COCOA/FLORIDA, April 16, 2015 - TII Group, which considers itself the worldwide leader for the production of heavy transport vehicles, has introduced a new trailer for North American markets. The new offering, Scheuerle Highway Tariler MES (Modular Extra Strong) complements the earlier non- modular models by TII.
TII claims that its new offering will meet the requirements for transporting oversize as well as concentrated loads in one vehicle, thus enabling its owner to perform an unprecedented range of transport jobs with just one modular vehicle. The trailer will allow transporters to extend their range of service. While the semi trailer version will enable the transporters to go for everyday jobs, the modular trailer will enable them to accept new jobs with extra long or concentrated loads. The HighwayTrailer MES comes with hydraulic axles, precise steering and a lift/lower function to pick up loads.
“Our customers asked for a multifunctional, extra-sturdy but low weight modular solution and we developed it” says Roland Fischer, Area Manager Sales at the TII Sales. “The Scheuerle HighwayTrailer MES allows a configuration as a semi-trailer for all kinds of everyday’s loads as well as an assembly with two platform trailers for an extremely long load like a splitter column, vessels or a large girder weighing up to 115 tons. The new trailer saves money and will open new business possibilities for our customers” Fischer further says.
TII has assembled more than a dozen Trailers since 2014 at its PFC facility in Florida. A part of Precision Companies, TII’s motto of “Engineered in Germany, made in USA”, enables its customers to benefit from three authorized sales and service partners in North America - PEI (Precision Enterprise Inc., Cocoa, FL), TSP (Transport Systems and Products, Inc., Stamford, CT), and RGS (Rigging Gear Sales Inc. , Dixon, IL). All the three firms offer services, sales and after-sales services for TII Group vehicles in the American market.
The owner and operator of Frankfurt Airport, Fraport, has said that it will begin construction of a third terminal later this year.
“With an investment volume of between €2.5 billion and €3 billion, Terminal 3 will be one of Germany’s largest infrastructure projects,” said Fraport’s CFO, Dr. Matthias Zieschang.
Fraport’s decision is based on studies by two independent research institutes and a recent audit commissioned by the local state government to assess the airport’s future capacity requirements. The current terminal capacity is 64 million passengers per year but the studies forecast that passenger volumes at the Frankfurt hub will rise to between 68 million and 73 million passengers by 2021.
Rather than use a single general contractor for the entire terminal construction, Fraport will instead award targeted multiple contracts to various companies for specific tasks. “This method already proved successful with the new Pier A-Plus at Terminal 1 that was inaugurated in 2012 on schedule and on budget,” said Zieschang. “In addition, this method allows regional companies to offer their expertise and thus to benefit from the construction of the new terminal.”
The new terminal will be in the southern part of the airport. The audit also examined possible alternatives in the northern part of Frankfurt Airport for creating additional terminal capacity. However, the audit confirmed the studies’ conclusions that the most viable solution, from an economic point of view, is to build the first planned phase of the new terminal in the southern part of the airport.
Fraport’s executive board chairman, Dr. Stefan Schulte, said: “We have thoroughly assessed and scrutinised all possible alternatives before deciding in favor of Terminal 3. We are very well aware of our responsibility to our shareholders, our customers, passengers and employees, as well as to the people living in the region. Frankfurt Airport is Germany’s largest place of employment and serves as the ‘Gateway to the World’ for the state of Hesse and Germany as a whole. The new Terminal 3 will underscore this role and thus further strengthen our region. To accommodate the forecast traffic growth, it is now necessary to commence construction for the third terminal during the current year.”
Fraport will soon issue an EU-wide notice and invitation to tender for the first phase of the excavation works on the site of the future Terminal 3. The excavation works are scheduled to start towards the end of the year. The construction period for the terminal is expected to be some seven years, with it becoming operational.
The US state of Virginia has announced that it is terminating its contract with Ferrovial Agroman and American Infrastructure for the delivery of the Route 460 project.
The team, US 460 Mobility Partners, had been awarded the contract in late 2012 to design and build a new 55-mile limited access highway that would parallel the existing Route 460. At the time, the cost of the public-private partnership project was put at US$1.396bn (£945m). Project cost includes design, construction and toll collection set-up. Funding sources are as follows:A new state governor, Terry McAuliffe, had come into power last year.
“The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), with the support of the McAuliffe administration, has provided a notice of termination to US 460 Mobility Partners for Route 460 construction,” said transportation secretary Aubrey Layne. “The Commonwealth has determined it is in the taxpayers’ best interest to terminate the contract. VDOT tried to work with the contractor to deliver the revised project in a cost effective manner. These efforts proved unsuccessful. The state will aggressively pursue all options available to do what is best for the public interest.”
