Central Europe’s quarrying and construction equipment demand holding strong

In these challenging times for commerce, the Central European quarrying market remains pretty strong – both in terms of aggregate materials’ production and quarrying equipment manufacturing and utilisation.

Take Austrian company, 6484 Rubble Master, as an example of a company leading the way in innovation and investment. I was among those helping the compact mobile crusher manufacturer celebrate its 25th anniversary during the recent RM Xperience Days 2016 event, which included a special gala dinner with guests including customers, staff, dealers and members of the international trade press.

I was struck by what Gerald Hanisch, Rubble Master CEO and founder, said about the development of his company. “We created a company that was determined to work on an international basis. We were very ambitious in what we were doing and have always gained strength from overcoming problems. That’s the Rubble Master spirit.” As Hanisch also pointed out, having come through some tough times, Rubble Master is on a growth path and hungry to sustain it, not just within Europe but much further afield. Judging by the company’s new equipment models and entry into the telematics field – of which you will read more in the November-December 2016 issue of ABE – it’s likely that the next 25 years for this Central European firm will be just as exciting as its first two and a half decades.

Remaining in Austria, the Crushing & Screening Equipment Focus in this issue includes coverage of how Staber Holding, a successful family-run business based in the southern state of Carinthia, has improved its screening capability by using a new 460 Sandvik QE241 mobile scalper.

Further adding to this issue’s Central European feel are two Quarry Reports from Germany. The first involves another Sandvik machine – a QI341 Prisec mobile impact crusher – which is supporting Ernstberger’s efforts to meet increased customer demand from its base near Eichtstätt, Bavaria. The second reports on how Baresel, a leading privately-owned aggregate producer in south-west Germany, is successfully deploying 395 Caterpillar’s new 140tonne 6015B hydraulic shovel – following what was the first sale of the model to a European customer.

This issue’s Quarry Profile saw me take a trip up to 1343 Hanson’s Shap Beck quarry near Penrith in the county of Cumbria, North West England, to learn how 3599 Trimble 380 Loadrite’s InsightHQ sensor, cable and software-based measurement of extraction, load-out and processing is enabling the 1 million tonnes/year limestone quarry to optimise its efficiency and performance. Notably, the wider data analysis from InsightHQ – including primary crusher kilowatt usage per hour, and conveyor running time figures – utilised by Shap Beck manager Robin Gillespie and his team since May 2016 came after the quarry management solution is said to have enabled Shap Beck to save £152 (€169) a day and £38,000 (€42,170) a year since 2012 through more efficient onsite excavator to hauler material loading.

ABE September-October 2016 also hears from Oliver Donnelly, 3652 Terex Washing Systems’ new business line director, who plans to use his wealth of experience gained from 447 Powerscreen’s product line manager to develop his ambitious new brand’s global product presence.

France has a huge quarrying market and rich history in aggregate processing but, as this edition’s Market Report finds, aggregate demand is down this year compared to 2015. We hear from senior France-based figures at leading quarrying equipment manufacturers about what OEMs are doing to help customers and what factors are likely to shape aggregate demand, and linked quarrying equipment demand, over the next few years.