Concrete proof – biggest in the world

The world’s tallest concrete pump mounted on a 7-axle Scania V8-truck put Scania in the Guinness Book of Records. Chinese concrete machinery manufacturer Zoomlion has unveiled the tallest concrete pump in the world. The pump has a reach of 101 metres with a 7-section boom, the last 4 sections being made of carbon fibre.

In recent years, the giants of the world concrete pump industry have outdone each other, time and time again, on the way to the magical 100-metre threshold. Scania was commissioned by Zoomlion to provide a truck for the huge superstructure.

To cope with the weight of the 7-section boom, a 7-axle chassis was required. Built by Scania in Södertälje, Sweden, the chassis was complemented by the Swedish company Laxå Special Vehicles. The 15.5-metre chassis, powered by a 620 hp V8-engine, is probably the longest ever built by Scania.

The complicated superstructure was developed by Zoomlion and Italian construction equipment maker Cifa, a subsidiary of the Chinese giant, and built at Zoomlion’s main facility in Changsha in central China.

Altogether this very special vehicle is 18.5 metres long. An exceptional feature is the fact that the pump structure is mounted on a “normal” truck chassis, not on a special vehicle, which means that it complies with the maximum dimensions and footprints imposed for road transport.

Amazing record

“Officially amazing” is the slogan of Guinness World Records, the company behind the world's best-selling copyrighted book, that awarded the honour for this amazing Zoomlion-Cifa-Scania vehicle.

Scania has delivered trucks to Zoomlion since 2008. The truck chassis have been increasingly customised to facilitate and streamline Zoomlion’s work of fitting superstructures.

“Scania's strong position as a supplier of trucks to the premium segment for concrete pumps represents a success for our entire organisation’s cross-functional working method,” says Peter Sjöblom, Managing Director of Scania China.

Building China

The trucks supplied to Zoomlion are typically fitted with Scania 6-cylinder engines and the pumps are mainly used in the construction of high-rise buildings and bridges.In order to ensure high uptime, Scania China has trained personnel at Zoomlion’s own service workshops and has also established special teams of service technicians that can assist in the event of operational disruptions.

“Pump 101” will be exhibited at the Bauma China 2012 trade fair for construction machinery to be held in Shanghai 27-30 November 2012. It is currently at the prototype stage, and is due to undergo a detailed structural and functional analysis, involving very strict tests. The target market for this product is primarily China, but there may also be demand from Europe in the future.

Scania is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. Service-related products account for a growing proportion of the company’s operations, assuring Scania customers of cost-effective transport solutions and maximum uptime. Scania also offers financial services. Employing some 37,500 people, the company operates in about 100 countries. Research and development activities are concentrated in Sweden, while production takes place in Europe and South America, with facilities for global interchange of both components and complete vehicles. In 2011, net sales totalled SEK 87.7 billion and net income amounted to SEK 9.4 billion. Scania press releases are available on www.scania.com