In February, The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a new location for Route 460 corridor improvements. VDOT and its federal partners identified that this alternative has the possibility of qualifying for a permit. The next step is to conduct public outreach on this alternative. VDOY said that it had become apparent that the original alignment would not receive a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers because of significant wetland impacts.
The African Development Bank Group has approved a US$140m (£95m) loan towards the expansion of Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh airport.
The US$671m (£454m) project is includes construction of a new terminal, runway and control tower. It is expected to provide additional capacity for 10 million passengers per year, bringing the total capacity to 18 million annually.
Sharm El-Sheikh airport has been Egypt’s fastest-growing facility and is Africa’s third-busiest airport, with an average of 10% annual growth rate in traffic over the past decade. The total number of passengers using the airport reached 8.2 million in 2010, which is above its design capacity.
The expansion project is expected to take 44 months.
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation has reached initial agreement with Egyptian National Railways on a major rail upgrade project.
The rehabilitation and renewal project on the Egyptian Railway Network has an estimated value of US$600m (£409m).
Both parties will now negotiate further to iron out the details before entering into a formal agreement to implement the work.
Manufacturing developments have enabled Tilon Composites to cut the price of its Supadek scaffold boards by more than a third, the company has announced.
Tilon Composites said that the installation of a new plastics recycling line at its South Wales facility has given it greater control over the cost and supply of the raw materials used in the production of Supadek.
Coupled with changes to operational procedures and distribution of the product, total price reductions of at least 33% for the plastic scaffold boards have been made possible.
Other Tilon fibre reinforced polymer composite products include noise barriers, composite decking, industrial partitioning and safety barriers.
Tilon managing director Stephen O’Leary said: “Our experience and knowledge in the manufacture of fibre reinforced polymer composites from recycled plastics has grown immeasurably in the 10 years since Supadek was launched. This enhanced expertise has seen our turnover increase six or seven-fold during that time and has enabled us to identify areas in which efficiencies can be made.
“Our latest improvements have targeted manufacturing and operations, and have resulted in much lower costs of production without making any alterations to the product. The efficiencies mean that we are now able to offer the market the same product at a vastly improved price as well as facilitating a more transparent pricing structure. Customers should see savings of at least 33%.”
Construction work on the Aba Mega Mall in Nigeria is in good progress. This was confirmed by Ademola Olorunfemi, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) during his inspection of the mall project at Osisioma Ngwa in Abia State.
The first phase of the mall project is scheduled for completion by end of 2015. Furthermore, the first phase will include development of a shopping space of about 100,000m2 along with a dry port. According to the NSE President, this particular project will be the largest of its kind in Africa. It will include addition of 100 hotel rooms in its second phase.
Mr. Olorunfemi also commented that the situation of the construction work demonstrated that Nigerians, given a chance, were capable to handle any kind of engineering project.
The US$300m mall project is being handled by an indigenous developer by the name Greenfield Assets Limited, with the help of the local engineers.
He further expressed his gratitude to the initiators of the mall project and their engaging of local engineers’ services, describing the mall construction project as an ideal idea to develop and grow economic activities especially for the people of Abia State and those residing in the South-East geopolitical region.
Mr. Olorunfemi urged the citizens of Nigeria to engage more in similar projects that will create more job opportunities, saying NSE was interested in similar projects as Aba Mega Mall.
“It is part of our responsibility as a professional body to encourage this kind of development. This is a $300m project that has a huge implication.”He said.
It has been the best idea for the developer to involve mainly Nigerian professionals, artisans among others, he added. He said the government needed to consider approaching professionals from other countries through their very own professionals. The country has witnessed other mall construction projects such as the Ado Bayero mall.
The scheme will involve the demolition of a 1980s block on the South Quay Plaza site on the Isle of Dogs to build a 68-storey and 36-storey building.
The proposals, designed by architects Foster + Partners, have been dropped in height from the originally proposed 73 floors, which would have reached almost the height of One Canada Square.
London Mayor Boris Johnson wrote to Tower Hamlets late last month indicating he would not call in the scheme allowing final approval to be given.
The slender main tower will have a floor plate of two intersected squares, which maximizes the views of London for each of the luxury flats. One part will rise to 68-storeys and a height of 220m and the other to 56 floors and be topped by a sky garden.
This will be built in phase one with the smaller twin building pushed into a second construction phase.
In total, 888 homes are planned in all, including 188 affordable properties.
Demolition contractors will clear the site at 183-189 Marsh Wall with construction expected to start in July next year running for nearly five years across the multi-phase site. Work on phase two will start in April 2018.
