Bauma China 2004

The second Bauma China takes place in Shanghai 16 to 19 November, with more than 500 exhibitors – including Cranes Today, on the stand of partner magazine CMTM – set to attend. This year, the outside area has doubled in size, to 45,000 sq m.

‘The first show in November 2002 surpassed all expectations and became the biggest and most important trade fair for the construction industry in Asia,’ says Terex. ‘Knowing the importance of China as the motor for growth in this region Terex decided to participate this important show in a similar way as Bauma Munich’ – which is, of course, the biggest European construction equipment show.

The Chinese market remains attractive for cranes and lifting equipment. In 2003, 10,698 tower cranes, and 11,000 mobile cranes were sold, according to industry research body the China Construction Machinery Association – making it by far the largest market for cranes. According to UK-based Off-Highway Research, mobile cranes make uo 7% of market demand in China.

Even if the Chinese market is overheating, and the government is putting the brakes on construction projects, the most affected products are wheeled loaders, crawler excavators, crawler dozers and compaction equipment, says Campbell Coutts of excavator manufacturer JCB, in a presentation to the annual congress of the European trade body, the Committee for European Construction Equipment in June.

With its huge population, social stability, and needs for civil engineering infrastructure, China still has huge potential.

Selected exhibitors

Founded in 1952, Sichuan Construction Machinery (Group) Co., Ltd is a specialist in designing and manufacturing construction machinery. The company can supply various types of tower crane, a series of construction hoist and other products and can also undertake manufacturing and installation of large steel structures. The company is located in the central Chinese city of Chengdu, has a total area of 670,000m², total capital has reached 465 million RMB Yuan and employs 2000 people, 1000 of them technical. SCM supplies 25 ton metre to 2200 ton metre tower cranes, in C and M series level jib tower crane and D series luffing jib crane. SCM has also produced the LMD series, RCS series and RPC series of hoisting mechanisms, the OMD series, RTV series and RCV series of slewing mechanisms, the X series, DPC series and DRC series of trolleying mechanisms and the RT series of travelling mechanisms. Frequency inverters are available for all of these mechanisms.

In 1996, the company produced the SC/SCD series of construction hoist.

Terex-Demag is displaying a telescopic and crawler crane at the show. ‘Demag faces a big demand for all kind of mobile cranes but especially crawler cranes are heavily ordered from Chinese customers,’ said Christian Schorr-Golsong, Terex-Demag marketing director.

It will show Demag’s 200t capacity AC 200-1. ‘With its 68m boom this crane is optimal for the installation and dismantling of tower cranes, a business which is growing strongly with the number of tall buildings which are under construction in Asia,’ Schorr-Golsong said.

The other crane is the CC 2200, first shown at Bauma Munich. As of mid-July, three CC 2200s have been sold to China. This 350t capacity crawler crane is claimed to have a simple hydraulic adjustment of the Superlift radius and optimised transport dimensions and weights to reduce shipping costs.

Eleven Terex companies will be present in Shanghai on a fairground of 950 m².

Manitowoc Crane Group is displaying two cranes at the show. Its MC 110 A, one of two cranes built in China at its Zhangjiagang facility, can lift 1.6t at maximum jib length of 55m, and has maximum lifting capacity of 6t. It is also showing the 300t six-axle GMK 6300 that features 60m main boom. ‘We are proud of our long history of sales and manufacturing in China,’ says Eric Etchart, executive vice president of Manitowoc Crane Group for the Asia-Pacific region.

Benazzato Gru was established in 1963 and manufactures hydraulic self-erecting cranes and City tower cranes.

Able to manufacture an average of 250 units per year, Benazzato Gru offers a wide range of building cranes, which includes 19 models, from 14 to 50m jib and heights from 14 to 42m.

In the range of self-erecting cranes an important decision has been taken since the beginning: the hot galvanization of the structure of jib and mast. This application preserves the structure from oxidation and grants long lasting protection, improving the quality of the machinery.

Among the range, an important niche is special versions, such as crawler mounting or chassis mounting for fast towing, as required in some European countries.

Located in northern Italy, the company covers about 80,000 m² on two industrial installations.

