International Construction’s May Podcast

Construction equipment sales this year are forecast to grow +5% overall in the major regions of China, Europe, India, Japan and North America, reversing the -1% decline seen in 2013. The key details of this prediction are discussed in the podcast accompanying the May edition of iC, along with other stories from the magazine.

In business news, Lafarge and Holcim have proposed an all-share ‘merger of equals’, but despite the approval of both sets of Boards and core shareholders, iC editor Chris Sleight argues that the deal will face regulatory headwinds.

Among the features in the May issue of iC is a look at the utilities construction sector, where new technologies and changes in techniques are leading to the development of new machines for both trenchless and open-cut construction.

Meanwhile our feature on Latin America looks at various in infrastructure construction schemes around the region, an area that seems to be booming despite weak economic growth. Many cities are building Greenfield metro systems, or expanding existing networks, while in Central America, at least two schemes are on the drawing board to challenge the Panama Canal, which itself is currently being expanded.