steinexpo 2023 Review

First published in the October 2023 issue of Quarry Management

After a six-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, Germany’s triennial international exhibition of equipment, technologies, and processes for the construction and quarrying industries finally reopened its doors. QM provides a brief glimpse of some of latest plant and equipment, and cutting-edge technologies at the show

Steinexpo 2023 – the 11th edition of Germany’s popular showcase event for the construction and quarrying sectors – took place from 23–26 August at Europe’s largest basalt quarry (operated by Mitteldeutsche Hartstein-Industrie AG) in Homberg/Nieder-Ofleiden.

Beset by delays and logistical issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (the trade fair was forced to cancel in 2020 and 2021), the triennial show finally reopened to much fanfare, welcoming and giving visitors the chance to see some of the industry’s newest plant and equipment on display, as well as several machines operating in live working quarry site conditions.  

Featuring 180-plus exhibitors – spread across 150,000m2 of outdoor and indoor exhibition space – this year’s steinexpo, once again, reiterated the importance of attending face-to-face construction trade shows and proved in-person business events will never be replaced.  

As with the previous steinexpo exhibition (held in 2017), this year’s show provided a  showcase platform for companies highlighting their latest technological innovations and a wide range of environmentally friendly and cost-effective machinery solutions. Here, we take a brief look back at some of the product highlights, service offerings, and new technologies at steinexpo 2023.  

Attending their first-ever steinexpo show as Develon (formerly Doosan Construction Equipment), the South Korean OEM put on a comprehensive display of products at the trade fair, with the DX490LC-7 crawler excavator, DL420CVT-7 wheel loader, and DA30-7 articulated dumptruck taking centre stage on the company’s stand. 

Develon also demonstrated a selection of machines from their wide-ranging product portfolio. In the Demo area of the steinexpo showground, a number of models were put through their paces, including the 80-tonne DX800LC-7 crawler excavator, the 
DL550-7 wheel loader and, making its debut at the show, the all-new DA45-7 4x4 ADT.  

The combination of these machines offers customers from the quarrying, mining, and construction sectors complete solutions for excavation, loading and hauling, as well as meeting the needs of applications such as general earthworks and aggregate production. 

The new DA45-7 4x4 ADT is Develon’s first dumptruck featuring four-wheel drive and has been specially designed to challenge rigid dumptrucks (RDTs) in the 40-tonne class. Thanks to its four-wheel drive system, the DA45-7 4x4 articulated dumptruck benefits from better handling and provides all-weather driving capability on slippery, undulating haulage roads and very steep slopes. 

As well as performing better in conditions that are challenging for rigid dumptrucks, the new 4x4 DA45-7 ADT has a width of less than 4m to avoid the need for special transportation and offers a better turning radius than a comparable RDT.

At this year’s steinexpo event, Finlay presented four key products from their crushing, screening, and conveying range. Among the exhibits on display were the J-1160 jaw crusher, IC-110RS impact crusher, and 883+ scalping screener.

‘Germany has been an exciting and important growth market for us in recent years, so it was essential to exhibit at steinexpo 2023 and engage with customers – new and old – and showcase the latest offerings from our extensive line of products, including the TC-80 mobile stockpiler,’ commented Brian Pauley, marketing manager for Finlay. 

‘The Finlay machines on show at steinexpo were specifically chosen to demonstrate our commitment to the German quarrying and aggregates market, and to showcase the breadth and depth of our materials processing and handling portfolio.’  

Visitors to the Sandvik/Rammer stand were treated to a host of new product solutions and innovations for mobile and stationary aggregates processing, rock drilling, and wear protection. Products on display included: the CH840i cone crusher, which now comes with Sandvik’s latest generation Automation and Connectivity System (ACS) as standard, to continuously monitor and optimize crusher performance and control the lubrication system, for increased uptime and reliability.

Sandvik also presented the Pantera DP1500i – a hydraulic, diesel-powered, self-propelled top-hammer drill rig suitable for production drilling in large quarries or for use by contractors. The Pantera DP1500i surface drill rig is known for its high penetration rate (with hole diameters ranging from 89mm to 152mm) and when combined with an optional high-frequency rock drill, it delivers optimal drilling performance in changing rock conditions.

