Lyon, all in the Department of Ain. The regional administrative authority Ain created the Conseil Départementa

US group Jacobs Engineering has been appointed by Highways England to develop preferred options for multiple highways schemes. The projects are in the east, southeast and northwest regions of England, according to statement by Jacobs. Contract value has not been given. Jacobs senior vice president for buildings and infrastructure, Bob Duff, said that the award “builds on our long established relationship with Highways England”. Highways England is the new government company charged with operating E

Delays in buying properties in Detroit, Michigan, could hold up construction of the proposed 3.2km Gordie Howe International Bridge that will link the US city to Windsor in Canada. A report by the Detroit Free press said that around 30 of the estimated 900 parcels of land in the city’s Delray district could pose potential problems if owners resist selling the sites to the bridge’s developers. The newspaper noted that Dwight Duncan, interim chair of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority - the Canadian e

Core values, constant innovation and looking after the customer are the key drivers for Ben Brock, chief executive officer and president of Astec Industries. How does he keep his company ahead of the pack and what does he think that the future holds? if you ask Ben Brock to explain how his Astec Industries group has managed to do so well for so long, he doesn’t even pause for breath. “That’s easy, I thank the good doctor. He always told me: do good work and take care of the customer ... which is exactl

Advances with machine control technologies are providing major benefits right across the construction sector - Mike Woof writes With the massive bauma 2016 exhibition now having run its course, the construction sector look set to benefit from a range of new machine control technologies. These systems are being offered across a range of different segments in the equipment sector. Bulldozing was one of the first portions of the earthmoving segment to benefit from machine control systems, but a vast array o

A new portable tool from GSSI offers fast and accurate analysis of concrete structures. The firm’s latest handheld ground penetrating radar (GPR) can be used for concrete inspection Industry. The StructureScan Mini series is a handheld, all-in-one GPR system for locating rebar, conduits, post-tension cables and voids. The unit can also be used to determine concrete slab thickness in real time. The firm offers the product in two models, the standard StructureScan Mini and the high resolution StructureSca

A Mott MacDonald and Sweco joint venture has been appointed by Transport Scotland to carry out route option assessment and detailed design work for dualling of the A96 highway between Hardmuir and Fochabers. The nearly 47km stretch of the road will provide users with improved journey times between two of Scotland’s economic hubs, the cities of Inverness and Aberdeen. In 2011, the Scottish Government published its Infrastructure Investment Plan which set out the Government’s plans for infrastructure i

Liebherr reports a record turnover for 2015 at €9.237 billion. This is the highest figure in the Liebherr Group’s history and represents an increase of €414 million or 4.7 % over with 2014. Some €751 million was invested in the business in 2015. Business in Western Europe saw an increase in turnover. Among the contributing factors were positive developments in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands. Sales revenue dropped, however, in France, the Group’s third-largest market. Turnover increased in volume