The Senago, near Milan, Italy-headquartered company produces 20 different truck-mounted concrete pump models across its Carbotech (Europe market only) and Steeltech and Classic (Chinese market) ranges.
The Carbotech range includes models featuring two boom sections made of patented carbon composite material that are said to be lighter but at the same time stronger and more resistant.
“Customers prefer to buy these machines as you can transport the concrete and then pump it. Using a truck mixer, you only transport the concrete,” says Alessandro Hopkins, CIFA’s Europe, Middle East, North Africa product manager.
“In Italy, the concrete business is a bit different from others as here the owner of the truck-mounted concrete mixer pump is not the same as the batching plant. In other markets, such as Germany and the UK, the concrete pump or mixer truck model driver is just a driver. Here, you can make a lot of money transporting and pumping the concrete.
“In Italy, longer booms are also not used, as they are in countries like Germany, as there are a lot of very narrow places. We have a lot of cities but there are no skyscrapers. So we need to produce small machines with smaller booms. We are very happy with these machines. We are number one all over the world with them.”
Launched at bauma 2013, CIFA’s now upgraded Energya 9 plug-in hybrid concrete mixer truck is said to be proving popular among European customers. Battery-powered, thus giving out no emissions during operation, and silent during use, Hopkins says customers like how their use of the machine is good for their company’s green image, with them wanting to be seen to be leading the way in their field.
“We have sold six models in Europe this year. No-one else makes a machine like this,” said Hopkins.
Since its acquisition by Chinese construction equipment manufacturing giant Zoomlion in 2008, the company has increased exports of its truck-mounted concrete pumps, concrete mixer trucks and concrete batching plants. However, Hopkins is keen to stress that the vast majority of the company’s manufacturing is done in Italy.
Hopkins says that CIFA will have a strong innovation-themed presence at bauma 2016 in Munich, Germany, with models on show set to include a new and larger than any current model in the range truck-mounted concrete pump; a new large concrete mixer truck, and the Energya 9 plug-in hybrid concrete mixer truck.
