Boosted by a current uplift in the Irish construction industry, thousands of visitors from all corners of Ireland travelled to the CQMS (Construction and Quarrying Machinery Show) in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Just shy of 8,000 visitors made their way to Molloy’s Quarry at Tinnycross for the event, which is billed as Ireland’s largest construction show.

The biennial CQMS event was home to 200 exhibitors, with €70m worth of equipment on show over the show’s two-day duration.

From stone crushers to wash plants, from dozers to dump trucks, from tyres to belts, CQMS had it all.

On top of the stationary exhibits, there were two live demonstration zones and the famous JCB Dancing Diggers (pictured) kept the crowd entertained throughout both days.

The construction industry in Ireland is said to be outperforming initial estimates for the past two years in terms of economic growth.

Latest figures suggest the construction sector accounted for approximately 6.9% of GNP in 2014 and is expected to reach a value of €12.5bn or 7.5% of GNP in 2016.

CQMS event director Brian Coogan was well satisfied with the event.

“We first held CQMS in 2015 which set a good benchmark for future shows,” said Brian. “This time around we expanded the show by 35 per cent to over 100,000 square metres of exhibition space.

“We were delighted with the turnout and response from the trade to the show. The support we received from the thousands of people involved in the industry that came to visit CQMS 2017 was also very encouraging.

“It sets a new level for us to build on for the next CQMS in Ireland in 2019,” added Brian.

Crushing equipment

Sixty-five per cent of the world’s crushing and screening equipment is produced in Ireland.

Most of the main players in the construction industry were present at CQMS 2017 and were very pleased with how the event went.

Business was being done on the stands, with Doosan excavators and Terex dump trucks sold on the EMS Construction Machinery stand, much to the delight of managing director Seamus Flynn.

Also, McSharry Bros Plant Sales reported two sales of the Hitachi Zaxis 130 excavator on the stand. Salesman Barney O’Reilly said the 130 model was proving very popular among operators as it was a very reliable machine.

McHale Plant Sales from Co Tipperary distribute the Komatsu, Metso and Merlo brands and was present at CQMS.

On the McHale stand was a line-up of Komatsu machines plus models from the Metso and Merlo ranges including the Komatsu HB365-3 hybrid excavator, WA480-6 wheel loader, a PC80MR-3 midi excavator and a number of mini diggers including the PC16, 26 and 30 models.

Finnish crusher maker Metso was represented by its LT200HP mobile cone crusher, while the Italian-made range of Merlo telehandlers on show included a Roto and Panoramic P40.17 machine.

Company managing director Michael McHale described CQMS as “one that rivals the best of its kind internationally” and hailed the event a “resounding success”.

He said the show was “the ideal platform on which to showcase our products” and was encouraged by the high level of interest shown by quarry and plant owners alike visiting the stand over the two days.

McHale also said CQMS is a must attend event for everyone who has anything to do with quarrying and construction, and said there was “hardly a track-kicker” among all the serious visitors to the stand.

Kubota exhibited a vast array of equipment, including diggers, tracked dump trucks and wheeled loaders.

Kubota UK Ireland dealer manager Sam Thompson said: “Overall the show was quite successful. We had significant numbers of existing Kubota customers visit our stand along with some potential new ones.

“We were very happy with the two-day event and look forward to the next CQMS,” he said.

Adrian Donnelly from Dungannon-based Edge Innovate said he had some good enquiries from new customers and also looked forward to the next show.

One of the more interesting exhibits at CQMS was a Dressta TD-15R dozer with 13ft blade made in Poland.

According to exhibitor FJS Plant, who distribute Dressta in Northern Ireland and the Republic, this model was the first one to be sold in Ireland. This one sat on 37in tracks and was powered by a Cummins 201hp Tier 4 engine.

Although it has a history going back 40 odd years, Dressta was acquired by the Chinese LiuGong Machinery in 2012 and renamed LiuGong Dressta Machinery. Through access to the Chinese market and a substantial injection of resources, the acquisition ensured an increase in manufacturing volume and efficiency, marking the start of a new chapter in the company’s history.

One of the more unusual exhibits at CQMS was a tyre, not just any tyre but the Michelin 45 65 R45, said to be the largest tyre in Ireland.

Priced at €25,000, the big tyre was exhibited on the stand of LC Tyres from Dublin and was going to a customer for his huge Komatsu loader.

Ecovolve exhibited some of its range of Irish-built electric dumpers which were proving very popular at the show with rental companies.

Managing director Sean Breen said: “We have definitely picked up a few good leads from the show. We are really focusing on the rental markets with all our products and have had good success recently in England, with 20 models sold there.”

Potential customer Deidre Kent is a partner in Kilsheelan Limestone Quarries in Kilkenny and attended CQMS to eye up some new equipment for their business.

“We came to the show back in 2015 as well,” she said. “This year’s event is certainly bigger and better and it has been very enjoyable.

“With CQMS being the only dedicated show for construction equipment in Ireland, it’s a must for us to be here as we are looking for some new machinery in loading and crushing.

“There have been a couple of stands that caught our eye and further enquiries will have to be made,” she said.