pages: 56-57 “DemExpo, new trade show” - PDWorld

News: 

FRD’s Grand 

Opening 

pages: 14-15 

Special Feature: 

New Drill Systems 


Reports: 

Dutch Demolition 

Professionalism 


Reports: 

Polished 

Performance 


Slicing 

a Sub 

page: 12 

“DemExpo, new trade show” p. 68 

Volume 8 • No. 2 April - Ju N e 08 

Special Survey: 

South Africa 


Shows: 

Samoter & 

Conexpo 

Reviews 


Associations: 

IACDS Annual 

Meeting 


Great Interest for Tyrolit’s Cutting Pro Competition pages: 56-57

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Professional Demolition International Magazine 

Address: 

P.O. Box 786, SE-191 27 Sollentuna, SWEDEN 

Visitors address: 

Skillingevagen 14A., SE-192 71 Sollentuna, SWEDEN 

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Website: www.pdworld.com 

ISSN Registration: ISSN 1650-979X 

Editor-in-Chief 

Jan Hermansson, Jan.Hermansson@pdworld.com 

Assisting Editor 

Anita do Rocio Hermansson, Anita.Hermansson@pdworld.com 

Editorial staff 

Editor Global: Mikael Karlsson, mikael.karlsson@pdworld.com 

Editor Demolition: Mark Anthony, 

mark.anthony@pdworld.com 

Editor Recycling: Heikki Harri, heikki.harri@pp1.inet.fi 

Editor North & South America 

Jim Parsons, jim.parsons@pdworld.com 

Editor Asia Pacific 

Silvana Wirepa, silvana@pdworld.com 

Editor Russia 

Andrei Bushmarin, andrei.bushmarin@pdworld.com 

Editor Africa 

Kevin Mayhew, kevinm@addixion.co.za 

Publisher 

Jan Hermansson 

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Contact PDi editorial office in Sweden. 

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Contact the PDi head office. 

The magazine PDI, Professional Demolition International is published four times per year 

with a worldwide circulation of 13000 copies. The annual airmail subscription rate is US$ 

45. All subscription correspondance should be directed to: The subscription department, 

SCOP AB, P.O. Box 786, SE-191 27 Sollentuna, Sweden. PDI is mailed by second class 

postage paid at Stockholm, Sweden. © Copyright SCOP AB 2008 

4 PDi • Is s u e 2 - 2008 • Ap r I l - Ju n e 

CONTENTS 

PDi • issue no. 2 April - June 08 • volume 8 

REGULARS 

Editorial 

6 How big is the industry 

Cover by PDi? 

IACDS turns 13 

Business 

8 PDi Magazine hires African correspondent 

Record figures for SMOPYC 2008 

Bobcat celebrates 50th anniversary of 

the skid-steer loader 

Husqvarna acquires US producer of 

concrete saws 

Fintec Wins Queen’s Award 

for Export Achievement 

HB 10000 finalist in “Potencia awards” 

Failures with drop-in anchors 

Schwamborn’s world-novelty OMF 250 

has rendered sales growth 

10 Mantovanibenne Official Sponsor of MX2 

Yamaha Ricci Racing Team 

Hilti acquires majority stake in Indian 

diamond tool producer 

Husqvarna acquires Sandvik Nora, 

former Hagby Asahi 

IDE calles for the Claude J Brown Prize for 

the Best Paper 2008 

Demco celebrates 20 years in operation 

Record result for Hilti 2007 

Mantovanibenne 45 years 

JCB announces successor to long serving 

US CEO John Patterson 

Finmac strengthens its position in Australia 

Concrete Cutting 

12 Slicing a WWW2 Sub 

38 “DCH 300 just cut” 

56 Great Interest for Cutting Pro Competition 

Shows 

24 Increase despite decrease 

25 Most important in Europe 2008 

26 Recession, just talk 

32 The arrival of the Americans 

68 New show for the demolition industry 

Associations 

34 Demolition takes a global stage 

40 IACDS and the city of arts and science 

70 CSDA Elects 2008 Officers 

and Board of Directors 

Market figures for the international con- 

crete sawing and drilling industry, 2007 

Obituary: Sidney Hunt Snr 

Demolition 

36 Demolition with a difference 

37 Demolition with a Atlas Copco grapple 

Technology for the big boys 

43 Dismantlig of the Vinavil factory in Italy 

46 Great interest for German demolition 

conference 

60 “Courage on historic project” 

69 JCB excavators land airport demolition job 

Recycling 

44 This is no monkey business 

New functionality in ASRI version 2.0 

Efficient onsite recycling in cramped site in NYC 

Diamond Tools 

51 Three new products from Atlas Diamant 

Diagrip from Husqvarna 

Reports 

52 Dutch Demolition Professionalism 

58 Polished Performance 

64 Technical Platform ideology brings 

more benefits to each product group 

NEWS 

14 FRD’s Grand Opening 

54 HTC starts own dust collector production 

Four new Cat® H-series small 

wheel loaders 

HTC’s “ALL System” for 

completely levelled floors 

62 New SPE 316 Dust Collection Unit 

Two new demolition attachments from 

Arden Equipment 

66 Russias biggest concrete cutter 

celebrates its 15th anniversary 

Special Survey 

16 South Africa 

18 Demolition Success 

20 Future Potential 

23 Stronger environmental 

legislations in South Africa 

Special Feature 

48 New Drill Systems

How big is the 

industry covered 

by PDi? 

Each year PDi tries, in a general way, to estimate the size of the different industries we 

feature in the magazine. International statistics covering demolition, concrete sawing 

and drilling, recycling and floor grinding and preparation are difficult to obtain. 

Market data, such as annual value, number of contractors, manufacturers 

and excavator sales, for the general building and construction industry, is possible 

to collate from the various associations around the world and their international 

umbrella organisations. But in the fields PDi covers it is more difficult. Best market 

information is from the concrete sawing and drilling industry as it is looked after by 

the international association IACDS, but even here some national associations need 

to update their statistics. 

For demolition there are several strong domestic associations, but there is no 

united picture on how big the industry is. The European Demolition Association 

has helped to get a clearer picture of the European market. 

Statistics for recycling are very hard to obtain as recycling is such a diversified 

area with so many different types of recycling sectors. There appears to be no way to 

find market figures on construction related recycling. 

The fast growing sector for floor grinding and floor preparation is the hardest 

to assess, as no actual branch associations exist that specify these methods. 

Most of the time for all these sectors, we rely on association figures and data 

supplied by the manufacturers and suppliers. But sometimes manufacturers are reluctant 

to reveal numbers or even comment on a specific territory for fear of possibly 

sharing too much information with competitors. 

It is probably only manufacturers that have an interest in market figures and 

how many contractors there are in a certain field in a certain country or for instance 

how many concrete floors there are to grind in China or United States. I believe that 

manufacturers that operate internationally have a good grasp of the potential market 

in those countries they are operating in. If market information is available from several 

sources it can be analysed and is probably more accurate and the more information 

available the better for all involved. With more information we can learn even more 

about each other and improve. So stop being so secretive and mysterious and share 

your market information. 

Maybe international umbrella associations should have a section in their 

websites where the national member organisations could log in and provide updates 

online. Maybe even manufacturers and suppliers could share their information in 

a similar way. 

This subject is relevant as we are publishing market figures for the international 

concrete sawing and drilling industry on page 70 of this issue. Several countries have 

provided 2007 figures, but some figures 

are now two and three years old and some 

countries still do not have an association. 

I would like to ask those of you who can 

help to update some of the missing figures 

to contact either me, IACDS or CSDA 

so together we can get appropriate market 

statistics for 2007. 

Jan Hermansson 

Editor-in-Chief 

jan.hermansson@pdworld.com 


Words from O’Brien 

IACDS 

turns 

thirteen 

IACDS celebrated its thirteenth anniversary in 

grand style in Valencia, Spain in early May. 

The recently formed Spanish Association 

of Technical Demolition Drilling and Sawing 

(AEDT) hosted the delegates from around 

the world. 

This newest country sawing and drilling 

association was formed last year with 

assistance from IACDS and its member associations. 

Assisting countries in forming their 

own associations has become a common endeavor 

for IACDS. Assistance has been also 

provided to Italy, Poland, Russia and Slovakia 

and many of those members have attended 

IACDS meeting or hosted them. Perhaps this 

effort was an unseen part of one of the goals 

set forth by the founders for the exchange 

of information between associations. Spain 

and these new country associations join the 

IACDS member associations from Australia, 

Austria, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden, 

Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the 

United States. 

In addition to helping other countries 

form their own associations, what else has 

IACDS been able to accomplish since its 

founding in 1995? Even though the IACDS 

members only convene once a year, the 

IACDS members can be quite proud of 

what their organization has accomplished. 

Two very documents that were created, at 

the beginning with much difficulty, have been 

revised and enhanced over the years and 

now are accepted quite well. They are the 

new “Basic Parameters for Concrete Drilling 

and Sawing Equipment” and the revised “Tolerances 

and Limits for Construction Drilling 

and Sawing.” The manufacturers of concrete 

drilling and sawing machines, in order to unify 

the parameters and allow better comparisons 

of hydraulic machines, drafted the parameters 

document. The tolerances document forms 

the preconditions for accuracy and/or limitations 

to differentiate the advanced capabilities 

of the professional cutting contractor. 

The project to collect worldwide market 

data for sawing and drilling contractors continues 

even though there is some resistance 

by members to share the data or there is 

a lack of data to be collected. IACDS has 

been able to identify that the total number 

of contractors worldwide exceeds 10,000. 

Great strides were made at the May meeting 

to expand the number of countries reporting 

information and it was hoped that this effort 

would gain wider acceptance for its merits 

and benefits to the industry in the future. 

The IACDS website continues to grow 

and add features. Following the May meeting, 

a new job story feature has been 

added whereby an architect, engineer or 

general contractor can access job stories 

from around the world to better understand 

the capabilities of cutting contractors and 

the types of jobs that can be completed with 

diamond cutting technologies. 

IACDS has also assumed the administration 

of the Diamond Award for concrete 

sawing and drilling. This award is being 

transformed into a true international competition. 

The next award will be presented 

in the United States during the annual World 

of Concrete show in Las Vegas, Nevada 

in 2009. 

The future is very exciting for international 

associations like IACDS. The first 

thirteen years of IACDS have been very 

productive as well thanks to the dedication 

of sawing and drilling professionals from 

around the world who have come together 

to provide a better future for the sawing and 

drilling industry. 

Best regards 

Patrick O’Brien 

President IACDS

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PDi Magazine 

hires African correspondent 

PDi Magazine is happy to announce that 

Kevin Mayhew is the magazine’s correspondent 

in Africa. Kewin is a freelance journalist based in 

Johannesburg. He entered South African journalism 

in 1979 and has worked in newspapers, 

radio and television. Awarded a national award 

for transport journalism hard news in 1986 and 

has written extensively on business matters in 

southern Africa and has travelled a lot in Africa and 

Europe as well as worked in England, Germany 

and the Middle East. 

In this particular issue Kewin is writing about the 

development of the demolition and recycling 

industries in South Africa. 

Record figures for 

SMOPYC 2008 

The 14th edition of SMOPYC, the International 

Public Works, Construction and Mining Fair, held 

at the Zaragoza Fair in Spain from 22 to 26 April, 

was a major success. SMOPYC 2008 beat its 

own records for attendance 

and participation with 2,014 

exhibitors from 44 countries 

and over 100,000 

visitors. The Fair continues 

to climb in the rankings 

and is now among the 

leading shows in the 

world for machinery 

used in public works, 

construction and mining. 

T h e s h o w organisers announced 

the next 

SMOPYC would 

take place from 5 

to 9 April 2011. 

The success of 

this year’s fair 

has already 

prompted 

many exhibitors 

to 

reserved areas for the 

next show in three years. 

www.smopyc.com 


Kevin Mayhew. 

Bobcat Celebrates 

50th Anniversary 

of the Skid-Steer 

Loader 

This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Bobcat® 

skid-steer loader. As part of worldwide celebrations 

Bobcat will be hosting a number of events 

in Europe, Middle East and Africa during 2008. 

In addition, a special 50th anniversary logo has 

been created to ensure that this industry landmark 

is very prominent at every industry show at which 

Bobcat is participating in EMEA 

this year. 

“50 years ago, Melroe 

Manufacturing Company, 

the forerunner to the Bobcat 

Company, introduced a 

compact front-end loader that 

evolved quickly into the M-400, 

the world’s first true skid-steer 

loader. The M-400 later adopted 

what has become the world famous 

Bobcat brand and was a starting point for 

the global compact equipment 

industry,” says Bobcat 

EMEA President 

Neil Woodfin. “In the 

last half century, the 

compact loader market 

has continued to grow to 

reach annual sales worldwide 

of over 100,000 units 

in 2007. Whilst the company 

has gone through many 

changes over the last 50 years, one 

thing hasn’t changed; Bobcat’s commitment to 

outstanding quality, workmanship and innovation 

that has helped to maintain its leadership, so that 

today, one in every two skid-steer loaders sold is 

a Bobcat machine.” 

www.bobcat.eu 

Husqvarna acquires 

US producer of concrete 

saws 

Husqvarna has signed an agreement to acquire 

the assets of Meco, Masterpiece Engineering 

Company, based in Prescott, Arizona, USA. Meco 

is a leading producer of floor saws for cutting 

concrete and asphalt. The company has annual 

sales of approximately US$ 9M with majority of 

sales in the US. 

The acquisition complements Husqvarna’s 

product range for the construction industry and 

reinforces the Group’s leading position in floor 

saws. “Meco has a strong market position in 

the US and Australia,” says head of Husqvarna 

Construction Products Anders Ströby. Synergies 

will be achieved with existing operations in terms 

of production and distribution. 

www.husqvarnacp.com 

Fintec Wins Queen’s 

Award for Export 

Achievement 

Fintec Crushing and Screening Ltd has crowned 

an extraordinary 12 months in its history by winning 

a Queen’s Award for Export Achievement 

in the UK. It was awarded for “a substantial and 

sustained increase in export earnings to a level 

which is outstanding for the products or services 

concerned and for the size of the applicant’s 

operations.” The Northern Ireland-based manufacturer, 

which became part of the 

Sandvik Group of Companies 

in 2007, has previously won 

the 2006 International Trade 

Award and captured the 

Northern Ireland Exporter 

of the Year award two 

years in a row in 2006 

and 2007. 

HB 10000 

finalist in “Potencia 

awards” 

Atlas Copco proposed the HB 10000 DP 

in the “I Potencia awards”, organized 

by TPIedita, the publisher for technical 

magazines in Spain and awarded by 

a select panel of members from the 

most important construction and 

rental companies in Spain. 

The HB 10000 DP participated 

in the category for Demolition, 

drilling and recycling equipment. 

Several hydraulic breakers competed 

in this sector, including 

the NPK GH-40, Sandvik 

Rammer BR2214 and Indeco 

HP 12000 among others, but only the Atlas 

Copco HB 10000 DP was among the three 

finalists. Its impressive features, productivity and 

state of art technology were highly appreciated 

by the panel members, and stood out over the 

competitors’ hydraulic breakers, although the 

award in this category finally went to a quite 

different kind of machine, the Metso LT-1213S 

mobile crushing plant. 

Failures with 

drop-in anchors 

Over the course of the last few years, members of 

the US Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association 

have observed failures when using 0.5in (12mm) 

drop-in anchors and many assumed the problem 

was with the anchors. The majority of failures have 

occurred in the internally threaded region of the 

anchor, causing half of the anchor to remain in the 

concrete and the other half to be pulled out. This 

mode of failure poses a serious hazard to operators, 

as the drill rig could suddenly fall on them. 

To evaluate the failures, the CSDA sponsored a 

senior engineering project at the University of 

Toledo College of Engineering. 

From their results, the students defined a 

summary of important installation parameters 

for using drop-in anchors. These include, anchors 

should be installed perpendicular to the surface; 

anchor countersink depth should be limited to 

0.5in (12mm) and expansion plugs should be 

fully set and the threaded rod should be fully 

engaged with the anchor. The students also recommend 

that levelling screws should be adjusted 

before the base plate is installed on the threaded 

rod and the installation torque on the threaded rod 

should be limited to 19 ftlbs (25.76Nm). Project 

information and software can be viewed on the 

student’s web site: 

www-mime.eng.utoledo.edu/design_clinic/ 

design_expo/Fall07Pages/2007-04-3/index. 

html. 

www.csda.org 

Schwamborn’s 

world-novelty OMF 

250 has rendered 

sales growth 

A unique patented oscillating milling system 

on the OMF 250 produces an extremely high 

milling energy, which allows machines with less 

than 60% weight compared to 

traditional built cold 

milling machines. 

This is an important 

issue when working 

in areas with a 

limited ceiling height, 

low transport capacities 

or working in narrow 

areas. 

Since the first introduction 

at BAUMA 2007 

there has been an increasing 

demand from communities 

and contractors in Europe and Asia for the OMF 

250 in various asphalt and concrete applications. 

The compact and small design, as well as the low 

operating weight, allows easy operation in narrow 

areas. A unique DOC-Drum-Overload-Protection 

protects the milling drum and drive when milling 

over hidden steel bolts in the subsurface. 

www.schwamborn.com

Mantovanibenne Official 

Sponsor of MX2 

Yamaha Ricci Racing 

Team 

Three young and promising pilots, Davide Guarneri, 

Nicolas Aubin and Roberto Lombrici, will have a 

new sponsor Mantovanibenne. The Italian company 

has started its collaboration with the MX2 Yamaha 

Team for 2008 Worldwide Championship races 

which will take place in different countries where 

Mantovanibenne is present with its sales network and 

Dealers. The opening race will be 6 April 2008 in 

the Valkenswaard circuit, Holland, followed by Spain, 

Portugal, Bulgaria Grand Prix and Mantova, the first 

of the two Italian races. The official sponsorship with 

Yamaha Ricci Racing Team was announced at the 

Samoter Fair in Verona. Mantovanibenne is organizing 

a racing tour with customers and collaborators. 

www.mantovanibenne.com 

Hilti acquires 

majority stake in 

Indian diamond tool 

producer 

The Hilti Group has purchased an 80% stake in the 

Indian-based Bhukhanvala Diamond Systems Private 

Ltd. The two companies have worked together since 

2002 and are now taking a step that will strengthen 

joint development and production of diamond 

consumables. “We have the same goals as the Hilti 

Group as we place tremendous value on quality and 

reliability in the development and production of our 

diamond cutting discs and diamond consumables,” 

says Bhukhanvala Diamond Systems Private Ltd 

CEO Nitish Bhukhanwala. 

Based in Navsari, roughly 250 km north of 

Mumbai, the company was founded in 1971 and 

specialized in diamond products for the construction 

industry and stone working. Today the company 

has some 250 employees and has annual sales 

of US$15 million. Bhukhanvala Diamond Systems 

Private Ltd set a goal of further cultivating and expanding 

existing business and using its high-quality 

diamond products to generate a greater presence 

on the international market. “The stake in this company 

not only provides us with access to valuable 

product knowledge but also to relevant production 

technology. The expansion potential of Bhukhanvala 

Diamond Systems Private Ltd. corresponds to our 

intent to grow further,” says Chairman of the Board of 

Directors of Bhukhanvala Diamond Systems Private 

Ltd and Head of Hilti’s Electric Tools & Accessories 

Business Area Matthias Gillner. 

www.hilti.com 

Husqvarna acquires 

Sandvik Nora, former 

Hagby Asahi 

Husqvarna has acquired the assets and operation 

relating to products for the construction industry 

within Sandvik Nora AB (previously Hagby Asahi 


AB), a company within Sandvik’s Mining and Construction 

business area. The acquired operation 

comprises production and sales of diamond tools 

and related machines for sawing, drilling and grinding. 

Annual sales amount to approximately SEK 

65M. The operation is based in Nora, Sweden and 

Vantaa, Finland. 

The acquisition complements Husqvarna’s 

product range for the construction industry and 

reinforces the Group’s leading position in the Nordic 

region. “Hagby has a strong market position in 

Sweden and Finland. Synergies will be achieved 

with our existing operation in terms of production 

and distribution. In addition, Hagby’s floor-grinding 

machines complement our existing international 

product offering”, says Head of Husqvarna Construction 

Products Anders Ströby. 

Husqvarna is the world’s largest producer 

of lawn mowers, chainsaws and portable petrolpowered 

garden equipment such as 

trimmers and blowers. The 

Group is also a world leader 

in diamond tools and cutting 

equipment for the construction 

and stone industries. Net 

sales in 2007 were SEK 33.3 

billion and the average number 

of employees was 16,000. 

www.husqvarna.com 

IDE calles for the 

Claude J Brown Prize 

for the Best Paper 

2008 

Professional demolition engineers within and outside 

the Institute are invited to submit papers for the 2008 

Best Paper Award. There are two categories. “Best 

Paper” which is open to all and second “Best Paper 

from a Student Member of the Institute”. The prize 

is set to £1000 in each category. 

Criteria: There is no set title or subject for the 

technical paper. However the subject must be of 

relevance to demolition engineering and be the 

candidate’s own researched work. The wide range 

of subjects to be found in the British Standard 

BS6187:2000 “Code of Practice for Demolition” 

could be used as a guide to those suitable. It is 

expected that papers will consist of 6,000 words, 

plus illustrations. They should contain a bibliography 

and a reference section. Submissions must be 

accompanied by a signed statement that it is the candidate’s 

own composition. Entrants for the Student 

Best Paper Award will be expected to provide proof 

that they are studying at a recognized university or 

college. Closing Date: The final date for submission 

of papers will be 31st August 2008. 

Papers should be sent to 

IDE Best Paper Award 

69 Poplicans Road, Rochester, 

Kent ME2 1EJ, UK 

info@ide.org.uk 

Papers will become the property of the Institute of 

Demolition Engineers who may publish them, with 

the appropriate credit, on the Members’ website. If 

papers do not meet the required standard no prize 

will be awarded. 

Demco celebrates 20 

year’s in operation 

Swiss manufacturer Demco Technic AG has 

announced that the company is celebrating the 

20th anniversary this year. The anniversary is set 

to be celebrated in the end of September in Seon, 

Switzerland. 

www.demco.ch 

Record result 

for Hilti 2007 

Sales growth of 13 %, operating result 26 percent 

higher, net income up 23 %.The Hilti Group has 

posted double-digit growth 

figures for the fourth time in 

succession. In 2007 the 

company boosted sales 

once again by 13 %, from 

4.1 to 4.7 billion Swiss 

francs. The operating result 

rose overproportionately 

compared to sales, 

advancing 26 percent to 533 million Swiss 

francs. The Hilti Group’s net income increased from 

344 to 422 million Swiss francs, marking a rise of 

23 %. Growth was purely organic. 

The average number of employees increased 

by 9.7 % from 17,250 in 2006 to 18,930. Of the 

1,680 new positions created by the Group in 2007, 

more than 80 % were based in sales. 

www.hilti.com 

Mantovanibenne 

45 years 

This year the Italian manufacturer Mantovanibenne 

celebrates it 45 th anniversary. The company based 

in Mirandola, near Modena was founded by Alberto 

Mantovani and started out initially making buckets. 

