PMV Middle East - Nov 2009

News (p04)Logistics (p16)Tenders (p46)

Backtrack (p48)

An ITP Business Publication

QATAR IN FOCUS Don’t be caught out - read our indispensable guide

November 2009, Volume 3 Issue 11

BREAKTHROUGHLight at the end of the tunnelon Diftah-Shis project

All about the big ticket items that will be at the Big 5 PMV show

Middle East & Africa

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001

NOVEMBER 2009, ISSUE 11 VOL 3

1602 COMMENT

04 NEWSSome of the latest news updates from across the industry.

12 NEWS FEATUREA preview of some ofthe Korean exhibitors of the next Big 5 PMV exhibition.

14 NEWS FEATUREThere’s been a breakthrough at the complex Diftah-Shis tunnel project.

16 LOGISTICSHeavy equipment has to be moved in oil & gas sector.

24 MACHINE MONTHThe news in pictures.

26 PRODUCTSTools and toys to help your business flourish.

29 BIG TICKETJust a few of the exhibitors at the next Big 5 PMV.

37 POWER TOOLSA market analysis contem-plating the switch to 110v.

41 COUNTRY FOCUS The next installment looks at the market in Qatar.

37 TENDERSThe latest infomation and leads for the region.

40 BACKTRACKSteel built our world - but who invented it?

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26

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COMMENT002

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As I write, the ink is drying on the final sale of GM-owned Hum-mer, to a Chinese con-struction machinery firm, which most peo-ple, even in our indus-try have never heard of (Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, in case you

were wondering) .How odd this sale seems. Perhaps it is because the

brand is so very American – both glamorous, in a Hol-lywood wrestler kind of way – but at the same time absurdly militaristic.

Perhaps for these reasons the four wheel-drive vehi-cles have enjoyed reasonable sales success in the Mid-dle East, but only as fashion accessories. After all, when was the last time you saw one earning its keep as a site vehicle? Come to that, when was the last time you saw the Chevy Silverado, on which later Hummers are based, in any serious work application? There are sim-ply better choices.

Yet this slice of Americana is not the only West-ern commodity heading east. There have been talks

Published by and Copyright © 2009 ITP Business Publishing,a division of ITP Publishing Group Ltd. Registered in the B.V.I. under Company Registration number 1402846.

HUMMING THE SAME TUNE

COMMENT002

Do you have any comments about the PMV industry, or the magazine? Please email: [email protected] or post to: PMV Middle East, ITP, IMPZ, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE.

between the GCC members and various Asian banks, which could result in oil being traded in currency other than dollars. Considering the GCC Central Bank that is being set up, in time there will be implications of this that affect all of us, not just high-flying currency trad-ers. Indeed, over the water Iran converted its currency reserves from dollars to euros last month, though this is politically, rather than fiscally motivated.

So what does all this mean for the plant manager in the Middle East? We’ve often talked about the rise of the Far East. With access to the drawing boards of Detroit, the quality of Chinese products could rise, par-ticularly if bolstered by the access to capital markets.

Time will tell, however, what such changes will have on world stability. America might be willing to scrap old car brands, but she will not give up the rest of her assets lightly. Let’s hope common sense prevails from the country that gave us trucks that make no sense.

Here’s a Hummer that makes no sense whatsoever seen on a Dubai street recently. Time will tell if the brand will continue to exist.

Greg Whitaker, [email protected]

REGIONAL NEWS004


PERSONEL Zahid Tractor, Saudi Arabia’s Caterpillar dealer has won a ‘best company to work for’ award, after a poll in a national newspaper.

Waleed Y. Zahid, the firm’s president commented: “Winning the prestigious first place award is a great mark of recognition by

Machine Dealer ‘best KSA fi rm to work for’

Race to the start for buses at F1 circuit

Mr Ahmed Abood (above) has invested around AED 45m in a new fleet of buses. In part, they will be used for shuttling people to and from the F1 site on Yas Island.

PURCHACE A rental company in Abu Dhabi has started taking delivery of 137 bus and coaches – some of which are earmarked for transport to and from the new F1 circuit, set to open at the beginning of November. The purchase totaled around AED 45m.

Fast Rent-a-Bus has bought 20 Chinese-made Zhongtong coaches of various sizes, along with 110 Misubishi Rosa 34 seat

our employees and a wonderful testimony that the company provided them with a happy, healthy and safe environment that promotes greater productivity.”

He continued: “The employees are encouraged to embrace the shared values, which consist of integrity, professionalism, understanding, respect, confidence and excellence, and to abide by the ‘Zahid strong Code of Ethics’. They are treated with fairness and equitability and are encouraged to be creative and to hold divergent views.”

mid-sized buses which will in part be used for shuttling spectators around Yas Island. Additionally, the purchase includes four other 30-seater buses and three air-conditioned Ashock-Leyland worker transport models.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr Ahmed Abood, CEO of Fast Rent A Car, said: “This investment of AED 45m is indicative of the confidence and trust that our

customers are continuing to place in our products and services, despite the economic downturn. By more than doubling the size of our fleet, we are also better placed to provide a full range of the latest, flexible transportation options to potential clients.”

The company will add the newcomers to an existing inventory of 130 buses.

Apart from contracts at the F1 site, its buses are

currently used by a range of organisations, from companies involved in the construction and hospitality industry to schools and universities and various government-run projects.

A Cat dealer won a poll held in a paper.

The gala event also featured the participation of two Zahid Tractor employees Eng. Abdulmoniem S. Al-Ghamdi, Fluids Analysis Laboratory Manager, and Omar A. Gari, Training Center Manager.

These two young Saudi executives shared with the audience their successful work experience at Zahid Tractor since their early days as trainees, and how quickly they scaled the corporate ladder till they reached their current key management positions.

137

100

Number of new buses bought - partly for F1 use

machines working an in-land aquaculture project

REGIONAL NEWS005

November 2009 \\ PMV Middle Eastwww.constructionweekonline.com

AED 72.5mCost of Sharjah-Al Dhaid

raod expansion

Trucks move after midnight to beat closures ROADS Trucks can now use a part of Al Wadah Road, a main thoroughfare through Sharjah which has been closed for the last year while redevelopment works are carried out, but the emirate still remains an anathema for most, truck operators say.

Firstly, an update in truck timings mean that heavy vehicles are not allowed on the Ring Road from the Industrial Square 5 to Waset Square station from 5:30am to 12 midnight.

The trucks can now begin using the roads on which they were earlier banned from 5:30am to 9:30am.

Confusingly, trucks are also banned three times a day from Al Badayeh intersection to the Fifth Industrial Square from 5:30am

to 9:30am, 1pm to 3pm and from 5:30pm to 9:30pm.

Meanwhile, a spate of blackouts throughout September, due to an overloaded grid has wrecked havoc among businesses.

One equipment dealer in Sharjah said: “Yes, the new timings are something of a problem – the real issue is that the roads just were not built for this kind of haulage.” On the subject of the power cuts he

said “Obviously, this wasn’t ideal in the height of summer, but hopefully the problem is solved now.”

Mr. R Menon from German Gulf Engineering concurred with this. “We are actually moving our lowbeds after midnight at the moment” he said. “The truck timings are very confusing – and even when the road is available, it is jammed.” He added that his offices and workshops kept three gensets on standby, as the power grid was still “not quite stable”. Less trucks on the road during the day in Sharjah, due to new time restrictions.

REGIONAL NEWS006


TRAFFIC The speed limit cushion at which radars will flash speeding vehicles is set to be reduced by 10kmhr from the existing 20kmh in Dubai, according to police.

The new rule, which is due to be introduced in November, will apply to trucks, buses and taxis only and police chiefs said they expect the move to result in a 10 percent drop inserious accidents.

Brigadier Mohammed Saif Al Zafin said the reduction was designed to reduce road deaths caused by speeding. He said: ““Reducing the radar control speed limit will decrease serious accidents by 10 percent during the next coming months.”

From November, if the speed limit on a road is 100km/hr, the fixed and mobile radars will

Dubai speed limit rule change

Quiet opening for Sharjah show

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Volvo sales dropVolvo CE has seen its European sales slump by more than half over the last year. The group recorded a -54% drop in orders top the end of Q3 2009. Other markets – including the Middle East saw a -66% fall. CEO Olof Persson said, “Tough market conditions continue in the sector, but there are some positive signs indicating that the decline in demand may have bottomed out.”

CEO change at CatDoug Oberhelman has been name vice chairman and CEO-elect of Caterpillar. The appointment will see him take succeed current chairman & CEO Jim Owens, assuming all his responsibilities by the end of October next year. Oberhelman has been with the company since 1975.

Cranes lift firmThe order backlog at Terex cranes is generating a steady income, according to company bosses. This is thanks in part, to firms wishing to expand in the oil and gas heavy lift markets in the Middle East, according to the firm. The US $1.02bn order book, though full, has thinned by half since this time last year though.

