Paris Intermat show preview

Despite some high-profile withdrawals, Intermat will have plenty of new kit for visitors to see in Paris from 20-25 April. Colin Sowman takes a look at some of the forthcoming highlights.

No matter what your area of business, the chances are that there will be something new for you to see at Intermat and, not surprisingly, the biggest array of new machinery comes in the earthmoving sector.

Among the 40 machines on Caterpillar's stand will be its electric drive dozer and re-numbered mid-range excavators and it is also promising a high-efficiency concept drive train for wheel loaders said to "drastically reduce fuel consumption". In a similar vein, Volvo will highlight its prototype hybrid wheel loader, along with its C-series excavators and special editions including rising cab and high-reach demolition machines.

A prototype methane-powered wheel loader will shown by New Holland, alongside a waste-handling version of the W190B. Also new is a 385B high-reach demolition rig, its latest 13t conventional excavator and a Blade Runner with a redesigned undercarriage. CNH stablemate Case will feature long reach, mass excavation, high-reach demolition, and material handling versions of its CXB excavators, built by its newly formed special excavator department.

Technology is also Hyundai's theme - its Hi-Mate GPS-based tracking and remote management system will be standard on the firm's Dash 9 excavator range and a pre-production machine may be ready in time for the show. Visitors to Doosan's stand will be the first to see the renamed (Doosan Moxy) ADTs, along with a new 14t crawler and 17t wheeled excavator - the DX140R and DX170W. Advances from the Bobcat stable include the new E60 compact loader, a 6t compact tracked excavator and the E55W, a 5.5t rubber duck.

JCB will have a new 6t midi 8065RTS as the centrepiece of its display. The unit's tailswing has been reduced by 117mm from its predecessor (the 8060) and it comes with a new isolated cab and a 54kW Isuzu engine. A 21t materials handler, the R317 Litronic from Liebherr, will make its world premier at the show, which will also be the first opportunity for many to see the firm's Generation 6 excavators.

Hitachi will also host a mini launch, in its case the 1.5t ZX14-3, which will be accompanied by the firm's ZX250W-3 and ZX360W-3 wheeled excavators, the recently introduced ZW140, ZW150 wheel loaders and a 47t long-reach demolition machine. Not to be outdone, Ammann will highlight its new SV20, which fills the gap between the existing 1.7t and 2.5t minis. It will also launch the B55W - another new 5.5t wheeled excavator.

A production version of Mecalac Ahlmann's multifunctional 8MCR will be shown alongside a mock-up of the 12MTX - a hybrid articulated wheeled excavator with a 51kW engine and a 15/30kW motor/generator replacing the normal 74kW diesel. However, the real deal is on Komatsu's stand in the shape of its PC200-8 Hybrid - the world's first commercially available (in Japan at least) hybrid excavator. The 20t machine uses an electric motor/generator to slew and brake the upper structure, reducing fuel consumption by around 25%. Also new is a 24t payload ADT (the HM250-2), the WA100M-6 wheel loader in recycling configuration, and a PC450-8 high-reach demolition rig.

Chinese manufacturer Sany will have a big display at the show, including the world's longest concrete pump (72m), a range of crawler cranes from 50t to 250t, 21t and 23t excavators, two rotary drilling rigs plus a roller, paving machine and motor grader.

Bell will launch two new ADTs: a 45t model and a narrow 25-tonner. The 45t machine is based on the 50t unit with a shorter rear chassis and a 25m³ bin, while the 25t capacity B25DN is only 2.55m wide, meaning it is within the UK's Construction and Use (C&U) width limit for use on the road. K-Tec's stand will host a new range of pull scrapers designed for use behind ADTs - coupling to the chassis via a gooseneck and offering heaped capacities of 32.88m³ (with the 1243) or 25.2m³ with the 1223.

Ausa's outdoor stand will showcase the Taurulift T 276 H, a revised telehandler with a 2.7t load capacity and 6.1m lift height, and the D 250 AHGA, a hi-tip articulated 4x4 site dumper with 180º of rotation and a 2.5t payload capacity.

Cranes and access

Star billing in the cranes and access side of the industry goes to Manitowoc's innovative Grove GSK 55. This is a mobile crane based on a semi trailer that can be pulled by a normal road-going tractive unit. The machine has the upper section from the GMK55 with a similar load-handling and working envelope, but costs considerably less because it doesn't have the same chassis as its all-in-one sibling. In addition, when coupled to a standard tractive unit, the combination runs within normal C&U regulations, allowing a 56km/h travel speed. Also on the stand will be the Potain MDT 368, the largest in its MDT range of tower cranes, available with either a 12t or 16t capacity.

