Gulf Construction Online - bauma 2007 set to be biggest ever

Germany & the Middle East

The previous edition of the show elicited an excellent response.

bauma 2007 set to be biggest ever

01 March 2007

This year’s bauma – the 28th in the series of international trade fairs for construction machinery, building material and mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment – is set to be the biggest ever with an extra 30,000 sq m of exhibition space has been added compared to the 2004 event.

This will take the total size of the fair to 540,000 sq m.
The show that draws thousands of visitors from across the globe will be held in Munich, Germany, between April 23 and 29 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre and will drawn in all the reputable names in the industry.
Bauma 2007 takes on an added significance as the Gulf is the partner region of the world fair for construction machinery and equipment, building materials machinery and mining technology. Since 2001, the partner region concept, initiated by VDMA (The German Engineering Federation) the conceptual sponsor of bauma, brings together different business communities, connects people and helps to make contacts that have a lasting effect. Since the concept proved successful, it was repeated in 2004 with the CIS States. The new partner region for 2007 is the Gulf with the main focus being on the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
According to the VDMA, from 2000 to 2005, exports of German construction equipment to the Arabian peninsula have more than quadrupled.
At bauma 2007 the visitor will have the chance to see and experience what comes next in machinery technology. Many delegations of high-ranking business people and political representatives from the individual states are expected to attend the event.
In the halls and the open-air exhibition grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre, the latest products of the international machinery industry for construction, building materials and mining will be presented. In 2004, a total of 2,801 exhibitors from 47 countries used bauma as a platform for presentation and marketing. The proportion of exhibitors from abroad increased by 26 per cent compared to 2001. Over 416,000 visitors from Germany and abroad came to Munich for bauma 2004, with 29 per cent of these representing overseas visitors. The exhibiting companies confirm the importance of bauma as the international meeting point for the sector. During bauma 2004, 93 per cent of exhibitors welcomed international visitors to their stands.
Show organiser Messe Munchen indicates that it has received requests for five times as much space compared to 2004 from companies based in China and Japan, four times as much from companies based in India and double from exhibitors in Austria, Luxembourg, Turkey, Korea and Greece. bauma 2007 will also see companies from Bulgaria and Singapore exhibit for the first time. The increase in size has left organisers confident that the 2004 figures of 2,801 exhibitors and 416,000 visitors will be higher in 2007.

Road construction
The 28th bauma will be an occasion for the numerous exhibitors to present their high-quality products, a major area of interest road construction and maintenance. For a number of years, the construction machinery sector has been concentrating on road construction and maintenance and can now offer a wide range of machinery and equipment, which in most cases is suitable for use in both fields. At bauma, all the leading manufacturers of machinery and equipment for building and maintaining roads, port and rail facilities will be presenting their latest products and application techniques,” says the spokesman.
Cold recycling applications are attracting worldwide attention for a range of different construction applications. At bauma, many exhibitors will be showcasing a cross-selection of their range and highlighting the improvements to their products.
One of the key topics once again being the achievement of uniform compaction. The new construction machinery to be launched in Munich will also focus on ergonomic design as well as exhaust and noise emission.
Some of the products on display will also address a decisive question building contractors have been asking themselves since the birth of compacting: “Has this track or foundation been compacted enough to exclude any signs of setting in the future? “While, hitherto the only way to find out was to apply complex measuring techniques that require a huge amount of work, with the outcome limited to the measurement points, today, a computerised compactometer integrated in modern rollers monitors the vibration behaviour of the vibrating tapes via acceleration sensors and supplies the driver with exact data. Similar systems have recently also been developed for vibrating plate compactors. Further technical enhancements will be presented at bauma 2007.
Apart from assuring quality, uniform compaction provides the operator with significant economic benefits: amendments can be reduced to a minimum; over-rolling and possible re-loosening of already compacted surfaces is excluded. Visually documented microstructure deviations can be addressed immediately, which prevents problems from occurring at a later stage as well as the required remedial work. A complementary system which has been gaining in popularity is the GPS (global positioning system). It displays the compacting values for complete areas and documents evidence of the achievements thus far. A combination with this conclusive control system has many advantages. These are particularly important when compacting asphalt concrete, for example, as sections which have not been compacted sufficiently cannot be improved at a later stage. In 2007, bauma once again provides a forum for the many options of controlling uniform compacting.

Trends
“Whether it’s building construction, civil engineering or road building, without machinery and equipment none of these sectors can function,” says a spokesman for the organiser. “Not surprisingly, the range of products is extremely wide, stretching from simple screwdrivers to compressors and hand-operated compaction equipment. New and improved technology and materials ensures optimum productivity and user comfort. As bauma, the manufacturers are paying ever more attention to the subject of ergonomic design. The equipment they produce is therefore easier to operate and lighter. Instead of metals, more plastics are being used, and mechanical operation is being increasingly replaced by electronically-operated equipment or computer technology. New methods of reducing vibration are helping to make the job easier for the operators. All these advances are leading to greater efficiency and work output.”
A wide variety of improvements are also being showcased in the area of environmental protection. Dust and noise emissions have been further reduced through new protective features and insulation materials. Diesel engines with ever-lower emission levels are being developed and used, thus making a contribution to cleaner air. The performance of these engines is at least as good as conventional models, and in many cases better, with the added benefit that they generally use less fuel. State-of-the-art combustion technology and better and better filters are also helping to reduce emissions of harmful gases, he says.
The spokesman continues: “Of ever increasing importance is the service-life of products. High-strength steel and other alloys are being used in combination with new manufacturing techniques to produce equipment and tools that show few signs of wear and tear even after years of use. Also noticeably stronger is the trend towards more functionality. Work that was previously done with two or even three different tools, is now being carried out using only one piece of equipment.
“Multifunctionality is the buzz word in many areas. Improvements will also be announced on the maintenance front. Equipment is becoming easier to maintain, thus further reducing time and costs.
“Many new developments in technology have also been attracting users’ attention in recent times in the area of construction machinery and equipment operated using compressed air. Existing applications are now safer and new applications have been made possible. The technology is in general robust and easy to handle. Compressor-driven, the devices are mobile and can be used virtually anywhere. At bauma, the manufacturers will be showcasing new and improved products in their ranges,” he concludes.