The future of earth moving on show in Verona. News and innovations at the 30th building & construction machinery show at Veronafiere
The world of earth moving, site and building machinery meets at SaMoTer in Verona 22-25 February to present the latest innovations and news in the sector.
Modern excavators?
Customised with laser engravings with an eye to comfort
Not only powerful, efficient and low-emission engine: modern excavators are by now custom-built and also focus on operator comfort. The customizations on offer by the 100% Italian company VF Venieri at SaMoTer (Hall 4, stand D6-D7) range from cabs with interiors resembling saloon cars, leather seats, panoramic windscreens providing 360° vision and even the name of the owner engraved by laser on the sides. Thanks to soundproofing in the cockpit, hands-free mobile phones can also be used just like ordinary cars.
Surgical demolitions
Not only building and construction: site machines are also used to de-construct. Forget about cranes with huge steel balls or spectacular implosions of buildings using dynamite: demolition today is an increasingly exact science ensuring surgical precision, especially if such tasks have to be performed in urban areas or others associated with residential and industrial renovation. A.I.DE.CO. discusses the topic at SaMoTer: The Italian Controlled Demolition Association (Thursday 23 at 14.30 in the Bellini Meeting Room 1st floor - Gallery between Halls 6 and 7) will present professional figure of “Demolition Surgeon” focusing on new concrete cutting technologies as well as the latest regulations requiring the recycling of demolition materials.
“Smart” excavators that speak 25 languages and are greener
Futuristic technology and hybrid engines are by no means the exclusive prerogative of the automotive sector. Innovation is also leaping ahead in the earth moving machinery field. Electronics, computers and sensors reign supreme in the cabs and under the bonnets of modern excavators: on-board computers calculate structural in-use limits, regulate power and optimum efficiency and run constant trouble-shooting programs. A stream of data always under the control of operators who “dialogue” with their vehicles through control panels and monitors that can be configured in 25 languages. And not only “smart”: excavators of the future are increasingly sustainable. Japanese giant Komatsu (Hall 6, stands C2-C3, D2-D3) was the first manufacturer to produce construction equipment with hybrid engines that cut fuel consumption by 30% and also reduce CO2 emissions.
Debuts by 26 tonne units on parade
Verona welcomes a record-setting articulated boom
From South Korea to Verona to conquer the market. Hyundai (Hall 4, stands D4-D5, E4-E5, F4-F5, G4-G5) has chosen SaMoTer as the showcase to unveil two new models: the 3-tonne R30Z-9AK mini-excavator and its bigger “cousin”, the HL975 26.5-tonne wheel loader. This is a full-scale world premiere for Hyundai's latest models. Italian company CIFA also has an absolute innovation on display (Hall 4, stands E2-E3, F2-F3, G2-G3): the K45H Carbotech truck-mounted concrete pump deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records thanks to its 45-metre articulated boom – the longest in the world.
Crusher mill in the bucket
Demolition materials must be treated and recycled. In these cases, equipment comes into play that literally shreds aggregates, crusher-bucket by MB Crusher, the Vicenza-based company specialising in this segment of attachments for excavators and the first in the world to have designed and built them. MB (Hall 6, Stand C1-D1 and demo area A, stand C) launches a new world premiere at SaMoTer: BF 90.3 S4 bucket crusher can load and mill 0.9 cubic metres of material, reducing it to tiny pieces of just 15 mm.
A lynx in the engine for cleaning beaches
SaMoTer also welcomes one of the best-known brands in the skid-steer and mini excavator segment: Bobcat is attending the show in Hall 5 (Stands A6/7/8, B6/7/8, C6/7/8). Alongside its traditional range, Bobcat is also exhibiting highly specialized equipment in Verona such as the Sc200 “beach cleaner” loader designed to clean 15,000 square meters of beach per hour from algae - as well as cigarette butts, bottles, cans and plastic bags.
Excavators and videogames
It is a short step from the cockpit of an aeroplane to the one in an excavator, especially a virtual model. Everyone can experience driving a track-laying earth-moving machine weighing several tons at SaMoTer in complete safely. CASE (Hall 6, Stands C5/6, D5/6) has set up a computer station with an excavator driving simulator for full-immersion in work scenarios on a construction site or in a quarry.
“Featherweights” from Asia among excavators
Japanese technology and efficiency in a super-compact format: two mini-excavators by Japanese segment-leader companies such as Kubota (Hall 1, Stand B2-B3) and Kobelco (Hall 4, Stand A4-A5, B4-B5, C4-C5) are on show at SaMoTer. Extremely compact overall dimensions (the smallest measure less than 80 cm in width and just over one tonne in weight), these mini-excavators have by now achieved a 25% share of the world market. They are essentially used in urban areas, where compact size, low emissions and quiet engines are essential on short-term sites and maintenance work.
Auction of 1:32 scale model bulldozers and mechanical shovels for charity
They measure less than 50 cm and weight just over 800 gr - but in terms of detail have nothing to envy of their real-life counterparts weighing 18 tonnes and more. Models of earth moving machinery also enjoy the limelight SaMoTer 2017 thanks to a charity auction organized by Ritchie Bros Auctioneers with the contribution of “Meccanizzazione in Miniatura” magazine (Saturday, 24 February at 11.00 in the Arena Area of Hall 7). Collectors from all over Europe will have the chance to buy 36 die-cast models with scales ranging from 1:32 to 1:50, produced to the top brands for promotional purposes and limited to a few thousand pieces world-wide. These items are perfect in every detail, from articulated booms to moving tracks and cab interiors.
Passion for earth moving machines!
Excavator operators conquer the web
The fashion for sharing interests and passions on social media has even embraced the earth moving world and its protagonists: excavators, cranes and bulldozers photographed in action but also in scenic sites at dawn or sunset, as well as extreme working conditions. Sharing such fine shots is inevitable.
To the extent that there are now full-scale online Facebook communities in the sector such as “Escavatoristi e trattoristi/Excavator and tractor drivers” (group with 18,300 members), “Gli escavatoristi/Excavator operators” (14,290), “Quelli del movimento terra/The earth movers” (10,500), “Blog del padroncino/Owner-driver blog” (5,270), “Cave&cantiere: una scelta di vita/Quarries&Sites: a lifestyle choice” (3,800) and “The Italian construction channel” (2,000). All these virtual groups come together at SaMoTer thanks to Gowem!, the specialist earth moving machinery online information portal (more than 100,000 hits/month) that has set up a social media area on its stand (4) in Hall 7. Veronafiere also welcomes the “Escavatoristi eroi/Excavator Heroes” Facebook group (5,400 members).
Mistake-free laying of optical fibre thanks to geo-radar
Laying fibre optics in the streets of towns or cities is no longer a problem. Tesmec Spa (Hall 5, Dtand G5) presents Sidecut at SaMoTer 2017 – a compact, automated machine for excavating, laying cables and filling trenches in a single pass. The system is also equipped with geo-radar that probes to provide warnings of the presence of other networks and below-ground pipelines.