Atlas Copco hold upSwedish firm Atlas Copco have seen a sharp drop in sales, but have still managed to record a decent profit. The group has recorded an operating profit of 13.8%, despite the Construction and Mining order book being -43% when compared with the same period last year.

Used gear strongInterest in good quality used equipment remains strong, despite – or possibly because of the downturn, according to RB Auctions.

EXPO The key event in Sharjah’s construction machinery show calendar opened in the second week of October morning to small numbers of visitors, although the variety of equipment on display was as good as ever.

Gleaming new cranes and excavators surrounded the

register on the computer vehicles travelling at 111kmh instead of at 120kmh.

He said that 22 people died in incidents involving mini buses, 16 died in pickup caused accidents

“Perhaps later in the week we will see some more visitors, but for now, there is virtually nobody here” said another stallholder who did not wish to be identified.

Some were optimistic about the optimistic about the show, though. Andy Reinders of concrete preparation firm Blastrac said; “It doesn’t matter if footflow is a bit low, just so long as they are the right quality of visitors.”

“If we just ten visitors who wanted our product then it would have been worth coming.”

The show ran daily until the 15th in the Sharjah Expo Centre.

entrance, while inside rows of equipment from Komatsu, Hamm, JCB, Hyundai and others waited for admirers.

Saleh Rajab from Al-Yamamah Spare Parts said “It is very quiet here so far – hopefully it will pick up in the week.”

Others echoed his sentiments;

The point at which cameras will flash is set to reduce for heavy vehicles.

Lots of equipment, but very few visitors on the first day of Conmex in Sharjah.

10Leeway in kmh for

speeding trucks in Dubai

while 24 died in heavy trucks mishaps in 2008. Deaths involving taxis numbered 38.

Zafin said the lack of driving discipline and speeding were the main causes for the accidents.

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REGIONAL NEWS008


CRANES Eight new rubber-tyre gantry cranes have been delivered to the Jeddah seaport, in the latest installment of the facility’s refurbishment programme.

Arriving aboard the vessel Zhe Hua 7, the new equipments bring total number of RTGs at the port to 20.

Equipped with advanced devices, such as computer-controlled crane monitoring systems (CMS), and being single and twin lifts, the ZPMC cranes are able to handle loads of up to 65 tones under the spreader. They also span seven rows plus truck lane wide (24.4 m) and have a 1-over-6 (8 ft 6 in) lift height (18.84 m). Being the latest of their kind in the area, they are owned by port

New gantry cranes at red sea terminal

operator Red Sea Gateway (RSGT) The long-term growth plan is to spur Jeddah into becoming the hub port of Red Sea, by adding an addition 45% handling capacity of

1.5M TEU per annum, according to RSGT – hence the investment in new kit.

The terminal received earlier this year, 6 Super Post Panamax (SPP)

Fittingly, the new rubber-tyre gantry cranes arrived at Jeddah port by sea.

Change at the top for Al Habtoor PEOPLE One of the Gulf’s largest plant operators – and indeed one of the largest companies overall – has appointed a new MD.

Mr Laurie Voyer will officially replaced David Savage on October 1st . Mr Savage will relocate to Australia in a senior role with the Leighton Group, a major shareholder of HLG and Australia’s largest contracting and project development group. He will remain an Executive Director of HLG.

Mr Voyer relocated to Dubai in July this year and has been

building and mining projects for both the public and private sector.

“I’m delighted to have been appointed Managing Director of such a well respected organisation as the Al Habtoor Leighton Group,” Mr Voyer said.

“The Group has a well-earned reputation for delivering high quality, large-scale construction projects, and is regarded as an industry leader in this region.

“I look forward to picking up from where David left off and reaffirming HLG as the most successful construction group in the Middle East and North Africa,” he said.

The group operates one of the largest fleets of crew buses in the Gulf – due to the large number of workers and subcontractors it employs. Al Habtoor Engineering operates one of the largest – and cleanest – plant departments in the region.

working through a transition phase with Mr Savage since that time.

As Managing Director of HLG, Mr Voyer will oversee the operations of one of the region’s largest broad-based construction groups. He has over 35 years’ senior management experience in the construction industry, and is recognised as a leader in the industry in Australia.

Prior to relocating to Dubai, Mr Voyer was Deputy Managing Director for Leighton Contractors, the Leighton Group’s flagship operating company. Laurie was largely responsible for Leighton Contractors’ outstanding performance over the past few years, and was in charge of the company’s construction and mining operations across Australia and New Zealand. His extensive experience incorporates some of Australia’s largest civil infrastructure, Voyer will now take contol at Al Habtoor.

DRILL BLAMED FOR CAMEL DEATHIn what must rank as one of the most bizarre lawsuits ever filed against an oil and gas company, it has been reported that Saudi Aramco are being sued for US$267,000 for allegedly causing the death of a female camel that had taken part in a beauty pageant in KSA.The attractive three year-old black camel died in tragic circumstances after she fell into a hole in the desert that the Saudi companyt had drilled.Her heartbroken owner, Abdullah Al-Saiari, had entered the animal into the Camel Beauty Contest, a hotly contested event that attracts reeders from all over the KSA to show off their most eye-catching animals.

cranes and will implement a highly developed Terminal Operating System, Gate Automation System as well as other IT systems to ensure high productivity.

“RSGT seeks to redefine the port container business in Saudi Arabia, leading and supporting the Kingdom’s ongoing programme of maritime and port expansion, now seen as the key driving force of economic growth”, said RSGT’s CEO, Aamer Alireza.

“Our terminal will undoubtedly bestow a new status on Jeddah, as we will be the only terminal in the Red Sea with the capability of handling the next generation of super-mega vessels of as much as 13,000 TEUs and above” he concluded.


Branch Tel FaxJeddah 02 687 7058 02 681 2311Riyadh 01 495 0898 01 448 3398Dammam 03 817 6593 03 817 7169Aseer 07 221 6247 07 221 5651

E-Mail [email protected] www.alj.com

NEWS FEATURE010


Drills complete new recordKolín Construction, used DTH techniques to drill record 30m holes into an embankment

The new highway is a massive project.

Two ‘tophammer’-type drills have recently completed record horizontal anchor holes on an elevated highway project in Turkey using techniques generally associated with DTH rigs.

The highway, the Artvin-Erzurum State Road Stage II in Turkey’s Eastern Black Sea region features a number of bridges.

Soil conditions determined that horizontal anchors were needed to stabilise the embankment supporting the elevated highway.

On the first three levels of anchors, main contractor, Kolín Construction, used DTH techniques to drill 30 m deep holes into the embankment using a Soilmec DTH rig and 127 mm diameter Sandvik drill bits.

TOPHAMMERKolin opted for the non-traditional tophammer technique for drilling on this project due to the abrasive ground conditions causing considerable wear on both hammers and bits.

Under subsequent trials with a Sandvik DX 700 tophammer rig fitted with T51 drilling tools and the smaller 115 m diameter retrac drill bits, Kolín was able to drill horizontally record breaking 24 m long , and in some cases even 30m, anchor holes on the remaining six levels.

The performance, using the smaller diameter drill bits and tophammer rigs was, according to a spokesman for Kolín, outstanding being “quicker and

more cost effective using the lower cost tophammer tools, compared with DTH.”

For the top three lines of anchors Kolin is still using DTH techniques, but with RH550 hammers and 127 mm drill bits to the rig.

The nine levels cover an area of 101 m x 72 m with individual anchor holes spaced 3,5 m apart.

Muzaffer Bayazitoglu, Tools and Consumables Sales Manager, Sandvik Turkey, confirmed that, “it is the first time horizontal anchor holes have not only been drilled to this length in Turkey but possibly worldwide using tophammer techniques!”

The DX 700 is a hydraulic, self propelled, self contained and crawler – based surface rig powered by a Cat C7 diesel engine rated at 151 kW (202 hp) at 2200 rpm.

Ergun Sokulluo�lu, a drilling rig salesman at Sandvik also confirmed that the contractor was also using a DX 680 rig on the

127mmLength of drill bits

on the rig

highway project; forming part of its fleet of 7 drill rigs.

PURCHACESThere are several very large road projects in the wider region which have necessitated large equipment purchaces recently. Last month we reported on the Algerian East-West project where on winning contracts for the central and western sections of Algeria’s 1216 km East-West Expressway, the CITIC Group and China Railway Corporation (CRCC) consortium (CITIC-CRCC) turned to a roller firm to provide a fleet of 53 tandem rollers and track pavers.

CITIC-CRCC were awarded the contract for the central and western sections of highway (169 km and 359 km respectively) at a cost of US$451 million.

To meet its tight schedule, punishing working conditions and remote locations, the contracting

consortium ‘rolled out’ the new road rollers.

The fleet comprises entirely of Dynapac models 20 x F141C pavers, 1 x F182CS paver, 18 x CC624HF’s and 14 x CC622HF tandem rollers. The fleet is being used to pave and compact the base, binder and wearing course; almost the complete process of work.