Demolition equipment followed and complemented 

by a range of attachments including Quick Couplers, 

Crushers, Pulverizers, Rotating Pulverizers, Multisystems, 

Shears, Pile Breakers, Grapples, Grabs and 

Riddling Buckets. 

www.mantovanibenne.com 

JCB announces 

successor to long 

serving US CEO John 

Patterson 

JCB has announced that John Patterson, 

who has led the company 

through an unparalleled period of 

growth in America, is to be succeeded 

as CEO by Chief Operating 

Officer Matthew Taylor. 

John Patterson, 58, continues as 

Chairman and CEO of JCB Inc, based in 

Savannah, Georgia, USA, and will focus 

John Patterson 

Matthew Taylor 

on JCB’s American business. He will remain on the 

Main JCB Board as a Director. 

Matthew Taylor, 48, will take up his new role of 

CEO from 1 June. He joined JCB in April 2006 as 

Managing Director of JCB Sales and in January last 

year became Group Chief Operating Officer. 

John Patterson joined JCB in 1971 as a Field 

Service Engineer and rose through the company’s 

ranks to become Chief Executive in 1998. He was 

promoted to Managing Director and CEO in 2004. 

Under his leadership, JCB’s business has doubled in 

the past four years and the company has undergone 

the biggest global expansion in its history with new 

manufacturing facilities brought on line in the USA, 

Brazil, India, China and Germany. 

www.jcb.com 

Finmac strengthens 

its position in 

Australia 

The Finish demolition robot manufacturer Finmac 

Demolition Oy is steadily widening its territory. 

Recently the company formed an agreement 

with Sandvik in Australia and two machines 

have already been delivered to Australia. Sandvik 

Mining and Construction Australia (Sandvik) is 

the sole dealer and is providing specialised applications, 

sales and service support to Finmac 

customers. New dealers are also continously 

being set up in Europe and recently Finmac F16 

robots were delivered to an asbestos clearance 

project in Paris. Paavo Salonen, founder and part 

owner of the company is very satisfied with the 

development of the company and the growing 

sales of its product range. 

www.finmac.fi

Slicing a W 

The UK based concrete 

sawing and drilling 

specialist Holemasters 

Demtech was recently 

hired for a wire sawing 

job to slice up a 

Second World War 

submarine. 

In six neat pieces, two out of sight for 

the camera. 

12 20 PDi • • Is s u e 2 1 - - 2008 • • Ap Fe b r r I l u A- ry Ju n- e MA r c h 

Mersey Travel owns the submarine, known as U-534. 

It is a German type 1XC/40 originally used for training 

and weather watching and was sunk in Kattegat straights of 

Denmark on 5 May 1945 by a depth charge dropped from a 

Liberator bomber. The submarine was salvaged in 1993 and 

put on display in the Liverpool Historic Warship Museum 

at Mortar Mill Quay, Birkenhead. 

Destined for scrap 

After some years it was destined for scrap until Mersey Travel, 

the Liverpool transport and tourism body stepped in with a 

plan to make the U-boat part of a new tourist attraction at 

Woodside ferry terminal on the river Mersey. Mersey Travel 

will invest £3M in the development to display the artefacts 

recovered from U-534 and the sections of submarine at a 

purpose built site. 

To move it to Woodside Ferry Terminal in one piece 

was difficult. Mersey Travel also had plans to cut the sub in 

pieces, which would enable the inside to be viewed from the 

ends fitted with glazed panels. Mersey Travel contacted the 

Holemaster Demtech Bolton depot, which came up with 

the idea to cut the sub in sections by using diamond wire 

equipment. Traditional methods of cutting where not 

suitable as the cut had to be done in a single slicing 

process with a good deal of accuracy to allow the fitting 

of the glass panels on the open ends. 

Wire sawing best solution 

Holemasters proposed diamond wire sawing and a 

bespoke system was designed utilising a HILTI WS 

15 as the drive unit and scaffold towers to deploy the 

specially manufactured pulleys, which incorporated 

additional tensioning for the single 50m of Hilti wire 

used to encircle the hull. 

A closed loop cooling system was incorporated 

and the free wire was air-cooled. Many interfaces 

where cut at once whilst only removing material the 

same thickness as the wire diameter leaving a perfect 

visual cross section ready for viewing. Each section 

was cut following the installation of supporting 

steelwork, which was also used for lifting the section 

onto the floating heavy lift crane. The cutting speed 

and force were intentionally run low in order to prevent 

wire breakage. Wire connectors were also changed regularly 

preventing the almost impossible task of re routing 

the wire in the event of a break within the in accessible 

bowels of the steel hull. 

Each cut took between 3-5 days and only two breakages 

occurred during the cutting of all five sections. 

The cutting was completed within the 4 week 

programme, including the removal of the aft deck Gun 

and conning tower, which are to be re located once the 

sections are placed at the new site. 

Holemasters also undertook the removal of rotting 

deck work weighing about 110t and via an approved 

contractor removed 15,000 litres of hydraulic oil from 

internal storage tanks. “We have cut steel previously, but 

not on this scale. The complexity is that you are not just 

cutting one face, you could be cutting six or eight faces 

at one time, including items of pipe work valves, ballast 

tanks, pressure hull and internal services”, says Holemaster 

Demtech Sellafield Technical Project Manager Andrew 

Doyle. “On the stern section, we cut through the drive 

shafts that were 300mm of solid steel. We used a series 

of pullies to control the wire’s angle of attack, 

creating straight clean cuts and maximizing the 

cutting potential.” 

www.holemasters.co.uk 

History of U-534 

U-534 was launched in February 1942 and was 

initially used as a “school boat” and kept in the 

Baltic Sea to train new crews and test new systems. 

In May 1944 it was released for operational duty, but 

it was not sent on offensive patrols. It was assigned the 

duty of weather reporting and required to avoid contact 

with the enemy to ensure regular reports. 

On 5 May 5 1945, U-534 was sailing in the Kattegat, 

One of the cuts seen from above. 

To the left a Rusty sub before the big cuts.

W2 Sub 

North-west of Helsingor, Denmark, and although German 

Naval Commander Admiral Dönitz had ordered all his U- 

Boats to surrender as from 08:00 on 5 May, U-534 refused 

to do so. She was heading North towards Norway, without 

flying a flag of surrender, when she was attacked by a Liberator 

bomber from RAF 547 Squadron, which dropped depth 

charges. It took heavy damage and began to sink by the 

stern. Forty-nine of the 52 crew members survived, 

including five who escaped via a torpedo hatch as she 

lay on the sea bed. It was raised from the seabed in 1993 

and taken over by the Warship Preservation Trust. 

Is s u e 2 - 2008 • Ap r I l - Ju n e • PDi 13

FRD’s Gran 

On Friday the 11 April FRD Europe organized a big 

event to officially open and celebrate the finalization of 

the new European FRD head office located in Utrecht, 

the Netherlands. 

FRD Europe BV made 

11 April unforgettable 

for 170 guests when 

the company’s new 

premises were 

officially opened. 

14 PDi • Is s u e 1 - 2008 • Fe b r u A ry - MA r c h 

10 years on European soil 

It was a happy and proud Dick van der Starre, President of 

FRD Europe BV, who opened the ceremony and greeted 

the 170 guests. Dick van der Starre has been Furukawa 

Rock Drills man in Europe since the Japanese company 

opened its first European premises in 1998. A choice that 

proved to be right as FRD Europe has increased their 

market shares on the European market ever since. 

The big day for the official opening at Proostwetering 

29 in Utrecht offered nice weather to the 170 invited 

guests. The guests were clients, distributors, Furukawa 

colleagues, Furukawa Rock Drill top direction, suppliers, 

accountants, advertising agencies and the Pan-European 

press. 

The new premises is twice as large as the old plant 

and office, also located in Utrecht. And the new office 

measure more then 4000 m 2 . The new premises offers 

among others more and better assembling capacity, 

a lot more storage capacity and more efficient 

logistic process. 

FRD’s European head office has a completely 

full service function containing assembly, storage, 

transportation, logistics, technical, sales, marketing 

and promotional support as well as product 

development and after sales support. The target is mainly 

the European market but the Utrecht facility also supports 

other market areas. 

From the right Mr. Yoshino, President of Furukawa Company, Mr. 

der Starre, President of FRD Europe BV toasting with sake. 

FRD Europe BV has a staff of 16 people in Utrecht, 

two in Germany and one in Spain. Further 47 distributors 

are supported by the European headquarters 

Strong market presence 

Dick van der Starre is telling to PDi that the current sales 

in Europe is about EUR 40 million. 

“We have a very good market situation and very 

satisfied clients which means that our products do 

their job well. In 2007 the Spanish market was our 

strongest platform and for 2008 we are expecting 

that Russia will be our strongest market”, 

says a happy and satisfied Dick van 

der Starre. 

The celebration on the 

11th of April was something 

that goes be- 

The entrance to the new FRD Europe’s premises 

on Proostwetering in Utrecht.

d Opening 

Kato, President of Furukawa Rock Drill Japan and Mr. Dick van 

yond standard. The guest were initially welcomed with 

a drink in a big hall wrapped up with large decorations, 

products, laser beams and music. Dick van der Starre 

held a welcoming speech followed by a speech of Mr. 

Kato, President of Furukawa Rock Drill in Japan. 

The actual opening ceremony was conducted 

according to Japanese tradition with drums and 

drinking of sake. After the opening ceremony 

the visitors had a chance to take a closer look at 

the new premises. The celebrations then continued 

at a famous railroad museum not far 

away from Utrecht. The guests were guided 

through the museum and the actual dinner 

took place between antique railroad 

wagons and steam locomotives. 

Besides the exotic buffet guests 

were served great entertainment 

in the various bands that were 

on stage like La Vie en Rose, 

Trio Cool Gipsy Hot Hot, 

Kalashnikov Brothers and the 

last success act from the samba 

band Batucando. 

As a conclusion the FRD Europe’s 

celebration of its new premises in Utrecht is 

long to be forgotten. 

www.frd.eu 

Dick van der Starre gave 

a brief presentation of FRD’s 

history in Europe. 

The new FRD office in Utrecht communicates 

in particular one thing: 

Space and efficiency! More storage 

room, more space for assembly, more 

room for logistics, training, after 

sales, etc. 

The samba band Batucando was 

one of many popular entertainers 

during the celebration 

day. 


special survey 

South A 

16 24 PDi • Is s u e 2 1 - 2008 • Ap Fe r b I r l u- A ry Ju n- e MA r c h 

South Africa, an amazing country on so many levels. A country 

in the south of the world that has been headline news so many 

times in terms of its people, nature, resources, etc. But what 

about demolition and recycling in this region? PDi’s Africa correspondent, 

Kevin Mayhew, has looked into it. 

The South African demolition sector is only about 30 years 

old. Despite being a relevant player in the economy and 

the future development of the country, it has no central 

body speaking for it. 

30 years of history 

The exact size in terms of earnings or employment of the 

South African demolition and recycling sector is difficult 

to quantify. Historically the sector can be traced back to 

the 1970s and early 1980s when there was a call for big 

projects to remove old power stations and make way for 

new or expanding mining operations. Prior to that, it had 

been a small industry, which centred on use of manual 

demolition processes. 

Today the industry comprises three principal areas of 

lighter demolition for removal of smaller structures manually, 

industrial demolition using mechanical aids and then 

explosive demolition. The consensus within the industry 

is that there are only two major players that provide a full 

spectrum of services up to explosive demolition and a 

handful of others that undertake most operations short 

of explosive demolition. 

The value of each category is difficult to establish, but 

the Inspectorate of Explosives of the South African Police 

Services told PDi that it received up to five applications 

per year for explosive demolition. This Inspectorate is in 

overall charge of enforcing strict stock control, handling 

and detonation of explosives in South Africa, whether, it 

be in the mining, quarrying or demolition sectors. 

Two major players 

In the explosive demolition arena, South Africa is particularly 

well placed, although it only has two major players 

in the field, Wreckers Dismantling and Jet Demolition. 

Over the past three decades South Africa has achieved an 

enviable reputation and the infrastructure for successful execution 

is very effective. “South Africa is well serviced with 

explosives through its local industry and it has the necessary 

policing in place to make it world class,” says Wreckers 

Dismantling, Estimator/Technical, Kit McCarthy. 

Wreckers announced in May that it had secured a 

major contract for the explosive demolition of a 22-storey 

building in the Nigerian capital Lagos. It had to compete 

against foreign opposition for the contract. The company 

proudly says that it has undertaken work on just about 

every continent. 

The commercial hub of South Africa 

In the past three years industrial demolition, and limited 

explosive demolition, has received a boost from the announcement 

that the principal commercial hub of South 

Africa, Gauteng Province, is to construct the combined 

aerial and subterranean Gautrail Rapid Rail Link, a 

monorail system to link its OR Tambo International 

Airport with key residential and commercial nodes in 

the capital of South Africa Tshwane (Pretoria), Johannesburg, 

Midrand, Rosebank, Sandton, Hatfield, Centurion 

and Kempton Park. This will facilitate smoother commuter 

transportation to reduce congestion on its roads 

and highways, some of which are amongst the busiest in 

the southern Hemisphere. Experts have predicted that 

by 2015, Gauteng Province will be the 14th largest urban 

region in the world. The ambitious Gautrain Project will 

provide high-speed 160km/hour trains servicing 22 stops 

and is regarded as an important element in the handling 

of the commuter needs of the area.

frica 

Gautrain’s construction commenced in September 

2006 and most of the demolition work for 

the project was completed in 2007, according 

to spokesperson for the project, 

Keleboglie Machaka. 

The awarding of the contracts for 

this project also highlights another area 

of economic change that is prevalent in 

post-Aparthead South Africa, the introduction 

of Broad Based Black Economic 

Empowerment, which emerged as an 

evolution of the initial affirmative action 

employment, that followed its democratic 

elections in 1994. The affirmative 

action was to try to absorb previously 

disadvantaged persons (Black, Indian 

and Coloured as well as other gender and 

physical impairment categories) into the 

job market to redress the imbalances of 

employment in favour or Whites by the 

previous political order. 

Given its multi-billion dollar budget, Gautrain became 

a force to be reckoned with and linked its contract 

awards to positive proof of black empowerment as well as 

business and operational skills transfer. 

With millions of tons of excavated and 

demolition material to be transported it 

established a separate company, Induna 

Tippers, to remove two million tons of 

material while introducing driving and 

other training for employees ass a skills 

transfer exercise. 

Today all major players in the industry 

have strong black empowerment 

credentials. On the lighter operating 

side of the industry, it is also seen as a 

significant area to try to introduce black 

empowerment as it provides a relatively 

inexpensive option for small to medium 

black businesses to secure work and 

build up their capacity in an economy 

that is presently demanding a significant 

amount of such demolition work. 

With regards to training, the industry generally acknowledges 

that much of the skills growth for it is gained 

on the job. Bigger players in the sector do have internal 

training modules where possible, but the nature of the 

business dictates that many solutions to problems are 

established on a need to solve an individual problem 

basis. 

The entire South African economy has been divided 

into various sectors that are serviced by Sector Education 

and Training Authorities, which have introduced a unique 

system of graduated skills development to try to provide 

sound and recognised training rapidly to its population. 

Interestingly, there is no specific skills training module set 

for the demolition sector. However, certain elements of 

the demolition and recycling process have been covered, 

such as driver and mechanical machinery training, and 

this is usually with regards to operating in other sectors 

such as construction, mining or quarrying. 



Demolition Success 

Despite its relatively small 

size in global terms, the South 

African demolition sector has 

notched up some notable 

achievements, from the provision 

of locally manufactured 

vehicles and attachments to 

success in explosive demolition. 

The undoubted success story for the country is the 

spectacular development of what is today one of the 

world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of heavy 

machinery and equipment that criss-cross demolition 

and constructions sites worldwide alongside better known 

international names. 

Bell close to 50 year’s 

Bell Equipment had its humble beginnings at Richards Bay 

in 1962. Richards Bay, which is today one of the largest 

bulk ports in the world, was then a developing port town 

on the east coast of the country in Zululand in Natal Province 

(today KwaZulu-Natal). The company manufactured 

machinery for the local agricultural sector. 

Today it generates annual gross revenues in excess 

of US$600m by providing world class articulated dump 

trucks, wheeled loaders, three-wheeled material handling 

machines, rigid articulated haulers as well as tractor-loaderbackhoes. 

It has representation throughout South Africa, 

Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe 

and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the southern 

African region. Internationally, it has branches in Germany, 

Spain, France, America and the United Kingdom. 

In its sights are opportunities in Eastern Europe, the 


Middle East and North Africa, according to its chief 

executive, Gary Bell. 

The company prides itself on its cutting-edge manufacturing 

and assembly as well as its research and development 

using parametric modelling software combined with 

intensive in-field and laboratory testing of products. It has 

a fleet of about 30 prototypes to put new concepts to the 

test in real working conditions. 

Desmond Equipment 

Further south on the same eastern coast in the much 

smaller town of Port Shepstone, although it does not have 

a port, is Desmond Equipment. From humble beginnings 

in 1973 as a transport business, it is today a provider of 

solutions to the demolition, construction and quarrying 

sectors in South Africa and is increasing its presence in 

other southern African countries. 

Its range, which is marketed as Dezzi, covers front 

end loaders, haulage tractors, articulated 4x4 haulers and 

articulated 6x6 and 6x4 dump trucks. In development at 

the moment is a 30t dump truck, three wheeled range of 

loaders, a larger grader, harbour handling equipment and 

materials handling equipment. Leading South African 

RubbleBuster from Pilot Crushtec. 

Bell Equipment is South Africa’s success story. It has 

become an international contender in the provision 

of demolition and construction solutions. 

demolition company, Jet Demolition, uses Dezzi equipment 

for its extensive demolition activities. 

Wreckers Dismantling based in Halfway House, Gauteng 

Province, was one of the first operators in the heavy 

dismantling field, including explosive demolition, when 

it established itself 25 years ago. In 1992 the company 

became the first non-American company to undertake 

an implosion in the US when it secured the contract to 

implode Mackenzie Hall at the Wayne State University 

in Detroit, Michigan. 

Mobile recycling 

equipment from RubbleBuster 

Another South African success story in the sector is the 

RubbleBuster crusher manufactured by Pilot Crushtec 

based in Jet Park in Gauteng Province. It has been steadily 

making inroads into the European market for which it was 

originally intended when launched some 17 years ago. 

Constant improvements over the years have enabled 

this complete on-track, diesel-driven, mobile, horizontal


shaft impact crusher grow its share of the international 

market, particularly in Europe and the United Kingdom. 

Paul Chappel, export sales manager for Pilot Crushtec, 

attributes its success in these two key markets to its 

relatively small size. 

“In the UK and European markets the smaller contractor, 

who is required by legislation to recycle material, 

does not want to incur major expense, so he runs smaller 

machines on site. The RubbleBuster is ideally suited to 

this,” he said. 

The RubbleBuster is a fully hydraulic-driven 

machine, with a feed hopper, a crusher and a discharge 

conveyor, all in one unit on tracks. 

South Africa’s Wreckers Dismantling becomes the 

first non-American company to undertake a demolition 

in the United State when it imploded Mackenzie 

Hall at the Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, 

in 1992. 


Future 

potential 

Whilst the high profile drivers of the demolition and recycling 

sector in South Africa have generally been in its richest province, 

Gauteng, the entire country has seen major activity as well in 

the past three years. Certainly, future activities are of a national 

nature, as well as on the African continent. 

The awarding of the 2010 World Cup Soccer final to South 

Africa four years ago provided a lot of opportunity as the 

ten venue cities began massive upgrading of stadia and, in 

some cases, green field construction of facilities. 

Significant change in city centres 

In both instances, demolition and recycling will be a dominant 

part to enable expansion or clear for new, centrally 

located, venues. 

All the country’s major urban centres have also experienced 

a significant change in city centres, with an initial 

flight of commercial activity to surrounding suburbs and 

now a reshaping of its inner-city buildings for residential 

applications. 

With the experts predicting that the province of 

Gauteng will be the 14th largest urban node in the world 

within eight years and the port city of Durban heralded 

as having the fastest growing peri-urban population outside 

of Mexico City, the need is to take existing vacated 

central city commercial buildings and refurbish them 

into dwellings. 

By way of example, the Johannesburg metropolitan 

authorities are considering a number of options that call 

for up to 300 buildings to be gutted and converted to 

residential units. The first of such transformed buildings, 

Nuggand House, was completed at the end of last year. It 

transformed a building constructed in 1951 for light industrial 

activity, such as printing, to 48 residential units. 

South Africa’s infrastructural monoliths, such as the 

national rail, port and pipeline operator Transnet and its


electricity supplier, Eskom, have both announced major 

investments to meet the needs of the future. There is expected 

to be a high demand for demolition and 

recycling from these sectors. 

In his summary of 

trends in 

its 

last annual report, 

the chairman of 

Bell Equipment Company, Howard 

Buttery, said: “Looking ahead, we are confident 

that the current infrastructure spending in South 

Africa will continue to yield opportunities for the 

growth of our business.” 

South Africa’s economic 

activity is underpinned by high 

levels of commodity mining, 

which will, for the foreseeable 

future, remain on a growth 

path due to mainly Asian and 

Chinese demand. The need 

for expanded mining activity 

and renewal of existing facilities 

is therefore also seen as a 

major potential growth area for 

demolition and recycling. 

Due to its experience and acceptability as a world class 


operator in the field, the South African sector 

can also reasonably expect to benefit from the 

economic expansion of African countries. Many 

have a similar commodity profile and will need 

the equivalent extraction and transportation 

expansion as South Africa. This is generally 

seen as relevant to mainly heavy industrial and 

explosive demolition activity. 

With regards to the provision and maintenance 

of mechanical requirements for the 

demolition sector, it is healthily placed to 

service South Africa and its southern 

African neighbours. Due to the 

robust activity of the past 

few years in South Africa, 

all elements of 

demoli- 

tionoperations 

have access 

to benchmark local and 

international products. 

Strong local players 

In the field of carriers and attachments 

there are strong local 

players that are involved in the 

development, provision and maintenance of equipment, 

with the two major indigenous success 

stories being Bell Equipment and Dezzi. 

They compete against such international 

competitors as Caterpillar, JCB, 

Komatsu and Hitachi. Attachment providers 

represented include Atlas Copco, 

Sandvik, Furukawa and Indeco. 

Mobile recycling equipment suppliers 

such as Pilot Crushtec, Metso 

Minerals and others have a presence 

and concrete sawing and drilling equipment 

brands include Hilti, Husqvarna, 

Tyrolit, Diamond Products Cape to 

mention a few. 

