INBRIEF

FINNING GOES FORTH

Caterpillar dealer Finning has sold a Cat 5130 excavator to opencast coal specialist Cobex for its Hare Hill site near the town of Forth in Central Scotland. The 168t, 10.5m bucket machine is the first in Europe in backhoe rather than face shovel format. Cobex md Richard Wood believes the unit is particularly suited to the site's high overburden-to-coal ratio. Reader Enquiry No. 221

MATBRO'S HOMES DEAL

Gloucestershire-based materials handler manufacturer, Matbro has recently secured a deal with Westbury Homes (Holdings) for the supply of 18 TS280s. The units, sold by Matbro dealer TH White, are being distributed among Westbury's Southern and South West divisions. Reader Enquiry No. 222

CUMMINS' CHINA LINK

US-based Cummins Engine Company, the world's largest producer of diesel engines, has formed a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corporation of China to produce Cummins C-series engines in China. The new jv, named Dongfeng Cummins Engine Company, is expected to produce around 25,000 diesel engines a year. Reader Enquiry No. 223

UPLIFT FOR BUSES

A Manitou 727 telehandler supplied by Ridgway Rentals has helped in the recovery of two vintage buses which are now undergoing full scale restoration. Manufactured in 1928, the Aldershot and District buses had been abandoned for at least ten years. Reader Enquiry No. 224

EARLY DELIVERY WINS

GL Plant, a subsidiary of MJ Gleeson Group, has ordered two CH50, 50t capacity hydraulic crawler cranes from RB International. Tim Relleen, md of GL Plant, said the decision was partly due to RB's ability to deliver the machines at an early date. The cranes are working on long-term water related contracts for the Gleeson Group. Reader Enquiry No. 225