By: Bill Wilson Editor in Chief
At any given moment in late April, Paris, France, just might drop a few notches in altitude. Fortunately, the shift will only be temporary. The week of April 24-29 is when some of the most impressive earthmovers will dig into Intermat 2006. And the show goes beyond mammoth excavators—lifting, roads, engineering services, drilling/boring, equipment/accessories and mining also will be showcased on the French stage.
The attraction certainly is selling itself. Show management recently announced that 95% of 3.7 million net sq ft of exhibit space has been reserved. Over 200,000 visitors (42% international) from 160 countries and 1,500 exhibitors (75% international) from 40 countries are expected to gather at one of the largest heavy machinery shows on the planet. Officials are hoping this year’s show exceeds the 2003 version, which showed a 10% increase in indoor exhibit area space compared to 2000 and attracted 1,300 exhibitors and over 180,000 visitors. Of those on display in 2003, 36% covered the earthmoving field. Lifting (13%), equipment/accessories (13%) and roads (10%) also had a strong showing. Visitors were comprised of civil engineering contractors (47%), distributors and equipment manufacturers (29%), building materials professionals (9%) and local customers (6%).
Intermat 2006 is broken down into five areas road and bridge builders will want to concentrate on: The Innovations Awards, the Paris Demo, the Mining and Quarrying Forum, the Innovation and Expertise area and aerial platform safety.
The Innovations Awards
The Innovations Awards highlight breakthroughs in three areas: machinery, equipment and components and services (software, finance, product support, etc.) selected by a European jury. The jury is required to rank the innovations according to five criteria:
- Technical design and technogies used: improvement in productivity, ease of maintenance;
- Economy: lower purchase price and maintenance costs;
- Quality of work carried out;
- Ease of use, ergonomics, comfort, safety and improvement in working conditions; and
- Environmental friendliness.
Paris Demo
In a 30,000-sq-meter outdoor demonstration area, some 15 companies will present a range of earthmoving, crushing/grinding, drilling, boring and laser guidance equipment under actual working conditions. This year an additional 8,000 sq meters gross exhibition space has been created.
Mining and Quarrying Forum
Located in Hall 4, Intermat 2006 will provide an opportunity for partner Société de I’Industrie Minerale to compare European experiences. The platform will include a comprehensive examination of the resources used in quarrying from site opening to rehabilitation. In a series of 11 talks, 22 French and international experts will cover subjects like prospecting, operation, on-site transport, maintenance and recycling.
Innovation and Expertise area
The Innovations and Expertise area in Hall 5A will highlight the latest technological advances in the sector. Visitors will be able to find out the preliminary results of the “Mechatronics for Mobile Equipment” project. The aim of this project is to facilitate the implementation of mechatronics in equipment operating in difficult and complex environments.
Aerial platform safety
At Outdoor Hall 9 of the show visitors will be able to see live safety demonstrations of aerial work platforms. Intermat 2006 and the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) will work closely together to inform attendees about best practice and procedures to be implemented when using mobile elevated working platforms.
“We firmly believe that all users of aerial lifts must receive adequate, quality training,” said IPAF Managing Director Tim Whiteman. “The working at height demonstration area is a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate all the advantages that aerial lifts can offer.”
