Earthmoving & soil compaction

A fleet of six Volvo EC480D excavators are the key machines for an extraction operation in Madagascar. The new site is producing thousands of tonnes of Chromite ore every day. Chromium is a relatively rare mineral, with South Africa claiming up to 70% of the earth’s reserves. But neighbouring island Madagascar also has significant deposits, and it was to this, the world’s fourth largest island, that Indian exploration firm APC sent its geologists to scout for suitable mining opportunities. They struck luck

Independent Swiss dealer Robert Aebi is offering Volvo articulated hauler customers a chance to boost their environmental credentials and GoGreen. Volvo’s articulated haulers are produced in the construction industry’s first manufacturing plant powered entirely by renewable energy. All of Volvo’s articulated haulers – from the 25tonne A25G to the 50tonne A60H – are produced in Braås, Sweden. In 2014 the factory became the construction equipment industry’s first production facility to be powered entirely b

Ben Boare is the founder and managing director of Digging It Groundworks – a multifaceted construction company based in Andover in southern England. Boare formed Digging in 2007. “We initially started out doing small groundworks jobs, but as the years pass by we are focusing more and more on the plant hire side of things and our crushing, screening and recycling operation,” he said. The company has historically run a mixed fleet of hydraulic excavators, including JCB, Volvo, Takeuchi and Kubota. But in re

Doosan has further developed its telematics technology to offer new capabilities to customers. According to the firm, this package meets increasing demand for sophisticated fleet monitoring and remote equipment monitoring. The firm offers DoosanConnect, the wireless fleet and asset management system for its excavator, wheeled loader and articulated dump truck ranges. The DoosanConnect system is a web-based fleet management solution which can be used for monitoring the performance and security of machines an

A project carried out by LYNCH, one of the leading contractors in the south-east of New England, provided for the placement and compaction of asphalt on a road near Douglas, MA. A BOMAG BW 190 ADO-5 was used on the 3km section being redeveloped; this was assigned to work on the 60mm thick asphalt binder course and the 25mm thick top layer. The special feature of the project was in the application of the WMA process (Warm Mix Asphalt – low-temperature asphalt). In the course of this process, additive is add

Intelligent compaction and infrared scanning technologies have been used to improve construction quality The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) carried out a year-long project throughout 2017 to demonstrate the use of intelligent compaction (IC), infrared scanning (IR), and Veta software to improve pavement construction operations. “We were looking for ways to assess quality in asphalt projects,” said Bill Stone, research administrator at MoDOT. “We are working towards better pavements that l

The new Trackunit tool is said to allow fleet operators to monitor machine health. This novel smartphone app can link operators and equipment. An advanced version of the Trackunit On smartphone app, the new tool means that equipment rental companies and fleet owners can stay on top of machine and operator health. The system is said to provide a smart solution to log and track start-up routines together with service and maintenance requirements. Trackunit On provides a smartphone-driven checklist so operato

Excavation work on Slovakia’s Visnove Tunnel has now been completed. Driving the tunnel took nine months longer than originally anticipated. The 7.5km tunnel will be Europe’s seventh longest when complete and forms part of the D1 highway between Dubna Skala and Lietavska. Work on this highway started in 2014, with the construction being carried out jointly by Italian contractor Salini Impregilo and local firm Duha. Fitting out of the tunnel is now commencing, with equipment such as ventilation and traffic

Volvo CE is taking bold steps in developing technologies for the future of construction machines – Mike Woof writes Volvo CE is making serious innovations in construction machine technology, developing equipment that is smarter, safer, cleaner and more fuel-efficient. This innovation comes from a position of strength and from a financial perspective, Volvo CE is performing well. CEO Melker Jernberg said, “When it comes to performance we need to be good economically. We saw growth for 2018 in all region