by David Palmer
So Messe Munchen, the Munich based organiser of the construction equipmment event, invited nearly 250 industry journalists from 37 countries - about 100 were from Germany - to the southern German city this week to preview the event.
To that end about 140 of the 3000 potential exhibitors - the event will cover a record 55.5ha - including the majors like Caterpillar, Case, Komatsu and Volvo, manned tables at the exhibition centre to tell the media what they would be showing in April.
Despite 2009 sales being down up to 50% compared with 2008, industry innovation is not just alive, but booming it seems. Caterpillar, the biggest exhibitor, will show 60 machines on its stand. They will include a 7th model in its E series backhoe range. Other new and updated products will include a M325D L material handler, AP555E asphalt paver, 988H wheel loader, 50DEM demolition excavator, TH417 telehandler, P200 series concrete pulverisor and a new 770 off highway truck quarry body.
Volvo too will show about 60 machines on nearly a hectare of displays indoors and out. It will show four new C series EC compact excavators, two new compact wheel loaders (L20F, L25F), improved pavers and two new single drum soil compactors.
Liebherr, also renowned for its huge stands, will again incorporate a large two story reception centre on its 1.35ha site, which it is already building.
Its list of new equipment includes 11 mobile cranes, six crawler cranes and hydraulic rope excavators, 7 crawler excavators and the same number of wheel excavators. World premieres will include an "innovative" bulk material handler and a centre-steered mining truck.
One of the new cranes will be the LR 1400/2-W, a 600t capacity crane capable of erecting 3MW wind power turbines on 100m towers, without the need for a derrick system.
Construction equipment accounts for about 60% of the Liebherr family owned company. Following a record result in 2008, sales revenues fell by about 1.6bn Euros, or 19% last year, to a still respectable total of 6.8bn Euros.