In terms of diamond tools and machinery for concrete 

cutting, South Africa is nationally serviced by about eight 

professional suppliers that provide the latest international 

technology, mainly from Europe and America. The sector 

indicated to PDi that there is a degree of local development 

to try to adjust machinery for harsher handling 

than in other countries where the machinery is used by 

more skilled operators. Unfortunately, South Africa has 

no established certificate of competency to identify 

people that have been taught how to handle such 

machinery and tools properly, which results in a lack 

of understanding about best handling techniques 

and preventive maintenance. This leads to potential 

downtime and productivity loss which is presently 

addressed through hardiness

adjustment to machinery and tools where possible. 

On the products available, Brian Clark, spokesperson 

for Gauteng-based Diamond Products Cape - one of the 

larger local companies which purchased the diamond tool 

divisions of Boart Longyear and Huddy Diamond last 

year - says its product range covers machinery and tools 

generally available to the industry. This includes: 

Wet and dry cut laser welded diamond blades for concrete, asphalt, 

masonry and stone, 

Laser welded core bits for concrete, asphalt, masonry, tiles 

and natural stone, 

Concrete and masonry floor saws, core drills and 

grinding equipment, 

Brick and tile saws for concrete, tile and masonry, and 

Laser welded diamond core bit and blade. 

Demolition companies are spread countrywide and 

serviced by major contractors for recycling that handle 

all types of removal and dispersal. There are only about 

12 sizable companies in South Africa that get the lion’s 

share of the work for demolition and recycling. Most 

are in Gauteng province, but operate nationally where 

needed. The major centres outside of Gauteng Province 

do have large companies based in them that generally 

operate nationally as well. 

For softer elements, such as public liability insurance, 

the country has a number of brokers that provide cover 

for this activity from the smallest contract to explosive 

demolition. 

Stronger environmental 

legislations in South Africa 

Demolition in South Africa, whilst poised for growth in the foreseeable 

future, is also plagued by major challenges and restrictions. 

Environmental legislation requirements must be adhered 

to regarding the structural demolition as well as 

the method of disposal of rubble mainly for asbestos 

content reasons. 

Final banning in March 2008 

With many innercity buildings being demolished, refurbished 

or imploded, one of the major concerns is the 

disposal of asbestos content that features in most of the 

affected buildings. They were constructed during the 

economic boom in South Africa between 1960 and into 

the 1980s before the carcinogenic and respiratory problems 

of asbestos were conclusively understood. The final 

banning of the use, manufacture, import and export of 

asbestos and materials containing asbestos in March this 

year brought the curtain down on asbestos use in future 

construction and aligns South Africa with restrictions 

imposed by its major European and American trading 

partners, but demolition has been left with the legacy. 

The relevant regulations favour wet removal of asbestos 

from demolition sites and, where impractical, dry 

removal is permitted with very strict controls required to 

limit contamination and protect clean areas. 

Most of the country’s large and mid-sized demolition 

and recycling companies have specialist divisions or 

access to the necessary contractor expertise to undertake 

this element of the demolition process. The law also 

imposes controls over the use of high-pressure water jets 

and prescribes demolition site working environment 

conditions. 

“It is fortunately an area of the industry that will kill 

itself off as buildings containing asbestos are replaced. 

It appears that in many cases during refurbishment, the 

necessary work is done to remove either in part or totally 

the asbestos content,” says Johannesburg based issue 

management consultant Brian Gibson. 

Lack of power a problem 

Another clear factor that is bedevilling the industry in 

South Africa, and with it southern Africa, is the current 

critical electrical power shortage, which has seen the 

introduction of what the local national power utility, 

Eskom, calls “load shedding”. It is a structured rotation 

of power cuts in select areas throughout the country at 

certain times to try to take pressure off the country’s 

power grid as it attempts to improve its power supply 

through better maintenance and re-commissioning of 

mothballed power stations in the short term. 

Ideally such interruptions, which vary between two 

to four hours on designated days, are predetermined, but 

in many cases they are due to failure of the infrastructure 

for maintenance reasons. This creates a traffic gridlock 

situation that disrupts time schedules on site where main 

power is used. Similarly the removal of rubble through 

blackened traffic lights and gridlocked traffic play havoc 

with schedules and potential penalty clauses. Ironically, 

it was the large scale demolition of old power stations to 

make way for new ones that gave the local demolition 

industry one of its major boosts in the 1970s. 

On-site generator driven demolition is also not 

spared as its fuel costs escalate for both vehicles and 

generators as the country’s fuel prices spiral along with 

those of the rest of the world. 


INCREASE 

DESPITE 

DECREASE 

Two big shows have 

taken place this spring 

in our sector, in different 

parts of the world. 

Both showed clear 

signs of optimism despite 

that their countries 

are struggeling 

with recession. Read 

our review of CONEX- 

PO-CON/AGG 2008 and 

SAMOTER 2008. 


Despite an economic slope in United States that continues, 

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008, the largest trade show in North 

America of any industry in 2008 and the co-located IFPE 2008 

expositions have set records for attendance, exhibition space and 

number of exhibiting companies. CONEXPO-CON/AGG 

2008 and IFPE are known as global showcases of the latest 

equipment, product innovations and technological advances for 

the construction, construction materials and power transmission 

industries. 

21 % bigger then 2005 

More than 144,600 industry professionals from around the world 

attended CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 and IFPE 2008 during 

their five-day run on 11-15 March at the Las Vegas Convention 

Center in Las Vegas, USA. CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 

covered more than 2.28Mft2 of exhibits (211,966m2 ), taken 

by 2,182 exhibitors, and was 21% bigger than the last show, 

held in 2005. 

International Attendance 

A record number of over 28,000 international industry professionals 

visited the shows, which is more than 19% of total 

attendance and represents more than 30% growth compared 

to the last shows. International attendance 

increased by more than 

50% from the Latin America and 

Caribbean marketplace, and doubled 

from China, India and Turkey. There 

were also significant increases from 

Canada, Australia, Russia and the 

Middle East. International visitors 

to the shows hailed from more than 

130 non-U.S. countries. There were 

more than 60 official international 

customer delegations organized by 

the U.S. Department of Commerce 

as well as in-country trade associations 

and related groups. 

Exhibit Features 

The show included a record 14 international pavilions highlighting 

products and services developed outside the United States. 

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 with 10, from Brazil, Canada, 

China, Finland, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, Turkey and the 

United Kingdom, and IFPE 2008 with four, and China, Italy, 

Spain and Taiwan. 

IFPE 2008 hosted a new pavilion sponsored by the American

Gear Manufacturers Association, welcomed back a 

Power Transmission Distributors Association pavilion, 

and set up a new pavilion to highlight the expanded 

presence of sensors at the show. 

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 featured a new 

Safety Zone of exhibits and demonstrations from 

industry and government groups, including the U.S. 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 

Mine Safety and Health Administration, National 

Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and the 

Aerial Work Platform Training/International Powered 

Access Federation. 

The next edition of the triennial shows will be 

22-26 March 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention 

Center in Las Vegas. 

www.conexpoconagg.com 

The other big show this year, that proved to be even more international 

this time, was Italian show Samoter in Verona. The 

show was organisaed some weeks before CONEXPO and the 

2008 edition showed most significant result concerning visitor 

numbers, more than 100 000, which set a new attendance record 

and should be compared to CONEXPO’s 144 000, visitors. 

More than 10% increase 

The increase over the 2005 edition was more than 10%, with 

peak figures (of up to 20%) for international operators, especially 

from East Europe and Asia. The event, which boasts the patronage 

of CECE (European Committee of Site Machinery Manufacturers’ 

Associations) and the Ministries of Infrastructures, 

Transport, Employment and Social Security and International 

Trade, welcomed 1026 exhibitors (+3.5% over 2005), of which 

30% international from 36 countries, over a net exhibition area 

of more than 130 000, square metres (+13.5%). There were also 

more Italian and international journalists than ever, up by 80% 

(602 accredited journalists, of whom 40% international), 50 

MOST IMPORTANT 

IN EUROPE 2008 

Italian and international media partners (press, web and TV) 

ensuring resounding success. 

“We achieved attendance even better than forecasts,” said 

President of VeronaFiere, Luigi Castelletti. “Thanks to detailed 

work carried forwards in recent years with international promotion 

through Samoter Tour, that visited (and will continue to 

visit) the main countries in Eastern Europe, as well as even closer 

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collaboration with the main trade associations. We are delighted 

by such attendance, especially on an international scale, and are 

convinced that the market, on the basis of meetings at Samoter, 

will see new impulse in the business field.” 

Samoter thereby confirmed its role, among sector experts, as 

one of the reference shows in the construction sector and the most 

important European appointment in 2008. The organisational 

formula was particularly appreciated by operators as regards the 

trade sector layout and the impressive convention programme: the 

Samoter Specials, in short, welcomed a series of courses dedicated 

to individual sectors (earth moving, concrete, road building, 

drilling, crushing, lifting/hoisting, vehicles and components), 

while more than 40 theme conventions were organised, attended 

by over 2,200 visitors. 

There was also excellent attendance by visitors and specialists 

at the Demo Area, the test ground of 20 000 square metres 

for “live” action and testing of the latest innovations available 

on the market. 

www.samoter.com 

“Recession, 

just talk” 

There is currently so much negative comment in the world market 

about an impending recession. This is particularly prevalent 

for the US, but the market contenders do not appear to agree, 

with Conexpo being a good example. More new products then 

ever were launched with more exhibitors and more visitors. 

Conexpo was a show of optimism and proved to be an even 

stronger international arena this time. 

The international influence was obvious and as an example 

never before has so many Italian demolition attachment manufacturers 

attended. No other single nation was so well represented in 

this field as Italy. And demolition and recycling equipment had a 

much stronger presence than at previous Conexpo shows. 

However it was disappointing that diamond tools and 

concrete sawing and drilling equipment were largely absent from 

the show, but the World of Concrete exhibition has strengthened 

its position in this field. Even floor grinding equipment 

manufacturers were sparse at Conexpo, but there were many 

new products on display. 

The world’s biggest breaker released 

Italian manufacturer Indeco used Conexpo to launch the world’s 

biggest hydraulic breaker HP 18000. The breaker was shown 

some weeks before at the Italian show Samoter in Verona. It 

is 4.6 m high, weighing 11.05 t and can handle tools with a 

diameter of 250 mm. 

“It has a destructive potential that is far and away the best 

of any breaker on the market,” says Indeco managing director 

Michele Vitulano when unveiling the breaker at Conexpo. 

Despite its size, the HP 18000 is also rapid and versatile, 

achieving a striking rate of up to 460 blows/minute. “That sort of 

speed is quite incredible when we think how much rock is moved. 

Compared with other breakers, it has greater hydraulic efficiency, 

a better ratio between input and output power, and this leads to 

greater energy yield. This has been achieved by introducing new 

technological systems and improving existing ones throughout 

the Indeco range. The new automatic power and speed variation 

system makes the Indeco giant more sensitive, and so much more 

adaptable to the material it is demolishing,” adds Vitulano. 

Other features on HP 18000 include the CDPS system, 

which sends a signal to the operator if the breaker is working 

below optimum performance and warning to stop. The breaker 

also has special reinforcement, is extra silenced and vibration 

dampened. In addition the mounting bracket is 

interchangeable with the one for Indeco breaker HP 

12000. This is an advantage as the same carrier can 

now be used for two different breakers. One of the 

first HP 18000 breakers will be used for breaking 

the hard black New York granite in a construction 

job on Manhattan. 

Atlas Copco’s new 

medium-size hydraulic breaker 

Atlas Copco is completing its range of medium-size 

hydraulic breakers with the MB 1500, a straightforward 

product requiring practically no maintenance. 

The breaker operates without a high-pressure accumulator, 

substantially reducing the number of moving 

components. But details such as the StartSelect, 

allowing the start-up and shutdown behaviour of the


breaker to be adapted to the specific application characteristics, 

or the AutoControl ensuring maximum percussion power under 

all operating conditions, have been included. 

The MB 1500 features single blow energy of 3000 Joule and 

achieves high efficiency thanks to the energy recovery. Its robust 

and sturdy design turns the breaker into a universally applicable 

tool for demolition, trenching or quarrying jobs. The shape 

makes the MB 1500 extremely versatile and manoeuvrable. 

The MB 1500 joins the medium-size range of Atlas Copco 

hydraulic breakers and supplements the MB 1200 with its 1200 

kg service weight and for the MB 1700 with its 1700 kg service 

weight. “Power, reliability and a low maintenance expenditure 

were the benchmarks for the designers of the MB 1500. A product 

has evolved which is distinguished by its versatile application, 

its slim design and its extremely high efficiency,” says Product 

Line Manager Medium & Heavy Breakers, Torsten Treger. 

New breaker from Sandvik 

Also for breaker producer Sandvik CONEXPO became launch 

pad for the new BR2155. Initially the hammer will be available 

only for the European market and will subsequently receive a 

phased introduction in other markets. 

With a working weight ranging from 1,190 to 1220 kg 

and an impact rate of 490 to 760 blows per minute, the all new 

BR 2155 hammer has been designed for carriers in the 20 to 

22 tonne operating weight class. The new BR 2155 hammer 

boasts a modular design that provides users exceptional flexibility 

to match the hammer precisely to their application and 

material requirements. 

The new BR 2155 from the stables of Sandvik encapsulates 

the very latest in breaker design. A slim body, robust housing 

made of wear resistant steel, a replaceable bottom plate and an 

integrated lubrication system make up the all new BR 2155. 

A key feature of the new hammer is its modular design that 

allows customers to choose from a range of options as a “Retrofit” 

to match their application, material and budget. This flexibility 

enables customers to retrofit the hammer after purchase and 

ensure that the hammer is always 

to the latest and most 

appropriate configuration 

as application requirements 

change. 

The BR 2155, being 

offered in sound suppressed 

configuration, also benefits 

from a lightweight design 

that affords the unit a classleading 

power-to-weight 

ratio and high productivity 

levels in a wide variety 

of demolition, recycling 

and other industry wide 

applications. The proven 

fixed blow energy concept 

available in other models of 

hammer in Sandvik range 

is also available in the new BR 2155. 

Durability and reliability, two main features of all hammers 

from the Sandvik family are fully integrated into the design 

of the new BR 2155. A tool of 118 mm diameter ensures 

optimum wear and an excellent impact & bending resistance. 

Well protected hoses prevent it from wear and pinching damage 

while a highly efficient relief valve provides extra protection to 

the hammer. 

Service Kit for Economical Operation of the hammer and 

a range of tools for different applications, from Demolition to 

Boulder Breaking is available. 

Mantovanibenne 

showed new crusher CR100 

Italian manufacturer Mantovanibenne introduced on both 

Samoter and Conexpo their new crusher CR100 developed for 

carriers around 100 t. The CR100 is ideal for primary demoli- 

tion, primary cracking of structures and crushing reinforced 

concrete beams in a controlled and virtually noise free manner. 

ConExpo No Gamble for Extec & Fintec 

The ConExpo 2008 exhibition in Las Vegas, the first worldwide 

show attended by Extec Screens and Crushers Ltd and Fintec 

Crushers and Screens Ltd since they became part of Sandvik, was 

a roaring success with the two companies netting orders worth 

in excess of $20 million. 

Extec and Fintec, both now part of the Sandvik Group of 

Companies, enjoyed a staggering demand for its products during 

the five-day ConExpo. The companies, which were launching 

the Extec S-7 mobile screen and the Fintec 1440 mobile impact 

crusher, confirmed orders valued at more than $20 million during 

the show comprising a large number of major orders from 

US-based companies. Additional orders were taken from UK, 

Ireland, CIS, Germany and from across the Middle East and Far 

East. “ConExpo 2008 was a phenomenal success for us,” says 

group marketing manager Roger Murrow. “This was the first 

time that Extec and Fintec had exhibited side-by-side as part of 

Sandvik and the response from customers was just overwhelming. 

In particular, the new Extec S-7 and Fintec 1440 models 

proved extremely popular.” 

The largest model in Extec’s S-Series, the S-7 sets new standards 

in screening productivity. The machine features the same 

Doublescreen design as the S-4, S-5 and S-6, but boasts a tripledeck 

configuration together with an additional side conveyor that 

helps make the Extec S-7 the most productive mobile screen in its 

class. With a transport weight of 38.2t, the Extec S-7 is powered 

by a Deutz BF4M 2012 diesel engine developing 74.9 kW that

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meets or exceeds all known emissions regulations. The Extec 

S-7, which is 18m long, utilises two independently adjustable 

screen boxes each measuring 3,048 x 1,524mm. 

The Fintec 1440 is a track-mounted impact crusher that 

combines Fintec’s experience in the design of mobile crushers 

with Sandvik’s leadership in the manufacture of high output 

impact crushers for quarrying, demolition and recycling applications. 

Powered by a Cat C-13 diesel engine, the Fintec 

1440 is carried on a manoeuvrable tracked undercarriage 

and incorporates a Sandvik PR301D impactor with a fluid 

clutch drive. Fed via a two-deck prescreen, the crusher is 

a four hammer open-style rotor with a pair of hydraulically 

adjustable impact curtains that together deliver high outputs 

in materials including granite, slate, limestone, brick and 

asphalt. A relatively low weight of 49.8t and 15.5m long in 

transport mode means the Fintec 1440 is transportable in a 

single load. Optional extras include a dolly unit, belt scales, 

and radio remote controls. 

“Our primary reason for exhibiting at ConExpo was to 

unveil our two new models and to remind customers that 

we’re now part of the Sandvik Group of Companies,” says 

Murrow. “We’re absolutely delighted at the response from 

US and international customers to both the new and existing 

products. This has been, without question, the most successful 

exhibition we’ve ever attended.” 

Rubble Masters fast 

expansion in North America 

North America has become the most rapidly expanding market 

for RUBBLE MASTER. “The Conexpo show was a huge 

success,” says RUBBLE MASTER North America Business 

Developer Nikolaus Hottenroth. “Interested visitors from the 

USA and around the world were in agreement after seeing the 

RM100 as cutting edge technology at its finest. The RM100 

is regarded worldwide as the technology leader in the crushing 

sector, especially by companies that have had experience 

with RUBBLE MASTER and other crusher manufacturers.” 

Fuel prices and ever tightening environmental regulations, 

which make the dumping of construction debris either very 

expensive or completely impossible, are prompting many 

demolition and construction companies in North America to 

search for profitable solutions. And this is why the interest in 

RUBBLE MASTER Compact Recyclers® is growing. 

Gerald Hanisch, Managing Director of the Austrian 

manufacturer HMH and President of RUBBLE SYSTEMS 

Inc., pointed out the dedication shown not only by the growing 

team of official RUBBLE MASTER sales partners in North 

America but also by the US customers. “Our sales partners 

and customers in North America have grasped the concept 

of mobile recycling with RUBBLE MASTER, and this is the 

message they pass on with full conviction and commitment. 

This is why the huge success in North America is due largely 

to them, besides the high quality of our products. The great 

importance they attach to service is another reason for this 

success and one that we can continue to build on.” 

Dust buster boom 

A couple of year’s ago PDi introduced, as first international 

magazine US manufacturer Dustcontrol Technology’s efficient 

dust control system DustBoss. DustBoss was, what PDi has 

experienced the first dust control system for outdoor demolition 

jobs. DustBoss is today sold successfully both in the US 

and Europe and has a network of distributors and service 

providers both in the US and Europe. DustBoss is also CE 

certificated. DustBoss could be seen in their own booth 

at CONEXPO and at Samoter in Mantovanibennes 

booth, who represents DustBoss in Italy. 

Since DustBoss showed up with its innovation a 

couple more brands has been introduced, both from 

Europe. One of the is WPL DustBuster from Italy 

and now recently another Italian company named 

Tower light released their Gladiator range. The 

product is called Dust Fighter. Dust Fighter 

A proud father and son, Mauro and Michele Vitulano 

presenting the world’s biggest hydraulic breaker, Indecos 

HP 18000.

is equipped with 24 nozzles mounted at 360° and creates an 

ultra-fine mist that attracts dust and drives in to the ground. 

GLADIATORdust-fighterwith its powerful fan with blades 

made of synthetic material,allow to cover a distance of 20-30 

m (DF 3000) or 40-60 m(DF 8000).Thanks to the presence 

of a particular filter the Dust-Fighter can be used with potable 

or not potable water, thismeans that the machine can operate 

in the presense of thewater main or can self prime the water 

from rivers, ponds or external tanks.The frame of the structure 

is mounted on a two wheels under carriage with a tow bar. The 

Dust-Fighter has in both versions, manual and automatic (option) 

oscillation system.The vertical position of the cannon can 

be manually changed. 

Three new products from Rotair 

On the occasion of the 2008 SAMOTER International Exhibition, 

Rotair spa, Italian reference manufacturer in the field of 

Hydraulic anti vibration hammers Ecosilent series, presented 

three new models of hammers extending the possibilities of 

installation on operating machines up to 21 tons. The present 

range of hammers covers weights from 60 up to 1300 kgs, with 

8 different models, offering perfect coupling solutions. 

Rotairs ECOSILENT breaker range has many interesting 

feature and for instance the beating section is contained in an 

Integrated single block casing, without tie-rods and featuring 

an anti vibration device which, thanks to special elastic buffers 

reduces the strain on the beating body, thereby ensuring greater 

power for the beating stroke. 

The new breakers are aasy and simple to install on the operating 

machines, even with varying hydraulic features thanks to 

the ample variability of the ratio between pressure- oil capacity 

and counter-pressure. 

The breakers has energy recovering features, high degree 

of counter-pressure tolerance, reduced amount of reactivity 

transmitted to the supporting arm of the operating machine, 

easy and fast accumulator control-recharging feature, “control 

power system” device which optimises the breaker performance 

according to user requirements and they offer easy and fast 

distributor access which can be effected directly from the upper 

head section. 

Rotair spa is presently dealing with more than 70 countries 

in the world. The high quality standard of the hammers, their 

reliability and profitability generally acknowledged from the users 

are confirmed by important distribution agreements with the 

main international producers of operating machines. 

Meccanica Breganzese 

success at Samoter and Conexpo 

The Vicenza based company Meccanica Breganzese, which claims 

to be the worldwide leader in the production and sales of bucket 

crushers, reported successful attendance at both Samoter and 

Conexpo. The company presented four models of their bucket 

crusher line, BF601, BF70.2, BF90.3 and BF120.4 at Samoter 

and over 1000 MB customers visited the stand. The numerous 

other visitors to the stand Middle and Far East and Africa where 

also impressed with the bucket crushers, which were also demonstrated 

at the show. 

The same line of products was also presented at Conexpo 

in Las Vegas to the North American audience, which MB claim 

generated a lot of interest from visitors. 

Besides these two events MB were also present at a number 

of other trade shows during spring and early summer. These were 

the French show Artibat, Smopyc in Zaragosa, Spain, a show in 

Istanbul, Turkey, Autostrada Polska show in Poland, Maskin Expo 

in Sweden, TiefbauLive in Germany and CTT in Russia. 

MB has also qualified for the Premio Edilportale Marketing 

Awards for their 2007/2008 advertising campaign for the Edilio 

Awards for excellence in web site and advertising communications. 