Autec, manufacturer of radio remote controls, is showing its whole product range for the control of tower cranes, overhead cranes and other lifting devices.

The range includes new models in the Modular Range, such as the pushbutton handset MK and Joystick controller MJ. Both models come with an integrated fail-proof safety system and are able to display data coming from sensors located on the controlled device on a LCD window and/or with LEDs. Also to be shown is the new eight pushbutton compact handset LK8, part of the Light range. The Light range is meant for the control of devices with a little number of motions (i.e. small overhead cranes, winches, towing trucks, carts, industrial automation). Proportional Remote Controls for hydraulic cranes, the PRO-M Range, will be also displayed. All Autec remote controls meet the requirements of safety and protection of EN 60204-32 for lifting devices.

Ravioli is showing its small remote control, the double-speed push button MICRO. The device has no external antenna and the case protects against damage from accidental knocks. For safety, the control features two security relays for the stop function. The company is also showing its FCN series of rotary safe limit switches. The device can handle four microswitches and a potentiometer in a small unit. Accessories include cog wheels, cams and movement shafts.

Brevini China is showing a range of gearboxes specifically designed for pinion and slewing ring gear drives, available with integral or inserted pinions.

The company claims the equipment’s planetary structure allows them to withstand very high radial load values while maintaining reduced dimensions, reduced weight and high efficiency. The equipment is available for torque up to 96,000 Nm and transmission ratios up to 355.

A range of accessories including adaptors for electric and hydraulic motors and multidisc brakes are available.

Brevini China was founded in 1994 and has sales offices in Shanghai and Beijing. The range of service includes pre-sales, technical and applicative engineering, hydraulic packages and after-sell service. The company has sold over 5,000 units since it was established.

Brevini Riduttori S.p.A. has six production units and 28 subsidiaries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. It employs 855 persons around the world and closed 2003 with a consolidated turnover of €163m.

HAWE Hydraulik is showing its range of compact proportional valves, over-centre valves with adjustable damping characteristics, reliable piston pumps and electronic controls. Chinese subsidiary HAWE International Trading, based in Shanghai, is presenting the programmable logical valve control type PLVC. The company describes the valve as a user-programmable PLC with built-in amplifiers for proportional valves. Analogous, digital and components connected via CAN-Bus (for example proportional valves, pressure sensors, joysticks) can be utilised for control or closed loop tasks, connected via cable or wireless. Applications include load sensing control (power control as product of pressure and flow), position control (for example with proportional directional spool valves), pressure control (for example via proportional pressure limiting valves and electric pressure transducer) and flow control. Automatic job routines already realized via the PLVC are folding of the boom, overload management of crane booms and limitation of work area for crane resulting from external obstacles.

Recent Chinese lifting jobs

In December 2003, Mammoet deployed the 4800 Twin Ring LD and CC 2600 for a heavy lift contract at a refinery in Shanghai. Just a day after the cranes were offloaded from the ship, assembly began. For the main contract, Mammoet lifted two reactors weighing 750 tonnes and four columns ranging from 250 to 500 tonnes. After the main contract the Twin Ring was converted into a standard CC 4800 and continued to work for various other mechanical installation contractors lifting another 12 units ranging from 70t to 150t.

The work began a year after the Dutch heavy lifting group established a joint venture with two transportation companies in Shenyang, northeastern China. The deal was the first foreign entry in the ‘carefully protected’ Chinese heavy transport and lifting field, it says. The company operates under the name Shengyang Mammoet Heavy Transport and Lifting Co. Mammoet holds a 65% controlling stake. Over the medium term, the company expects work from petrochemical plant construction, the 2008 Olympic games, and the conversion of coal-burning gas power plants to liquid natural gas installations.

Last month the second Liebherr HS 855 HD started work at Shanghai Tunnel Engineering, a leading Chinese construction contractor. The company purchased one of the first HS 855 HD with hydraulic grab in 2003. Within a period of eight months, six construction sites has been completed with average depth of 40m and a width between 800 and 1200 mm. With the machine, production was increased three times compared to the conventional machines used in past, according to the manufacturer. It adds that convenient transportation, quick assembling as well as up to date technology are other features of the foundation crane.