Incremental improvements

The Committee for European Construction Equipment (CECE) discussed sales of construction equipment in 2014 at its presentation at Intermat in France earlier this year, and the outlook is now more positive than for many years following the recession.

Leading the way in growth was the UK, with the market now the second-largest in Europe behind Germany following a 30% increase in the country's sector. Germany, northern Europe and Scandinavia all grew, while Spain and Portugal both showed early signs of a possible recovery.

And although sales are still around 40% lower than the levels of 2007, the market is recovering after bottoming out, said the CECE. The crane manufacturers in the region agree that the focus now is not on increasing the number of cranes in the region, but improving the quality and efficiency of the machines in use.

Also to be tackled is the forthcoming Tier V emission requirements for engines, due to come into effect towards the end of the decade. To make the transition smoother, the CECE has requested, amongst other adjustments, that a replacement engine provision is added to the regulations. Currently, if a crane engine breaks down it cannot be replaced with a new engine that is not at the required standard.

Demand driving innovation With Western Europe up to speed with the latest technical capabilities of cranes, customers are demanding lower running costs, improved efficiencies, and better safety standards.

Wolfgang Beringer, sales promotion at Liebherr, says: "Crane development is driven by the increased safety standards being demanded by both our customers and their customers.

"We are also developing longer booms and larger capacities while maintaining the same weight of the crane, which is limited by axle load. Engine emissions are another area we are focusing on, as is improving efficiency and economy.

"The wind power sector is driving demand for crawler cranes with longer booms and higher capacities, so we have been working on improving boom systems."

Liebherr's LTC 1050-3.1 compact crane illustrates this approach-it maintains the dimensions of its predecessor the 1045-3.1 while improving capacity.

"The LTC 1050-3.1 follows the 1045-3.1, and keeps the compact design that makes it suitable for inner-city use or jobs in factory halls," says Beringer.

"The 1050-3.1 increases the load capacity by using partially an optimised, higher-grade steel-the S1300 which has a strength of 1,300N/sq mm."

Similarly the company's 160t 1160-5.2 all terrain is designed to cut costs by reducing fuel consumption, says Beringer: "The crane was first launched at ConExpo in 2014, although it wasn't tested at that point. It's now in its final test phase, and orders should be shipped in the middle of this year. "It has a single-engine concept, which removes the cost and maintenance of a second engine. It's important that this engine doesn't use more fuel, though, so we use an electronic engine management system that slows the engine when operating the superstructure. It has an efficient drive to the superstructure, using a mechanical system with propeller shafts.

"It also features Eco-Mode, which takes effect when a crane is idling during a break, opening the clutch so the pumps are no longer driven, helping it to use less fuel than a two-engine machine."

The company also recently introduced the 710 HC-L luffing jib tower crane, featuring a number of improvements, says Peter Hofmann in marketing and market management: "It is not just a bigger version of smaller tower cranes- we've redesigned the whole crane.

"The ballast on the crane is not hanging, which saves a whole tower section to accommodate the hanging weight. The platform has two floors, with the hoist winch on the second and the luffer winch on the first, which takes up less space, enabling the crane to be designed very compact. The driver's cab can be positioned on the left or the right to suit the logistics of the jobsite." Different choices

Customers are not only demanding improvements to cranes, but are also making different choices in the types of crane they purchase, says Sennebogen's marketing manager Florian Attenhauser:

"Europe doesn't need more cranes in terms of volume-but we are now aiming to offer the best cranes. Customers have to plan for upcoming projects, and therefore ask us for details of the cost per hour of our cranes, including all consumables and overheads. "Looking to the future, improved fuel consumption may become an issue that we have to focus on, as may demand for remote monitoring. A current demand is improving safety and convenience for the operator-a crane is only as good as the operator, so we are improving the comfort of cabs and adding more cameras.

"Telecrawlers are becoming increasingly popular due to their versatility and cost-efficiency-it previously took some effort to show customers the benefits of the cranes. Because the cranes can operate on an incline, little preparation is required-this reduction in rigging time translates into improved efficiency. Similarly, easier transportation and logistics improves efficiency and reduces overall cost."

The latest telecrawler introduced by Sennebogen is its 6113 model- at 120t capacity, the company's largest to date.

"It's designed for pre-fabricated assembly work, such as house building," says Attenhauser. "The main benefit it offers is that it can move under full load, like a pick and carry crane."

Terex has seen sales of largercapacity all terrain cranes increase,

due to the better cost-efficiency and versatility of the models, says Lee Maynard, director of sales for Europe, Russia & CIS:

"Sales in medium- and largercapacity all terrain cranes are increasing driven by greater returns on investment than some of the much smaller-capacity models. We have also seen significant business in particular with our AC700 and AC350-6 all terrain models this year primarily due to their versatility and ease of use. Carsten von der Geest, vice president of sales and customer support for EMEAR at Terex, says: "Versatility is a driver in Europe- companies, particularly mid-sized and smaller companies, want cranes that can be used in more than one class. "Another driver is efficiency, which goes hand-in-hand with technical improvements such as the one-engine concept. Customers are also demanding improved safety, through developments such as wider walkways on our cranes."

Growing markets

Kobelco Cranes Europe has also been focusing on meeting demand for improved efficiency in the region, says sales manager Mark Evans: "In Europe we've been selling the G-Series CKE models, in capacities of 60-250t, as well as the heavyduty G-Series BM cranes.