The competition takes place on-line from 2 April to 31 

July, through www.edilio.it, the portal site that currently boasts a 

community of 85,000 sector professionals. Portal users will decide 

the Competition winners. Every user will have the opportunity to 

view the different advertising campaigns and vote for their preferences 

by simply accessing the dedicated section of the website. As 

well as a user jury, there will also be judging by a technical jury 

consisting of qualified experts from the advertising and building 

industries. In September both juries will announce the individual 

winners of the 4 categories: 

• Best advertising campaign (user jury) 

• Best web advertising campaign (user jury) 

• Best advertising campaign (technical jury) 

• Best web advertising campaign (technical jury) 

The winners of the first edition of the ED Awards will be 

presented at the Bologna SAIE 2008 programmed for 15 to 18 

October. 


“The arrival of t 

Finally the American manu- But the market is still dominated by European jaw crusher and the one with an inclined screen, but the 

facturers have arrived in the 

manufacturers. However, at present the Europeans face the 

major disadvantage of the value of the dollar. In the past, 

when only European manufacturers could offer this type 

range of their tracked products is already quite impressive. 

These include three jaw plants, two cone plants, two 

HS impact crusher plants, two screening units, and one 

market of track-mounted 

of equipment, the dollar value did not matter, but now it 

certainly does. Another but probably lesser disadvantage is 

conveying plant with an apron feeder. 

“As one of our original names, Pioneer, implies we 

crushing, screening and recy- 

that traditionally, American customers prefer locally made 

machines and this may affect the situation, as well. 

have been the pioneering company in this sector amongst 

the American manufacturers,” explains, National Sales 

cling plants. At the ConExpo 

Of course, there is an exception amongst the 

American manufacturers, namely Terex who has owned 

Manager Fred Gross. “We have achieved good growth 

through our strong partnership with distributors and, 

show three years ago, their 

Powerscreen, Pegson and Finlay for a few years. These three 

manufacturers are all based in the UK and are basically in 

the same situation as their European competitors. 

what from our point of view, is also very important. That 

all our products are manufactured in the US.” 

Like KPI-JCI, Telsmith also belongs to Astec In- 

presence in this segment was The list of American entrants to this segment included 

many traditional manufacturers who joined the 

dustries. Telsmith brought to the show their first tracked 

machine, the TJ3258, which is equipped with a jaw 

zero but at this year’s ConExpo 

bandwagon of this new, for them, type of equipment. 

Amongst them there were such established companies as 

crusher and aimed at primary crushing particularly in 

quarrying operations. 

in Las Vegas quite a few manu- 

Telsmith and KPI-JCI, both owned by Astec Industries, 

Screen Machine Industries and CEC, Construction Equip- 

Construction Equipment Company also has a wide 

range of track-mounted plants, namely jaw, cone, impact 

facturers displayed this type 

ment Company. Some of them featured crushing plants, 

others displayed a tracked screening machine and some 

also showed a recycling version with the magnetic separa- 

crusher and screen. Screen Machine Industries is another 

manufacturer of tracked equipment. Currently they offer 

screens and impact crusher plants. 

of equipment that has been tor over the belt for steel removal. Cedarapids, another 

Terex owned company, showed their new wheel-mounted 

Also McCloskey International offers screens and 

crushers mounted on tracks. Generally, all American 

the European standard for well 

portable plant. 

However, the European manufacturers, with the 

equipment manufacturers are in the same situation. While 

the domestic market shows clear signs of flatter sales, the 

over 20 years. PDi’s Heikki 

exception of the missing Italian companies, with so 

many years experience in this product range dominated 

markets outside North America offer much more potential 

for expansion. Now Americans should be out there 

Harri reports. 

the scene. 

marketing their products. 


Made in America 

The first time American manufacturers showed their array 

of tracked equipment was in Las Vegas. For example KPI- 

JCI demonstrated two plants, one 

with a 

Tracked units in recycling 

KPI-JCI is the most advanced American manufacturer 

of track-mounted crushing, screening and recycling 

equipment. At the show they had two machines on 

tracks. The photo shows the FT3055 equipped 

with a jaw crusher.

he Americans” 

“One major use for track-mounted crushing units in the 

US is in the recycling process of road pavement. This 

type of machine has proved its efficiency in recycling the 

old pavement, which can then be used as part of 

the new surface. This is why the 

contract crushing and 

recycling segments have 

been the eager to accept 

the concept,” says 

Metso Minerals USA 

Marketing Manager 

John Stolowski, 

who is one of earliest 

pioneers in 

marketing the 

track-mounted 

concept in the 

country. “Metso 

started to 

market them 

over 15 years 

ago, and we made 

almost all the mistakes that could 

be made. We were not quite sure what we were 

selling and to which type of applications and the customers 

were naturally even less educated. The early age can 

well be compared with the arrival of the colour TV after 

so years of black-and-white television. In the beginning, 

also the colour TV sets were very expensive. Now the 

market for tracked units belongs to the category of business 

as usual.” 

In addition to market acceptance, he also sees another 

factor favouring the mobile, track-mounted concept. 

“Whenever and wherever the tracked units are being used, 

they always automatically reduce all sorts of hauling needs 

and related costs. Now, with the fuel price going higher 

almost on a daily basis, this also increases the interest of 

all kinds of crushing, screening and recycling operators to 

this relatively new system,” he adds. 

As all manufacturers from Europe, John Stolowski 

sees the problems that the high euro and low dollar cause. 

“We just have to be so much better and offer 

reliable and efficient machines 

and good service 

working closely with 

dealers and customers,” 

he says. 

Hubert Watson, 

Marketing Director of 

Extec and Fintec, the two 

manufacturers of tracked 

equipment acquired by 

Sandvik a year ago, share 

the common feeling. “In 

particular, the recycling and 

contract crushing operators 

have accepted the concept. 

But there is still quite a lot of 

education needed, since it clearly 

appears that some potential 

customers are unaware of the benefits. But we 

will get there,” says Watson. 

According to Hubert Watson, ConExpo was a 

major turning point. “American customers also saw 

the local manufacturers offering track-mounted units, 

so the concept was not any more a European idea. We 

had an excellent show with a lot of orders and one new 

dealer appointed. For us ConExpo was a real success,” 

Rubble Master showed 

the company’s latest flagship, the 

RM100. In the back there is one of the many landmarks 

of Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Hilton hotel. 

says Watson. 

HMH, the compact line manufacturer from Austria 

under the brand name Rubble Master and specialized in 

recycling, was another satisfied European company at the 

show in Las Vegas. There the company introduced the new 

flagship RM100 equipped with an impact crusher to the 

North American clientele. 

“The first Rubble Master units arrived here almost 10 

years ago, so we regard us as an established and successful 

company both in the US and Canada. I also believe that 

we have changed a lot the ways of how our customers 

are able to produce construction and demolition debris 

more efficiently, more economically and more profitably,” 

says HMH managing director Gerald Hanisch, who was 

particularly pleased with the results of the exhibition with 

many orders and distribution links. For the company the 

investment was very timely and justified, because North 

America now is the fastest expanding market for Rubble 

Master. 

Trust in economy 

Although the American economy is suffering from the 

ramification of the downturn of the housing market, 

equipment suppliers are continuing to be optimistic. 

Caterpillar CEO, Jim Owens, explained the optimism at 

the company’s ConExpo press conference. “We see the 

future contain many positive prospects. The year of 2008 

will prove not as good as previous years, but the upturn will 

come at least in the two next years. This is based on a few 

observations. The heavy investments in the infrastructure 

will continue, commodity prices remain on a high level 

and many customers need to replace their aging fleets. 

These factors alone justify our optimistic view for the 

coming years,” he says. 


Demolition Takes 

Global Stage 

PDi’s Mark Anthony 

visited the National 

Demolition Association’s 

35th annual 

convention in Las 

Vegas and witnessed 

a turning point for the 

US demolition sector 

and the first step towards 

a global industry 

voice. 

On the bike; US Demolition 

Asscoation’s President John 

Wring. 


Of all the potential venues in the world for a demolition convention, 

Las Vegas must surely be the most fitting. This, after 

all, is the land of a thousand implosions, the city where resort 

and casino hotels have such a brief lifespan that demolition 

contractors look on covetously and impatiently as new hotels 

rise from the rubble of their predecessors on the world famous 

“Strip”. And with 20,000 additional hotel rooms planned 

for completion in the next five years at a cost of around $40 

billion, the economic attraction of “gambler’s paradise” is easy 

to understand. 

Strong impact from recycling unit suppliers 

This then was the venue for the 35th annual convention of the 

US National Demolition Association. With an area covering 

8,500m 2 of the Mirage hotel’s vast event centre and attracting 

delegates from across the 50 states and beyond, this latest 

gathering was also the biggest in the NDA’s history. 

While the event is, first and foremost, a conference, several 

manufacturers took the opportunity to provide the demolition 

fraternity with a sneak preview of new products just weeks ahead 

of the ConExpo-Con/Agg exhibition, also in Las Vegas. 

Two of the larger new arrivals on display highlighted 

the demolition industry’s increasing alliance with the waste 

reduction and recycling sector. The Eagle Hybrid Traxx (www. 

eaglecrusher.com) is a track-mounted mobile impact crusher 

that utilises diesel electric power to drive the impactor and the 

plant and a hydraulic drive to power the tracks. 

Fintec, meanwhile, took the opportunity to provide 

visitors with a sneak preview of a new machine that would be 

officially launched at the ConExpo exhibition the following 

month. Powered by a fuel-efficient Cat C-13 diesel engine, 

the new Fintec 1440 (www.fintec.com) is carried on a tracked 

undercarriage and incorporates a Sandvik PR301D impactor 

with a fluid clutch drive. Fed via a two-deck pre-screen, the 

crusher is a four hammer open-style rotor with a pair of 

hydraulically-adjustable impact curtains that together 

deliver high outputs in materials, including granite, 

slate, limestone, brick and asphalt. 

While both Eagle and Fintec rely upon 

mechanical means of breaking, a new company 

called Sylentmite (www.sylentmite.com) was 

offering a rather more scientific approach. 

Sylentmite harnesses the phenomenal 

breaking power of calcium oxide 

to produce a concrete breaking 

compound that is silent, vibration 

and dust free and which can be used 

in such spark-sensitive applications 

as petro-chemical works. Such 

compounds have been on 

the market for many 

years but their 

use has traditionally 

been 

limited by fears 

of leaving such 

potentially destructivemateri- 

als unsupervised 

overnight and 

by the demolition 

industry’s seemingly 

insatiable appetite for productivity. But at a time when clients 

are becoming ever more sensitive to dust and vibration emissions, 

their time may have come at last. 

One of the more niche but nonetheless interesting items on 

display was the Panther 5700 ride-on floor preparation system 

from Industrial Equipment Company (www.ind-equipco. 

com). The electrically-powered, easily rechargeable machine 

features an angled blade that is capable of removing bonded 

carpets and carpet tiles, wood laminate flooring and other floor 

tiles. Capable of running a full day on a single charge, the 

machine is virtually silent in operation, produces no exhaust 

emissions or fumes, and makes a productive alternative to 

manpower in soft strip applications. 

Addressing the same problem, but with an attachment 

rather than a dedicated machine, was Outline Products LLC 

(www.outlineproducts.com) which was showing a surface 

scraper system that can be attached to a compact skid steer 

loader. Obviously, the attachment is more cost effective than a 

dedicated floor stripping machine. Perhaps more importantly, 

the Outline Products 3500 XLT has the added benefit of drawing 

additional utilisation from a skid steer loader, a machine 

that is common among demolition equipment fleets. 

An attachment of a quite different kind was also introduced 

at the NDA convention, this one designed to address 

the increasingly important issue of segregation of metals. With 

steel prices currently making and breaking demolition tenders, 

the need to segregate steel has never been more important. 

Enter Bateman Manufacturing (www.batemanmanufacturing. 

com) which has introduced a range of five excavator-mounted 

grapples, each equipped with its own integrated magnetic 

separator. With attachment weights from 281 to 795 kg, 

the Bateman range features a unique quick hitch and pin 

alignment system to ensure rapid deployment, allowing the 

grapples to be used alongside a range of other attachments 

on a single carrier.

But for all the new products on show, perhaps the most 

interesting thing to come out of the Convention was the NDA’s 

new Strategic Plan. As a mature trade association, the NDA 

has decided that the time has come to clearly state its aims 

and objectives for the betterment of the American demolition 

industry as a whole. Following a study that took more 

than two years, the Association unveiled its Strategic Plan at 

the Convention. The following is an extract from the NDA 

Magazine, Demolition: 

NDA’s Strategic Plan 

After scanning the “demolition process” environment and soliciting 

the views and opinions of the organisation’s members, 

the Board of Directors identified a number of strategic issues 

that it wanted to address in the future. 

After much discussion over a three day period, the Board 

selected five major elements that would make up the tasks of 

the current Strategic Plan. 

1. Organisational Vision and Mission 

2. Leadership Development & Succession Planning 

3. Communicating Our Message 

4. Image & Awareness 

5. Providing Membership Value 

None of these elements is more important than any other 

element and each of them will produce operational and programmatic 

initiatives that will move the element forward. They 

are all part of a master plan to move the Association forward 

and meet its Mission. 

Organisational Vision and Mission 

This element of the Association’s Strategic Plan is crucial. It 

answers the dual questions of why do we exist and what do we 

want to accomplish. All other elements of the Association’s 

reason for existence and operations flow from its Organisational 

Vision and Mission Statement: 

“...To provide the members 

of the National Demolition Association 

with the tools necessary 

to be leaders in environmental 

stewardship, safety, education, 

professional competency and 

government advocacy...” 

With every programme that 

the Board approves and every initiative 

the Association undertakes, 

decision makers within the organisation 

need to ask of what they are 

doing is “part of our Mission”. 

The Association’s Vision and 

Mission Statement say this is who 

we are and this is what we represent. 

In addition to its new stated objectives in the US, the NDA’s 

annual convention also provided an opportunity 

for some promising international accord. The 

CEO of the UK’s National Federation of 

Demolition Contractors, Howard Button had 

been invited as a guest speaker on the subject 

of training and the creation of a competent 

workforce. The convention also marked the 

appointment of NFDC president John Wring 

as international director of the NDA, while 

European Demolition Association president 

Yves Canessa was also in attendance. It is early 

days, but it seems likely that the three associations 

will shortly begin a greater collaboration, 

one that at last provides the demolition industry 

with a truly global voice. 

www.demolitionassociation.com 

From the left Howard Button, Yves 

Canessa, John Wring and Drew Lammers. 

In the middle keynote speaker Kyle 

Petty. 


Richard Green, MIDE. 

Anthony Hawetson. 

Malcolm Ingry. 

John Woodward, MIDE. 

PDi’s Mark Anthony reports from the recent IDE seminar 

Demolition with 

a Difference 

In any walk of life, there is a temptation to allow constant exposure lead 

to tedium. For demolition engineers, many of whom are second or third 

generation, it is tempting to see each new project as just another contract, 

even though each will bring its own mixed and often unseen bag of 

challenges. 

But such temptation was banished at the recent Demolition 

with a Difference seminar held at Leeds’ Royal Armouries, 

the Institute of Demolition Engineers’ home away from 

home in recent years. The biggest and best-attended of the 

IDE’s recent seminars, the event also marked a change in 

format with a number of exhibitors including Dig A Crusher, 

DigBits, JCB, Red Rhino and Sandvik also showing their 

wares on the day. 

Packed Auditorium 

But the main attraction of the event was in the packed auditorium. 

Hosted by IDE President David R. Turner, the 

seminar was kicked off by Anthony Hewetson AMIDE who 

has worked in the nuclear industry for over 35 years. Not 

surprisingly, Hewetson’s work at the Sellafield nuclear facility 

involves the handling of potentially contaminated concrete 

that requires extensive processing before it can be reused as a 

construction material. But perhaps the most striking factor of 

Hewetson’s presentation was the timescales involved. While 

demolition contractors have grown accustomed to contract 

periods that can be measured in days, Hewetson reports that 

the decommissioning of Sellafield is scheduled to last for a 

staggering 125 years. 

Next up was Safedem managing director William Sinclair 

MIDE. Using a video produced by the Glasgow Housing 

Authority, Sinclair took the audience through the preparation 

and successful completion of the simultaneous implosion of 

five identical high-rise structures. The video was commissioned 

to provide residents and stakeholders with a greater 

understanding of the demolition process but it was also an 

object lesson in resident liaison and the more technical aspects 

of explosive demolition. 

Video also formed a key part of the presentation by 

Chris Dobson AMIDE, health and safety manager of W&M 

Thompson (Earthworks) Ltd who spoke about the recent 

demolition of the City Library in the company’s native 

Newcastle. Conducted using high reach excavators, while 

the surrounding shops and thoroughfares remained open, the 

project was unique in that it was captured on a time-lapse 

video, allowing stakeholders and residents to view the project 

as it progressed. The resulting video can be viewed at: www. 

newcastle.cov.uk/core.nsf/a/libraries_timelapse_video 

Turning to Mecca 

After a short break, during which delegates had an opportunity 

to meet and greet the exhibitors and to network with their 

fellow demolition professionals, Controlled Group’s Richard 

(Dick) Green took to the stage. With a presentation style 

that is part expert, part stand-up comic, Green delighted the 

audience with the background to the demolition of a bridge 

William Sinclair, MIDE. 


close to the Muslim holy city of Mecca for a Saudi-based 

contractor with the name bin Laden! Due to its proximity 

to Mecca, non-Muslim’s were unable to visit the site before 

or during the proposed demolition using a combination of 

explosives and traditional methods, meaning that Green 

and his team had to train a number of locals to do their 

work for them while they monitored progress via a special 

remote video link. 

Keltbray Ltd’s project director Jim O’Sullivan then outlined 

the challenges facing his company on the “bottom-up” 

demolition of a high-rise structure at 20 Fenchurch Street 

in London. Similar to the 122 Leadenhall Street featured in 

the Autumn 2007 edition of PDI (Pages 20 – 21) only larger 

and more complex, the Keltbray project requires the outer 

frame of the structure to be separated from its inner core, 

starting at ground level. 

Demolition Simulation 

After a hearty lunch and much talk, delegates reconvened to 

greet Dr Hatem Tagel-Din, chief scientist for Applied Science 

International, the company that is pioneering computerbased 

demolition simulations utilising the Applied Elemental 

Method devised by Dr Tagel-Din himself. Having flown 

into the UK specifically for the IDE event, Dr Tagel-Din 

took the opportunity to show how his company’s system 

had been used in the US and beyond and how it might be 

utilised here in the UK to predict the demolition of more 

complex structures. 

Maintaining the Demolition with a Difference theme, 

C&D Consultancy’s John Woodward MIDE provided a fascinating 

insight into the decommissioning of the Frigg North 

Sea gas platform, a project with which he has been deeply 

involved. The decommissioning of the entire Frigg field has 

been charged to Aker Kvaerner and the upperstructure of the 

first of the platforms has now been towed to Shetland where 

it is being dismantled by a team from Technical Demolition 

Services (TDS) under Woodward’s supervision. 

Rounding off a highly educational and entertaining 

event explosives expert Malcolm Ingry of Ex-Chem then 

explained how his company’s products were utilised by the 

demolition industry and how this has lead to an interesting 

sideline in the movie business. Although still best known as 

one of the UK’s foremost explosives experts, Ingry’s showbiz 

sideline has seen him working on the pyrotechnic effects on 

numerous big budget movies including Saving Private Ryan 

and the last three James Bond releases. 

The next IDE seminar is scheduled to take place at 

One Great George Street in London on 3 October 2008. 

Contact the IDE office or visit www.ide.org.uk to book 

your place.

Demolition with 

an Atlas Copco 

grapple 

Using a MultiGrapple model MG 2700 the Sottrum-based demolition 

company ATR Abbruch Transport Recycling GmbH has 

torn down a Federal Railways building in Bremen, Germany. In 

just two days some 1,400m 3 of walled-in space was demolished 

and separated down to the top edge of the foundation. 

The MultiGrapple MG2700 tore down the 10 x 20 x 7 m 

building without any difficulty. The ceilings and the outer walls 

were 200mm and 360mm thick, respectively. 

Since the demolition site is located in Bremen’s city centre, 

silenced demolition tools were needed to minimize noise pollution 

for the residents and business owners. “The grapple has 

done a perfect job. I am planning to buy additional grapples 

in the near future,” says ATR GmbH manager and proprietor, 

Gerhard Jodeit. 

The short opening and closing times of the grapple jaw, as 

well as the accuracy with which the tool is positioned by the endless 

rotation unit, are extremely convenient for demolition jobs. 

The Hardox material, which is highly resistant to wear, provides 

an optimum weight-to-grapple ratio. A constant operating pressure 

allows the wide jaw to safely keep a firm hold on heavy 

and smooth concrete slabs. Even though the blades wear down 

in the course of their life cycle, “nothing slips out, not even after 

long operating stretches,” adds Gerhard Jodeit. 

For more than ten years ATR Abbruch Transport Recycling 

GmbH has been working in the industrial and reinforced concrete 

demolition sector, container and recycling service. 

www.atlascopco.com 

Technology for 

the big boys 

On the island of Madeira a new road is to be built connecting 

the port of Funchal with the island’s central expressway the 

Cuota 400, which links the tourist resort Ribeira Brava with 

the airport. A 600m tunnel will lead through the mountainous 

region shortening the distance between the port and the 

villages and towns in the middle of Madeira. 

The coastal areas of Madeira are heavily built-up and 23 

silos unused for 12 years must give way to the tunnel. The 

island’s Road Traffic Authority is located in the immediate 

vicinity of the silos so that blasting is out of the question. 

A demolition using a hydraulic breaker would cause too 

much noise. This was a job tailor-made for the DP 2800 

demolition pulverizer. 

Attached to a crane the pulverizer is steered from different 

control stands. A banksman helps the crane operator 

to position the demolition pulverizer. The operator can also 

rely on a camera filming the work from above. The pulverizer 

jaw is opened and closed by radio control. 

The demolition company Tecnovía Madeira has been 

granted three months to tear down the 23 silos, each 25 m 

high. “The concept works. The first tests after the pulverizer 

was attached already showed that we could work successfully. 

The project is quite demanding and the pulverizer is 

the crucial element of the whole operation. We are very 

satisfied,” says managing engineer Alvaro Castillo. 

www.atlascopco.com 


“DCH 300 

just cut” 

Grinding and cutting with the 

same tool is possible, but an 

all-rounder is not always the 

best choice. All the new DCH 

300 from Hilti can do is cut, but 

it does it exceptionally well. 

Cutting to the unrivalled depth 

of 120mm, this electric diamond 

cutter sets a new standard 

because it reaches depths 

angle grinders cannot. 

Cuts to a depth of up to 120mm are no problem for the 

DCH 300. Even the smaller DCH 230, which reaches 

a depth of 85mm, beats its competitors because, until 

now, the maximum depth achievable with conventional 

angle grinders equipped with discs up to 230 mm was 

about 60mm. The unrivalled cutting depths reached by 

these new DCH tools are the result of clever design and 

a new means of cutting depth adjustment. 