A new 350t six-axle addition to its mobile crane range and the MK88 four-axle mobile construction crane form the centrepiece for Liebherr. The respective maximum hook heights are 132m (70m telescopic plus 78m luffing fly jib) and 57m (three-section folding lattice boom jib at 45º super-steep position).

Haulotte will use its home advantage to exhibit its latest H28TJ+ telescopic boom access platform, which has a 6m telescopic jib and 23m of outreach with a 350kg lift capacity. Also on display will be various Bil-Jax products, including the HA120 PX (a 12m working-height, rough-terrain articulating boom) and examples from its trailer-mounted boom range and scaffolding. Dino Lift will concentrate on battery power with its new Dino TB range (the 135TB, 150TB and 180TB) featuring increased boom articulation to improve the "up and over" capability. Added to the TN range is the 88cm-wide Dino 120TN, which has a three-section boom capable of 7.9m of outreach, while the new self-propelled four-wheel drive Dino 265RXT provides a 26.5m working height.

A revised AC243 tower crane anti-collision system capable of handling up to 14 machines on a single site (or 30 using wired connections) will feature on the Smie stand. An alternative supplier, AGS, has updated its product with an integral display that logs data for up to two years. The company is currently looking for a UK agent. Protection from hitting power lines for those operating truck loading cranes and concrete pumps is on offer by Made SA. Its self-contained Sky Radio system uses up to nine sensors on the boom and sounds a buzzer and the vehicle's horn if any come within 6m of a high-voltage power cable.

Roadbuilding has remained relatively buoyant during the downturn and Intermat visitors will see Volvo's recently rebranded range of road machinery, including double drum rollers, an asphalt paver and a new MW500 milling machine (500mm wide by 210mm cut). However, star billing goes to the Fenix - a futuristic paver concept that picks up thermal pods filled with hot asphalt, rather than being loaded from a tipper truck.

Innovations from the Wirtgen group include the KMA220 and WLB 10S cold recycling machines and the W150, said to be the world's most modern large milling machine. From its soil stabilisation department comes the WS 250 tractor-towed unit for mixing lime and cement into the soil. Vögele will display six pavers, ranging from the small Super 800, to the high-performance Super 2100-2. From the Hamm stable is a pair of new heavy tandem rollers, the HD+120 and HD+140, while Kleemann will offer its view on the future of crushing.

Rubbelmaster will show its RM100 crusher, which is capable of processing up to 200t/hr, as well as its OS100 oversize separator and feeding belt. Padley & Venables, which lays claim to being the world's largest independent manufacturer of demolition tools for boom-mounted breakers, will feature products from across its full range, including special applications.

Imer will highlight its Oru range of mobile concrete plants at the show, along with Booster 15 and Silent 300CL concrete pumps, as well as tracked loaders and mini dumpers built by its joint venture with IHI. A new asphalt plant capable of using up to 100% recycled material will be shown by Ammann, along with a new double drum roller, new 7t and 8t articulated rollers with GPS-linked ACE compaction measurement and a remotely controlled trench roller.

The Fayat Group's stand will reflect its road lifecycle theme with Bomag rollers and pavers, a 400t/h 'hyper-mobile' asphalt plant and the Beluga, a mini trailer-mounted production plant capable of producing hot mix asphalt at up to 7t/hr, which is said to be ideal for patching work.

Engine manufacturer Cummins will exhibit products ranging from 82kW to 567kW output, and will highlight its solution to the Stage 111B regulations in the form of a QSL9 engine.

Machine control specialist Topcon will introduce the 'next generation' of automation, starting with the 3DMC² - a new, high-speed machine control system, which provides "unprecedented smoothness" at more than double the grading speed. The company has also updated its 3D Machine Control software to include a real-time, colour-coded cut/fill mapping feature which indicates if material needs to be removed or added. In a similar vein is Cat's 'Connected Worksite' concept, which utilises its AccuGrade machine control/guidance system and Product Link to provide real-time machine and project management.

There will four new tyres on Michelin's stand, including the world premier of its XHA2 tyre for loaders, which is said to last up to 9% longer than the existing XHA tyre and improve operator working conditions. Also be on display will be the latest X-Super Terrain AD for articulated dump trucks, the X-Traction RD for rigid frame dump trucks and the X-Crane AT.

Solideal will launch its SRGP general purpose radial tyre range for wheel loaders, ADTs and graders, while its new SKS² is said to provide compact loaders with better traction and "a spectacular reduction in vibration".