"The CKE cranes were developed for Europe-they meet the emissions standards, and are built to specified widths to aid road transport. They are also more efficient and costeffective, and offer easier logistics and transportation of the cranes. Improved efficiencies are one of the key demands in Europe now-the region is up-to-speed with technical capabilities, so customers are now looking for ways to make their operations more efficient."

Kobelco's European cranes arm is benefitting from the recent boom in construction in the UK, and has been selling its latest generation of cranes into the sector, says Evans: "We have supplied a number of our Tier IV compliant G-Series cranes across the UK in recent months to both contractors and crane rental companies-including four to Weldex, seven to GH Johnson over the last 12 months with two more CKE 800G units ordered at the recent Vertikal Days exhibition, and three to BPH, part of the Balfour Beatty Group, comprising two CKE 1350s and a CKE 800G."

"The UK market is being driven by general construction work, and major one-off projects such as the Crossrail, Hinckley Point, Battersea and Chelsea barracks.

"We are seeing increased sales currently because companies, including contractors, are now doing more business following the quieter period of the recession. During the recession, some fleets delayed their renewal programmes-partly due to cashflow issues and partly because the cranes were not all being used as much as usual, so could continue being used for longer. Those companies are now catching up again.

"Across Europe, Benelux is steady but good, with a constant flow of orders; Germany is relatively strong, and we are looking to add further sales staff there; France is on and off. Spain and Portugal are increasing a little-we've had a couple of orders, although it's a slow process. We're also in discussions for a new distributor in Turkey."

Terex has also seen growth in the UK and Europe, says Maynard: "The UK market is being driven by many construction and infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and HS2 and also by a number of renewable energy projects. Our customers tell us rental utilisation is much improved compared to recent years-and a number of our sales are to these UK & Ireland rental companies.

"We are seeing significant activity in Europe in renewable energy with our Superlift 3800 leading the industry, driven primarily by the need to reach taller wind turbines with heavier capacities."

Carsten von der Geest at Terex adds: "There is increasing activity in Europe, particularly in the UK, as well as Germany, Benelux and France. There is also good activity in Spain, with sales picking up last year.

"The wind power sector in Germany is strong-and power plants across Europe are using crawler cranes. Europe is still the biggest market for crawler cranes- mostly in Western Europe, and some in Eastern Europe. There is also general rental work taking place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. "Customers are not planning longterm- we are seeing more projectdriven buying behaviour. Customers are also now replacing existing cranes in their fleets, after the lower utilisation rates during the recession."

Wind power projects have also proved fruitful for Liebherr, says Wolfgang Beringer: "In the mobile crane market, Southern Europe is still slow, although Spain is beginning to recover. Central Europe is positive, with Germany and France stable. The UK is now very positive, and Scandinavia has been very good for several years.

"Due to the versatility of mobile cranes, they are being used in a range of areas including general construction, infrastructure including building and repairing bridges, and the bigger cranes are being used in wind power projects. In central Europe a lot of wind farms have been established for a while, so there is now demand for maintenance and repair, as well as replacing smaller turbines with larger, more efficient ones."

Peter Hofmann adds: "The German and the Austrian markets are running very well. There have been a lot of new buildings in the private and industrial sector. "Switzerland is stable, and nearly on the same base as the year before. France is for us a very important market but the market has been a little bit down. The market in Spain is getting a bit better but on a low level-some projects with big tower cranes were running in the last year there."

Emission control

As well as improving the efficiencies of its cranes, Italy's Locatelli has addressed the flexibility required regarding engine types when selling to a worldwide market.

"Our GRIL8700T 65t rough terrain crane is a European version of our traditional crane, and features benefits including load sensing which optimises torque and RPM, and a 20% reduction in fuel consumption," says sales manager Michele Mortarino. "It also offers touch-screen controls, a sliding door and a stronger cabin. We are currently implementing these features across our full range of cranes, due to be completed by the end of 2015.

"We are trying to pre-empt demands and regulations-we want our models to be suitable for all worldwide markets and sectors. "The GRIL8700T will also be sold outside Europe, with Tier 3 engines-some regions only have standard diesel fuel available and so cannot use Tier 4 models. It can be fitted with a Tier 4 engine at the last minute-it is fitted in the same space, with the additional exhaust system mounted on the side at the back."

The company sells its cranes to various regions across the world, but opportunities are currently increasing in its domestic market. "We are currently delivering to Turkey, Algeria, and to NATO, which we are very proud of. "It is a very positive period at the moment-in 2014 we saw a 17% growth in sales, and we are expecting a bigger increase in 2015.

"There are interesting signals in Italy-the market is picking up a little, and the higher-profile companies are doing well. It could be the biggest market for the second half of 2015, as we are expecting investment in infrastructure for the first time in many years, including highways and high-speed rail. There are some big players ready to start activities, funds have been found to complete work, there are events such as the Milan Expo taking place, and there is increased interaction with the international community-around 98% of our business is currently in exports.

"This includes sales to North Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, and some South America. In Central America, we are the sole supplier to the Panama channel, and we also supply Cuba and Costa Rica-Italian products are well-known in the region.

"We expect by next year to have further increased sales in South America. The lower exchange rate of the euro against the US dollar has resulted in a large increase in demand in some areas.

"The fall in oil prices has resulted in some projects being stopped, but many companies in the sector took this opportunity to maintain their plant and renew their fleet."