38 48 PDi • Is s u e 2 1 - 2008 • Ap Fe b r r I l u A- ry Ju n- e 

MA r c h 

Universal cutting 

These tools are ideal for cutting materials of all kinds, 

including reinforced concrete, granite kerbstones, slabs, 

bricks, blocks and many more. Metal beams, 

steel pipes and reinforcing bars also present 

no problem for these electric diamond 

cutters. Both machines feature a virtually 

identical ergonomic in-line design with 

the grip and cutting disc in exactly 

the same axis. This design has the 

advantage of allowing more precise 

guidance with less pressure required, 

resulting in easy, comfortable, safe 

operation. The DCH cutters are 

guided away from the operator’s 

body. Not only does this make 

them less tiring to use because the 

operator can make use of his or her own 

body weight to help guide and control 

the tool, it also offers a very significant 

safety advantage as sparks and 

fragments fly 

off in the working direction, 

away from the operator’s 

body. 

Low vibration greatly reduces 

health risks to the operator, 

even when the tools are used 

for long periods, and Hilti VCU 

vacuum cleaners can also be connected, 

making virtually dustless cutting possible. Hazardous dust 

is then removed right at its source. 

Hilti Smart Power 

With a 2.6 kW motor providing the power, performance 

figures are equally impressive. Thanks to Hilti 

Smart Power, an intelligent electronic control system 

that constantly regulates motor power to suit 

the material being cut and the pressure 

applied to the tool, cutting performance 

remains constantly 

high even when working on 

the toughest, thickest materials. 

The corresponding Hilti 

diamond cutting discs were 

developed together with the 

tools and are thus perfectly 

matched. Professional users 

therefore benefit from a level 

of system performance 

that offers much more than 

just the sum of its components. As with 

all Hilti tools, the DCH 300 and DCH 230 come 

complete with Hilti Lifetime Service. Hilti provides this 

comprehensive, top-class service for the entire life of the 

product, completely free of charge for the first two years from 

date of purchase, covering repair or replacement of defective 

parts (even parts subject to wear and tear) and including free 

pick-up and return transport. After that, Hilti continues to 

prove the quality of its products by setting a repair cost limit 

for the entire life of the product. That is not just reassuring 

to know, it is unique in this field. 

www.hilti.com

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IACDS 

and the city of arts and science 

This year’s annual meeting of in Valencia both productive and exciting. 

direct links to the home pages of national associations, 

the international association 

of concrete drillers and sawers 

was held in the Mediterranean 

city of Valencia in early May. 

The event’s host, the Span- 

Delegates and sponsors 

The conference welcomed some 40 delegates representing 

14 countries. The core of the international 

association may consist of European members, but the 

meeting also saw delegates from the USA, Australia, 

Japan, Hong Kong and Russia. Among the attendees 

which they represent. All case studies will be divided 

into groups according to the nature of job such as 

concrete coring, wire sawing and flat sawing. 

ish association for technical 

demolition, drilling and saw- 

were contractors, tools and machinery suppliers and 

representatives from national associations. Eight manufacturers, 

including Hilti, Cedima, Husqvarna, Tyrolit, 

ing (AEDT) the newest member 

of the IACDS, aptly chose the 

venue for the convention. 

Andrei Bushmarin reports. 

Saint-Gobain, Tractive and joined by the young Spanish 

company Anzeve and Infe, a member of the AEDT, 

sponsored the event. 

Text: Andrei Bushmarin • Photo: Daniel Trachsel 

The two-day assembly took place at NH Las Artes hotel, 

which was located a short distance from the avant-garde 

complex of buildings called the City of Arts and Science. 

Concrete sawing and drilling techniques, being 

the product of technological advance, have everything 

to do with the engineering science and, as all winners 

of Diamond Award readily prove, a lot to do with art, 

so the organizer’s choice seemed very appropriate. On 

top of that, the Spanish association did a magnificent 

job of putting together an extensive cultural and 

entertainment programme packed with events, so the 

business flowed seamlessly into pleasure and back. Every 

attendee, undoubtedly, has their words of appreciation 

for the Spanish party, particularly for Jose Blanco and 

Silvia Castel, whose efficient work made the guests’ stay 

40 50 PDi • Is s u e 2 1 - 2008 • Ap Fe b r r I l u A- ry Ju n- e MA r c h 

Vast agenda 

The meeting’s agenda covered a broad scope of issues 

ranging from internal financial matters and marketing 

analysis of the industry through training in diamond 

cutting for architects and engineers at university level 

to up-and-coming businesses like concrete grinding 

and polishing. IACDS President Pat O’Brien opened 

the meeting with a report on the development and 

introduction of Standard 2007/1 Basic Parameters for 

Concrete Drilling and Sawing equipment, which followed 

the revised Tolerances and Limits for Construction 

Drilling and Sawing. Development of a common 

standard for diamond tools is likely to be a next step 

toward further unification of the industry, although 

it may take some time to achieve. In his report, Pat 

O’Brien also touched upon the matter of the IACDS’s 

website as one of the awareness raising tools available to 

the association. From this year the site will contain case 

studies of concrete sawing and coring contractors with 

Still little activity seen 

from “non-active” members 

With Spain on board, the international association 

now consists of nine active members. Poland is soon 

expected to join the ranks of the concrete cutting community, 

however, according to Andrey Kosolapov, who 

is aware of the situation there, the Polish are still mulling 

over the membership issue. The state of affairs in 

Russia, another long awaited candidate for the IACDS 

membership, also remains murky. For some time now, 

a handful of Russian companies, both contractors and 

manufacturers, have been calling on players in the 

domestic market to establish a national association. 

However, all those efforts have yielded little results so 

far, but it always takes time to reverse an old thinking 

pattern, so there remains hope to see Russia among 

the association’s members. At the moment though, 

Polish and Russian companies enjoy the dubious status 

of the IACDS “non-active” members. The association 

officers put forward a proposal to triple the amount of 

membership fee for them citing payment difficulties 

as a reason. The attendees, however, supported Donat 

Fritsch of SVBS, who suggested maintaining it at the 

same level while setting a two-month deadline for nonactive 

members to meet. Companies failing to comply 

with it will face expulsion. 

Money matters 

Financially, the association is doing well as Daniel

Trachsel, IACDS’ secretary, was pleased to inform the 

delegates. 2007’s reported profit of CHF14,309 is the 

highest for the organization in recent years, largely 

thanks to the German association, which managed to 

find sponsors to defray the costs for the 2007 Annual 

Meeting. A profit of CHF 550 on revenues of CHF 

31,000 is anticipated in 2009. 

Emerging market 

There has been a lot of recent talk in the diamond cutting 

community about concrete grinding and polishing. 

In keeping with current developments, the meeting 

agenda, too, allowed enough time for the attendees 

to discuss this budding market. Antonio Zerolo of 

Anzeve started the debate with a presentation called 

“From concrete sawing to concrete grinding” in which 

he detailed specific features of these techniques and 

showed their alluring opportunities. The technology 

is progressing at a clip with wet grinding systems for 

treating natural stone or resin floors are now available 

on the market. This information was augmented with a 

presentation from Alain Dupont of Husqvarna on concrete 

floor preparation. A surge of interest in concrete 

grinding and polishing techniques is not just a European 

phenomenon, it reached every corner of the world, as 

American and Australian participants were quick to 

confirm. According to Pat O’Brien, the concrete grinding 

and polishing market in North America has been 

seeing an impressive growth of late. Only three years ago 

the World of Concrete show featured just 5 companies 

producing floor preparation machinery, while as many 

as 55 manufacturers showcased their products during 

the last exhibition. 

Concrete polishing techniques find numerous 

applications in the States, some of them rather exotic, 

like producing polished concrete countertops, with fibre 

optics inside. Greg Berry of the CSDAA echoed the 

president’s statement referring to a noticeable rise in the 

number of companies doing concrete grinding in Australia 

in the last five years, the business that historically 

was a prerogative of immigrants of Italian origin. The 

current market for tools is estimated at Euro 200,000 

million worldwide, with an annual growth rate of 35%. 

However bright the prospects of concrete polishing 

may look, contractors also spoke out of problems, the 

main of which related to different mentality of concrete 

cutting operators who often find the process of surface 

preparation laborious, uneventful or simply boring. 

The concrete cutting companies, which also embraced 

concrete polishing techniques, may find themselves facing 

a choice whether to retrain their existing personnel 

or hire new staff to do the job. 

“Gut feeling” as the market research tool 

Marketing analysis has always been part and parcel of 

every IACDS annual meeting. The market information 

is usually provided by national associations and 

manufacturers, with everyone in attendance trying their 

best to supplement, specify or correct it. Although these 

tactics have essentially enabled the IACDS to get a grip 

on what is happening in most countries over the years, 

there are still many blind spots in the concrete cutting 

world, which want further investigation. A ringsider 

cannot help but notice that the IACDS attempts to 

estimate even a number of contractors in countries like 

Iran, China, India or Russia, let alone their revenue 

or turnover, still remind more of foretelling than of 

an actual marketing survey. Of course, non-existence 

of national associations there, exacerbated by nontransparency 

and unruliness of local markets, takes most 

of the blame, but those countries are not the only ones, 

Pat O’Brien delivering a presentation on the insurance 

programme employed by the CSDA 

The Spanish party – Jose Blanco, Silvia Castel (in 

the white blouse) and colleagues. 

Antonio Zerolo of Anzeve making a presentation 

“From concrete sawing to concrete grinding”. 

which seem to be beyond the IACDS reach. Surprisingly, 

France, a country seated nearly in the centre of 

Europe- turned out to be an information black hole 

as far as the diamond cutting market is concerned. 

Portugal is yet another example of a European country 

of which the industry’s knowledge is somewhat limited. 

Under the circumstances, “gut feeling”, as one of the 

delegates put it, seems to be the most usable market 

investigation tool. 

What the IACDS can do to fill the information 

vacuum is to get contractors and manufacturers 

from non-member countries more involved in the 


The group of participants at the recent IACDS meeting, this time held in Valencia, Spain, which was organised by the Spanish concrete sawing and drilling association. 

association’s activities. Great Britain’s drilling and sawing 

association, DSA, has already set a good example to 

follow. They make contractors and suppliers from Ireland 

the honorary members of the national association, thus 

encouraging them to take an active part in the work of 

the organization. All in all, the DSA appears the most 

organized and efficient of all European associations, except, 

perhaps, for Germany, with a nearly 25-year track record 

and a wide range of services available to its members. The 

DSA pays much attention to training and certification of its 

contractors by offering operator accreditation and training 

schemes for skills certificates, the so-called SCSC cards. 

The Spanish will soon follow suit by starting to 

provide apprentice programmes, as each operator will 

be required by the government to hold a professional 

ID card certifying their qualification to perform sawing 

and drilling work. Despite its infancy, the AEDT 

is just two-years old; it already made great progress 

in attracting new members. The Spanish association 

currently features 47 members, 37 contractors and 10 

suppliers. The AEDT tends to work in close contact 

with construction-related associations, with much of 

the association activity being targeted at architects and 

building project managers. The association also provides 

its members with an insurance programme. The business, 

though, went down recently as the world loan 

crisis reached the country. Spanish banks now merely 

refuse to subsidize any construction project. 2008 is 

not promising to be a great year for the US, Japan and 

Switzerland either, for a variety of reasons. Although 

America is recovering from the recession, the country’s 

housing market is still 30% down. Japan introduced 

new, more stringent construction laws that provide 

for meticulous inspection of every site, on which any 

building activity is planned, thus thwarting operations 

of local contractors. Switzerland suffers from depressed 

prices and a lack of the industry consolidation. On 

the positive side, Australia reported a 10% growth in 

the membership, the business is good, and the training 

programme, which is now being reviewed, adopted by 

the majority of the association members. 

Diamond Award 2009 

The brainchild of Horst Wapler, the German association’s 

officer, Diamond Award has been popular 

with concrete sawing contractors since the very first 

competition. Four criteria, by which every entry is 

judged, are planning, and complexity, innovation, 


degree of difficulty and quality requirements. All entries 

are assessed by an IACDS award committee. The 

last Diamond Award, which was held in April 2007, 

attracted 25 entries from 7 countries. The award ceremony 

took place in Munich during the Bauma show, 

with Hiroshima-based company, Komu Co, taking the 

first prize. Tondin S.R.L. of Italy and German Angerer 

GmbH came second and third, respectively. 

2009’s competition will see a number of changes to 

its procedure. With the Internet ruling the roost these 

days, Diamond Award is becoming a “dot-com” contest 

or rather the “dot-org” one, since we are talking about 

the IACDS website. All contestants shall upload their 

entries on the site using a standardized form, which will 

be posted on it. This is meant to relieve the applicants of 

severe headaches caused by the onerous task of writing 

a job story. The entries made in English and German 

are accepted, and the award committee will extend its 

assistance with translation to those shy of English and 

German. All entries should be filed before 31 October 

2008. The award winners will be announced at a press 

conference on Wednesday, 4 February 2009 at 10:00 

AM during the World of Concrete show. The organizers 

shelved the idea of a prize fund for the time being, opting 

instead for sponsoring airfare and hotel rooms for the 

top three winners. Given the amount air carriers charge 

for a transatlantic flight and hotel rates in Las Vegas, 

it has every chance of becoming a better incentive for 

the contestants than prize money. The winners’ airfare 

for will be covered out of individual donations from 

the manufacturers Cedima, Diamond Products, Hilti, 

Husqvarna, Nestag, Saint-Gobain and Tyrolit, while 

managers of the World of Concrete show will provide 

free accommodation for them. They will also promote 

the event on the World of Concrete website. 

“Catch them when they’re 

young and they study” 

Another project, which the IACDS is about to launch, 

has to do with educating potential specifiers about 

diamond cutting at university level. As many attendees 

testified, both professors and students of architecture 

and construction in universities, colleges and technical 

schools in their countries are equally ignorant of the 

availability of these techniques. Apparently, something 

has to be done to remedy the situation. However, as the 

industry found out, it is not quite ready at the moment 

to make the pitch due to the absence of any textbooks 

to present the university crowd with. A first step toward 

breaching the gap has already been taken by Andrey Kosolapov, 

who wrote a textbook, in which he summarized 

knowledge about concrete cutting techniques gained 

so far. Paired up with Jan Lemos from Sweden, he has 

been working on a project aimed to reach architects and 

engineers on the university level for some time now. The 

meeting decided that every association member should 

establish a contact with universities in their countries 

and find out what information about concrete cutting 

they need and then prepare a presentation for them on 

the basis of the data they would manage to garner. 

Insurance programme for contractors 

Jan Lemos and Pat O’Brien made their presentations on 

the subject of insurance programmes adopted by their 

national associations. The main difference between 

the two policies lies in the amount of coverage, which 

is offered to employees. In Sweden, employees are 

insured under a separate government programme, so 

the association programme only provide for business 

insurance, completion warranties and motor insurance. 

A similar situation is seen in Germany where insurance 

companies offer limited packages to workers because of the 

government insurance. This approach has proved successful, 

and it was decided to contact the insurance companies in 

Sweden and Germany to find out whether this policy could 

be transferred to other European countries. 

St.Petersburg vs Dublin 

The next IACDS meeting in June 2009 will take place in 

St. Petersburg, Russia, as most delegates were eager to see 

the Russian northern capital during the famous “White 

Nights” season. At the moment, there is no association in 

Russia to shoulder the responsibility of hosting the meeting, 

but Hilti and Husqvarna, which have strong representation 

there, volunteered to carry the brunt of the organizational 

load. St. Petersburg is also a hometown to Olvex, Russia’s 

biggest contractor and IACDS member, which is prepared to 

render assistance to the meeting organizers. However, given 

a complicated visa procedure, as Russia was never known to 

be a country to easily get in and out of, Dublin, Ireland, was 

suggested as Plan B in case the St. Petersburg option would 

prove too difficult to organize. “Diamond Innovations” has 

volunteered to provide their Dublin manufacturing facility 

to host the IACDS meeting if Dublin is chosen as the location 

for the 2009 meeting. 

www.iacds.org

Dismantling of the 

Vinavil factory in Italy 

The Italian contractor General 

Smontaggi, based in Novara and 

specializing in demolition, was 

appointed to carry out the various 

phases of the operation to dismantle 

the Vinavil factory in Bari. 

Phase one of the project 

contained removal of all the 

hazardous materials and General 

Smontaggi planned and 

carried out the regeneration 

of all materials containing 

asbestos, leading to the 

disposal of more than 

30 t of this hazardous 

mineral. The internal 

clearance of the plants followed, 

including removal 

of the huge furnaces, 

which were still filled with 

carbide, a substance that 

is inflammable when in 

contact with water. More 

than 4,000 t of carbide was 

cleared from the premises and 

disposed of. 

Once environmental concerns 

had been addressed phase 

two started which was the demolition 

of the buildings. One after the other, 

the buildings were progressively torn 

down by General Smontaggi’s 

machinery. The overall volume of 

70,000 m 3 generated more than 

5,000 t of material, which was 

crushed and then dumped as 

inert waste. 

The final part of the 

demolition required the 

removal of an imposing metal 

structure consisting of eight large silos 

positioned in two lines housing various equipment. 

The silos, each measured about 7m in diameter 

and almost 60 m heigh. The silos are adjacent 

to a main railroad line and 

are only 7 m away from the 

nearest track. 

Following phase one, 

that took place on Sunday, 

20 January 2008, when 

the first four silos were 

torn down, explosive 

charges were placed at 

the base of the remaining 

four that were demolished 

on 3 February, 2008. 

All the material resulting 

from the first demolition was 

sorted and sent for recovery or 

disposal. Several layers of sand were 

used to mitigate the impact between 

the structure and the ground. The 

four steel pillars supporting each 

silo were replaced with pillars made 

of reinforced concrete. This was 

done because the thickness of 

the original pillars would render 

the explosive allowed in Italy for 

civilian purposes ineffective, 

while the temporary pillars 

could be demolished using 

explosive loads allowed by 

Italian regulations. 

Explosive was positioned in 

each pillar into nine drilled 

holes with a 30 mm 

diameter. More than 50 

kg of explosive was placed 

in the cavities to carry out 

the whole operation. 

Safety measures required 

that the area be cordoned off in 

a 100 m radius. Road and railroad 

traffic was temporarily halted as the 

silos were torn down. To ascertain 

the intensity of vibrations resulting 

from the demolition, at least two seismographs 

were used. 


The UK Red Rhino 4000 series customer, 

‘Rubble Monkey’, started their company from 

scratch and is now inundated with enquiries. 

The three directors of Rubble Monkey, Steve 

Bailey, Ian Newton and Garry Brown, established 

the company back in August 2007. “We had no 

clients to start of with and bought our 4000 in 

time for the annual Thame show with the hope 

ASRi has a simple touch-screen interface that 

will provide as much or as little information as 

required. In addition to the top-level readings 

always shown on the normal picture, there are 

five more main menu items for more information 

on any of the given topics. Customers 

currently taking advantage of the benefits of 

the Sandvik crusher control 

system will find more useful 

functionality in the newest 

upgrade - ASRi 2.0. 

Some of the enhancements 

included in the new 

version: 

• Brighter screen with 

better colour discrimination 

and increased operating 

temperature range 

(-20 till +50 ºC) 

• New layout with 

better functionality 

• New processor 

with four times higher 

calculation capacity and 

increased memory capacity 

• New USB port allows 

the down loading of historical 

data and the updating 

of the ASRi program, 

without connection 

to a laptop 

• A completely new, compacttype oil tank 

connection boxes. Filled with epoxy, it has 

44 PDi • Is s u e 1 - 2008 • Fe b r u A ry - MA r c h 

we would generate some enquiries,” said Steve 

Bailey. “This smaller crusher caused quite a stir 

and we managed to book our first jobs by the 

end of the day.” 

The majority of Rubble Monkey’s customers 

tend to be small to medium size builders. The 

company has been generating a steady hire 

income, but has recently noticed a change in 

Sandvik Crusher Control System: 

New functionality in ASRI version 2.0 

high resistance to vibrations and high 

temperatures. 

• A newly developed power measurement unit with 

the ASRi-bus integrated into the power transducer, 

reducing the number of components 

and the space required for installation. 

Supplied with a 4-20 mA output 

for external measurement. 

• Easier navigation though history. 

In addition, 

historical data on liner wear in 

relation to 

operating time and energy 

consumption and 

automatic synchronization of all 

History displays 

• Operator’s access can 

be limited with a password 

if needed 

• Possibility to save up to five 

snap shots of History 

for further transfer to ASRi-Reporter for analysis. 

• The crusher can be calibrated 

without the drive motor running. 

• New software has been developed 

for ASRi 2.0 (ASRi-WINi, 

ASRi-Reporter, ASRi-OPC-Server). 

These new program versions are 

backwards compatible with older 

systems. Furthermore, ASRi 2.0 

can replace older ASRi versions 

• Data can be transferred to 

ASRi-Reporter via a USB memory stick and the 

web page. 

www.sandvik.com 

“This is no 

monkey business” 

the level of phone calls received. Red Rhino 

believes this is due to the government legislating 

and regulating the building industry, forcing 

it to recycle onsite waste instead of sending it to 

landfill, which could end up costing a lot more 

than hiring a crusher. 

Eddie Goldswain from Goldswain O’Neil 

Builders in Aylesbury recently hired the 4000 

from Rubble Monkey to use onsite. The idea 

was to dig out the old concrete driveway and 

reuse the crushed material as foundation at the 

back of the house where a new extension to 

the kitchen/dining room where built, and also at 

the side of the house for a new garage. Eddie 

Goldswain turned up at the Red Rhino factory 

to ask the details of his nearest 4000 hirer and 

a week later hired the machine. “I wasn’t sure 

if it would cope with the material we wanted to 

crush, but it did surprisingly well,” says Eddie 

Goldswain who also aid that the crusher was so 

easy to use, especially as he did not have a lot 

of extra space to work. “It was a pleasure using 

the machine and I will hire it again, especially 

for jobs where I need to hire a skip and buy 

aggregate. It works out much cheaper just to 

hire a Red Rhino,” he adds. 

www.rubblemonkey.co.uk 

Efficient onsite recycling 

in cramped site in NYC 

The US company Cavaliere Onsite Recycling based in Stamford, Connecticut was contacted by 

Sano Construction for processing waste building material from the demolition of an apartment 

building in New York City. COR applied their RM80 Compact Recycler for crushing bricks, blocks, 

rock and concrete. The request was to produce material from approximately 4,000t in 4 days. COR 

is facing a growing demand for quiet equipment like the RUBBLE MASTER Compact Recyclers 

with lower emissions and for compact units able to deal with high levels of throughput. At this site 

the final material was reused as general backfill. 

www.rubblemaster.com

Compact–Versatile–Mobile 

OMF 250 

Cold milling machine with 

oscillating milling technic. 