Some special drills have set a new record for drilling horizontal anchor holes, using techniques associated with DTH rigs.

NEWS FEATURE012


Asian fi rms see GCC growthKoreans to arrive in force for Big 5 PMV as republic’s trade relations with UAE grow stronger

Trade relations between the UAE and South Korea and growing signs of recovery in the Middle East construction industry is drawing many South Korean construction machinery heavyweights to target the region for business growth.

One of them, rock crusher manufacturer Power Technology and Quality Co (POQUTEC), has just forecast Middle East sales of US$4 million for 2010.

“We’re already active in Iran, Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East, and our expected sales volume for the region in 2010 is US$4 million,” said the company’s managing director, Min Seok Song.

LAUNCHHe will launch the PBS 210 – II Hydraulic breaker and pedestal Boom Breaker at the Big 5 PMV exhibition, where the South Korean presence will be reinforced by MSB Corporation, C&OH Corp, Dahil Corporation, Original Korea Technology Co, Jab Co, Kukje Hydraulic Co, Sewoo Metal Industrial and Torpedo TNA Co. More widely known brands such as Hyundai and Doosan will be represented by their local dealers.

Arriving in higher numbers than in previous years, the Koreans are encouraged by the large number of projects that are currently underway across the region, despite the global economic slowdown.

STILL ACTIVEAccording to a recent report by Dubai-based research house Proleads Global, the UAE continues to be one of the most active construction markets in the world, with more than 750 active construction projects and 450 recently completed.

Research by consultants BNC has revealed that around $1.3 trillion

worth of projects are currently underway in the UAE, while the value of projects in Bahrain doubled to almost $8 billion and those in Qatar increased 71 per cent over the last year.

The UAE is the second largest oil and natural gas exporter to South Korea and South Korean construction firms have played a key role in the UAE’s industrial infrastructure development.

The countries have been strengthening their relationship in recent months with the signature of a bilateral nuclear agreement, opening doors for South Korea to enter a competitive US$40 billion bid to build the UAE’s first nuclear plant. The project is one of the largest such deals in the sector and signals South Korea’s first nuclear agreement with a country in the Middle East.

Seung-cheol Lee, Strategy and Planning Team, Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturing Association (KOCEMA) said: “Dubai is a strategic location for our member companies. Taking part in the Big 5 PMV offers our members unique opportunities to meet with buyers and dealers, not only from the Middle East but also from Africa, Russia and India.”

Firms from South Korea will be looking to pick up more business in the Middle East in sectors such as mining and infrastructure.

Wheel loaders are always a popular export.

MORE CARE. BUILT IN.

Abdelmassih TradingCompany - AmtracLEBANONTel: +961 1 88 76 60 / 61E-mail: [email protected]

Universal Equipment LtdJORDANTel: +962 6 586 6114E-mail: [email protected]

Al-Zabin International Group Co.For Heavy EquipmentKUWAITTel: +965 483 4721/6017E-mail: [email protected]

Arabian Agencies Company WLLQATARTel: +974 4 500 925E-mail: [email protected]

General Engineering Services Est (GENSERV)OMANTel: +968 244 90 755E-mail: [email protected]

Nassib Saad Est. Trading & ImportSYRIATel: +963 11 222 5432E-mail: [email protected]

Parsian Pishro SanatIRANTel: +9821 88 77 44 99E-mail: info @parsianind.com

Volvo Otomotiv Türk Ltd. Sti.TURKEYTel: +90 212 482 4040E-mail: [email protected]

VPL LimitedPAKISTANTel: +92 42 111 666 000E-mail: [email protected]

A.A. Bin Hindi B.S.C (c)BAHRAINTel: +973 17 70 3078/1247E-mail: [email protected]

C&M PlantPlus Ltd.CYPRUSTel: +357 26 913 050E-mail: info @plantplus.net

Al Rehab Equipment and Machinery Co. Ltd.SAUDI ARABIATel: +966 2 680 4444E-mail: [email protected]

Al Futtaim Auto & Machinery CoUAETel: +971 2 502 9100, +971 4 213 5100E-mail: [email protected]

Elaghil Trading Co.YEMENTel: +967 1 207 595E-mail: [email protected]

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A VOLVO CAN TURN ANYSITE INTO A GOLDMINE.

NEWS FEATURE014


Sharjah’s Diftah – Shis highway, a route that will link the port of Khor Fakkan on the East Coast of Sharjah Emirate to Diftah in the central region, blasted its way into the local record books in October as the project team achieved their first of two tunnel breakthroughs – and in turn created the UAE’s longest rock tunnel.

Passing through some of the highest and steepest ranges in the region, the project forms a strategic road link – enabling goods shipped to the port of Khor Fakkan to be distributed throughout the UAE, while skirting around the rocky out Omani border. Although just 11.5km long, the project is said to be one of the most difficult in the Middle East due to the geography of the build – both political and physical.

The government of Sharjah awarded the first phase of the project to Iranian contractor General Mechanic Co, under the supervision of Halcrow International, while a third company, Gulf Rock acts as a subcontractor.

SUPERVISION Halcrow, as consultant to the Sharjah public works, is responsible for the design and supervision of the road tunnel – involving the construction of approximately 9km of dual two-lane carriageway mountain road; 1.3km twin bore tunnel and a 1km link road.

Besides the tunnels, the project has encountered a number of engineering problems, not least that of building out of a number of wadis

WHERE IS IT?As we tried to explain last August, Khor Fakkan is actually an exclave of Sharjah, while Diftah itself is in Fujeirah. However, an exclave of Oman prevents the road going to it’s destination directly. To make matters worse, Sharjah has an exclave in the Oman enclave… Confused? We certainly were, but the long and short of it is that the road is being paid for by the Sharjah government, but can’t be built through the most direct route, due to the Oman border.

1.3kmLength of each tunnel

through the rock

– which at one point flash flooded, destroying a number of access roads. “It has been very difficult – but there is now real progress being made” agreed site manager Asash Foroozan Yazdani on our last visit.

The tunnel has been drilled using equipment such as a new Tamrock CHA560 surface drills, and a Sandvik DT820 twin-boom ‘jumbo’. After this, the tunnel is blasted through the rock using explosives, and using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), which involves stabilisation of the tunnel with rock bolts and spray concrete (shotcrete), before being lined with a waterproof membrane and permanent concrete inner shell.

BLASTINGAfter each blast, where several hundred tones of rock come down, a specialist with gas testing equipment checks the area. After these checks and an analysis of the geological conditions are carried out, it is time to send in a Cat 996E

wheel loader to remove the rubble, it is then loaded on to one of two waiting Volvo A25E articulated dump trucks (ADTs). It’s also worth noting that no spark-ignition vehicle is allowed near the tunnel – all must be diesel or electric.

Some geological problems have been thrown up – mostly due to a low rock quality density, which slowed the planned blasting speed a little. In addition, the explosives could only be used when a policeman was present limiting the amount of time for blasting each day, and the storage facilities had to be upgraded. These and other factors have meant that

Light at the end of the tunnelA breakthrough has been made at the Diftah-Shis tunnel project in the Hajar mountains

The front of the twin tunnels. This difficult project ‘is like building a dam, only a dam would be easier’ according to the site manager.

There is now light at the tunnel’s far end.

the total cost of the project is now roughly double that of the original cost estimate.

The second tunnel breakthrough is scheduled for early November.

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LOGISTICS016


LOGISTICS016

SHIFTINGGEARMoving heavy equipment is rarely straightforward, but throw in awkwardly sized oil and gas equipment, and things can step up a notch


017

November 2009 \\ PMV Middle East

LOGISTICS

www.constructionweekonline.com

017SITE VISIT

“Time is a huge factor, especially if there are spills or breakdowns”- Eliska Hill

++++BEST++++

A fair of superlatives:

With innovations,

premieres and all

key players.

19 – 25 APRIL, MUNICH

THE PEAK OF EXCELLENCE

bauma has half a million square meters of exhibition space. Not only is it the largest exhibition in the world. It is also a key international driving force behind innovations in the industry that gives visitors a comprehensive look at the market:

Meet market leaders and key players. Experience innovations and premieres. See the widest range of the construction-machinery and mining industry

Use bauma‘s leading international position for your success.

Information: German Emirati Joint Council for Industry

www.bauma.de

Shifting machines, equip-ment and supplies in the oil and gas industry can be much more complex than in any other sec-

tor. Sheer weight, complexity, or quantity of items being moved makes the whole process a chal-lenging one.

Besides the issues surround-ing the size and shape of the car-go, there are also challenges in their final destination. Often these are integral parts of oil and gas equipment and need delivering to remote locations in short time, and under huge pressure.

Despite this, there is no short-age of companies taking up the challenge. One such company is GAC, which has been involved in the oil and gas sector in the Mid-dle East region since the 1950s.

“We pride ourselves on having helped built the region’s oil and

gas infrastructure ‘from the sea-bed up’,” explains GAC energy logistics manager Ismayil Manzil.

