ALL SYSTEMS GO

EDITOR Andy Brown andy.brown@khl.com +44 (0)1892 786224

It has – as ever – been a busy time here at KHL. As well as pulling together this fine magazine that you either have physically in your hands or are viewing on a computer, tablet or mobile phone, there are all the stories that we have worked on for the Construction Briefing, our excellent (if I do say so myself) daily newsletter, the video and audio interviews that we do, as well as travel.

Last month I was over in China for a trip that saw me meet with executives from six leading companies and take five high-speed trains, numerous taxis and one internal flight. I had a fantastic time – I was made to feel very welcome and was interested to talk about topics such as electric equipment, trade tariffs, automation, AI and much more. You can read one of these conversations in this issue as on page 33 we have the write up of my conversation with Mr Yang Dongsheng, Chairman of XCMG, one of the world’s biggest OEM.

At the start of my editor’s letter I referenced our Construction Briefing newsletter; if you haven’t signed up to it, then I recommend that you do. There is a new lead story every day and, to give a flavour of what is covered, the last few weeks have featured articles on: What are the root causes of project failure?; how Bechtel plans to build Bill Gates’ next generation nuclear plant; a critical moment for Germany’s bridges and how and why solar storms hamper GPS-based construction surveys.

As well as the exclusive XCMG interview already mentioned, this issue has features on the evolution of drilling and foundations equipment, a look at how concrete is becoming more sustainable and a selection of case-studies showcasing best practice for BIM. We also have the ICON 200 – our exclusive listing of the world’s 200 biggest contractors by sales. Enjoy the issue and, if you are taking a break this summer, safe travels and enjoy your no doubt well-earned rest and relaxation.