Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/473140
EquipmentWorld.com | March 2015 13 reporter | by Equipment World staff J ournalists attending an In- termat pre-show event got a sneak peek at many of the products to be featured at the show, to be held April 20-25, in Paris, France. Inter- mat is one of a trio of internation- al construction equipment shows held on a rotating basis, along with Las Vegas- based ConExpo-Con/Agg and Munich, Germany- based Bauma. The show is expected to draw 1,300 exhibitors from around the world and approximately 200,000 attendees. A highlight of the event was the introduction of the Innovation Award winners, which highlight some of the most inter- esting new products to be on display during Intermat. A total of 78 products were submit- ted for the competition, with 29 semi-fi nalists and a dozen award winners. Wacker Neuson Group's dual- powered 803 mini excavator took the Construction Equipment gold award. In outdoor applica- tions, the excavator can be used in conventional diesel mode, but its ability to be operated electri- cally and emissions-free opens its use to indoor applications as well. Other winners in the Construction Equipment category include Alphi's TopDalle Eco, a new line of formwork products for reinforced concrete slabs, and Fayat/Marini-Ermont's RF 160 Neo generation of portable recycling asphalt plants. In the Equipment and Compo- nents category, Liebherr France SAS took the gold award for its crane lift elevator, which is integrated in the tower of larger systems and installed externally on smaller tower cranes. It is de- signed to transport two people or a payload of 440 pounds. Mecalac was recognized with a silver for its quick coupler. The reversible coupler can be handled from two directions and a detector indicates when the locking is complete. It also requires that an accessory be on the ground before it can be released to prevent accidents due to unintentional detachments of accessories. Two companies, Merlo and Liebherr France SAS, won awards in the En- gineering and Systems category. Merlo won the gold award for its M TSS transversal stability sys- tem. Designed to prevent overturns of telescopic booms, it features an electronic terminal that reads data from on-board sensors, displays informa- tion to the operator, and provides a warning of danger- ous situations – going so far as to block movements which might increase danger. Liebherr won the silver award for LDC or Liebherr Demolition Control. The system provides extended reach on de- molition excavators while commu- nicating precise, real-time position of the demolition attachment to the operator for enhanced stability of the machine. – Therese Dunphy Intermat awards Wacker Neuson, Liebherr at show preview FABCO, Fabick Cat to merge C aterpillar dealers FABCO Equipment, based in Milwaukee, Wiscon- sin, and John Fabick Tractor (Fabick Cat), of Fenton, Mis- souri will merge, creating a dealership that serves a six- state region. Based in St. Louis, the new company will serve portions of Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as the upper peninsula of Michigan and the entire state of Wisconsin. A name has not yet been announced for the com- pany, which will employ more than 1,100 people and have 37 locations. Over the next 36 months, the FABCO identity will eventually transition to the Fabick Cat name.