“We are unique in the energy sector in being able to provide service packages that integrate a range of services across shipping, logistics, and marine services that can be tailored to specific client demands wherever the project is.” he adds.

TIMINGManzil reveals that the majority of GAC’s challenges revolve around time and, more specifically, the

occasional lack of it. “We always talk about the value of time at eve-ry opportunity. In a time-sensi-tive market, the value a logistics provider adds may be measured in days, hours or even minutes. Only experience and planning can help us meet the expectation of the industry.

“We work and plan with the cli-ents, and follow-up on every stage of the process to ensure success,” he states.

Manzil adds that this can mean great difficulty in making sub contractors and authorities appre-

ciate the importance of the time factor for the company’s clients. “It is not uncommon that delays could cost US$50,000 or more per day, and in some cases that figure can pass the million dollar mark, so time is of the essence,”

Time is the crucial factor in all of the operations involving oil and gas equipment, Eliska Hill, gen-eral manager of cargo-charter-ing firm, Chapman Freeborne, reveals: “Time is a huge fac-tor, especially if there are spills or breakdowns. That is mas-sive, because you have to get the aircraft in the air very quick-ly and you can be dependent on the piece being manufactured or made available.”

Abnormal Load Engineering is a worldwide company which is involved in the oil and gas sector. “We are an engineering compa-ny which specialises in transpor-

LOGISTICS018


LOGISTICS018

tation and installation of heavy loads, we are not a transport com-pany, and that is a big difference from some of our competitors,” James Roberts, regional com-mercial manager, Abnormal Load Engineering, says.

While GAC is in the air, Rob-erts is using the roads and the seas to transport heavy equip-ment, with the roads in particular presenting challenges.

“One of the most challenging parts here (in Abu Dhabi) is the infrastructure. I think because it’s a rapidly developing country, the road networks are constantly changing which results in unfore-seen challenges,” he comments.

While it may be a day to day process, the awkward shape and size of the machinery being han-

dled is undoubtedly a big chal-lenge for any operator.

Stuart Smith, of Middle East, Air Charter Service explains:

“Large heavy outsized awk-ward pieces of equipment are a big challenge.”

“You have often got really awk-ward long shapes, the biggest piece we had was a 13m piece of pipe and trying to manoeuvre it into the aircraft can be difficult.”

REMOTEOnshore locations of oil and gas facilities can sometimes be ex-tremely remote. This is an oppor-tunity for logistics companies to

again show versatility. Some sites in onshore drilling locations do not even have access roads. So our job starts with working with

the clients on building access roads to ensure easy access for the supplies to the site,” stresses Ismayil Manzil.

“Having been in the region for over half a century, perhaps we can safely say that nothing can really catch GAC by surprise!

This is a highly demanding environment where precision in planning and execution are criti-cal.” he adds, mentioning that his firm have the flexibility to move cargo as and when needed.

“Because it’s a rapidly developing country, the road networks are constantly changing which results in unforeseen challenges” - James Roberts

PIPELAYER Moving oil and gas equip-

ment requires specialist equipment,

such as this pipelayer.

TNT equips all its trucks with GPS systems in order to mini-mise the risk of them getting lost en route to remote destinations.

Due to the complexity of some of the processes in logis-tics in the Middle East, the serv-ices offered by firms here have actually expanded. “We recog-nise this is the Middle East, and Middle East shippers in particu-lar appreciate all inclusive solu-tions,” comments Smith.

“We get involved in that by having airport agents at many of our hub points, we can appoint nominated agents in airports of arrival. We can send representa-tives and managers, we can tailor the service according to the posi-tion of the company. If it is a big oil and gas company they tend to want an all inclusive service.”

Claudio Lietaert, passen-ger charter analyst, Air Char-ter Service, reveals: “We are a very global company, we have around ten offices worldwide, which I think is an advantage we have over local competitors.

1200Capacity in metric

tonnes of new Liebherr telescopic boom crane

www.constructionweekonline.com November 2009 \\ PMV Middle East

E x p e r i e n c e i n i n n o v a t i o n

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PRODUCTIVITYThe exclusive H28TJ+ telescopic jib provides 6 m additional outreach and 22.5 total outreach.

ACCESSIBILITYWith the telecopic jib, you can access difficult work areas and get around obstacles!

MANOEUVRABILITYThe fixed narrow width of the chassis (2.49m) and the smallest tailswing (only 72cm) in its class means the H28 TJ+ can work on any site.

www.haulotte-international.com

LOGISTICS020


SITE VISIT020

Cargo ships and planes are all very well for moving equipment after it has been dismantled – but for the more immediate problem of moving kit into place, there is a new generation of machinery to take the job on. The pictures shows the Liebherr 11200-9.1 crane, along side another heavy telescopic lifter are putting together a machine called a ‘Seajack’ which when finished will also be used for moving equipment on the water. The self propelled vessel will be able to partially submerge to fit under an object, before refloating and carrying the item like a regular boat.

There is nowhere we don’t cov-er, otherwise what is the point in chartering craft?”

“We often arrange the pickup if it is coming out of a freezone area. We can do the trucking pick up, with specialist types of trucks and took care of everything from the shipper at the end,” says Hill. However, she stresses that it is not enough have theoretical knowlege

“You have to have local knowl-edge of the area and the prob-lems, if you are moving things in and out of the UAE, it can be a challenge especially with danger-ous equipment.

We have operational staff who deal with the papers.” she adds.

EXPANSION The oil and gas market is getting to be more important for firms that move heavy equipment than the construction industry – which for years has been the mainstay of heavy regional shipping.

Cross border logistics opera-tions can present major tests to a firm’s capabilities, particularly with the clock ticking. Problems can arise in this regard, on both land and in the air. “The problem in this part of the world is that airspace is very much a point of

PROGRESS The cranes worked in

harmony to move the ship base.

BUILD Building the seajack

required a heavy lift.

national pride, where each coun-try tries to protect its airspace,” reveals Lietaert. “They don’t like to see aircraft from certain coun-tries overfly other countries.”

“When you get a call from operations saying you cannot fly across a country, you have a very big problem.”

Smith suggests a solution to this problem may be to introduce an ‘open skies’ policy in the Mid-dle East, in order to increase trade between countries in the region.

There are many challeng-es being faced by these compa-nies on a daily basis. However, it seems it is these situations that

get logistics industry mem-bers out of bed in the morn-ing. Roberts describes the most exciting part of his job as “try-ing to find solutions to complex situations”.

In essence the job is a problem solving one, however, with a fast ticking clock and an awkward car-go, the oil and gas sector is per-manently keeping the logistics industry on its toes.

“No single day is comparable to any other day. You are seeing different challenges and different opportunities every day. What more does one need to be excit-ed?” concludes Manzil.

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Th e FS 4 Sand is a cutter blower machine specially designed for the purposes of sand clearing. Th e robust design and the use of wear-resisting Hardox steel ensures a long service life, even when the vehicle is used with extremly abrasive sands. Special seals prevent sand from penetrating into the bearings. Th e slow-speed cutter drums are relatively immune to foreign bodies such as stones of wood, and feed the sand into the high-speed blower. Th e high speed

results in a wide throw and an excellent distribution of the sand. Th e combination of cutter blower and Unimog U 500 as a carrier vehicle creates a machine which is extremely manoeuverable and has a high off -road ability. Th e optimum weight distribution between the front and rear axle means that the vehicle can even be used on soft ground.

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Santera 3000Sand Cutter Blowera

EVENT REPORT022


The industry’s favourite show is set to return in 2010. Earlier this year, the PMV show in Damman set a record for being the largest machinery show of its type to be held in the kingdom.

Next year, the show is set to move to a new loca-tion in the King Abdullah Economic City, over in the west of the country, where a number of infrastructure projects and government spending has given the region’s construction and mining industries a boost.

New exhibitors are signing up each week. Recently, stalwarts of the last two events, Zahid Tractor and Atlas Machinery have confirmed their largest ever stands, while other top brands such as Toyota will be making their first appearance at the expo.

Speaking about the event, show director Kimon Alexan-drou said; “The Saudi PMV show is designed to bring dis-cussion on how major projects impact on their business”

“Hundreds of billions of dollars will be invested in the construction and fit out of these major projects. The ques-tion for the cranes & machinery market is how do we resource this expansion program? These are all things that will be discussed at the show.”

For more infomation about the event, including how to attend, click on: www.saudipmvshow.com

ZAHID TRACTORFor over fifty years, a funda-mental commitment to provide its customers with a carefully selected range of the world’s finest equipment, backed by outstanding product support, has made Zahid a respect-ed name and a market lead-

er in KSA.The company says that investment in people, facilities, and the latest technology is a com-mitment to ensure the achievement of continu-ous improvement. Zahid will have one of the larg-est stands at the show.