Easy to use, strong in performance. 

For the renovation of concrete, 

epoxy and asphalt surfaces. 

System Schwamborn: 

• Oscillating milling* 

(*patented) 

D-73117 Wangen (Germany) · Phone +49 (0) 71 61 200 50 · www.schwamborn.com

Great interest for 

German Demolition 

Conference 

Europe’s largest nation 

in terms of demolition 

has held 

another well attended 

seminar organised by 

the consulting firm 

ASCO Abbruch und 

Sprengtechnik. This 

year’s seminar was 

held in Berlin and 

gathered some 440 

delgates. PDi’s Mikael 

Karlsson reports. 


Between 29 February and 1 March the German consulting firm 

for demolition and blasting technique, ASCO Abbruch und 

Sprengtechnik Consult GmbH, once again organised the 14th 

German Demolition Conference in Berlin. The event took place 

at Hotel Berlin and gathered some 440 delegates from eight 

countries and 48 exhibitors in the demolition industry. 

Focus on problem solving 

This year the annual conference focused largely on actual problems 

with today’s demolition techniques and how to improve 

safety and quality in demolition works. Some 20 reports were 

presented and debated. 

According to Mr. Dietrich Korth of ASCO: “The discussions 

came up with many suggestions in the area of, for example, 

improvement of analysis of waste and of very early safety coordination, 

quality criterions of ramps, problems of damage caused 

by fire, the importance of quality certification in Germany and 

quality criterions for demolition companies in Austria.” 

German association continues to grow 

There was also a presentation of the activities and results of the 

national German Demolition Association (Deutscher Abbruchverband) 

that has more than 400 members. A very important 

result of DA recent work is the standard DIN ATV 18459 for 

Demolition and Rebuilding Works. 

This standard contains all regulations of planning and 

payment for demolition works along with education for demolition 

workers. Currently some 23 companies have obtained the 

certification for demolition works and a further 15 are trying 

to qualify. 

The next conference of the European Demolition Association 

(EDA) in Rome from 29 May to 1 June was also discussed. 

“And I hope that the German specialists will soon be members 

of EDA,” says Mr Korth.

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PDI183X122.pdf 30-01-2008 14:20:10 

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DRILLSYSTEMS 

The following two 

The development of core drilling systems is just going 

in one direction. Faster diamond core bits, light weight 

pages feature the new drill stand systems and drillmotors with higher torque 

and efficiency as well as compactness, easy transportation 

and set up are very important parametres. Hilti launched 

diamond core drilling during 2007 the DD 120 that fits the well-known red 

box from Hilti. 

N E W 

systems as well as 

diamond core bits that 

have been launched 

on the market recent- 

ly. Speed, efficiency, 

compactness and 

weight are priority 

parameters. 

DD 120 for 

diameters 

between 37 to 122 

The new Hilti system features a 1600 W motor and 

weighing 9.8 kg, the Hilti DD 120 sets new standards in 

diamond drilling. Its overall height of only 600 mm makes 

it the most compact system in its class. Specially developed 

for drilling in diameters between 37 and 122 mm, this 

versatile rig performs well even between diameters 16 to 

162 mm. This is made possible by Hilti diamond core 

bits, which, together with the DD 120, form a perfectly 

matched, reliable, high performance system capable of 

high productivity. 

Two-speed gearing ensures maximum drilling performance 

throughout the diameter range and, thanks to its 

LED drilling performance indicator, the DD 120 always 

drills at peak efficiency. Moreover, the drive unit’s TPS 

electronic theft protection system makes theft pointless 

as only authorized personnel can operate the system. As 

with all Hilti tools, owners of the DD 120 also enjoy the 

unique advantages of Hilti Lifetime Service. Hilti provides 

this comprehensive service for the entire life of the product, 

free of charge for the first two years from date of purchase, 

covering repair or replacement of defective parts and even 

parts subject to wear and tear and including free pick-up 

and return transport. Hilti also continue to prove the quality 

of its products by setting a repair cost limit for the entire 

life of the product, a service unique in this field. 

www.hilti.com 

Husqvarna 

launches 

new drill 

motor 

Husqvarna’s new DM 

330 drill motor has all the 

elements to become popular with drillers. “It 

48 PDi • Is s u e 2 - 2008 • Ap r I l - Ju n e

feels really great to present DM 330, 

which is the foundation in our new 

line of drilling equipment. DM 330 

really puts the user in focus. It is a 

compact machine with excellent 

ergonomics and performance. We 

are now a complete supplier for 

drilling equipment,” says Husqvarna 

Construction Products product 

manager Lars Gustafsson. 

The DM 330 , weighing 13kg, features 

an ergonomic handle that makes the 

drill easy to carry around. The controls are 

designed and positioned to further enhance 

ergonomics and to facilitate drilling. “For us, 

efficient drilling equipment is just as much 

about manoeuvrability and ergonomics as it is 

about capacity and adaptability to different drilling 

jobs. When you can work without unnecessary effort 

and without wasting time, before as well as during 

the job, then you can really talk about efficiency. We 

have kept this in mind with the DM 330,” adds Lars 

Gustafsson. 

DM 330 has great jaw width and can be used 

with drill bits from 50 to 350mm in diameter and 

on all of Husqvarna’s larger drill stands and gyro 

systems. The machine has a water-cooled gearbox, 

which reduces wear. Other technical refinements 

are Smartstart, which facilitates drilling both 

during the initial stages, as well as during 

operation. By pressing the half-speed 

button, the speed is reduced. The 

Elgard function considerably increases 

the machine’s life by protecting 

the motor if it is overloaded for long 

periods. The machine’s three gears make 

it easy to set the optimum drill speed. 

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LED indicators let the operator put the 

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optimum load on the machine and carry 

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out the work in the best possible way. 

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The DM 330 will be available in the 

first half of 2008. 

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�� Core 

drilling jobs 

demand 

Multiquip’s 

new tools 

Weekend do-it-yourselfers, professional 

contractors, and those of all skills levels 

in between, can quickly and accurately 

drill concrete, brick, 

masonry block and more with 

Multiquip’s new package of core 

drilling products. 

T h e CDM- 

1H handheld 

core drill 

is designed for multiple 

smaller applications. 

This single-speed model 


excels in wet drilling applications up to 75mm in diameter 

or it can be used with Multiquip’s Cobra dry drilling bits 

up to 125mm in diameter. The Cobra is made specifically 

for drilling reinforced concrete dry. The CDM- 

1H is perfect for electrical and plumbing jobs 

where operators need to drill through walls 

and floors. 

The 11-amp, 115-volt hand held 

core drill operates at 0-1,800 rpm 

and weighs 4kg. It comes with a 

convenient, adjustable shoulder 

rest, a three-position 

handgrip and internal 

water feed. A carry case 

and tools are also included. 

Multiquip’s 

CDM-2CSA 

is a compact 

drill rig for 

applications 

requiring accurate 

straight or 

angled holes. It 

can be mounted 

b y a bolt or vacuum 

base. The rig’s adjustable 

column simplifies 

angle drilling. This 

dual-speed 15-amp 

unit has a 230mm 

capacity. With 

motor, the drill rig 

weighs 28 kg. 

Two full-size drill 

stands are designed for larger jobs where accuracy and 

versatility are required, such as drilling concrete for post 

and flag pole installation. Multiquip’s CDM-3CS 

Straight Mast and CDM-3CSA Angle Base models 

have bit capacities of 250mm and with an optional 

spacer block, 305mm. Both can be used as 

bolt or vacuum base with an optional 

vacuum pump. 

The columns on both drill 

stands reach heights of 

1.07m. The stands weigh 

31.5kg and 33.75kg, 

respectively, and can be 

driven with either Milwaukee’s 

4096 or 

4094 motors, 

or a DM- 

15A9C power 

source. Options with these 

drill rig stands include a vacuum 

pump, switch box assembly and 

spacer block. 

www.multiquip.com

Three new products 

from Atlas Diamant 

The German diamond tool manufacturer Atlas 

Diamant from Wunsiedel has released several 

new products recently which were introduced at 

the German show Eisenwarenmesse “Practical 

World” in Cologne earlier this year. 

The first novelty were the a new drill system 

for dry drilling with a 25 mm core drill. The 

system is using a Drill Master type core drill and 

can with the new Atlas Diamant system be used 

with water cooling and drill up to 1000 holes 

in masonry and hard lime stone. The new drill 

system is being patented. 

The second novelty from Atlas Diamant is 

a series of diamond discs for dry cutting type 

Spirox 10. The diamond discs has in particular 

two important caracteristics: From inside and 

out placed view holes and angled water tracks 

on the blade. 

The angled water tracks minimizes the 

contact zone between the diamond tool and the 

material and provide in such a way for striveless 

and fast separation cuts without lateral block. 

Size and positioning of the view holes arranged 

in the master blade provide for retarded 

heat development with the separation process. 

The third novelty is a series of Diamond 

grit grinding wheels with regulatory diamond 

structure, type Z12. 

Husqvarna ConstructionProducts 

has launched 

new diamond tools, 

which provide an increase in cutting 

speed over conventional tools. “Diagrip 

provides an even and stable cutting in 

all types of materials, even reinforced 

concrete. This feature, in combination with 

high cutting speed and longer life, means 

that we can really talk about a revolution 

in diamond tool technology. It’s a tool the 

user can depend upon even in very tough 

environments,” says, Vice President 

Diamond Tools Construction Michel 

Hubermont. 

The company has used Diagrip 

technology for natural stone, where 

A new procedure makes the positioning 

for that possible Diamond particle in an exactly 

defined arrangement. The result is an increase 

of the Schnittgeschwindig keit of 30 70% and 

a simultaneous increase that Tool life span of 30 

100%. Friction disks of this category are at present 

of 230 - 350 mm Diameter available (angle 

sanders and engine disconnecting switches). 

Due to the extremely positive echo on the fair 

the management announced the extension of the 

assortment up to the diameter 1200 mm. With 

it then also wall saws and large joint cutters can 

be equipped with such disks. 

www.atlasdiamant.de 

Diagrip from 

Husqvarna 

requirements call for efficient, long lasting 

and powerful tools for sawing hard materials. 

Now this technology has been refined and 

transferred to the company’s construction 

business. “The Diagrip technology involves 

a specific treatment of the diamonds so they 

are distributed optimally in the segments. 

The diamonds are also kept longer in the 

segments and can thus be fully utilized. The 

result is diamond tools with superior cutting 

capacity in all types of concrete,” adds Michel 

Hubermont. 

Diagrip technique also significantly 

improves the life of the tool because of the 

even protection of the metal bond. Diagrip will 

give a 20-30% increase in cutting speed over 

conventional tools, the company claims. 



PDi meets Demarec Demolition & Recycling Equipment BV 

Dutch Demolition 

Demarec Demolition 

and Recycling Equipment 

BV is a young 

and rapidly growing 

manufacturer of attachments 

for the 

demolition and recycling 

industries. 

Based in the small 

and quiet village of 

Sint Anthonis, in the 

south eastern part of 

the Netherlands, this 

newcomer is setting 

new standards in the 

business. PDi’s MIkael 

Karlsson reports. 

Text: Mikael Karlsson 

Photos: Mikael Karlsson & Demarec 


Two experts in demolition and recycling attachments, Ruud 

de Gier and Marcel Vening, founded Demarec in 2001. Before 

that both had worked for many years at the well-known 

Dutch attachment manufacturer Verachtert, which is now 

Caterpillar Work Tools. 

“Set new standards” 

Demarec has since the very start set new standards in the 

demolition and recycling industries with new technical and 

quality innovations. “There is a lot of competition out there. 

But we mostly see our competitors copying each other, than 

trying to sell with lower price and tell the customers what he 

can and cannot do with the attachment,” says Marcel. “Now 

we listen with care and details to what our customers want 

and develop attachments to resist the tough conditions out 

in the field they need them for. And our strategy is working. 

Our production has more or less doubled every year since we 

started business seven years ago.” 

The very first example of this was the demolition and 

sorting grabs for 10t to 70t carriers, with new features that 

Demarec developed and introduced in 2001. At the time the 

completely new Delta-box frame allowed a robust construction 

of the yoke and grabs with extremely powerful closing 

strength. Meanwhile the strong and stable design allows less 

thickness of the plates with lower weight and thus more load 

capacity. 

“Best is not cheap” 

“Striving to have the best demolition and recycling attachment 

is not compatible with the cheapest purchase price on the 

market. Instead we think in terms of lower cost of ownership 

throughout the whole life cycle of the attachments as the most 

important for our customers. We have grabs that have been 

The demolition and sorting grabs with the Delta-box frame 

allows a robust construction of the yoke and grabs with 

extremely powerful closing strength. The strong and stable 

design allows less thickness of the plates with lower 

weight and thus more load capacity. 

working 15,000 hours in very tough conditions that are still 

in good condition,” says Marcel. 

To take the product development of grabs a step further, 

Demarec recently launched demolition and sorting grabs 

for carriers between 3t and 8t and from 15t to 20t with 

the patented DemaDrive-sytem. This is a unique and fully 

maintenance-free grab concept, with a compact design and 

long service life that delivers a constant closing force. 

In 2003, Demarec introduced its static and rotating 

pulverisers fitted with the DemaPower-system. This new 

Demarec was founded by two experts on demolition and 

recycling attachments, Ruud de Gier (right) and Marcel 

Vening, in 2001. Ruud is responsible for Research and 

Development and Marcel for Sales and Marketing.

Professionalism 

What makes the Demarec Multi-Quick-Processors unique 

is that all available jaws are fully built out of exchangeable 

wear parts. This goes for the upper jaw, as well as 

the lower jaw. 

cylinder technique has been developed in-house at Demarec. 

It has a double-action differential technique, which means the 

pulveriser has extremely fast cycle times. The jaw can open 

and close in 4-5 seconds. 

Furthermore, the cylinder has 20% more power than 

conventional cylinders thanks to the application of two pressure 

chambers in the cylinder. This gives an enormous increase 

in working capacity of as much as 30%. 

The company also launched its Multi-Quick Processors, 

the MQP series, for carriers between 22t and 65t in 2004. 

“Right now we are completing the series with the MQP25 

model for carriers between 18t to 25t,” says Marcel. 

What makes the Demarec Multi-Quick Processors 

unique is that all available jaws are built using exchangeable 

wear parts. This goes for the upper jaw, as well as the lower 

jaw. “We were actually the first manufacturer in the world 

with a multi-quick-processor where you can change the jaws 

hydraulically, just in 10n minutes. And all models are available 

with at least three types of jaws. More type of jaws, for 

example a tank shear, will be available soon,” says Marcel. 

“We have jaws that are suited for cutting and pulverising of 

concrete, reinforced concrete and for the cutting of steel and 

scrap. And soon we will launch a line of scrap shears.” 

www.demarec.com 

Demarec has a large number of component suppliers, but 

is doing all assembly and quality inspections in-house at 

the factory in Sint Anthonis, the Netherlands. 

The factory and office are situated 

in the small and quiet village of Sint 

Anthonis, in the south-eastern part of 

the Netherlands. 

The production of Demarec started 

with some 50 grabs in 2001, and since 

then the production has more or less 

doubled every year. 

The pulverisers’ upper jaws have a 

ground tooth plate with two front teeth 

which ensures outstanding penetration 

into the concrete. 


HTC starts own 

dust collector 

production 

The Swedish concrete grinding equipment manufacturer HTC starts a new era in the dust collection 

area by introducing the vacs HTC 5 iAD, HTC 10 iAD and HTC 15 iA* at the Nordbygg Exhibition in 

Stockholm 2008. This is a revolutionary invention in a field where nothing much has happened during 

the last 30 years, the company claims. The list of advantages with the HTC vacs compared to traditional 

vacuum systems is long. The vacs were introduced to the Swedish market during the spring and the 

launch for the rest of the world will be during the summer of 2008. 

The HTC vacs all have continuous working with automatic filter cleaning, which gives a low filter 

cost and a much higher efficiency compared to traditional vacuum systems, the company claims. They 

all have an integrated pre-separator, which reduces the strain on the filter. The machine is equipped 

with a fine filter tube and H13 filter. Changing the filters is very easy. The vac is small compared to its 

performance and can be rotated for filter change, maintenance and transportation. The vacuum lowers 

in height to ease transportation. 

The vacs are specially adapted to the HTC grinding machines. HTC 5 has one Longopac, HTC 10 

two and HTC 15 three, which makes it possible to work longer before a change of bags must take place 

on the bigger machines. The change of the bags can be performed while the vac is running, i.e. grinding 

can continue while changing the bag. The big HTC 15 iAD can handle more than one grinding machine. 

All vacs have the same spare parts and filters and there is a 2 year warranty on the vacs. 

The working environment has been a key issue when designing the HTC 5 iAD, HTC 10 iAD and 

HTC 15 iAD. The cyclone in the vac is especially designed to maximize the separation of the very small 

dust particles that occur when grinding and minimize the emission of dust into the air. It is also possible 

to divert smells. The vac is constructed so a palette can be placed under it to collect the dust bags 

(Longopacks) to avoid heavy lifting. 

www.htc-sweden.se 


Four new Cat® H-series 

small wheel loaders 

The new Caterpillar small wheel loaders 924H, 

924Hz, 928Hz and 930H replace the G-series 

loaders 924G, 924Gz, 928Gz and 930G. 

The 924H and the 930H feature a unique 

VersaLink loader linkage, which combines 

integrated tool carrier versatility and parallel lift 

with superior cycle times. High Lift VersaLink 

option with or without quick coupler is available 

for special applications that require more reach 

and lift height. A new multi-purpose bucket 

adds to the versatility. In addition, the 930H can 

be equipped with up to six hydraulic valves for 

unrivalled work tool control and compatibility, 

allowing the machines to be used in the widest 

range of applications. 

All Caterpillar small wheel loaders employ 

a load-sensing, variable flow hydraulic system 

that senses work demand and adjusts flow 

and pressure to match. It provides faster cycle 

times, with low operator effort and improved fuel 

efficiency and can be configured with various 

joystick options to suit the operator or application. 

Caterpillar also offers the option of biodegradable 

hydraulic oil for working in environmentally 

sensitive applications. 

Special waste handler configurations extend 

the range of guards and protection along with 

the optional reversing fan and wide fin spacing 

The HTC ALL system stands for ”Automatic 

levelling laser system” which automatically 

grinds all large floor surfaces completely level. 

HTC ALL system is an accessory for HTC 950 

radiator and allow safe machine operation in high 

airborne debris environments. 

The 924H, 930H and 924Hz employ a 

new 100% full locking front axle differential as 

standard equipment. This replaces the current 

limited slip option and offers the advantage 

of less heat generated in the axle while still 

delivering improved traction and reduced tyre 

wear. Operators can engage the differential 

lock on the go. 

The new loaders feature the Cat® C6.6 engine 

with ACERT Technology, which meets all 

current emission regulations. The engine also has 

features to reduce maintenance requirements 

and increase uptime. The electric fuel-priming 

pump eases maintenance. All regular service 

points are accessible from ground level on the 

right side of the engine. 

All four loaders feature the improved Hseries 

cab and operator station, designed for 

easy entry and exit and for efficient operation 

throughout an entire shift. The 930H is also 

available with unique QuickSteer mode, 

which enables higher productivity and efficiency 

with less operator fatigue when loading trucks. 

QuickSteer allows full articulation by turning the 

steering wheel only 50 degrees. 

www.cat.com 

HTC’s “ALL System” for 

completely levelled floors 

RX consisting of a rotation laser and a receiver 

mounted on the grinding machine. The system 

automatically controls the grinding machine 

during operation.

PROMOVE HYDRAULIC HAMMERS 

A complete range of breakers up to 10,000 lbs operating 

through nitrogen and oil to deliver very high energy and 

productivity along with recognized reliability and low oil flow 

requirements. 

The high back-pressure allowed makes initial installation and 

working set-up very easy. 

Easy regulation of the working conditions: 

blow energy vs. frequency, working pressure are easily 

adjustable to meet optimal breaking performance. 

Low vibrations and noise level: 

a sophisticated system of internal 

shock absorbers completely isolate the 

gun from the external casing. 

Promove s.r.l. - Z.I. Lotto CA2 

70056 - Molfetta (Bari) - Italia 

Tel. +39 080.3387054 

Telefax +39 080.3387004 

info@pmvpromove.it 

www.pmvpr0move.it

Great Interest for Cut 

The International 

Tyrolit competition 

for concrete cutting 

professionals is full 

steam ahead and the 

interest is great. The 

qualification competi- 

tions are taking place 

all over Europe and 

a number of national 

championships have 

been organised. PDi 

Magazine has followed 

two of them; the Span- 

ish and Swiss national 

final and more cover- 

age of national cham- 

pionships is to come 

uring the autumn. Not 

to speak of the Grand 

Final in January next 

year. 

56 PDi • Is s u e 2 - 2008 • Ap r I l - Ju n e 

Winner Miguel Zollo Sevilla (Perforacion y Corte Saldaña) flanked from the left by second place Antonio 

Cuevas (Perforacion Moyano SLU) and third man Antonio Jose Civanto Sanchez (Perforaciones Andaluzas 

en Madrid) 

The Spanish 

Championship in 

Barcelona 

The first national championship of the TYROLIT Cutting 

Pro Competition in Spain was a complete success. 32 professionals 

from the industry took up the sporting challenge 

in concrete drilling and sawing. The winner Miguel Zollo 

Sevilla (Perforacion y Corte Saldaña) achieved the best time 

in each of the three disciplines. He and the second-placed 

Antonio Cuevas (Perforacion Moyano SLU) are therefore 

the first definitely qualified participants for the European 

Championships to be held in Austria in January 2009. 

Impressive qualifications 

The Competition in Spain attracted a great number of competitors 

and spectators. In three regional tournaments the 

participants first had to qualify for the actual competition. 

The TYROLIT Cutting Pro Competition then took place 

on 31 March (final rehearsal) and 1 April in Barcelona with 

altogether 32 competitors taking part. 

In the competition the participants impressed the 

spectators with their ability and with the record times they 

achieved in wall sawing, core drilling and hand sawing. In 

addition to strength and knowhow 

the competitors had to apply 

the right technique: the fastest 

times were achieved through 

the optimal loading of tool and 

machine. 

The winner Miguel Zollo 

Sevilla (Perforacion y Corte 

Saldaña) recorded the best time 

in each of the three disciplines 

– wall sawing, core drilling and 

hand sawing. With just 2:49:08 

in wall sawing, 2:42:47 in core 

drilling and 0:32:01 in hand sawing he put his rivals firmly in 

their place. Antonio Cuevas (Perforacion Moyano SLU) came 

second, Antonio Jose Civanto Sanchez (Perforaciones Andaluzas 

en Madrid) was third. Miguel Zollo Sevilla has therefore 

set a clear standard for the following championships. 

