INTERNATIONAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
According to Global Data, Indonesia’s
construction industry grew by 6.1% in
2018. The market research firm further
expects that this growth will continue
until at least 2023. Most of the growth in
Indonesia is expected to occur in urban
construction and agriculture, which the
Indonesian government has listed as one
of the five national priorities. To support
the expanding industries, SDLG recently
introduced two compact excavators, the
E660FL and the E690F.
“With continued urbanisation in
Indonesia, companies need versatile
machines that can work within the tight
space constraints of urban construction.
But they also need machines that can
excel in other applications,” says Aldrin
Johar Nurdin, SDLG business manager in
Indonesia. “The E660FL and E690F may be
small but they are mighty for landscaping,
excavating, demolishing and material
handling in cities or on farms,” he adds.
The six ton-rated E660FL is powered
by a 38.3kW engine and has a bucket
capacity of 0.22m 3 . The compact
excavator features a reinforced four-
valve structure and multistate air intake
Two mini SDLG excavators headed to Indonesia
SDLG has launched two mini excavators to support Indonesia’s construction and
agricultural growth.
filter to provide reliable performance
in a wide range of climates and
environments.
The nine ton-rated E690F is powered
by a 54.1kW engine, has a bucket capacity
of 0.34m 3 and a maximum excavation
force of 60kN. Ideal for excavation of soil,
sand, coal and waste, the E690F makes a
great addition for construction sites, farms
and parks.
The importance of service trucks
Downtime is a curse word among
contractors, but the fact is that it's hard
to avoid sometimes. When a machine or
truck suffers a breakdown on the job, the
need to haul that asset back to the shop
just means that downtime is extended.
Between mobile repairs and on-
site service to help avoid breakdowns,
mechanics need a reliable way to carry
their gear and provide a portable shop
setup to get the job done.
That's where service trucks come
in, and manufacturers of these versatile
vehicles have continued to develop their
offerings to provide strength, reliability and
the options mechanics need.
While equipment dealers and large
contracting companies are generally
the core of the service truck market at
present, there is a growing sector of
independent mechanics who are offering
on-site services, according to David Smith,
fabrication and engineering manager
with Oro Design, an Ontario-based
manufacturer of service trucks.
"There are equipment dealers who are
doing these services, but there is also a
subsection of independent mechanics
– the field service industry is growing a
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OCTOBER 2019
lot, and a lot of people who have worked
for Caterpillar or John Deere for 20 years
are saying that if the dealers can charge a
certain amount for field service then they
can potentially go out and do it for less,"
Smith said. "It might just be one guy with
a service truck, but typically their rates are
competitive and they quickly grow."
The big operators continue to be a big
market for service vehicles, of course, and
Tim Davison, product manager with Stellar
Industries, says equipment dealers are
steadily increasing or replacing their fleets
as mobile service continues to expand.
"The core market still buying heavily
is equipment dealers – the Caterpillar
dealers, Komatsu dealers, people like that
– and then construction companies, for the
larger models. For the smaller crane sizes,
the rental industry, whether it's a larger
operation or the smaller rental companies,
are buying quite a few. And right now the
oil and gas industry is doing fairly well
– it's not as dramatic as it has been in the
past, but it is still a heavy segment for us."
Customers are looking for a range of
sizes in their trucks; while Stellar is seeing
continued demand for class 5 trucks
carrying their bodies, Oro, which has been
building trucks in southern Ontario for
more than 25 years, has experienced a
market shift going toward larger trucks.
"Our market seems to be very heavy
on the smaller end – the F-550 size
truck, or the Ram 5500 with a 7 000- or
7 500-pound crane with 21 or 30 feet of
reach," Davison says.
Although, Smith says class 5 remains
popular, but there is a shift toward
larger trucks to ensure owners can carry
everything they need for any particular job.
"They want to get everything in the
truck, but there are limitations to what
you can do with weight. The 550 has
always been very popular, but I think
there are many more options now
– there is a lot more available in a weight
class that gives you more payload to
get around the issues with the smaller
trucks," says Smith.
Mounting a crane on a smaller truck
body cuts down payload significantly, and
that has often led to users overloading
their vehicles; if they avoid getting nailed
for being overweight, those users often
wind up paying additional maintenance
costs because they are running over their
designed capabilities, Smith adds.
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