ATLAS MACHINERYA long-established dealer, Atlas provides equipment, spares and service to even the most remote parts of the Kingdom. Rami J. Sakka, managing direc-tor said: “The most important aspect of the hire and sales market is definitely service - and price competitiveness of course - but long-term, clients will suffer from the vendors who are not service oriented and it will come back to you if

you are not efficient.”Atlas supply equipment such

as Italian Catteneo self-erect-ing cranes and Yongmao tower cranes from China.

SAUDI PMV SHOW

ffi i ”

Back again next year, our flagship event has a new venue in the King Abdullah Economic City


SHOW PREVIEW022

PMV Middle East \\ November 2009

You can’t plan for the weather, but there are some time delays that can be avoided.Shell explains how the latest lubricant technology helps construction managers meet

tight deadlines within budget

Protecting next-generation engines and oldermodels while keeping it simple

Although heavy-duty trucks and road vehicles are the ?rst toface tougher emissions legislation, off-road vehicles andconstruction equipment are not too far behind. For instance,there are already tightening standards over working practicesin environmentally-sensitive areas for construction, whichrequire managers to increasingly consider the impact ofprojects on the environment. As a result, some of the next-generation engines are ?tted with after-treatment devices like diesel particulate ?lters which reduce emissions. However, theyalso make speci?c demands on the type of lubricant used,requiring low-SAPS engine oils as the sulphur, phosphorousand ‘ash’ can affect the operation of the after-treatment devices. The challenge is that removing SAPS from the oil canmean stripping away some of components traditionally used toprotect the engine. Radical reformulations are required to becompatible with next-generation engines without compromisingon protection.

Shell has applied its technical leadership in lubricants todevelop new low-SAPS formulations for heavy-duty engineswhich also provide advanced protection. As most constructioncompanies have a mix of older and next-generation engines,low-SAPS oils like Shell Rimula R4 L can also be used acrossa mix of engines, simplifying inventories and ultimatelyreducing costs.

Shell’s latest heavy-duty lubricant range

Our partnerships with the world’s leading constructioncompanies and equipment manufacturers have given us aunique perspective on some of the issues faced by construction managers. Together with our technical expertise and leadership, this has informed the recently launched newShell Rimula lubricant range. To help make choosing the right lubricant easier, the new clear labelling and performance tiersystem indicates the different bene?ts and level of protectioneach lubricant provides to help construction managersmaximise equipment availability and minimise costs. To ensureShell lubricants are at the forefront of technology, they havebeen tested extensively in real-world scenarios and exceedmany of the speci?cations of leading manufacturers likeCaterpillar, Komatsu, Terex, JCB and Volvo.

Praying for good weather is one thing, but it takes businesssense and hard work to ?nish construction projects well in timeand increase pro?ts. That’s why Shell has invested hard work,applying our 60 years of expertise, to give construction managers peace of mind that their equipment won’t let themdown when they need it most.

For more information please contact:

www.shell.com/lubricants, [email protected]

WE DON’T MAKE THE MACHINE. WE MAKE IT WORK.

IN PICTURES024


MACHINE MONTH

Stories you might have missed from the world of machines last month

Conmex eventThe key event in Sharjah’s construction machinery show calendar opened in the second week of October morning to small numbers of visitors, although the variety of equipment on display was as good as ever.Gleaming new cranes and excavators as well as this tracked mobile crusher surrounded the entrance, while inside rows of equipment from Komatsu, Hamm, JCB, Hyundai and others waited for admirers.

In preparationNew equipment from

compressor and spray gun firm Airblast was

demonstrated at the Dubai Drydocks on October. 13th.

Among the various concrete preparation and paint

compressors on display, there was also a selection of

automatic taping machines for preparing the walls and

ceilings of buildings. There has been a flurry of

completion activity in Dubai recently, as developers try to

complete half-built projects in order to get them on the

market and free up some liquid capital.

IN PICTURES025


After the stormA 20-tonne Volvo EC210lc shifts mountain of garbage into a dump truck in a street in the eastern Manila district of Pasig October 3, 2009. At least three people died as Typhoon Parma tore

roofs of houses and dumped heavy rain across the Philippines, piling further misery on the Southeast Asian nation after floods claimed 293 lives. It came just a week after a storm flooded Manilla.

Crushing blowA Mazda 121, or possibly a locally built clone meets its end at the jaws of a long-reach Komatsu 300lc in Beijing. City bosses ordered a clean-up in preparation the 60th anniversary celebrations of the founding of communist China on October 1st. While China’s love affair with the car is still youthful, the first problems with clearing crashed, abandoned and other end-of-life cars from the city are becoming apparent.

Camp closedA Case CX210b munches through a building used as a squat for migrants, near the ‘Bassin Carnot’ in the northern France city of Calais, on October 2, 2009, a few days after the high-profile bulldozing of a squalid Afghan migrant camp. Riot police rounded up scores of mostly Afghan migrants, many of them children, and bulldozed the makeshift camp called the ‘jungle’ that was used as a base to sneak across the English Channel.

Dozing pipedreamsA symbolic miniature scene

created by German Free Democratic Party (FDP)

shows a bulldozer huddling together street signs and

regulations at the ‘Miniature Wonderland’ in Hamburg,

September 2, 2009. German politicians could create a one square meter ‘world’

representing their vision of an ‘ideal’ country

IN PICTURES025

PRODUCTS026

LATEST PRODUCTS

PMV looks at the latest tools and toys to help you with the job in hand


BELLY GUARDS FOR COMPACTORSA new range of belly guards for the Cat 836H Landfill Compactor incorporate new designs to keep trash out of the machine while enhancing maintenance and machine productivity. The robust belly guards have a smoother profile, have greater coverage and provide easier access than previous designs.www.cat.com

BOBCAT BUCKETA new family of combination buckets is now

available for Bobcat skid-steer, compact tracked and all-wheel steer loaders. Comprising five

models with widths from 157 to 213 cm (62 to 84 in), the new combination buckets replace the buckets previously offered in these sizes and

complement the existing 112 cm (44 in) and 140 cm (55 in) wide buckets.

www.bobcat.com

PRODUCTS027


RACCOON POKER DRIVEA new concrete vibrator which features rubber

protection against shocks has been launched.The Dynapac Raccoon flex shaft concrete

vibrator is a complete high frequency vibration system eminently suited for daily operation on

small and medium sites for walls, floors and pre-cast fabrication. Other protection features include an overload function integrated in the on/off switch shutting off the drive unit if it gets

overloaded. It also features an automatic cut-off carbon brush that automatically stops the drive

unit automatically when completely worn out, safeguarding the electric motor.

www.dynapac.com

LEVEL SENSORThe SonicSens is a ultrasonic level sensor with a 5 year battery life, designed for easy installation and ready to output results either on the unit or on the net.Fluid levels in tanks, reservoirs or storage containers can also be remotely checked, with easy mounting options allowing for temporary survey type operations. Data from the gadget can also be used as a control for other processes, allowing levels of alerts to have different effects.www.hwm-water.com

DOOSAN COMPRESSOR The new 12/150 portable compressor has a free air delivery of 14.9 m³/min (526 cfm) at an output pressure of 12 bar and is designed for applications in plant hire, construction, quarrying and general industry. According to the company, this encompasses not only standard pressure applications, but also more specialist uses including drilling, abrasive blasting, spray painting, optical fibre blowing and standby and temporary compressed air for industry.www.doosan.com


New

D Series

Designed for extreme requirements in material handling.

Maximum customer orientation and multiple individual solutions.

Straightforward and easily accessible technology, made in Germany.

Powerful Machine.

Effi cient Handling.

www.sennebogen.com

SENNEBOGEN Middle East FZCO

Jebel Ali Free Zone, LOB 18/2407

P.O.Box: 262041 Dubai U.A.E.

Tel: 00 971-4-8865955

Fax: 00 971-4-8865956

Mobile: 00 971-50-4625944

e-mail: [email protected]

840 Green Line

Material Handling Machine

029


SHOW TIME


029SHOW TIME

Welcome to the biggest equipment show in the region. This year, the show moves away from the marquee in the car park, and in to a new structure, adjacent to the main halls. Despite the downturn, the organizers are confident of a record turnout. Unlike many trade shows, the Big 5 PMV doesn’t just have stands with brochures and boiled sweets – there will be an amount of live equipment outside. We spoke to the exhibitors, so you have a better idea of what to see.


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031


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031COMPUTERS

031SHOW TIME

Not our sister magazine – nor anything to do with building

mechanics, electrics or plumb-ing, but an Italian firm who will be returning to the show, with

a range of automatic welding robots, mainly for the construc-

tion of piling cages. Special technology ensures that these

machines have a far higher output than a man fabricating cages could ever possibly be.

China will be particularly well represented at the show, with more than a dozen exhibitors from the country.

One of these will be LiuGong – a firm based in Southern Chi-na and represented in Saudi Ara-bia by Al Quatani.

This firm has been producing loaders since the end of the war – and can now claim to be the largest producer in China.