The Swiss 

Championship in 

Wetzikon 

Urs Birrer won the second national competition of the 

Tyrolit Cutting Pro Competition, held on 26 April in 

Wetzikon, Switzerland. He works for the Swiss company 

Bibi Betonbohrungen and proved his professional skills by 

scoring the best time in Wall Sawing 2.35:21. His time for 

Core Drilling hit 3.16:07 and 35:04 for Hand Sawing giving 

him the best score of 65 points in the total contest. 

Paul Maurer, working for the company Meister, came in 

second place recording 2.38:49, 3.09.55 and 35:26 respectively 

and Sergio Tedde of Etiaglio came third with scores

ting Pro Competition 

Brief facts about the 

Tyrolit Cutting Pro Competition 

Every national competition will last – including the award 

ceremony – about half a day. It will take place parallel to a local 

TYROLIT fair and thereby creates an attractive event for professional 

users, customers and visitors. 

Standard Rules and Regulations 

The TYROLIT Cutting Pro Competition uses a standardised set 

of regulations that allows for fair competitions and internationally 

comparable results. In addition, machines, tools, concrete and all 

other competition material are defined and conditioned to guarantee 

that every athlete can compete on the same terms. 

of 3.26:99, 

02.35:00 and 

42:93. 

There 

were 20 professionals 

from all 

over Switzerland 

participating in 

the competition 

that took 

place adjacent 

to Tyrolit Hydrostresspremises 

in Wetzikon. 

Also hundreds of 

supporters and Tyrolit 

employees had 

joined up to make 

this a remarkable 

event, which also included a barbecue in the spring sun. 

The Tyrolit Cutting Pro Competition is the first international 

competition in concrete drilling and sawing. 

It uses a standardised set of regulations that allows for fair 

competition and internationally comparable results in Wall 

Sawing, Core Drilling and Hand Sawing. 

In addition, machines, tools, concrete and all other 

competition material are defined and conditioned to 

guarantee that every competitor can compete 

on the same terms. 

National competitions 

will now take place from 

May to October. Great 

Britain and Italy has recently 

fininshed their national 

championships and we will 

report about them in the next 

issue. Further France, Sweden 

and Germany have their championships 

later this year. The winners 

from all seven national contests, 

including Spain and Switzerland, are 

qualified to participate in the European 

Championship that will be organised in 

Austria in January 2009. 

A coming man 

and his father. 

Urs Birrer from Bibi Betonbohrungen 

won the Swiss national championships 

and is hear flanked by second 

place winner Paul Maurer (right) 

from the company Meister and 

third place winner Sergio Tedde from 

company Etiaglio. 

Exercises and Products 

Athletes compete against each other in three exercises: wall 

sawing, core drilling and hand sawing. The time is taken for 

every exercise, the participant with the fastest total time wins. 

On the stage, every exercise is performed by two athletes in 

parallel. The result is an exciting competition that is intuitively 

understandable and attractive for spectators. 

Wall sawing: The goal of this exercise is to saw a slice off 

a reinforced concrete block as quickly as possible. The cut has 

to be performed in at least two passes. An optimal performance 

will depend on one hand on the ideal cutting depth of the first 

and second pass. On the other hand, the feeling of the athlete 

for machine, tool and concrete will be decisive. 

The wall sawing system consists of the TYROLIT wall saw 

head WZ and the hydraulic power pack PPH25RR***. This aggregate 

directs the power of 25 kW by means of a radio remote 

control system onto the TYROLIT diamond wall saw blade WSL*** 

(diameter 825 mm). 

Core drilling: In this exercise the athletes have to drill a hole 

in a reinforced concrete block. With the start signal, the drill rig 

has to be mounted and motor plus core drill have to be fixed 

before the drilling can begin. The installation of the drilling system 

requires skill and experience. A fast drilling time will depend on 

applying the right pressure on the core drill. 

For this exercise, a state-of-the-art TYROLIT system 

consisting of the drill rig HCCB-5 and the drill motor DME32S*** 

(electric) will be used. The core bit CDL*** has a diameter 

of 102 mm. 

Hand sawing: A disc has to be cut off from a concrete 

tube. Power and know-how of the athlete in dealing with the 

one-handed angle grinder are essential for this task. 

The set-up consists of a petrol-driven, one-handed angle 

grinder made by STIHL (TS 700, 5 kW) that powers the TYROLIT 

diamond saw blade DCU*** (diameter 350 mm). The cutting is 

done in wet conditions with the water directed into the cut over 

the concrete tube and not via the machine. 

Safety 

In order to take part in the TYROLIT Cutting Pro Competition, the 

athletes must have proficiency and experience in the command 

of the machines and tools. In addition, the regulations specify 

the mandatory protective equipment for every exercise. On the 

stage, the movements of the competitors are limited to safety 

areas that are clearly marked. 

Further information 

The website www.cuttingprocompetition.com provides further 

information on competition dates, registration processes, regulations, 

etc. in the respective national language. 

TYROLIT Schleifmittelwerke Swarovski KG 

and the construction division 

With 80,000 products, TYROLIT is part of the Swarovski group and is one of 

the largest manufacturers of tools for grinding, cutting, drilling and dressing, as 

well as machines for the construction industry. The family company employs 

over 4,618 staff at 25 production locations worldwide, and in 2007 TYROLIT 

generated sales of 538 million Euros. Innovative power is one of the most 

important success factors of the company. 

In the construction sector, concrete and similar products are processed, 

dressed or demolished. Cutting and drilling operators, asphalt and green 

concrete cutters in civil engineering, as well as tile, fireproof and pre-stressed 

concrete manufacturers and the specialist construction trade: all of them rely 

upon TYROLIT machines and tools. Quality and innovation in construction 

bears the name of TYROLIT or TYROLIT-Hydrostress. TYROLIT’s extensive 

know-how ranges from detailed basic research through product development 

to state-of-the-art diamond tools. Tools and machines are developed together 

as one system and virtually every major project, be it tunnel extension, offshore 

tasks or the demolition of nuclear power stations, bridges and waterways, is 

performed with the aid of TYROLIT system solutions and the specialist skills 

of its application engineers. 

Is s u e 2 - 2008 • Ap r I l - Ju n e • PDi 57

“Polished pe 

Rental market leader 

Equipment Development 

Company shapes 

up its processes and 

prospects. PDi’s Jim 

Parsons reports 

Business has never been better at Equipment Development Company, 

Inc., the Frederick, Maryland based manufacturer of EDCO 

surface preparation, cutting, and finishing tools. Capitalizing on 

nearly a half-century reputation for reliable, easily maintainable, 

and perhaps most important durable products, EDCO is one of 

the US equipment rental industry’s most recognized and soughtafter 

brands. 

Adopted lean manufacturing 

So why is the company’s sole 85,000ft2 (7,897m2 CONTRx Systems ProPolisher IV. 

) manufacturing 

facility becoming emptier and emptier? That is by design, 

according to marketing director Chuck Hommey. Over the past 

several years, EDCO has adopted lean manufacturing methods 

aimed at optimizing its production processes, eliminating waste, 

and sharpening workflows. EDCO tools remain as good as ever, 

Hommey says, but the time, resources, and costs required to make 

them have been substantially reduced. 

“Taking a proactive approach made it easier to integrate lean 

methods into our operations, rather than being forced to adopt 

them, a move that might have proven more disruptive and costly,” 


says Hommey. “Becoming more efficient ourselves helps us provide 

our customers with better products at a better price.” 

Going lean is also an appropriate reminder of the days when 

co-founders Leo Swan and Ed Harding struggled to get both the 

company and the concept of construction rental equipment off 

the ground. Operating as Rental Tools and Equipment Co., Inc., 

with a small stockpile of tools from a small, run-down building 

just outside Washington, D.C., Swan and Harding responded 

to customers’ frequent requests for a large-area concrete grinder 

by crafting their own dual-disc model. They demonstrated their 

homebrew product at the third American Rental Association 

convention and returned with orders for 18 units. 

“We had absolutely no idea how we would produce them,” 

recalls Swan. “Luckily, we didn’t know any better, so there was 

nothing to stop us.” 

The grinder’s immediate popularity in the rapidly evolving 

rental industry led Swan and Harding to create Equipment Development 

Company in 1959 as a separate entity that could focus on 

developing other products. Over the years, EDCO product lines 

have expanded to include various types of cutting saws, scarifiers 

and planers, chisel scalers, scabblers, and support equipment. 

Productive paradigms 

Grinders remain the centrepiece EDCO product and the source 

for the company’s standing as the US leader in surface preparation 

rental equipment. Hommey notes that the current line of 

gas, electric and propane-powered dual-disc grinders are direct 

descendents of the machine Swan and Harding crafted 50 years 

ago. A surviving model of that initial product run with serial 

number 5 occupies a place of honour in the company’s conference 

and training room. 

CONTRx Systems ProPolisher II.

formance” 

“The grinder is our most popular machine,” adds Hommey. 

“We’ve enhanced it over the years with features such as multiaccessory 

discs for various surfaces and applications.” 

Other standouts among the EDCO family of products include 

the 8in (200mm) walk-behind scarifier. “This is a product that 

covers all the bases to make contractors’ lives easier,” says Hommey. 

“The 14in (350mm) down cut walk-behinds are bread-and-butter 

machines for us in what is a very competitive market.” 

While the EDCO product line has certainly diversified, all 

share the common characteristic of surviving years of use and more 

than occasional abuse. 

“Leo and Ed understood from the outset that contractors 

would be tougher on rental equipment than tools they owned,” 

says Hommey. “That’s why we use 7-gauge steel for the frame 

and undercarriage for durability, and reduce vibration and operator 

discomfort.” 

Being based entirely in the US has also helped EDCO maintain 

its market edge. But Hommey believes the company’s technical 

knowledge and product support are of more importance to rental 

dealers and customers. “We’ve been in this industry for a long time, 

and understand the kinds of issues and challenges that are out there, 

whether it’s dealer marketing or operator training,” he says. 

It is those same qualities that EDCO plans to bring directly 

to contractors through its new CONTRx Systems, which debuted 

at the 2007 World of Concrete with single, dual and quad-disc 

concrete floor polishers. 

“We’re leveraging the success of the EDCO brand in the rental 

market to create products for applications that have a higher level 

of technical complexity such as polishing,” says Hommey. “We 

provide everything a contractor needs to get started and be successful 

in the polishing market, the machine, prep accessories and 

chemicals, training, and follow-up support.” 

Although EDCO plans to create a dealer and distributor 

network for CONTRx, customers will have the option of purchasing 

products and accessories online. And with other CONTRx 

products and accessories in the works, such as hardscape saw, 

vacuum, core drill rigs and diamond blades, Hommey does not 

expect the vacant facility space to remain idle for very long. “That’s 

one of the advantages we have as a manufacturer,” he says. “We 

can make things to accommodate whatever direction the markets 

go. And, we have a good foundation to start with.” 

Actions and responses 

One trend that is definitely in EDCO’s future is the drive toward 

more sustainable facilities and safer worksites. Hommey notes 

that more and more projects are taking advantage of the valuable 

LEED points available via polished concrete floors, which provide 

greater reflectivity for energy savings, are easier to install and require 

less maintenance. 

EDCO saws and grinders are also now fitted with hook-ups 

for vacuum and water systems, making it easier for operators to 

better control dust and slurry. Still, performance and value will 

likely remain atop most every contractor’s and rental dealer’s list of 

priorities. “While people always want to do things faster and more 

efficiently, they’re also savvy about the return on investment on the 

machines, especially on the rental side,” says Hommey. 

Tackling those challenges will be the job of Leo Swan’s sonin-law, 

Frank Stancyzk, and Ed Harding’s son, Bill, who serve as 

co-presidents. The families’ third generation of leadership is also 

Founder Leo Swan (centre) stands with one of his company’s 

original dual-head grinders. Flanking him are copresidents 

Frank Stancyzk (left) and Bill Harding. 

being cultivated in various parts of the company. “I don’t think 

you could have had two better families collaborate on building a 

business,” says Hommey. “They’ve each brought their respective 

skills and talents in technical innovation, sales and marketing, and 

innovative thinking to create and grow the company. I think those 

qualities show up in every produce we produce.” 

Although Ed is deceased, Leo frequently takes time from his 

retirement to visit the facility and check up on operations. Asked if 

he would have done anything differently during those early days, he 

responds with a laugh that more money would have been helpful. 

“It certainly would have helped us buy a better building sooner,” 

he says and adds that he is very pleased with the way EDC has 

evolved. “We’ve kept the quality in our products, and we’ve kept 

good people to make them,” he says. “In any industry, knowledge 

makes a big difference.” 

www.edcoinc.com 

Below EDCO 14-in. (360 mm) walk-behind saw. 

Marketing Director Chuck Hommey 

with some EDCO machines ready for 

shipping. 

EDCO 1.5- to 11-hp dual-disc grinders 

is Equipment Development Company’s 

flagship product line. 


UK Squibb shows: 

“Courage on Historic Pr 

The demolition of a 

former UK brewery 

in the heart of Bris- 

tol’s city centre has 

revealed more than 

discarded yeast and 

hops, as PDi’s Mark 

Anthony reports. 


If the stereotype is to be believed, it is not unusual to find a 

demolition operative in the pub; so perhaps finding a team of 

them in a former brewery should probably come as no surprise. 

What is less usual, however, is finding demolition engineers and 

archaeologists working in such close proximity and with such a 

high degree of co-operation. 

Site Clearance 

Working directly for property developer Hamptons International 

(HDG Manseur), Squibb & Davies (Demolition) Ltd is 

responsible for the demolition of the former Courage Brewery, 

a 2.5 hectare site located on a bend of the River Avon and less 

than one kilometre from Bristol’s Temple Mead railway station. 

The site, which has been renamed Finzels Reach, after the sugar 

refinery that once stood on the site, will ultimately contain 

399 two and three bedroom apartments, 28,000m 2 of Grade 

A offices, and 8,500m 2 of retail space including restaurants, 

bars and public areas. The site will be linked to Castle Park on 

the opposite side of the river by the Mobius Bridge, a one-part 

curved bridge that will enter the site through the old compressor 

house, which is being retained. 

Before then, however, Squibb & Davies is required to 

clear the site whilst retaining all the listed buildings and working 

in close conjunction with Bristol City Council, which has 

employed Oxford Archaeology to preserve and record historical 

artefacts found on the site. 

The site, originally part of the flood plain of the River 

Avon, was given to the Knights Templars in 1128, 

who then set about draining the area. The river 

has moved progressively across the site through 

erosion of the Northern bank, and is currently 

some 100m further north than in the 12th century. 

The site has since been home to a watermill, parts 

of which have been discovered near the Hop Store, 

cloth working, and tanning. In 1788 the site was 

acquired by the Philip George and Bristol Porter 

Brewery company, who subsequently purchased 

most of the existing site as the brewery expanded. 

Eventually the company consolidated its brewing 

activities and moved the plant to Reading in 1999, 

when the site was closed. The brewing equipment 

was sold to Russia where it is still in use. 

The site appears to have been too wet to 

form part of a settlement and was only developed 

in Norman times. All of 

the artefacts found to date 

are 12th century and later 

and much of what was there 

was almost certainly lost in a 

massive Victorian redevelopment 

in the 1880s. 

100 archaeologists 

Uncovering these artefacts 

is a team of up to 100 archaeologists 

spread across 

nine sites within the redevelopment. 

As Squibb & 

Davies remove the unlisted 

buildings or clear the site 

to ground level, they are 

handed over to Oxford Ar- 

chaeology to excavate. 

Squibb & Davies’ contract started with the soft strip, light 

demolition and asbestos removal and was originally scheduled 

to last for 48 weeks. However, the developers have extended 

that timeframe to ensure that the archaeological team have sufficient 

time to carry out the necessary collection and recording 

of artefacts. “The site is kept under very close scrutiny both by 

ourselves, and the Council. We have a watching brief, which 

does feel as if we have someone looking over our shoulder all 

the time, but if we don’t make the effort to preserve and record 

the history of the site, it will be lost forever,” says IDE Associate 

Member Westley Squib. “A lot of the previous archaeology 

must have been destroyed in the Victorian era when the site was 

originally redeveloped. This time we are preserving as many 

of the original features as possible and recording in minute 

detail everything else.” 

“To accommodate the archaeology teams, we have cleared 

a progression of sites within the development and allowed them 

to excavate before we hand over to the developers. We even 

moved the weighbridge and lost our one way traffic system 

when the marketing suite was built in our exit road,” says 

operations manager Nic Grout. “But when the site is finished 

in two years time, we will have the pleasure of knowing that 

everything of value has been preserved and everything else was 

recorded for posterity.” 

Building Retention 

Squibb & Davies says that it has removed and processed around 

32,000m 3 of concrete with a further 22,000m 3 remaining. 

They have also removed and recycled 4,500t of steel, but have 

had to put 100t of new steel back in to support the facades of 

the listed buildings. “The buildings are extremely fragile and 

we have had to do additional strengthening of some of them 

or they would have simply fallen down,” reports Gareth David. 

“On the corner of the Fermentation building we built a buttress, 

but it took weeks to get permission to construct. And in the 

Compressor building we have tied the walls together because 

the walls were neither not tied nor keyed.” David says that 

many of the original piles extended to 14m, but didn’t reach 

bedrock. These have now been extended to 18m. 

Buildings Saved 

The building’s river front has had to be scaffolded from a barge 

on the river. Squibb & Davies has removed all the floors and 

22 boilers from the Compressor building, which was built in 

1712 and contains the original parish stone set in the wall. 

All this material has had to be removed through a set of double 

doors to ensure that the structure of the building remained 

intact. In the Fermentation building, the company has had 

to remove 1.5m of concrete raft flooring and then excavated 

down a further 2m for the benefit of the archaeologists. “You 

are made to feel a bit of a vandal because this work interferes 

with the original fabric of the building,” says Gareth David. 

“But if we hadn’t acted quickly, all these buildings would 

have been lost.” 

“We have worked with the developers and the Council 

to preserve the character of the area by ensuring what remains 

is usable and of practical and aesthetic use for future generations,” 

concludes Westley Squibb. “I believe we have done 

a very impressive job and I hope that those who enjoy the 

development in generations to come will appreciate what we 

have achieved here.”

oject” 

Below from top to bottom: Squibb & Davies’ Westley Squibb, project manager Gareth 

David, and operations manager Nic Grout. 

�� 

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New SPE 316 Dust 

Collection Unit 

The UK based SPE International has developed 

a 3-phase version of the company’s 

popular 316 single phase unit. The new dust 

collector has a powerful 4kw, 415v motor 

and has been designed to cope with the 

high volume of dust created by larger 

surface preparation equipment. 

The new unit 

is fitted with clear 

flow PTFE filters as 

standard with an optional 

hepa filter also 

available. Standard 

hose connection is 

70mm, however, a 

50mm adaptor can 

be used to suit the 

particular application. 

Careful consideration was given in the design 

French manufacturer Arden Equipment has 

released two new demolition attachments 

recentliy, the pulveriser BBH1300B and the 

multi processor CU1300. The official launch 

took place on the 9th of April at the Arden 

premises in Charleville, France as well at the 

Spanish show Smopyc in Zaragosa. 

BBH1300B weighs 5120 kg and is 


process to ensure the finished machine was 

compact and easy to transport. 

The overall height is just 1.4m 

and is able to fit easily into 

most commercial vehicles. 

Another benefit is 

a 415v power 

take off from 

the unit allowing 

both the dust collector 

and connected surface 

preparation machine 

to be powered from just 

one mains socket. Noise 

levels are also low 

when compared to 

single-phase dust 

control vacuums. 

www.spe-int.com 

developed for carriers from 45 to 55 t. 

The body is fully protected by removable 

wear plates and teeths are exchangeable. 

The new attachment is available from 

June 2008. 

The multi processor CU1300 has three 

different jaw sets, which can be switch in a 

few minutes with one single pin. The attach- 

HTC introduces the new SX-series 

The SX-series, from the Swedish concrete 

grinding equipment manufacturer HTC, is a line 

of grinding tools for use on hard to very hard 

concrete, natural stone and terrazzo floors. 

The tools have been developed as a complement 

when other tools are unable to cut or for 

extreme removal. The innovative design and 

the characteristics of the segments make these 

tools completely unique in the market. The segments 

are manufactured using the new “Pixeltechnology” 

which means the diamonds line up 

to achieve maximum grinding quality. 

HTC has also announced the availability of a 

2-year warranty on all 2008 machines. HTC’s 

HTC introduces a 

2-year warranty 

machines have been upgraded constantly and 

the company is pleased to introduce this warranty. 

To obtain the extended warranty customers 

will need to follow the service plan. The service 

has to be carried out by an HTC authorized 

garage. The improved quality also means that 

the service only has to be carried out every 500 

hours or every 12 months. 

www.htc-sweden.se 

Two new demolition 

attachments from 

Arden Equipment 

ment with BB jaw weighs 1350 kg, with CB 

jaw 1270 kg and the CF jaw 1350 kg. The 

multi processor is developed for carriers 

between 14 to 19 t. The CU1300 will be 

available from September 2008. 

www.arden-equipment.fr

“We are aiming for 

number one in all 

categories,” says 

Husqvarna Construc- 

tion Products Presi- 

dent Anders Ströby. 

Husqvarna continues 

its crusade in concrete 

related machinery and 

equipment with an 

even stronger focus on 

organic growth. 


Technical Platfo 

more benefits to 

After years with a strong focus on acquisitions it is easy 

to think that new product ideas come from the many 

company acquisitions. But for the past couple of years 

more energy has been spent on the development of its 

own products. Husqvarna Construction Products now has 

just over 100 employees working solely on new product 

developments. 

Massive news flow 

Since the trade show Bauma last year the market has seen 

several new products released by Husqvarna, such as the 

new drill motors DMS 160 and DM 230, the floor saw 

series FS 300, 400 and 500, the new drill stands DS 

50 Gyro and DS 70 AT, the power cutter K 960 with 

Dual Charge technique that lowers emissions and fuel 

consumption and the K 750 OilGuard that has been 

developed particularly for the rental market as it has been 

equipped with an optical mechanism that indicates if there 

is no oil in the fuel or if the wrong type of oil is used. The 

K650 Cut-n-Break is also quite new being introduced at 

the end of last year. During the autumn a new electric 

version of the Cut-n-Break will be launched. Husqvarna 

has also launched the diamond tool series Kite and the 

new core bits B 345, AS 25 B, AS 45 B and now recently 

the new diamond blade series Diagrip (see page 51). 

Another newly developed drill motor, the DM 330, 

will be launched shortly (see page 50). 

There are also some more novelties on the 

power cutter side. The electric cutter K 3000 will 

be launched in a wet version for indoor use. A 

new wet cutting kit has also been adapted to 

all power cutters, K 3000 Wet, K 1250, K 

750 and K 960, using less water but with 

the same result as earlier. K 960 Ring and 

K 960 Chain have new motors providing 

lower emissions. 