In total, the buildings will require around 65,000 cu m of concrete and 60,000 sq m of cladding.
The structural and M&E engineer on the job is WSP. The tallest of the two towers will be built in phase one.
Less than a quarter of people in Britain supports construction of High Speed 2 from London to Manchester at the project’s current estimated cost, results of a new poll have suggested.
The survey, conducted by pollster ComRes, shows that just 22% of the 2049 respondents would back the scheme at a cost of £50Bn. Only 13% said they would support HS2 if the cost rose to £70Bn, while 7% showed support for a £100Bn project.
HS2 Ltd – the company responsible for developing and promoting the project – declined to comment on the survey. But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has said that building HS2 will create extra space on the rail network, generate jobs and support business.
The survey also asked respondents to identify which policies, out of a list of eight including HS2, should be the highest priorities for Government spending.
Results revealed that 7% see the project as among the top four priorities, compared to 11% who included improved transport links between Northern cities in their top four and 92% who identified the National Health Service.
Stop HS2 chair Penny Gaines said: “HS2 is a £50Bn white elephant. The economic case uses outdated assumptions about business travel, and building it will be hugely environmentally damaging."
The survey was carried out on behalf of AGHAST - a national body coordinating opposition to HS2.
♦ Britain is set to invest more money (£179Bn) in road and rail construction projects in the coming years than any other major economy in Europe apart from Russia, according to a new report.
The study by the Timetric Construction Intelligence Center cited Crossrail, Crossrail 2, HS2 and a new Inner Orbital road route in London as helping to push the UK up the rankings.
A report launched this week by transport management specialist Xerox has revealed that 88% of travelers in the Scottish capital make use of internet and mobile application services to locate, track and pay for transport.
“Our aim is to make transport in Edinburgh as free-flowing and accessible as possible while maintaining a safe and attractive atmosphere for pedestrians, cyclists and visitors,” said Edinburgh transport convener Lesley Hinds.
“Mobile technology, from cashless parking apps to live online updates for Lothian Buses services, is helping to achieve this by allowing commuters to make smarter transport choices, so it’s great to hear we are making the most of it,” she added.
The report’s Smart Commuter Index also includes London (87%), Brighton & Hove (85%), Glasgow (82%) and Manchester (82%) within the top five.
Scores represent net usage of mobile applications for buying tickets, viewing departure times, viewing live traffic, comparing transportation services, topping up travel cards, viewing maps and directions, and locating and paying for parking, cycle hire and taxi hire.
The report also shows that 64% of the total respondents use internet and mobile applications for viewing maps and directions, making this the most common transport function for these technologies.
However locating (45%) and paying for parking spaces (36%) are the top two applications that respondents said they would be interested in using in the future.
Among Xerox’s conclusions is that “accurate information and open data are becoming prerequisites for intelligent mobility”.
be:here has agreed to acquire 3.88 acres of the 9 acre Abbey Retail Park site from Estates & Agency Group to develop and manage the purpose built private rented homes, subject to obtaining the relevant planning consent.
The site is located in the heart of Barking on Abbey Road, situated a short walk to Barking’s mainline and London Underground station.
Estates & Agency Group received planning consent last year to develop a new Sainsbury’s store on the rest of the site, with demolition works on the new store set to start next month.
This latest deal for be:here comes as the first of its 158 purpose-built homes in East India are about to become available for private renters at the Aberfeldy Village development, with over 500 registrations of interest already.
Construction at be:here’s development of 132 homes at the Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes is now well underway and will be complete next Spring, while at Kew Bridge the company has over 330 units at the Brentford FC stadium masterplan, which will be one of the biggest simultaneous developments of homes for sale and private rent in London when construction starts next year.
Andrew Telfer, chief executive of Willmott Dixon’s development division, said, “Barking is a key milestone in be:here’s plans to create vibrant rental communities at scale across London and other major cities.
“What’s unique for us is that we will be the long-term operator of the apartments first and foremost, so our presence over many years means we have a keen interest in the success and growth of the wider community in central Barking.”
John Rosefield, Estates & Agency Group Chairman, said “The agreement with be:here is the next stage of realising the vision for the site’s regeneration. Over the next few years there will be transformational change in this area of Barking, creating hundreds of new homes and jobs. Barking is a great place to invest and Estates & Agency Group is delighted to continue to be playing our part in the town’s ongoing regeneration.”
Iceni Projects is lead consultant on the project, supported by Broadway Malyan, architects, and i2 as development managers.
Work will now start on a planning application, with the aim to be on site early in 2016. It is anticipated that the first homes will be available to rent in 2018.