Some years ago, LiuGong had a joint venture with Cater-

pillar. This has finished, but the firm continues to enjoy the strin-gent quality control standards and production methods born out of the union. Being a volume manufacturer, the Chinese firm produces ZF axles and transmis-sions under licence in an espe-cially built facility. Recently, the firm has become the first Chi-nese equipment manufacturer to open a factory outside of China.

At this year’s exhibition, the group will be displaying a total of eight models, including its largest wheel loader, the 862.

This loader draws power from a 176kw Cummins turbo diesel engine, and boasts 3.5m3 buck-et and 6000kg load. Additional-ly, the group will have several excavators on display, as well as a backhoe loader and a number of smaller products.

The firm famous for making backhoe loaders will be back with a new attraction – the dancing diggers. This mechanical dance troupe will hopefully drive interest in the other products the group will have on display, which will include the JS330 30-tonne excavator as well as items of Vibromax compaction equip-ment (now a JCB subsidiary) and skid-steer loaders.

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Back again in 2009, this firm is famous for making distinctive red tower cranes which are extraordinarily powerful.

The 1250B model for exam-ple has a lifting capacity of 60 tonnes, while the 132 kW hoist-ing gear gives 20 tonnes capaci-ty in one-fall operation, 40 tonnes on two falls and 60 tonnes on three falls. These cranes are popular where round the clock lifting of sections is necessary.

It would be impractical to show the hoards of visitors up the steps into a tower crane – so Wolffkran will do the next best thing and bring a simulator of their latest cabs along to the show with them. “It allows visitors to see how well specified our cranes are without lifting a foot off the ground” said Mark Evans, the MD of the company’s UAE operation.

033COMPUTERS

033SHOW TIME

This Dubai-based firm deals in, as the name suggests, scaffolding. These days, the so-called ‘cherry picker’ man lift boom have taken over from ladders and conventional towers, and as such Al Laith has become one of the main supplier. On our last visit, regional man-ager Tim Richards told us: “There market is increasing for access platforms. There are issues that affect which include health and safety and the speed in which contracts have to be completed.” A leading manufacturer of these lifts, Terex-Genie has recently opened a main-tenance and parts facility in the Dubai Industrial Park.

This firm make tracked vehicles for moving people and heavy equipment over any terrain. There are several different product lines (one

has a 46,000 lb payload capacity) while also having enclosed cabins

and a host of other fea-

tures that make them into very well equipped machines. As they are from coldest Canada, the website shows the machines mostly carrying out snowplowing duties. This is not much of a concern in this region, but the firm suggest that go-anywhere trucks can be used for work on utility poles, inland drilling, mining or any other purpose where access to inhospitable terrain is required. At the exhibition, the group will be

displaying a Go-Tract 3000, one of several models in the range.

South Korean MSB – the cur-rent abbreviation of the fantas-tic ‘Master of Super Breaker’ name, imports breaker attach-ments including pulverisers, grabs and grapples, into the UAE through a local dealer.

With a large range of prod-ucts, and several certificates awarded by the Korean gov-ernment for quality, MSB actu-ally sells into China.


035


SHOW TIME

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035COMPUTERS

035SHOW TIME


One of the largest manufacturers of material handling equipment, Sennebogen began in the 1950s when it’s 21-year-old founder decid-ed to set up a firm making rope excavators. By the 1960s, it was clear that this technology was going the way of the dodo, so the firm started to investigate modern hydraulic designs. It didn’t take long before the excavators became ‘base carriers’ for other equip-ment such as piling rigs.

Later advances included elevating and tilting cabs – practical-ly standard now in the scrap handling industry. Today the range

consists of two ‘lines’ – the Green line (because they are predominantly recycling machines) and the Crane line – a range of lattice boom crawlers

and telescopic booms.

Not all PMV has wheels or tracks of course – there will be many forms of industrial construction plant at the Big 5. One of these is from Italian firm Pegaso Stampi – known for its line of concrete stamping equipment. This firm can supply a unit to press out all kinds of decorative concrete patterns for flooring, driveways and the like, with patterns that resemble paving, starbursts and even jigsaw puzzles.

The firm are hoping to pick up orders for the hydraulic stamping machine. A spokesman said: “New technologies and research are expensive, but allow us and our customers to grow within a very competitive market.”

One company will be bringing an unusual display of software and hardware designed to help plant managers select, cut and control the amount of rebar on the job site.

Linda Scolieri, a manager at aSa explained: “The aSa Opto-Shear Console drives the entire shearing operation electroni-cally by completely automating shearline processes — gauging, bin selection, and roller motion — and managing the shop crew

with easy-to-follow instructions — shake-out requirements, tagging, pocket blocking, and crane call messages”

She added: “We expect that the Big 5 PMV will open the door to mutually beneficial business opportunities and partnerships with companies in the Middle East.”


For the second year, Caterpillar and Komatsu have cho-sen to stay away. Other notable no shows include all the Kanoo brands – including Bobcat, Hitachi and Doosan.

037


MARKET ANALYSIS


HIGHPOWERThere is no substitute for small tools. We look at a market that has gone power mad for the hand-held devices

Where would we be without pow-er tools? True, most motorised applications can be done by hand – but can you really imag-ine a construction site using

hand-cranked drills, or cutting steel to length with a hacksaw?

So it stands to reason that power tools are big business. The world market is estimated at around US $20bn, with the total value of the UAE market pegged at around US $ 89.8 mil-lionlast year.

As far as the Middle East regional market is concerned, it is difficult to estimate its worth.

Suresh Srinivasan, marketing manager, Middle East & Africa, industrial product divi-sion, DeWalt, feels that the power tool mar-ket in the MEA region is fragmented and in absence of any data it’s difficult to put a value to market size.

MARKET GROWTHAs an associated industry, the fortunes of the power tool companies are dependent on how the construction sector is performing.

In the boom years before 2009, the power tool market grew very fast. Customers wanted tools and services immediately and the mar-ket registered a consistent growth of 10-15% year on year.

With the worldwide slowdown, the pow-er tool industry has experienced deceleratio, though not as seriously as many of the heavy machine manufacurers have been reporting.

The slowdown will serve as a time when companies will be able to assess the market and focus on the necessities, such as delivera-bles, products and services.

“Our company will be able to support the construction sector in these trying times and

will emerge a much stronger brand at the end of 2009. With the investments and plans that we have in place for the next 2-3 years, we will consolidate our leadership position in the power tool industry and continue to take market share. In this uncertain environment, distributors especially would like to invest in a brand that not only provides them with return on their investment but also provide long term sustainability,” says Srinivasan.

SAFETY FIRSTPower tools usually come in variations of 110 volts and 220 volts.

“The industry is moving towards added safety in every sphere and 110 volts tools are safer. The main advantage is the decrease in injuries when any type of electric failure occurs. Currently, around 30% of the projects are run in 110 volts.” says Moin Audi, product manager, drilling and demolishing, Hilti.

A major challenge for the power tool indus-try is the need to educate the huge number of unskilled workers on safe and healthy opera-tion of machinery. In an effort to promote safe-ty, power tools suppliers have been trying to

“The industry is moving towards added safety in every sphere and 110 volts tools are safe” - Moin Audi

MARKET ANALYSIS037

MARKET ANALYSIS038


raise awareness through several approaches such as training seminars, team coaching and tool designs.

“Key players are moving towards opera-tions training for all types of tools on the job site to decrease the number of accidents and injuries and to increase productivity,” says Moin Audi.

Apart from providing training, most of the latest models of power tools come with in-built safety features to enhance security on the job site.

The UAE doesn’t spell out the standards for safety and regulations regarding the correct exposure time to power tools, which makes it even more vital that power tools come with safety features.

“Our tools have features such as AVR (active vibration reduction) and ATC (active torque control). AVR reduces vibration exposure to the operators and prevents diseases such as the white finger, a disorder which affects the blood vessels, nerves, muscles and joints, of the hand, wrist and arm.”

“So far, we do not have any restriction in terms of amount of exposure for power tools in UAE, nevertheless, all our tools comply with the EU and US standards. AVR is highly recommended for serial drilling applications,” says Audi.

ATC is built into Hilti’s products, especial-ly in the power tools used in the building and construction industry. ATC is specifically designed for the construction industry where a large quantity of reinforced concrete is used.

ATC is a sensor that detects any sud-den turn exceeding 45 degrees and disen-gages the motor to prevent an injury. ATC is recommended when drilling throughreinforced concrete.

This feature prevents any sudden turn or movement when hitting rebars which can result in hand/ wrist injury.

BREAKING“While drilling or breaking, a large amount of dust is generated and inhaled by opera-

tors which can cause lung damage. There are some precautions taken such as masks which do not prevent the dust from being inhaled completely. The dust removal system sucks in all the dust generated through a similar sys-tem to vacuum cleaners.” “Dust removal systems, or DRS is available as an accessory for rotary drills, combi hammers and even heavy breakers and is highly recom-mended for use in closed areas,” says Audi.