But the biggest news is probably 

Husqvarna’s entry into the high frequency 

sector with the wall saw WS 

440 HF. 

“WS 440 HF is really something 

different and I would say 

that we are setting 

a new 

standard 

for 

The demand for machines for both heavier removal as well 

as polishing is increasing. Husqvarna’s new floor grinders 

cover a wide range of applications. 

electrical wall saws,’’ says Equipment Product Manager 

Lars Gustafsson. 

“The saw is based on totally new technology, which 

gives the user increased possibilities for fast and efficient 

sawing. We have succeeded in optimizing the power to 

weight ratio and developed a saw that is light and flexible 

but also very powerful, something that was difficult to 

achieve before. The powerful, water-cooled electric motor 

generates 13 kW at the shaft, despite that the saw only 

weighs 25 kg. Due to the new technology the WS 440 

HF is as powerful as most of the much bigger wall saws 

on the market.” 

Lars Gustafsson is a good example of Husqvarna’s 

investment in organic growth. Despite being young he has 

a lot of experience in product development and worked 

in the product development management for Mercedes in 

Germany for five years. 

Creation of Technical Platforms 

HCP has been emphasising their product development 

for several years and this year the market will see some 

results of that. 

“To some extent we have also been changing our product 

development strategy. From being a producer of single 

Product Manager Lars Gustafsson is very pleased with 

how the development work is organized at Husqvarna. The 

creation of “Technical Platforms” gives good interaction 

between different product groups and gives additional 

benefits for the end-user and for Husqvarna itself.

m ideology brings 

each product group 

products we now much more try to create efficient solutions 

for various applications in the construction industry. 

Product solutions that strive to increase efficiency, safety 

and ergonomics,” says Anders Ströby. 

“Our target is to bring our whole product range to a 

new level, incorporating completely new characteristics 

and features. The new wall saw is a good example of that 

and more high cycle wall saws will be introduced later,” 

adds Lars Gustafsson. 

Husqvarna’s new way of developing new products 

is anchored in, what they call, the creation of technical 

platforms. These are intended not to serve just one type of 

product, but can interact and be used for different product 

groups. By using this strategy many different advantages 

can be received. In general better product solutions can be 

provided to the users and new technical solutions for one 

product type can be adapted for other products. The results 

will improve both the products and their production. 

Integration forms growth opportunity 

The floor grinders that were included in Husqvarna’s range 

of products as a result of the acquisition of King Concepts 

last year are considered to have great growth potential. The 

demand for machines for both heavier removal as well as 

polishing is increasing and Husqvarna’s products cover 

a wide range of applications. Due to the acquisition of 

Soff-Cut Husqvarna has now become a complete supplier 

of floor preparation equipment including equipment for 

laying concrete, troweling, dry cutting and grinding and 

polishing the floor. This opens up a new type of business 

for the contractors enabling them to do all steps to 

a finished floor with less effort. ‘’Here we can really talk 

about offering complete solutions to our customers’’, says 

Anders Ströby. Through access to the existing technical 

platforms the acquired products have a potential to be 

further developed and to reach new customers. 

Right picture with the new high frequency wall saw 

WS 440 HF demonstrated at the new Product Center 

in Jonsered outside Gothenburg. 

Product and Service Manager Håkan Aldén in front of the 

latest additions of Husqvarna Power Cutters. 

No stop for acquisitions 

Even with a stronger focus on organic growth Husqvarna 

has not put a stop on acquisitions. Recently the company 

acquired the US floor and road saw manufacturer MECO 

in order to step into the important “service saw segment”. 

Husqvarna has also acquired the Swedish diamond tool 

manufacturer Sandvik Nora, formerly owned by Japanese 

Asahi and named Hagby Asahi. To the Swedish market it 

came as a bit of a surprise and there is speculation that 

the acquisition was done due to Sandvik Nora’s strong 

representation in Finland and because of Sandvik Nora’s 

range of floor grinders. 


Safety and ergonomical aspect are prioritised sectors 

in the development work. Picture to the right shows one 

of the drill stands equipped with a handle for easy lifting 

of the stand. 


Russias biggest concrete 

celebrates its 15th anniv 

On 29 February, Olvex, 

the biggest concrete 

sawing contractor in 

Russia, celebrated 

its 15th anniversary 

by throwing a gala 

party in its home 

city, St.Petersburg. 

Founded back in 1993, 

the company worked 

its way through the 

chaotic 1990s and 

evolved into the major 

player on the Russian 

contractor market. 


Around 200 attended the celebrations including long-standing 

business partners and government officials. The Olvex 

founders, Yury Mokin and Sergei Chavkin, were presented 

with state medals “Honorary Builder of Russia” on behalf of 

“Federal Agency for construction and housing utilities”. Executives 

from various units of concern “Rosenergoatom”, the 

state-owned enterprise operating all nuclear plants in Russia 

and customer of Olvex, took turns to congratulate Russia’s 

biggest concrete cutter. Other customers and partners of 

Olvex, Soyuzpetrostroy, Satory, Mostootryad 19, Mostotrest 

and Ingeokom, were quick to join them. Guests from outside 

Russia also came to share the event with Olvex including 

representatives from Caterpillar, Renaissance Construction, 

Cedima and Promat. 

Strong presence on the international market 

Always committed to the idea of never-ending development, 

Olvex keeps stepping up its presence in international markets 

by offering its services to specifiers in Scandinavia and Eastern 

Europe. A subsidiary of Olvex has been operates in Ukraine 

since 2006 and have dismantled a few thousand metres of 

reinforced concrete structures using wire sawing. A concrete 

sawing/drilling unit of Olvex has been resident at one of the 

largest European steel mills, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, for 

nearly a year. In late 2007, Olvex Oy, the Finnish branch of 

Olvex, completed a few concrete drilling jobs in the Helsinki 

area. Another sister company Sofia-based Olvex EOOD, 

started work in Bulgaria in 2007. 

In January 2008, the company signed a Memorandum 

of Understanding on cooperation in the field of concrete cutting 

and demolition with a Delhi-based contractor whereby 

Olvex will develop wire sawing and drilling solutions for its 

Indian counterpart. Olvex is also in talks with a big demolition 

company from Stockholm regarding joint projects in 

Sweden and Russia. 

...and on the domestic market as well 

Olvex keeps the pace up on the domestic market as well. 

Yury Mokin (above) and Sergei Chavkin (below) accepting 

commemorative badge “Honorary Builder. St.Petersburg 

Union of Construction Companies” from Lev Kaplan (right), 

vice-president and director of “St.Petersburg Union of 

Construction Companies” 

The company performs cutting and drilling jobs at seven 

nuclear plants in Russia. And so far sawed about 50,000m 2 

and drilled some 100,000m of reinforced concrete. Olvex 

also demolished some 10,000m 3 of reinforced concrete using 

diamond cutting techniques at the main production unit of 

Russia’s biggest steelmaker “Severstal” in Cherepovets. The 

Olvex fleet of concrete cutting equipment includes reaches 

80 wall saws. The company has also increased the number of 

concrete cutters to 250, of which 50 specialists work in the 

Ukrainian, Finnish and Bulgarian firms. 

The Olvex demolition and recycling division keeps abreast 

with their colleagues from the concrete cutting department 

and will increase the number of demolition excavators, some 

equipped with 40m booms, to 30 units. The division also 

has 5 crushers for recycling construction waste. In 2007, a 

total volume of demolition jobs performed by Olvex reached 

some 500,000m 3 . 

Russia prioritises technology 

intensive industries 

Olvex management believes that the policy of the Russian 

To the right Viktor Nikolaevich Lakhno, Deputy Director of Kola 

nuclear power plant represented the Rosenergoatom Group 

at the celebration. On the picture Mr Lakhno presents Mr 

Chavkin with a painting of aurora borealis (northern lights). 

Kola nuclear power plant is the most northern power plant 

in the world, belonging to Rosenergoatom. It is located inside 

the Artic circle.

cutter 

ersary 

A gypsy folklore band called “Cabriolet” entertained and kept the atmosphere on top all night long. 

government aimed to develop technology-intensive and 

innovative industries and the nuclear industry in particular, 

guarantees further progress of the company. Involvement of 

Russian state enterprises in large-scale overseas projects paves 

the way for domestic contractors to prove that the export 

potential of Russia is not only based on oil and gas but rather 

on human resources and ability of the Russian companies to 

operate to highest international standards. Also 

managers of major state-owned companies 

have come to understand that involvement of 

Russian manufacturers and contractors in their 

projects is a must for the concept of national 

rebirth to be successfully implemented. 

At his recent meeting with members 

of the Russian Union of Industrialists and 

Entrepreneurs – Dmitry Medvedev, the newly 

elected president of Russia, expressed a concern 

over an underperformance of the country’s 

economy due to low labour productivity, 

and blueprints to tackle this problem were 

laid. Olvex management has been focusing on 

this issue since the inception of the company. 

The Russian contractor boasts a number of 

advantages, which allow it to outperform 

its competitors. First is proficiency of the 

From the left Russian beauties, Andrei Bushmarin, Sergei Bolukh (Olvex), 

Vera Sirotina and Alexander Redich (Cedima). 

company’s operators. They are most experienced specialists in 

concrete cutting in Russia. A unique training programme for 

operators and the tendency to use most advanced diamond 

cutting techniques add to the company’s edge. 

In the year of its 15th anniversary, Olvex sees its next task 

as consolidating its leading position in concrete cutting not just 

in Russia but also on the global market. 

Sergei Chavkin and Alexander 

Redich let loose on the dance 

floor. 

Entrance, decorated with ballons in 

Olvex colours, to where the festivities 

took place in St Petersburg, Russia. 

ELECTRICALLY 

INSULATED 

CUTTING CONCRETE? 

YOU NEED A BETTER HANDLE 

Got Your 

YELLOBARZ? 

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New show for the 

demolition industry 

Between 20-23 January 

2009 a new trade 

show, DemExpo, targeting 

the international 

demolition, concrete 

cutting and floor 

preparation industries 

will be held in Sweden 

organised by Gothenburg 

Exhibition Centre. 

The well-known Nordic trade show Building Machinery (Byggmaskiner), 

which has been organised since the 1980s by Gothenburg 

Exhibition Centre will be extended. The next biennial 

trade show to be held 20-23 January 2009, will have a special area 

dedicated to the demolition industry, called DemExpo. 

“On the frontier to demolition” 

The Building Machinery trade show has always been an exhibition 

that has attracted a great deal of manufacturers and suppliers 

as well as contractors within the area of diamond tools, concrete 

sawing and drilling equipment, floor preparation and grinding 

equipment. The majority of the contractors offering these services 

are also closely related to demolition, decontamination and clearance 

work as well as recycling. GEC would now like to gather the 

whole industry under one roof and one name, DemExpo 2009. 

DemExpo will have its own designated space in the trade show 

and the organiser hopes to attract not only Nordic exhibitors and 

visitors, but also from other parts of the world, as demolition is 

a very narrow and dedicated business. DemExpo is also the only 

international show in this particular sector. The organiser hopes 

to be able to include all sorts of tools, machinery and equipment 

from light hand held demolition tools up to demolition 

robots, heavy-duty demolition excavators and mobile recycling 

machinery. The traditional exhibitors with their equipment 

for concrete sawing and drilling and floor preparation will be 

offered space in DemExpo. Products for decontamination, like 

removal of asbestos, PCB and other hazardous materials, as well 

as equipment for dust extraction, air cleaning and extraction of 

slurry, will have priority positions at DemExpo. 

“We have always been in the frontier of demolition and 

recycling with our existing trade show Building Machinery so 

why not invest in this area fully and create a dedicated section 

for it and a meeting place for the professionals. I think this is a 

very exiting project and we have the premises needed with our 

extended exhibition centre facilities. We can even provide separate 

demonstration areas for those exhibitors who would like to 

demonstrate their machines,” says GEC Project Manager Stefan 

Sundqvist. “My opinion is also that this industry has been lacking 

a meeting place for the professionals within demolition and recycling. 

In the Nordic region of Europe demolition and recycling is 

experiencing a very positive business cycle right now.” 

Red carpet in Demo Village 

In direct connection to DemExpo the “Demo Village” will be 

organized. This is completely new as well and is planned to be 

an event centre where exhibitors and visitors can meet on their 

own terms and decide what they would like to do. 

Responsible for DemExpo, Building Machinery and Scanbuild 

at Gothenburg Exhibition Centre from the left; Stefan 

Sundqvist, Annelie Lundkvist och Kurt Johansson. 


“In our marketing campaign for DemExpo we are using 

the term “Red Carpet for the Professionals”. The idea is that we 

want exhibitors and their clients to feel that both DemExpo and 

Demo Village is only their place, made for them. They are VIPs 

and we will do our absolute best to make them fell at home,” 

says Project Coordinator Annelie Lundkvist. 

Demo Village will have a lounge area where the exhibitors 

can arrange customer meetings, demonstrate their machines, and 

provide refreshments. “What they want to do is in the hands of 

the exhibitors,” adds Annelie. 

There are also plans to arrange a display area where contractors 

can present their services. During the spring and summer 

2008 GEC will embark on a massive marketing campaign for 

DemExpo and Demo Village containing several advertisements, 

press information and brochures about the event. The show is 

also organized in close cooperation with branch associations for 

concrete sawing and drilling and demolition. 

Building Machinery and Scanbuild 

But the shows Building Machinery and Scanbuild, organized 

parallel with DemExpo will not loose focus with the strong 

focus on DemExpo? 

“Absolutely not! Building Machinery has become such a 

strong name in the Nordic region, in particular for the rental 

industry. We are not going to decrease the focus on the other 

shows due to DemExpo. On the contrary we are going to improve 

both Building Machinery and Scanbuild, investing more 

money and giving both sections more space. For instance the 

very well appreciated “Power Tool Street” where visitors can try 

out the latest electric machines will be organized as usual. So, 

where ever you live in the world but have interest in the Nordic 

region, mark Gothenburg in January 2009 in you calendar,” 

says Stefan Sundqvist. 

www.demexpo.se • www.bygg-maskiner.se

JCB excavators land airport demolition job 

Two JS300 tracked excavators have demolished an 

outdated terminal building at Koltsovo International 

Airport in Russia to pave the way for the construction 

of an additional passenger facility. 

A new Terminal One building was opened in 

2007 and now the airport authorities are investing 

in a second terminal covering 5,000m 2 . The 

development is designed to make Koltsovo Airport 

a passenger hub between Europe and Asia. Further 

investment is planned with the reconstruction of 

runways. The airport has a passenger throughput 

of more than 1.5 million people each year with 

more than 20,000 aircraft movements taking 

place annually. 

To make way for the new passenger facility 

an existing building has been flattened by a 

JS330 equipped with a cutter crusher. A second 

machine with a hydraulic hammer was used by 

contractor Uralkomplekt to pull the building down 

in Yekaterinburg within three weeks of the project 

starting. A JCB 456ZX wheeled loading shovel 

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assisted with the clear up. The airport invested in 

the 456ZX initially to assist in the clear-up operation 

and then to be used on site for general tasks, such 

as clearing snow. 

The machines were supplied by JCB’s dealer in 

the Ural Federal Region, LLC Predpriyatie Stroykomplekt, 

which offers a full range of JCB machines, attachments 

and parts together with 24-hour servicing. 

JCB offers a range of tracked excavators 

up to 46t for demolition applications, 

including the recently added 29t JS290. 

The company’s XD range of high specification 

excavators are specially built to 

cope with the rigours of demolition. 

Machines built to this specification include 

the JS220, JS260, JS330 and JS460. 

The JS330 is additionally offered with 

a modular joint and high-reach boom 

configuration, taking the working height 

to 21m. 

www.jcb.com 

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Circle 199 items 200 to receive free product information. Please remember to state which 

issue of PDi Magazine this inqury referes to. 

� Yes, I wish to receive PDi Magazine 

Signature Date _________ 

1. What is your company´s primary 

business activity? 

� Concrete cutting 

� General demolition 

� Demolition by explosives 

� Highrise demolition 

� Hazardous materials 

� Landfill 

� Re-use of demolition waste 

� Recycling services 

� General contractor 

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� Hydrodemolition 

� Insurance 

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� Architect 

� Engineer 

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________________________ 

2. What is your function? 

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________________________ 

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perform concrete cutting services? 

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perform demolition services? 

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perform recycling services? 

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9. Do your company plan to buy any of the 

following in the next 12 months? 

Concrete Cutting 

� Wire saw 

� Wall saw 

� Flat/Floor saw 

� Diamond chain saw 

� Core drill 

� Diamond blades/ bits or wires 

� Other_________________________ 

Demolition 

� Excavator/carrier for demolition 

� Long reach demolition boom 

� Compact equipment 

� Loading equipment 

� Hydraulic breaker 

� Concrete crusher 

� Pulveriser 

� Sorting grab 

� Steel shear 

� Other_________________________ 

Recycling 

� Mobile recycling equipment 

� Stationary recycling equipment 

� Screens 

� Screeders 

� Crushing buckets 

Other equipment 

� Floor grinding equipment 

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� Other__________________________ 


EVENTS CALENDAR 

Conexpo Russia 2008 

September 15-18, 

Moscow, Russia 

www.conexporussia.com 

Bauma China 2008 

November 25-28, 2008 

Shanghai New International Exhibition 

Centre, China 

www.bauma-china.com 

SAIE 2008 

September 15-18, 

Bologna, Italy 

www.bolognafiere.it 

Byggmaskiner 

DemExpo 2009 

January 20-23, 2009 

Gothenburg Exhibition Centre 

www.bygg-maskiner.se 

www.demexpo.se 

World of Concrete 2009 

February 3-6 

Las Vegas, USA 

www.worldofconcrete.com 

15th German Demolition 

Conference, 2009 

March 20-21, Berlin, Germany 

www.asco-abbruch.de 

Byggmaskiner 

DemExpo 2009 

January 20-23, 2009 

Gothenburg Exhibition Centre 

www.bygg-maskiner.se 

www.demexpo.se 

Intermat 2009 

April 20-25 

Paris Nord, Villepinte, France 

www.intermat.fr 

IACDS Annual 

Meeting, 2009 

June, 2009 

St Petersburg, Russia 

www.iacds.org 

Each year in PDi issue 5, in the concrete cutting 

survey, the magazine present market figures 

for the international concrete sawing and drilling 

industry. The figures are provided by the 

international umbrella organsiation IACDS and 

CSDA. Unfortunately some market figures have 

not been updated by the member countries, giving 

a false picture of the size of the international 

market value. 

PDi would appreciate if the non updated 

figures, according to the table opposite would be 

updated and sent to either IACDS, CSDA or PDi 

Magazine so we can publish a clearer picture of 

the world market in issue 5 this year. 


CSDA Elects 2008 Officers 

and Board of Directors 

The Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association is 

pleased to introduce its 2008 Officers and Board 

members who were elected at the 36th Annual 

CSDA Convention held 4-8 March in Las Vegas, 

Nevada USA. “CSDA’s emphasis on safety and 

training programmes for the cutting industry will 

continue to be a strong focus for this new Board,” 

stated President Tom Stowell. “In addition, CSDA 

has initiated a programme to create a company 

certification process for contractor members that 

will be introduced in 2008.” 

Elected to serve until 2010 are: Skip Aston, 

Ohio Concrete Sawing & Drilling, Inc. Sylvania, 

Ohio; Ron Culgin, Pro Cut, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts; 

Patrick Harris, Concrete Renovation, 

Inc., San Antonio, Texas; Mike Nelson, K2 Diamond, 

Torrance, California; Chris Priest, Sanders Saws, 

Honey Brook, Pennsylvania; and Jack Sondergard, 

Central Concrete Cutting, Inc., Edgar, Wisconsin. 

Joining them are the returning Board members, 

whose terms expire in 2009. They include: Steve 

Garrison, Diamond B, Inc., Santa Fe Springs, California; 

Aaron Louisell, Diamond Concrete Sawing, 

Grand Rapids, Michigan; Lisa Mullen, Bluegrass 

Concrete Cutting, Inc., Greenville, Alabama; Rick 

Norland, Construction Solutions, LLC, Paola, Kansas; 

and Mike Orzechowski, DITEQ Corporation, Lees 

Summit, Missouri; and Ron Rapper, Husqvarna 

Construction Products, Olathe, Kansas. Returning 

CSDA officers are President Tom Stowell, Norton 

Penhall Diamond, Fullerton, California; Vice President 

Doug Walker, Atlantic Concrete Cutting, Inc., 

Mt. Holly, New Jersey; Secretary/Treasurer Judith 

O’Day, Terra Diamond Industrial, Salt Lake City, 

Utah; and Past President Susan Hollingsworth, 

Holes Incorporated, Houston, Texas. Patrick O’Brien 

continues to serve as Executive Director of CSDA. 

The CSDA Board and committees meet quarterly. 

The meetings scheduled for 2008 are 4-6 June in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota; 26-28 August in Tampa, 

Florida; and 2-4 December in Sonoma, California. 

The 37th Annual CSDA Convention will be 3-8 

March 2009, at CasaMagna Cancun Marriott 

Resort and JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa in 

Cancun, Mexico. 

www.csda.org 

Back row, left to right: Jack Sondergard, Mike Orzechowski, Skip Aston, Rick Norland, 

Steve Garrison, Ron Culgin, Mike Nelson, Aaron Louisell and Patrick Harris. Front row , 

left to right: Patrick O’Brien, Ron Rapper, Judith O’Day, Susan Hollingsworth, Lisa Mullen, 

Chris Priest and Tom Stowell. 

Market figures for the international concrete 

sawing and drilling industry, 2007 

Obituary 

Sidney Hunt Snr 

Sidney Hunt Snr was a leading figure in 

the UK demolition sector for more than 50 

years; the only man ever to serve two terms 

as President of the National Federation of 

Demolition Contractors; a founder member 

of the Institute of Demolition Engineers; 

Demolition Man of the Year in 1980 and 

again in 1989; and the originator of the 

National Demolition Training Group. 

The man who shaped the UK demolition 

industry perhaps more than any other 

individual before or since had a remarkable 

life and career. He served in the British 

Army’s Bomb Disposal Unit during the 

Second World War; he was once stage 

manager to Dame Margot Fontayne; he 

instigated the wearing of hard hats on UK 

demolition sites during his first term as 

NFDC President; and he was the constant 

figurehead of the Sidney Hunt Snr Scholarship, 

the eponymous scheme named in 

honour of his unyielding commitment to 

improved training standards in his beloved 

demolition industry. 

A passionate and often outspoken 

activist with the passion, determination 

and sheer bloody mindedness to get 

things done, Sidney Hunt Snr counted 

Lord Snowdon among his closest friends 

and was held in high regard as much by 

members of the House of Commons and 

House of Lords as he was by his peers in 

the demolition sector. It was these highranking 

connections that would ultimately 

lead Sidney Hunt Snr to the second passion 

of his life – charity fundraising. Together 

with the NFDC, he was a keen supporter 

of the Lord Snowdon Award scheme, raising 

well over £1.0 million for this charity 

and a number of others. He once said 

of the demolition industry: “We’re rough 

bastards, but we have a heart.”

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pages: 56-57 “DemExpo, new trade show” - PDWorld

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