The event organised jointly with importer Sotradies at their premises in Sousse, Tunisia, is said to have highlighted the tough, reliable and productive qualities of the CASE machines developed specifically for road building operations in North Africa.
The exceptionally bad weather, which hit the area with days of torrential rains, is said to have created the most extreme terrain conditions the machines – and the guests – will probably see in their entire careers. The CASE equipment was said to have performed flawlessly, handling the difficulties with grace.
“The construction business operators who braved the weather to travel from across the country to the CASE Road-building event were delighted with the opportunity we gave them to see first-hand what the machines are capable of in the most extreme conditions”, declared M. Slim Tlili, sales manager at Sotradies.
The full team from Sotradies, supported by the CASE business director and the product, training, service and marketing managers, welcomed the guests and led them in their voyage of discovery of the brand’s road building equipment.
The first part of the day was dedicated to the star of the event: the state-of-the-art CASE 865B 18tonne, 220hp grader. It is one of three models in the B Series, said to have gained an excellent reputation for their high productivity and ability to work in all environments.
"We're in the condition to supply the best grader for the African market. The range is perfectly sized for roadbuilding and road maintenance jobs. CASE graders have been tested throughout the years on the challenging North African jobsites. The upgraded cabin, improved design and weight-to-power ratio make them the best-in-class solution for the market and value for money for the customer. We rely on the product and look forward to challenging the competition in the field." said Massimiliano Sala, CASE product marketing manager road building equipment for Europe Africa and Middle East.
After the grader, participants discovered the 35tonne, 271hp CASE CX350B crawler excavator, the 230hp 821F wheeled loader, two T Series backhoe loader models and two radial loader SR Series skid steer loader models.
In addition to demonstrations of all the machines in real road building jobsite conditions, participants were able to test-drive all the models in the field with the guidance of CASE demonstrator Steve Beardmore and product specialist Massimiliano Sala.
The Tunisian government views the extension and upgrading of the country’s road infrastructure as a major challenge in its aim to adjust the balance and improve access between its regions – vital for the development of its transport sector and its economy. The development plan for the 2016-2020 presidency allocates €3.5 billion for the construction, refurbishment and maintenance of roads and motorways.
The country’s infrastructure development projects are also attracting funds from international financing organisations: for example, in July 2015 the World Bank granted a €180 million load to refurbish 146 km of roads in some of the least developed regions in Tunisia, and in February 2016 the European Investment Bank signed a 150 million framework loan agreement to modernise main arteries in the south of Tunis to relieve traffic congestion.
