The last year has seen a number of significant developments with respect to loaders, dozers and graders — the determined work horses of the earthmoving segment — whether aimed at loading aggregates in a quarry, manoeuvring waste at a landfill, or precisely levelling the surface for a project. Together, these machines take over where the excavators leave off.
The past 12 months have been particularly busy for SDLG, which has marked a number of milestones in the region, beginning in May 2016, when the local dealer for Oman, Genserv, sold the first of the Chinese brand’s G9220 graders — also its 100th grader unit in the EMEA region — into Oman.
The G9220 is equipped with a 164kW Dalian Deutz engine and ZF power shift transmission with three distinct power curve settings that ensure a smooth grade and reduced fuel consumption, as well as a Machine Blade Control System that is kept simple with hydraulic mechanical levers in the cab.
In August, the brand promptly followed up with the delivery of a large volume order of 58 loaders and graders to Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company, a Jeddah firm, in Saudi Arabia, with the sale being conducted by its UAE-based dealer for Saudi Arabia, FAMCO.
The order, consisting of 30 SDLG LG958 wheel loaders and 28 SDLG G9220 motor graders, was signed earlier in the year for a large-scale highway maintenance project that will see the machines will be carry out work in 20 different cities across the country.
Essam Al-Malik, the senior manager for the central regional at FAMCO, credited its success to the ability of SDLG and itself to deliver the machines to the customer’s precise requirements, as well as to the strength of their customer and aftersales support and the promise of a short lead time.
At Bauma China in November 2016, SDLG proceeded to unveil its largest motor grader to date, the G9260, built to handle tasks from land grading and ditching to bulldozing and slope scraping — an all-purpose behemoth for mining and large-scale infrastructure projects.
Powered by a powerful Tier 3 SD13 engine, the G9260 has highly optimised weight distribution, an impressive 136kN of tractive force and is equipped with a hydraulically powered wet brake system.
Yu Mengsheng, CEO of SDLG, stated: “SDLG has established itself as one of China’s most reliable machinery brands in the global market. The G9260 has been developed in response to customer demand, and its launch marks another milestone for SDLG.”
Caterpillar has also been implementing an important rollout this year: that of its L Series wheel loaders, beginning with the 950L and 962L in August 2016. The machines are more power dense and fuel-efficient than their predecessors, and deliver a range of powertrain and hydraulic-system refinements.
The same month Mohamed Abdul Rahman Al-Bahar, Caterpillar’s dealer for the entire GCC bar Saudi Arabia, also launched a new general-duty undercarriage designed to minimise the maintenance requirements for the Cat D9N, D9R and D9T dozers.
The undercarriages can reduce operating costs by 30% to 50% and come with a four-year or 4,000-hour performance guarantee.
In January, Caterpillar then rolled out the L Series Cat 980L wheel loader, a machine that cuts fuel consumption by up to 25% thanks to a power-dense and fuel-efficient C13 ACERT engine which delivers 5% more engine power than the larger 15-ltre engine of the 980H.
Case Construction Equipment also went on the charm offensive in January with an ‘Eagle Days’ event that combined the opening of a 33.5ha parts facility for the EMEA region with training for its regional sales and service staff.
The Jebel Ali, Dubai warehousing facility has 335,000m2 of storage space, the capacity to hold more than 350,000 part numbers, and will handle roughly 7.8 million part orders a year, improving delivery times in the region and reducing downtime for Case customers.
“Thanks to this new site, delivery times will be slashed by several days,” said Marco Baffoni, EMEA director dealer parts support services, Case CE. “Now we are able to supply our customers with parts within a couple of hours. With this our network will increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.”
Over the course of a three-day programme, the Eagle Days event, 50 sales professionals from 10 different countries attended intensive product and commercial training, while more than 160 offering customers came to see the performance of Case machines first-hand.
A live machinery demonstration by expert operators showcased a wide range of equipment, including the 885B motor grader the popular 821F and 1021F wheel loaders.
According to Case, its B Series motor graders are becoming increasingly successful in the region for their ability to deliver high productivity in all environments. The fuel-efficient, turbocharged FPT engines in the machines deliver operating speeds of up to 44kph and variable horse power, with a triple engine curve on the 865B model and a dual engine curve on the 845B and 885B models.
In January, Wacker Neuson also launched its WL28 compact wheel loader, which can carry a load of 1.9 tonnes, but also, with its low height and weight, can enter most buildings and be transported on a standard trailer.
In conclusion, we see the demand out there for earthmoving projects, and the OEMs are not missing a step in delivering the goods.
