Safer steel structures

HOCHTIEF Consult is involved in two EU-funded R&D projects to study the performance of steel and composite structures in severe conditions. Working jointly with universities, research institutes and industry, we are researching the fire performance of typical steel composite office buildings and the explosion resistance of steel industrial and power station structures. The findings are used to set safety targets as well as to compile requirements profiles and recommendations for dimensioning.

Handy technology for facility management

The first 230 HOCHTIEF Facility Management service personnel have been using the new Handyman mobile device since fall 2010. Device features include the ability to receive service jobs directly and report completion back to central office. This saves time, enables service personnel to respond faster and improves data quality. The technology is being rolled out to all service units.

Geothermie

HOCHTIEF is committed to deep geothermal energy. Our geothermal energy projects in Dürrnhaar and Kirchstockach allow us to contribute to feeding largely CO₂-neutral electricity into the grid in the future. For the geothermal power plant Dürrnhaar project financing was already agreed for the first time in Germany. The construction work commenced in January 2011. When the power plant is completed in 2012 it will have a power output of approximately 5.5 megawatts–enough energy for about 10,000 one-family houses. In its capacity as general contractor, HOCHTIEF Energy Management is responsible for planning, construction and initial start-up of the power plant.

Further information:
HOCHTIEF heavily involved in the construction of geothermal power plants
www.hochtief-concessions.com
http://www.sgg-bayern.de/ (German only)

Processes optimized with LeanCon (Lean Construction)

Increasing productivity, planning processes efficiently, cooperating at an early stage and thus avoiding squander these are the goals of Lean Construction that has been launched by HOCHTIEF. Lean Construction follows the example of the automotive industry which works in line with the Kaizen principle. Kaizen (the Japanese word for "change for the better") is a management concept in which the employees gradually optimize products and services. Lean Construction is now no longer confined to the fields of production and assembly, but is applied in all segments of activity of the various industries and companies.

Further information:
LeanCon (Lean Construction)

Innovative formwork systems developed

StreifLight light aluminum panel formwork
The formwork developed by Streif Baulogistik is a lightweight element. The StreifLight aluminum panel formwork is designed for conditions involved in construction in existing buildings and on inner city construction sites and constantly shorter construction times. Weighing less than 25 kilograms per square meter, StreifLight is lighter than its competitors' products. Because the formwork can be handled manually or with cranes, it reduces working hours and costs for transport, storage and assembly. StreifLight is a flexible building block system, which only requires a few components and accessories. This reduces the amount of storage time and storage space required. The integrated platform system also increases occupational safety. The robust plastic material is also suitable for high-quality fair-faced concrete surfaces. This improves the quality of the constructed surfaces and also the life span of the formwork. StreifLight is available in all sizes and can be used in different application areas such as work in existing buildings and commercial construction. Thanks to its user-friendly handling, StreifLight has already proved its worth in the construction industry, for instance in building the terminal A-PLUS at Frankfurt airport, where the A 380 will dock in future.

StreifTelos telescopic frame formwork
The patented StreifTelos formwork system is variable thanks to its telescoping girder elements and can be flexibly used at any construction site. StreifTelos is easy to adjust to various heights, area shapes, and slopes with just a few steps. The low number of assembly parts facilitates the work and saves additional time and cost. For the development of the new system, Streif Construction Logistics drew on its many years of practical experience at construction sites and with renting formwork systems by a variety of providers. StreifTelos combines the advantages of girder formworks with those of frame formworks. Thanks to its high variability and quality, the system represents a new generation of wall formworks. It fully meets the increased market requirements for surface design, leveling tolerances, and economy.

Further information:
www.streif-constructionlogistics.com

Boosting efficiency in the mining industry

Efficient excavator loader design cuts gasoline consumption and CO₂ emissions
Leighton Contractors' fleet includes large-scale wheel loaders used in the mining business. Our company's engineers developed a new design for the heavy vehicles, reducing their weight dramatically. The result was that wheel loader capacity rose sharply while fuel use dropped by ten percent. In the long term, we expect to reduce emissions of CO₂ by 2,960 metric tons.

Laser scanning optimizes mining operations
Using laser scanning technology, our Group company Thiess has developed a computer-assisted surface model for its mining business in order to simulate movements and interactions of trucks and other vehicles in the mine area. This optimizes operations, reduces costs and increases health and safety.