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New from Ascorel Controls is the MC 803 safety and command system. Its software and sensors are tailored to fit different types of equipment such as tower or mobile cranes, earthmoving equipment and access platforms. Features of this latest model include a colour touch screen and higher capacity communication systems as well as double-redundancy in the safety systems.

Command Alkon has launched the COMMANDbatch CP, a totally automated solution for the production of manufactured concrete products. COMMANDbatch CP is a Windows-based system that is fully compatible with standard concrete production equipment. Advanced process control features deliver accurate batching as well as accelerated production and clear well-organised visuals enable system process to be monitored and controlled with ease.

A Japanese manufacturer of toilets has assembled a trike that is powered by biogas as a promotional tool. This vehicle features a toilet bowl on which the driver sits. The toilet is thankfully not connected and is for aesthetic purposes only. The rm, TOTO, has called its vehicle the ToiletBike Neo Project, which forms part of the TOTO Green Challenge, the rm's aim at reducing CO2 emissions from bathrooms by 50% by 2017, compared with levels recorded in 1990. Other interesting features of the ToiletBike Ne

The year 2011 was the most successful year in Cummins’ history, according to Hugh Foden, executive director of Cummins off-highway business.“We achieved sales of $18bn, split 50:50 between off- and on-highway sectors,” he said. “Growth in the construction equipment sector is very important to us and we now power more OEMs than ever before.

In the UK a pensioner made a wrong turn that could have ended in disaster. As the 85 year-old woman drove her car across a level crossing, she inexplicably turned onto the railway tracks and then proceeded to drive along them. She drove her Peugeot for some 75m before the car stopped, blocking the busy main line between London's Waterloo station and Bournemouth. The woman and her 20 year-old relative quickly got out of the car and the incident was immediately reported. Train services were stopped until the

A would-be car-jacker in California was brought to a speedy halt by a police dog. The man stole a stretched Humvee limousine at gunpoint from its chauffeur, who immediately called the police. A chase soon ensued and the police pursued the man for 50km, before he was forced to halt the vehicle. The man then jumped out of the vehicle and

South African articulated dump truck manufacturer Bell Equipment unveiled a new generation of ADTs at INTERMAT yesterday. The new E-series – E is for evolutionary – boasts a wider hood and a “more imposing styling” according to the company. It is planned to go into production in 2013. Bell Equipment chief executive Gary Bell said, “We believe that our D-series has successfully met the challenges of the world’s job sites and has many strengths and features across the range that our customers would like to se

The Toyota Prius has a reputation as a car favoured by tree-hugging Hollywood stars, but a former colleague of the World Highways editor has proven that despite its reputation for economy, the Toyota Prius can serve as a racetrack tool. The driver has con rmed that his vehicle was o cially the ninth fastest of its type around the famous Nordschleife (Nürburgring) race track in Germany, beating 27 other similar models at the time of its run. The unmodi ed Prius T4 managed to complete the 20.8km section of t

Cummins has revealed its latest engine platform to cover the 37-55kW sector. Called the QSF2.8, the new four-cylinder platform is the smallest engine from Cummins to use full-authority electronic controls for high-pressure common rail injection. The 2.8litre engine is available in naturally aspirated (37kW) and turbocharged (55kW) packages, and has been developed as a global engine platform.

An American man has found a rather eye-catching way to increase the top speed of his 1967 Chevrolet Impala. The car has been modi ed with the addition of a gas turbine originally designed for use in a cruise missile. This engine is bolted onto the car's roof with additional security provided by sections of rope, one of which is wedged in the bonnet and another in a rear door. His car can now reach claimed speeds of up to 500km/h, shoot 9m long - ames from its tailpipe and has the added safety bene t of dete

Launched at INTERMAT in prototype form, the SV100-1 is now Yanmar’s largest excavator. Tipping the scales at 10.3tonnes, the reduced tailswing midi excavator gets a two-piece boom and additional counterweight. Powered by a 54.7kW 4TNV98T engine, the excavator offers a 4.48m dig depth, sits on 450mm wide rubber tracks, and measures 2.3m wide. A fourth auxiliary circuit is available as an option.

A Norwegian sand producer has improved material quality since it began using a new washing plant from CDE. Reddal Sand's new plant has resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of the product from its site in the South of Norway. Reddal Sand is located in Grimstad, Aust-Agder and has supplied a variety of construction materials to major projects in the area since 1989, including materials for use in concrete, road construction and various types of groundworks.

Sennebogen's 6130 HD duty cycle crawler crane has received praise for its mining work in central Germany. The machine, which comes with drag shovel and a 5.6m³ dragline, has been extracting 2,500m³ of gravel/day. The crawler crane's 29.9m boom is used to pour material over a large heap before it is sieved after a short drying period and transported on with a HGV. The Sennebogen 6130 is being used by construction company Himmel und Papesch on behalf of K+B Kies und Beton. Himmel und Papesch says the machine

Three new solutions from Trimble Heavy Civil Construction designed to connect the construction site and lead to increased efficiency and reduced costs has been unveiled at the show. The solutions for heavy civil construction professionals include the Trimble Connected Office, the Trimble Connected Controller and the Trimble Connected Machine.

Five Potain cranes were used to build pylons for the Viaduto do Corgo project in Portugal. The recently completed 2.8km viaduct is one of the longest and tallest in the country. The machines were supplied by Manitowoc's Portugal office on a rental contract, who managed the cranes throughout the project. In addition to installing the cranes, the local Manitowoc Crane Care team also climbed and relocated the cranes as work progressed. Each crane worked with a 45m jib and constructed four pylons at a time. In

Construction work on Indonesia’s Sunda Straits Bridge is planned to start in 2014. The 40,000ha of land required for the project has been prepared by the government. The project forms part of a wider plan to boost the economy growth of Sumatra. The Public Works Ministry is preparing the road development master plan to link Aceh to Lampung. The Indonesian Government will also look into developing the Malacca Straits following the completion of the Sunda Straits Bridge.

By order of Natalya Komarova, the governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area (Urals), A feasibility study is underway for the second bridge across the Ob River construction in Russia’s Surgut region. The 1.56km bridge will take 5-6 years to construct and will cost over US$1 billion to build. The first bridge over the Ob River was built in 2000. Average daily traffic already exceeds its planned volume, which is why the second crossing is required.

Works on Serbia’s Strazevica tunnel is due for completion in May 2012. The tunnel forms part of the Belgrade ringroad. Serbia’s Government is also planning to finish the construction of a total of 200km of the Corridor 10 motorway, following the completion of the Strazevica-Bubanj and Batajnica-Dobanovci sections. Work on the remaining 130km will commence soon. Meanwhile work on the Ljig-Preljina section of Corridor 11 is now underway.

A new road link will be constructed in Indonesia to connect a coal mine development. The 100km road forms part of a US$764 million development for the coal project, with the link being constructed by Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, an Indonesian toll road operator in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Work on the road will commence in either the second half of 2012 or the first half of 2013. According to Operational Director of the firm, Hudaya Arryanto, the road is for supporting the coal mining industry, which is n

The authorities in China's Shanxi Province are investing heavily in highway expansion. By the end of 2012, the total highway/expressway network Shanxi Province will be some 5,000km. This will cost some US$15.85 billion for expressway construction during the year. A total of 23 expressway projects totalling 1,600km will be constructed during 2012. By the end of 2015, the total expressway distance in Shanxi Province should reach some 6,300km, from 4,000km in 2011.