Construction machinery: Why small is beautiful
Sales of mini-excavators and other compact pieces of equipment are growing
While traditionally contractors have preferred larger machines, high fuel costs and a desire to reduce manpower by improving efficiency on-site is seeing many invest in light and compact equipment.
“Contractors have started to become aware of the benefits of using mini-excavators. Five years ago, they would say they did not need it, since they already have an excavator,” says Manhal Al-Chalabi, Wacker Neuson’s regional manager for Middle East & North Africa.
While there is no comparison with the mini-excavator market in Europe, it is growing. But the change hasn’t come overnight: Al-Chalabi says they’ve spent more than five years educating the market on the benefits of mini-excavators. “It has been hard work over five years, but the results are starting to come now.”
Contractors spotting other companies using mini-excavators is helping grow demand, and they also understand their suitability for specific jobs, such as landscaping and breaking in confined areas. The most common applications for mini-excavators are using hydraulic breakers and buckets.
The company is even seeing interest in some of its newest launches, including the one-tonne dual power mini-excavator, which can run either with the usual diesel engine or with an electro-hydraulic generator which allows the machine to be operated emission-free for indoor applications. Al-Chalabi says contractors will buy this machine for the breaker applications in enclosed areas.
Using equipment to reduce manpower is another development. The UAE is leading the way, says Al-Chalabi, followed by Qatar and Oman. The presence of international contractors who have experience working on job-sites in Europe and elsewhere is a driving factor, he explains, though less so in Saudi Arabia.
“[International contractors] know the modern machines, and want to use them. In Saudi you don’t have that so much, but they are slowly opening and adapting. It’s a matter of time.”
The desire to reduce manpower also means investment in higher productivity machines. In the field of compaction equipment, using a machine with high compaction force can reduce manpower, since instead of doing five passes, it requires only two, Al-Chalabi explains. Their internal vibrators, which have a very powerful motor, produce a bigger compaction diameter, reducing the total time it takes to finish an area when concreting.
“Our machines are not the cheapest, but if you look at the total cost of ownership, they come out on top. Maintenance and lifetime durability is really on our side,” explains Al-Chalabi. “All our products are durable and can cope with the heat.”
Site dumpers also save time and manpower. They have a special appeal to English contractors due to their heavy use on construction sites in the UK. Wacker Neuson has a wide range, with payloads as small as 500kg, up to 10t. The introduction of a new series of dumpers saw sales increase. The dumpers feature hydrostatic transmissions and four-wheel hydraulics, higher specs than some of the competitor machines. “Customers – especially the English customers – like to use them on their site to move rubbish and to move concrete,” says Al-Chalabi.
Wacker Neuson has launched a number of new machines this year, but one to watch is the alliance with Wirtgen Group to produce rollers at the Hamm factory in Germany. This enables Wacker Neuson to close gaps in its product portfolio and round off its offering in the soil and asphalt compaction segment, by offering tandem and combination rollers weighing 1.8-4.5t, plus compactors weighing up to seven tonnes. While there is no plan to immediately introduce the machines to the Gulf – they’re being rolled out first in European markets – the rollers will be here sooner rather than later, confirms Al-Chalabi, within a year or so.
Bobcat is naturally keen to see greater use of small machines on Middle East job-sites. With its domination of the skid-steer market, the firm sees opportunities for the brand to expand its sales across its other product lines, says Gaby Rhayem, Bobcat’s regional director for Middle East and Africa.
The firm recently launched new mini-excavators, which are “fantastic machines” with high reliability, he says. These are the E17, E18 and E19, with operating weights of 1,700-2,000kg. The new models are towable on trailers for up to 2,000kg, with transportability further enhanced by new tie-down points. Features include an expandable undercarriage, automatic slew brake and advanced diagnostics and instrumentation.
While the mini-excavator segment remains small in the Middle East, it is growing, says Rhayem, with typical applications including smaller contractors executing villa projects, where the machine can be used to dig a swimming pool.
The company is also pushing its tracked loader range, which can achieve high performance with a number of attachment options. It recently launched its tool carrier initiative, providing dedicated attachments to fit with specialist customer applications.
Recent demonstrations at golf courses in Dubai have proven the versatility and application of attachments, including the grader attachment, wheelsaw trencher and a V-blade, used on a compact tracked loader (CTL).
Using a smaller grader on a CTL – which can be operated using the latest-generation 3D modelling and surveying grade control – has major benefits over larger machines on smaller sites such as golf courses, and Rhayem says the demonstrations translated into sales.
At a Bobcat event last year at their Czech factory in Dobríš, journalists were given a vivid demonstration of some of the compact tracked loader’s advantages over ordinary skid steers, including its ability to drive at speed up steep slopes on loose ground. Its tracked pads also distribute weight over a larger surface area for less ground pressure, meaning there’s also less chance of damaging pipes underground or the surface contour.
“The concept of the compact track loader is still not known,” says Rhayem, who notes it is particularly well suited to sandy conditions, where it is less likely to get stuck than a wheeled machine. “The power, handling, stability of the tracked loaders is outstanding.”
