Intermat 2009 exhibition preview

Intermat will be the major exhibition for the industry this year. Alex Dahm previews the event in the first of a series of three articles in the run up to the show in late April

This year's main event for construction equipment manufacturers will be the Intermat exhibition. It runs from 20 to 25 April in Paris, France. In these uncertain economic times the show will have a lower profile than when it was last held, in 2006, but it will nevertheless be a major event.

The 2006 show saw more than 1,400 companies take exhibition space, 75% of them from 42 countries outside France. Visitors numbered 210,000, 45% of them from outside France and from 160 countries.

Even though those benchmarks are unlikely to be beaten, show organisers are still expecting more than 1,300 exhibiting companies. Visitor numbers are anyone's guess, but should still be above those at any other construction equipment show anywhere worldwide in 2009.

Although the number of exhibitors taking part will still be high this year, there will also be some notable absentees. Crane manufacturers not exhibiting include Tadano, Terex and Amco Veba. Terex, the construction industry's third largest manufacturer, took the decision last year not to spend the millions of dollars it costs a company of that size to participate in the show.

New products

Putting aside exhibitor absences, who will be at the show and what new products will they be launching?

A new type of trailer mounted mobile telescopic crane will be presented by Manitowoc. The Grove GSK 55 is the upper works from a 55 tonne capacity Grove GMK3055 all terrain mounted on a road trailer hauled by a standard commercial tractor unit. It is described by the manufacturer as combining the lift ability of Grove all terrain cranes with the flexibility and mobility of a standard on-road truck.

Michael Preikschas, Manitowoc senior product manager, said it offers advantages in lifting and transport, "The GSK is a more affordable option for our customers that want Grove all terrain performance from their cranes but do not necessarily need the off-road ability that the GMK range offers."

Like the Grove GMK3055 the GSK55 has a 43 m boom and optional 8.7/15 m swingaway jib giving a maximum tip height of 60 m.

New in Manitowoc's Potain tower crane range is the largest model in the MDT series. Two versions are available of the MDT 368. The MDT 368 L12 has 12 tonne capacity and the MDT 368 L16 is 16 tonnes.

Maximum jib length on both versions is 75 m and hook height can be up to 93.7 m. Both versions can either have the 55 kW 75 LVF 30 Optima or the 75 kW 100 LVF 30 Optima winch. On the MDT 368 L16 there is also a new trolley, the 6 DVF 6, which can reach speeds of 100 m/min with a 4 tonne load.

A new feature is the counter jib section that can be folded for transport. The 21.7 m counte rjib is too long for transport on a standard truck so there is a hinge.

From Liebherr visitors can see the new 350 tonne capacity LTM 1350-6.1 all terrain crane. The new six-axle mobile crane's 70 m telescopic boom is 10 m longer than its LTM 1300-6.1 predecessor. Maximum hoisting height, with the 78 m luffing fly jib, is 132 m, 16 m higher than its predecessor. Liebherr claims it is the strongest six axle crane on the market.

A typical target application is tower crane erection, largely due to high capacity at long boom extension. Additional capacity is available from a Y-suspension system, which doubles capacity "in many areas," according to Liebherr, which also claims it can do work of seven- or eight-axle models.

Also new from Liebherr is the MK 88 mobile folding construction crane. It succeeds the MK 80, of which almost 150 were sold, according to the manufacturer.

The new MK 88 "sets new size, equipment and performance standards in the four-axle category," Liebherr said. It has the same transport dimensions as its predecessor but it has a larger superstructure. It means that maximum hook height in the 45 degree jib position is increased to more than 57 m and maximum working radius increases to more than 44 m.

Target applications include town centre job sites where space between buildings is limited. This type of crane is often used as a taxi crane where a series of customers need short-term load lifting capacity in restricted spaces.

The two-section telescopic lattice tower is a new design giving the three section 44 m jib two standard hook heights of 17.5 m and 30 m. Versatility is enhanced by the availability of three steep-angle jib settings of 15, 30 and 45 degrees.

Next month IC will include a comprehensive show guide detailing what will be new at Intermat for the lifting and specialized transport industries.