World of Concrete reflects industry strength

World of Concrete 2019 came and went, topping out as the largest edition of the show in more than a decade.

More than 60,000 registered professionals attended the Las Vegas trade show, which featured more than 1,500 companies, including 259 brand-new companies. According to show management, exhibitors spanned more than 775,000 net sq. ft. at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“World of Concrete 2019 attendees, both domestic and international, experienced the newest products, technologies and educational offerings,” says Jackie James, group director of World of Concrete. “Having our largest event in 10 years proves that the construction sector is strong globally.”

Kevin Archibald, show manager of World of Concrete, agrees the show’s outcome reflects the current strength of the industry.

“The positive energy indicates a strong year ahead,” Archibald says. “This year brought in record-breaking attendees, exceptional exhibits and a very solid rebook rate of just over 538,000 net sq. ft. of exhibit space, rebooking 70 percent of the total 2019 square footage onsite for next year’s show.”

While World of Concrete is geared toward the concrete and masonry industry, P&Q unearthed some equipment introductions pertinent to the construction side, as well as related businesses. Here are a few that stood out:

Excavators, loaders & more

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas (HCEA) featured a variety of recently upgraded models and newly available third-party attachments in its booth. The company also displayed its HX130LCR hydraulic excavator for the first time since the model’s recent introduction.

“Hyundai continues responding to our customers with improvements and new capabilities that underscore Hyundai’s position as a top-tier, full product line provider of wheel loaders, hydraulic excavators and compaction rollers,” says Corey Rogers, marketing manager at HCEA.

Another featured Hyundai model was the HL955 wheel loader, outfitted with a GEM Attachments heavy-duty performance bucket and hydraulic coupler. The GEM GP bucket is designed for use in general-purpose and abrasive applications.

It features a reinforced bucket shell to extend the bucket life, an internal liner plate for maximum wear protection, a reinforced bucket edge and bolt-on corner protectors to improve pile penetration, and a V-style spill guard to protect the machine linkage from damage caused by debris spillage.

Hyundai also exhibited for the first time its HX130LCR, the third compact-radius excavator model in the company’s HX series product line. The 13.5-ton machine is available in a second standard configuration, the HX130LCRD, which includes a dozer blade.

Case Construction Equipment showcased some compact equipment, as well, including the TV450 compact track loader it introduced in the fourth quarter of 2018. The loader is a 10,610-pound vertical-lift machine with a rated operating capacity of 4,500 pounds at 50 percent tipping load.

Even newer from Case is its C Series motor graders, which made their show debut at World of Concrete. Two new models, the 836C and 856C, deliver a wide offering of new weights, horsepower ratings and feature-driven grading solutions. The models achieve Tier 4 Final compliance with selective catalytic reduction engine tech that increases fuel efficiency, keeps exhaust temperatures down and eliminates the need for regeneration.

New in attachments

Also at World of Concrete, Kinshofer introduced a line of hydraulic breakers that was made possible due to the acquisition of Hammer, an Italian manufacturer. Kinshofer finalized on the deal at the show, bringing equipment into the company fold that previously was not offered.

Following the deal, Kinshofer is now offering two breaker series of Hammer equipment: the KFX and KSB.

“We had everything before but a hammer line,” says Dany Martin, territory sales manager for North America at Kinshofer.

The KFX series has two adjust valves as standard. A control valve on the cylinder of the hammer allows operators to adjust the number of blows generated. A second valve allows the adjustment of the working pressure from 160 to 200 bar.

The KSB series, meanwhile, features a distinctive “monobloc” construction.

According to Kinshofer, these are manufactured in one piece without any tie rods, a feature that makes the structure resistant to linkage strain during operation.