As well as showcasing the latest equipment and machinery solutions for the German quarrying and aggregates market, another important focus on the Sandvik stand was demonstrating how digitalization and telematics can help customers monitor equipment productivity, increase efficiency in their operations, and maximize the return on their investment. 

‘Coming to key trade events such as steinexpo provides us with a great platform to showcase not only our range of products, but also cutting-edge service solutions suited to the industry,’ said Sandra Pietsch, marketing manager for Sandvik Mining and Construction Central Europe. 

‘Digitalization has proved to be increasingly important to customers and we now have a range of data-driven tools available to help customers know exactly how their equipment is being utilized and allow them to make informed decisions based on live machine data.’

Designed for those running daily aggregate processing operations, SAM by Sandvik, for example, serves as a digital assistant that brings people, activities and data together on a single platform. The constantly evolving digital service – which is available globally – gives customers the insights, support and performance-enhancing information needed to increase crushing and screening productivity.

Elsewhere on the showground, LiuGong showed a selection of key models from their heavy-duty F-Series excavator range for quarrying, demolition, and mining applications in the European market. The Chinese company’s flagship excavator, the 995F, demonstrated its superior handling performance of 95 tonnes, whilst a number of new F-Series machines ranging from 39 to 52 tonnes (939F, 942F, 952F), alongside the 890H wheel loader, were on display. 

Another company looking to make inroads into the German and wider European markets are Hyundai Construction Equipment Europe (HCEE), who showcased an impressive line-up of wheel loaders, c articulated dumptrucks, and crawler excavators up to 52 tonnes. ‘After six years away, it was great to be back at steinexpo to showcase our latest heavy-line equipment and machinery innovations,’ enthused Dr Hubertus Müenster, director of sales and marketing for HCEE. 

‘Our portfolio of heavy-duty products is perfectly suited to meet the local demands of the hard rock quarry and mining industries, as well as heavy earthmoving activities on large construction sites.’

Larger crawler excavators have been proving popular with quarry operators and plant hire firms, and at steinexpo, HCEE displayed the HX480AL and HX380ANL models, as well as demonstrating their most powerful crawler excavator to date – the HX520AL. The Stage V-compliant machines have all been specifically designed for heavy digging, lifting, and grading applications, making them suitable for use in mass excavation, waste-management, construction, and mining projects.

Visitors to the HCEE stand also expressed concrete interest in the HL975A CVT (continuously variable transmission) wheel loader, which has been specially engineered to offer maximum productivity, greater fuel economy, and optimum efficiency. The A-series loader is the first to combine the benefits of a traditional automatic transmission and a hydrostatic transmission in one machine, whilst a host of safety and convenience features deliver higher levels of operator efficiency, comfort, and control.  

With a revitalized German dealer network and an increasingly strong range of heavy-line equipment, HCEE are hoping to build on their current position in the European quarrying and mining markets. 

Regular exhibitors Liebherr used this year’s steinexpo exhibition as a showcase platform to present alternative power solutions and promote more than 10 machines from their earthmoving and mining product segments.

Machines on display and demonstration included: the powerful and all-terrain TA 230 Litronic articulated dumptruck; the new R 992 and R 978 SME crawler excavators; the mid-range L 546 and heavy-duty L 586 XPower wheel loaders; and the upgraded PR 756 and PR 726 dozers, which now feature modern assistance systems for more power and improved safety. 

‘It was so important to return to major exhibitions such as steinexpo and be able to showcase our latest products and service offerings,’ commented Nadine Willburger, marketing manager for Liebherr. ‘Visitors to our stand were also able to get up close to our latest product innovations, most notably the H966 hydrogen prototype engine, which demonstrates Liebherr’s commitment to be at the forefront of hydrogen technology to help customers transition to a lower-carbon future.’

Taking pride of place on the Metso stand was the company’s HP200e cone crusher, which has been specially engineered to offer enhanced performance, improved uptime/ serviceability, and wider application coverage. 

CASE used this year’s steinexpo to showcase several machines from their most recently launched ranges for the aggregates, construction and mining industries. Products on display included: the CX300E crawler excavator; the 921G XR wheel loader; and 856C motor grader. Also on show were key aftermarket initiatives, including FleetPro – a certified wear parts solution for CASE mini-excavators and crawler excavators to help ensure the smooth and efficient running of customers’ operations. 

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