In the future, power tools will continue to get lighter, more powerful and durable as more safety and comfort features such as ergonomic grips keep getting added on.

Despite fierce competition and the uncer-tainty surrounding the economy, the power tool market in the Middle East should contin-ue to grow slowly, but steadily.

Tools await servicing at one of Dubai’s largest plant departments. Professional equipment is built for rugged use.

Power tools of an unknown provenance piled high in a shop somewhere in the region.

110Industry standard voltage

for on-site electricity.

THE SHOCKING TRUTH110 volt appliances are standard on all European construction sites - in fact, using domestic 220/240 volt units is actually illegal. The reason for this is that while a wet or malfunctioning 110v tool may give the user a nasty shock, it would be very unlikely to kill him, but a 220/240v machine probably would. Power tools live hard lives - and users might not be familiar with spotting defective units, so many plant managers appoint somebody with ‘tool safety’ status.

041


COUNTRY PROFILE

The oil-rich state is wheeling in heavy machinery in a bid to modernise her infrastructure

041041COUNTRY PROFILE


QATAR FOCUS

QATAR – Fast Facts

Population 907,000 (2007 estimate)

Religions Muslim (77.5%) Christian (8.5%) All other (14%)

Languges Arabic, English

Industries Petrochemical products including LNG, tourism, steel, fertilisers, ship repair

Imports Machinery and transport equipment, construction commodities, food, chemical products (Total: US $12.36bn – est.)

Import partners France (13.3%) Japan (6.8%) USA (6.2%) Germany (5.2%) UAE (4.2%)

There is still plenty of opportunity for sup-pliers, contractors and machine specialists in the once-sleepy coun-

try of Qatar. Different from other Gulf States which have been focusing on construc-tion and real estate projects, Qatar is taking a multi-pronged approach to development that encompasses everything from infrastructure, through to healthcare and education. It is little secret that thecountry owes its riches to oil revenue – and like other countries it is using this wealth to modernise both the civil and petrochemi-cal infrastructure works.

Tourism was given a boost back in 2006 when the country hosted the Asian Games, which required a huge amount of work to get stadia, athelete’s villag-

es and the associated tourism infrastructure for visitors ready in time.

However, the downturn hit Qatar like everywhere else, though the abundance of oil money meant that it could recover reasonably quickly.

MATERIALSQatar can produce its own fuel, but pretty much all other con-struction materials need to be shipped in. This makes it partic-ularly vulnerable to peaks and

troughs in supply and price of concrete, steel and so on, which is point heavy equipment owners should bear in mind when con-sidering the likely cashflow of the lead contractor. In particular, the country is reliant on the UAE for aggregates such as cement.

As the UAE itself experienced a shortfall in the amount of cement for domestic consumption some time ago, supplying neighboring countries came quite far down the list. Amazingly, until a cou-

ple of years ago, aggregates could only be bought from an approved list of suppliers. Fortunately, in a recent diversification of resourc-es, firms are now allowed to import their own stocks to bolster their supplies. Additionally, local firms are bringing in their own production equipment, such as batching plant, crushers and oth-er process-controlled machinery.

ROADS AND ROAD BUILDING-Getting lorries and equipment around Qatar has been the usual experience for most operators, with pitted roads and unfit-for- purpose intersections. However, a massive new road building programme has been underway for the past few years, bringing benefits to road users and road builders alike. There are many new roads and interchanges being commissioned by Ashghal

“In Qatar, the quality of construction is generally much better than other places” - Khalid Abdulla Al Hitmi

LAYING DOWN Asphalt ma-

chine is new in the country.

InternationalBuilding &ConstructionShow

Beyond ExceptionalPart of

043


COUNTRY PROFILE

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– the country’s civic works department.

Among the major road projects implemented so far, is the Gharafa Interchange, which serves as an entry point to Doha for traffic from the northern cities like Al Khor, Ras Laffan, Shamal and Zabara. It consists of a three-tiered flyover with three lanes on each direction to the length of 900m, and an underpass with three lanes, also with a length of 900m.

It is being built according to international specifications. with emergency side parking spots and parallel service roads with 15 intersections. It will be provided with all the neces-sary infrastructure services. The authorities say that traffic safety will be a ‘hallmark’ of all

these projects, with adequate landscaping and illumination.

DRAINAGENot the most glamorous of top-ics, but as the capital expands, so does its need to get rid of waste. In fact, a lot of it appears to have been done already, with around a dozen projects appearing on the municipality’s recent list of com-pleted projects.

There are still contracts going for more though, with a drainage and outfall system at Markhia, a whole sewage network at Aziziyya and a sewage treatment works at Al Thakhira - all of which need to be dug by heavy machinery.

OPERATORSAccording to the Internation-al Monetary Fund (IMF) Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the world. This is offset some-what by having some of the poor-est migrants in the world – even by Gulf standards. A report by the US State Department has found that bringing migrants in to the country under false promises and then keeping them as work-

ers in effective slavery is com-monplace. The report found that all the usual ‘tricks’ are common among unscrupulous employers, such as withholding passports, paying irregularly, if ever as well as falsifying the wage chitty.

To this end the government has commissioned contracting agency Barwa to build a ‘Work-ers City’ which will meet all mod-ern requirements for welfare and safety - a start perhaps.

However, the old-fashioned ‘sponsorship’ system where an employer takes full responsibility

for an employee, including if and when they are allowed to leave, is still alive and well.

Anyone using subcontractors would do well to bear this in mind. It is worth noting that while the conditions of migrant workers are lamentable, Qatar has a much bet-ter track record than other GCC countries in employing nationals

DEVELOPMENTSIn spite of the downturn, there is an exciting amount of new builds happening in Doha. In a process that would be called urban renew-

DIGGING There is a huge

amount of work happening

in Doha.

GOING UP Cranes dominate

the Doha skyline.

043COUNTRY PROFILE

US $93,204Average annual income

per capita

COUNTRY PROFILE044

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al in the West, the rag-tag assort-ment of concrete buildings, souks and narrow streets that make up the old heart of Doha, are to be ripped out and transplanted with a new mega-development fitting called ‘New Heart of Doha’.

The new development will include 226 buildings ranging from 3 to 30 floors high.

The design phase has been handled by Allies and Morri-son from the UK and Burns & McDonnell of the USA. Con-tracts are still being awarded for the work.

Of course, most of the folk who live and work in the current old town won’t be able to afford a place in the new, so once again Barwa along with Marbu Con-tracting has stepped in and is building the Barwa Village. “It is a big development valued at US $412 m” explained project man-ager Khalid Abdulla Al Hitmi.

“It’s a mixed residential and commercial development and it is like one of those gated commu-nities that you have in Dubai and in other places of the Gulf.”

“The project has all sorts of amenities including an interna-tional standard school, nursery, park, public plaza, playground, shopping plaza, admin centre and a mosque” he continued.

“The quality of construction is also very good, but then in Qatar the quality of the finish and con-struction is generally much better than in other places,” he added.

AIRPORTIt isn’t all low rise residential projects though, Qatar already

has a busy airport, with a some-what overcrowded terminal build-ing used as a transit hub for people flying all over the region and the world. While adequate, Doha plans to have a facility that will rival the best in the world. The New Doha International Air-port will be built just east of the existing terminal.

One of the first jobs for heavy machines will be to move a sprawling old rubbish dump to a new and better landfill facility elsewhere. This will be the first time that such a mission has been attempted in the region, to the

best of our knowledge. Undoubt-edly a complement of wheel load-ers, excavators and dump trucks will be needed to scoop the muck out – and presumably land-fill spec compaction rollers will be required at the other end.

After this, the ground works for the terminal building are

scheduled to begin. Phase I and II works of the Passenger Termi-nal Complex, which are carried out by Turkish TAV Construction and Japanese TAISEI Corpora-tion Joint Venture, are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Elsewhere on site, work con-tinues on the new runways and hangars – this claims to be the first airport capable fully handling the Airbus A380. Back in 2007 Malaysian contractors Gamuda Berhad and WCT Engineering won the US $490 million contract to design and build the runways,

road tunnels and other facilities. After this the consortium ordered a large amount of equipment, including two asphalt plants made by Linnhoff. “The (consortium) is placing about 10,000 tonnes of asphalt per day,” said Linnhoff Technologies general manager Thomas Wolf.

“The contractor is working six days a week, and using a fleet of Tata trucks from India to shuttle the asphalt to the laying areas,” he told us last year.

MACHINERY SUPPLIERSThe two main road maintenance suppliers are Modern Construc-tion Co. and Roots Qatar, while there are also around a dozen equipment rental firms in the cap-ital. For heavy equipment, the major brands are well represent-ed and the area is well serviced. Obaikan Equipment & Services represent Bobcat, and Araco deal in Volvo. Less common far east-ern brands are also represented.

RAIL PROJECTSAll of the countries in the region seem to have got a taste for light rail at the moment and Qatar is no exception. Unlike the rest of the GCC though, they don’t seem in any particular hurry to begin. A company named Qatar Rail has just been launched with the entire project overseen by another com-pany called Qatari Diar.

