VIDEO: Intermat 2009 - Innovation awards

Intermat has announced the winners of its innovation awards. There were eight awards in all split over three categories including a Special Environment Prize.

In the machinery category the gold award went to Mecalac Ahlmann for its Hybrid 12MTX. The Bronze Award (there wasn't a silver award) went to Fayat for its Beluga hot-mix production plant. In the Equipment and Components category one of two silver awards (no gold award in this category) went to Made for its Sky Radio 2.0 system that can be fitted to concrete pumps and other high-reach equipment to detect high-voltage power lines. A second silver award went to Flexxaire Manufacturing for its variable-pitch cooling fan. The Bronze award went to Poclain Hydraulics for its motorized hydraulic steerable drive.

In the Services category the silver award (no gold here either) went to Carlson Software for its natural regrade computer software and another silver award went to Keestrack for its Full GPRS transfer controller system.

The Special Environment Prize went to the machinery category winner, Mecalac Ahlmann for its Hybrid 12MTX (pictured). But potential buyers of the hybrid will have to wait quite a while before they can get hold of a machine. The unit on show at Intermat will only be a concept version. A pre-series machine is likely to be produced later this year and it will probably be two years from now before models go into production.

According to Mecalac, the nine-tonne 12MTX Hybrid has the same performance as the standard 74 kW 12MTX but it only has a 51 kW diesel motor. This is due to a 15/30 kW electrical motor-generator being included in place of the pump coupling flange. The main features of the unit, says Mecalac, are its reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and lower noise emissions.

Where to see the innovations

Mecalac Ahlmann (France) - Stand 6H080

Fayat (France) - Stand 3E021

Flexxaire (Canada) - Stand 5BR033

Made (France) - Stand 5AH066

Poclain Hydraulics (France) - Stand 5AF018

Carlson Software (US) - Stand 5AG070

Keestrack (Belgium) - Stand 3B081