by Kyle Molyneux | Tue 01 Dec 2020
YEAR IN REVIEW: January 2020
What a crazy 12 months it’s been. As 2020 draws to a close, we’re looking back on the year’s biggest news stories. From battery powered diggers and HS2 getting underway, to ground-breaking machine guidance systems and women making waves in the construction sector – 2020 has certainly been a year to remember. Naturally, we’re kicking off Earthmovers’ 2020 Year in Review with January. Here’s what made the headlines that month...
1) HYUNDAI MACHINES GO NUCLEAR
A fleet of Hyundai machines owned by Plantforce Rentals are put to work on Hinkley Point C site, including a 52-tonne HX520L crawler excavator with Geith rock grab. Read more.
2) NEW 90-TONNE VOLVO EXCAVATOR
Midway through January, Volvo Construction Equipment released full details of its enormous new digger, the 603hp EC950F, capable of lifting almost 35 tonnes and digging over 23ft deep at a time. Read more.
3) EXCAVATOR ARMY OPERATING IN WUHAN, CHINA
As the Covid-19 outbreak took hold, the Chinese government was forced to act, calling on the help of dozens of machine operators to prepare ground for a new hospital in Wuhan, where it was believed the coronavirus first appeared. Read more.
4) POLICE CATCH CATERPILLAR THIEF
As the dust settled on New Year's Eve celebrations, one man had got off his 2020 to a bad start after attempting to steal a Caterpillar 730 articulated dump truck. Read more.
5) UK'S FIRST BOBCAT WASTE EXPERT TELESCOPIC LOADER
Sheffield company H.R. Skip Hire began 2020 with the purchase of a new Bobcat TL38.70HF Waste Expert, supplied by AMG Bobcat Limited - the first of its type in Great Britain. Read more.
6) HITACHI ADOPTS NEW CESAR ECV INITIATIVE
In January, the Japanese construction machinery manufacturer revealed that it had signed up to the Construction Equipment Association's CESAR Emissions Compliance Verification - an extension of the CESAR Security System. Read more.
7) NEW YANMAR V80 GOES TO MASTERS SPREADING
Masters Spreading Ltd, an agricultural contracting business covering Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, grabbed the first Yanmar V80 wheel loader sold in the UK. Read more.
8) LIEBHERR ACQUIRES LIBERO
On January 1st 2020, Liebherr-Baumaschinen Vertriebs- und Service GmbH and Liebherr-Mietpartner GmbH acquired the earthmoving machinery and equipment rental business activities of Libero. Read more.
9) TRU PLANT BUYS 30 JCB LOADALL TELESCOPIC LOADERS
Towards the end of January, Tru Plant of Ipswich received an impressive fleet of JCB telescopic loaders complete with Stage 5 diesel engines and ready for customer hire. Read more.
10) CASE DEALER WARWICK WARD EXPANDS TERRITORY
CASE Construction Equipment dealer Warwick Ward (Machinery) Ltd expanded its territory to include London, East Anglia and the Home Counties, teamed with a new depot in the South East. Read more.
EARTHMOVERS MAGAZINE: JANUARY 2020 ISSUE
Highlights included First Impressions: CAT 308CR - One of the first new generation midi-excavators at work in the south west; Product Review: Manitou Skid-steers - Details of the firm’s latest ranges of skid-steer and articulated loaders; Future Products: Liebherr - The next generation of Liebherr ADTs and a battery-powered piling rig; First Impressions: Doosan DA30-7 - The new 'Dash 7' version of Doosan’s DA30 articulated dump truck; Owner-operator: Richard Baker - Productivity benefits of a tilt-rotator and a machine guidance system; Extreme Machines - Freedom Mine: North Dakota coal mine produces raw material for synthetic natural gas.
Buy the back issue here