The plan is for a rail system that combines light passenger trains for the city, while tying up to a larg-er freight network nationwide.

However, plans are still at an early stage, as no track will be laid before 2012 so there is plenty of time to investigate possibilities for bids and tenders.

BUILD UP A recent deal saw large

investment in Qatar Engineering

and Construction Company.

“Barwa Village is a big development, worth US412m”- Khalid Abdulla Al Hitmi

11,437Size of the country in

km2. Despite the small size, much is still empty.

Organised by

11.00 - 22.00 daily23-26 November 2009

Dubai World Trade Centre,Dubai, United Arab Emirates www.thebig5exhibition.com/visit

11.00 - 20.00 daily

AN EXPERIENCE WHICH IS TRULY...‘BEYOND EXCEPTIONAL’


TENDERS046


TENDERS

Galfar Engineering has won the ten-der for the construction of the Ras Al Hadd airport in Oman.

The Omani firm beat out bids from India’s Larsen & Toubro,

South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries, Aus-tria-based Strabag and another Omani con-tractor, Desert Lines.

Galfar chief executive Hans Erlings told Reuters that the deal was worth US $105.2 million (OR40.5 million).

The tender, which contractors say is worth about $1.4 billion (ORM 539,000), has already been pushed back twice this year. In Febru-ary, Oman shortlisted six firms including Bechtel, the largest U.S. engineering firm,

Saudi Binladen Group, Athens-based Con-solidated Contractors Company (CCC) and Joannou & Paraskevaides from Cyprus, to build the terminal.

However, due to ‘new information’ from the authorities, the terms of the tender was changed, and the bidding period extended.

Meanwhile, Oman had previously extend-ed the deadline for assorted international bidders, including French Vinci and Indian Larsen & Toubro, to bid for the construction of a new terminal at Muscat’s main airport.

“Bidders need more time to prepare for the new changes,” an Oman tender board spokesperson said. Oman has already award-ed a joint venture of Turkey’s TAV Construc-

Oman airport tender fi nally awarded

$1.17bnValue of contract for civil works at

Muscat International Airport

tion and CCC a US $1.17 billion contract for civil engineering works at the airport.

The airport currently handles about 4 mil-lion passengers a year and will host 12 mil-lion passengers when both expansions are completed. Muscat International (formerly Seed Airport), Ras Al Hadd and Salalah air-ports are all undergoing expansion.

TENDERS047


BAHRAIN

Issuer: Ministry of HealthTender No: MOH/155/09Description: Asphalting and landscaping for properties of the Bahrain Ministry of Health.Closes: November 4Fees: BD15Contact: www.tenderboard.gov.bh

Issuer: Public Works AuthorityTender No: PWA/GTC/010/09-10Description: Construction of trunk and internal sewers within Musaimeer – phase one. Closes: October 27Fees: QR6000Contact: Contract department, Public Works Authority

Issuer: Public Works AuthorityTender No: PWA/GTC/009/09-10Description: Construction of trunk and internal sewers within Ain Khalid Area – phase 2.Closes: November 10Fees: QR8000Contact: Contract department, Public Works Authority

Issuer: Royal Commission for Jubail and YanbuTender No: 655-C13Description: Construction of sports cen-tres at Al Ferdos and Jalmudah. Closes: October 25Fees: SR9000Contact: Contracts section, directorate general of Royal Commission in Jubail, PO Box 10001, Jubail Industrial City

Issuer: Ministry of FinanceTender No: 1193Description: Expansion of the Ministry of Finance in Qassim.Closes: November 3Fees: SR1000Contact: www.mof.gov.sa

Issuer: Saline Water Conversion Corpo-rationTender No: MT-384Description: Replacement of high volt-age cables.

Closes: November 7Fees: SR500Contact: www.swcc.gov.sa

Issuer: Royal Commission for Jubail and YanbuTender No: PIC G-1679BDescription: Procurement, testing, com-missioning and construction of two mosques in Yanbu.Closes: November 15Fees: SR1000Contact: Director for Purchasing, Con-tracting Department, PO Box 30031, Madinat Yanbu Al Sinaiyah

UAE

Issuer: Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityTender No: CNE/606/2007®Description: The construction of Hassyan Power and Desalination Station.Closes: November 8Fees: AED5000Contact: Head office of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

QATAR

Issuer: Public Works AuthorityTender No: PWA/GTC/048/07-08/R2Description: Construction of a service building in Um Salal.Closes: November 29, Fees: QAR1000Contact: Contracts department, Public Works Authority

Issuer: Qatar PetroleumTender No: GT09109900Description: The scope of work includes irrigation, landscape main-tenance and refurbishment works at Qatar Petroleum locations.Closes: November 14, Fees: QAR500Contact: Qatar Petroleum, PO Box 3212

Issuer: Public Works AuthorityTender No: PWA/GTC/009/09-10Description: Construction of trunk and internal sewers within Ain Khalid Area.Closes: November 10Fees: QAR8000Contact: Contract department, Public Works Authority

ONE TO WATCH...Issuer: Abu Dhabi Department of TransportDescription: Feasibility study for the Abu Dhabi Metro

Project value: unknownAward date: October/November 2009Contact: www.transportabudhabi.ae

MAINTENANCE 040


From steamrollers to pizza cutters, steel shapes our world. Here’s a slice of its development historySHOWING A LOT OF METAL


You won’t find much that doesn’t have steel in it - especially in our industry. Eve-rything from bicycles

to bridges, and from the largest excavator to the most humble hand-tool uses it in abundance. As a mixture of iron, carbon, and other elements it is an alloy, which can be made to a wide number of standards as defined by various organisations and bodies internationally.

Steel is, of course, always linked to the industrial revolu-tion. However, the discovery and use of the metal goes back at least 4000 years – the ancient Turks for example, had discov-ered a method of producing the metal, while the Chinese devel-oped a quench hardened com-pound sometime later. In the Middle East during the medi-aeval period, ‘Damascus Steel’ was developed as an especially

hard weapons-grade metal. In fact, legend has it that swords made from the stuff could slice right through their Europe-an counterparts. Interestingly, the ‘recipe’ seems to have been lost, possibly due to smiths not being able to get their hands on any tungsten after about 1750.

In Europe, steel was first mass produced at Coalbrook-dale (a town that was later to have great significance in the history of the built environ-ment) in the UK around 1600. Unlike modern steelmaking, this worked by actually rais-ing the amount of carbon in the iron. However, smelting steel in large outdoor furnaces known the cementation process.

The problem of mass-produc-ing cheap steel was solved in 1855 by Henry Bessemer, with the introduction of the Bessem-er process at his steelworks in Sheffield, UK. In the Bessemer

process, molten pig iron from the blast furnace was charged into a large barrl-like crucible on a tilting stand, and then air was blown through the mol-ten iron from below, igniting the dissolved carbon from the coke. As the carbon burned off, the melting point of the mixture increased, but the heat from the burning carbon provided the extra energy needed to keep the mixture molten.

After the carbon content in the melt had dropped to the desired level, the air draft was cut off: a typical Bessemer con-verter could convert a 25-ton batch of pig iron to steel in half an hour.

Finally, the basic oxygen process was introduced at the Voest-Alpine works in 1952; a modification of the basic Besse-mer process, it lances oxygen from above the steel (instead of bubbling air from below),

reducing the amount of nitro-gen uptake into the steel. The basic oxygen process is used in all modern steelworks; the last Bessemer converter in the U.S. was retired in 1968.

More recently, there has been a massive increase in the mini-mill business, where scrap steel only is melted with an elec-tric arc furnace. These mills only produced bar products at first, but have since expanded into flat and heavy products, once the exclusive domain of the integrated steelworks.

Until these 19th century developments, steel was an expensive commodity and only used for a limited number of purposes where a particular-ly hard or flexible metal was needed, as in the cutting edg-es of tools and springs. The widespread availability of inex-pensive steel powered modern society as we know it.

BACK TRACK048

STEEL The product has come a

long way from puddled metal.

BACK TRACK

STEEL The

long way fr

Mobile Crushing and Screening in Action

The unification of the Extec and Fintec brands within the Sandvik group of companies has created the world’s most comprehensive and dynamic line-up of mobile crushing and screening equipment. The Sandvik Mobile Screening and Crushing range now delivers all the familiar characteristics of productivity, versatility and exceptionally low running costs, but they are now combined with levels of durability and aftersales support that are synonymous with the Sandvik name. New name, improved service, same great product.

SANDVIK MINING AND CONSTRUCTIONSANDVIK MIDDLE EAST FZE WAREHOUSE FZS1 BB01 JEBEL ALI FREE ZONE PO BOX 261216 DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES TEL: 0097148860101 FAX: 0097148860109 info.extec-f [email protected] www.miningandconstruction.sandvik.com

PMV Middle East - Nov 2009

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