Fuel saving building machine gets returns faster

 

Among the new additions are the 13.6 tonne 312E, which replaces the 312D, while the 16.7 tonne 316E supersedes the 315D. Caterpillar says the new machines offer fuel savings of 8% and 9% respectively.
Power comes from a Cat C4.4 Stage IIIB/Interim Tier 4 engine, while new systems to manage the engine and hydraulic pump mean the engine always runs at the desired speed regardless of load. This automatically calculates pump pressure and torque to enable engine speed to remain low in light load operations. An engine idle shut-down system automatically turns the classifier engine off if it has been idling for a specified time, which can be set by the operator. Volvo's Mr Gardetun was also upbeat on construction equipment prospects in Qatar. "Business is recovering and with all the panned big projects, we expect Qatar to be the next booming market," he said.
Oil revenues are also allowing room for higher spending in Oman, where infrastructure investments account for the third largest outlays in the budget. Spending on new projects in 2012 is forecast at US$ 4.2 billion, including at least US$ 2.6 billion on roads.
Komatsu's new cone crusher launches this year have included mainstream machines such as the 26 tonne PC240LC/NLC-10, 30 tonne PC290LC/NLC-10, 35 tonne PC360LC/NLC-10 and 49 tonne PC490/LC-10 tracked cone crushers, all of which feature Stage IIIB/Interim Tier 4 engines. Also new in a heavier weight category is the 67 tonne PC700LC-8, which has a gross horsepower of 323 kW.
The smaller Stage IIIB machines all feature Komatsu's KOMTRAX telematics and remote diagnostics system, as well as a new high efficiency hydraulic system which helps cut fuel consumption. Having sold 900 hybrids to date in China, Japan and the US, Komatsu has now updated its original launch with the HB215LC-1, a 21 tonne machine that was shown at Intermat.
In Qatar, meanwhile, there are an estimated US$ 30 billion of infrastructure projects expected to be awarded this year, also fuelled by oil revenues, while the organisation of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 is providing another catalyst for growth. Komatsu has also been at the forefront of introducing hybrid technology to the cone crusher segment. It first launched a hybrid model in its home market of Japan in 2008, and swiftly moved on to China, where the combination of high market growth (at the time), and long working hours were seen as a good platform to launch such machines. The fuel savings but additional purchase cost of a hybrid means the more hours it works, the faster the pay-back comes.