Features Education Event Reports
Concrete Business

The 2015 edition of World of Concrete continued to build on the success
of previous shows, with the best-recorded attendance in six years.

The 2015 edition of World of Concrete continued to build on the success of previous shows, with the best-recorded attendance in six years. The show welcomed 55,779 registered professionals from throughout the concrete industry – a significant jump from the just over 48,000 in 2014 – and featured more than 1,400 exhibitors. The show also grew to more than 675,000 net square feet of space, an increase of more than 100,000 net square feet from 2014.

The show featured a massive selection of products and services available for concrete contractors and, more importantly, the concrete road construction business here in Canada.

Here is our look back at some of the equipment and technology developments that will be available here in the Canadian market:

New slipform pavers from Wirtgen Group

Wirtgen Group has several products on display from multiple brands, including Kleemann crushing equipment, Hamm rollers, and the new SP 90i series of slipform pavers. The Wirtgen SP 90i series includes the two-track SP 92i, and the four-track SP 94i, which was shown at World of Concrete in two-lane configuration, or 26 ft. wide of its maximum 30 ft. It was shown paired with the Wirtgen TCM 1800 texture-curing machine, and equipped with a Leica 3D control system.

Terex makes concrete enhancements

A new front discharge mixer, Tier 4 Final compact equipment and a rare appearance for the Bid-Well concrete paver headlined the Terex booth at World of Concrete. The new FDB7000 made its first-ever appearance, which features a legal 10-yard load. The company offered compact Tier 4 Final solutions with the release of two new Gen 2compact track/skid steer loaders. The Terex Bid-Well 3600 paver unveiled at the show is equipped with a new carriage design and carries updated features that help to increase operator versatility.

GOMACO joins forces with Topcon

One of the biggest newsmakers at this year’s World of Concrete, GOMACO announced they have signed an exclusive agreement with Topcon for GPS and GNSS equipment. The systems will be offered on new and existing systems.

Among the large display of concrete paving equipment on display at the GOMACO booth was the Commander III paver, built with Tier 4 engine technology and a fuel capacity of up to 333 litres. The Commander III can handle paving widths up to 20 ft., as well as smaller concrete jobs.

Partnership, product and purchase for Topcon

One of the most active companies at World of Concrete was Topcon. They made headlines by announcing the new partnership with GOMACO, followed by details of the company’s purchase of Wachendorff Elektronik GmbH and Wachendorff Electronics Inc. Wachendorff, a German with a U.S. subsidiary, is a manufacturer of in-cabin mounted consoles for the OEM agriculture and construction market.

The company also introduced a new version of the Millimeter GPS laser transmitter, a new version of the LN-100 one-operator layout system including Bluetooth technology, imaging capability for the DS-200 total station series, and an Android app for the LN-100 layout navigator.

Cat releases Tier 4 Final dozers

Caterpillar offered several models of new compact equipment at the show, but it was their new series of Tier 4 Final dozers that look primed and ready to enter the Canadian market.

The D3K2, D4K2, and D5K2 offer new features aimed at enhancing performance in utility and grading applications. Automatic Traction Control, which is new for the K2 models, reduces track slippage when the machine encounters maximum load conditions.

That is complimented by Precision Blade Control, which helps to minimize material slippage from the blade and creates an accurate grade to help increase efficiency.

Allied adds new hammers

Allied has added the 70D AR Series hammers to its hydraulic impact hammer line.

The Model 70D AR Series hammer offers reliable performance and minimum maintenance. The Model 70D (SSU) is a 748 pound hammer that mounts quickly on a 12,000-25,000 pound loader, backhoe or skid-steer. It adapts easily to a mini-excavator or loader/backhoe with new mounting bracket configurations and two-position brackets.