Axis Capital Group, a construction company based in Singapore has seen the developments in the construction industry for years. Green buildings have now evolved to be the current trend in the said country and now, it has reached its neighbors. Jakarta, Indonesia also has its fair share of eco-friendly construction which Axis Capital Group is also slowly getting involved in this great evolution.

Through the years, many analysts have stated the great developments of Asia with reviews showing 61% of its construction industry going green. Among the countries of Asia, Singapore is leading the way in this regard with double the share of green projects than the Asian average, but what about Indonesia, the region’s biggest economy and a country with a booming construction sector?

The Green Building Council of Indonesia, founded in 2009 and a member of the 90-century World Green Building Council is the one responsible for promoting greener construction in the country. In order to promote the advocacy, they involve themselves in the certification of green buildings, speaking and appearing at industry events while trying to convince the Indonesian building community that it makes economic as well as environmental sense to make their buildings energy efficient.

The general view is that while much has been done to encourage green building in Indonesia, the incentives are not attractive enough and the legislation is not strict enough to really get things moving yet. Moreover, companies have not supported the cause because of fear of fraud and scams that these individuals may have under their sleeves.

There has been some progress, though. One year after it was set up, the GBCI succeeded in introducing a Greenship Rating tool, which ranks buildings in six categories (land use, energy efficiency, water conservation, source materials, air quality and environmental management) in a similar way to ratings systems in Europe. However, the Greenship Rating is voluntary and take-up is low – only ten buildings in the whole of Indonesia are certified green, with a further 70 being examined by the GBCI hoping to get the status. 40 of these are in the capital Jakarta. The GBCI has also launched the Greenship Associate and Greenship Professional training Programs, providing education, competency training, and assistance on green buildings to industrial and professional associations. Its GBCI Membership Catalogue also lists green products from over 100 member companies.

To date, the government of Indonesia has implemented rules in response to the GBCI’s cry for a greener environment. This, as analysts had said, is one step towards a great rule of nature in our modern lives.

Some critics are showing disappointment but their pride will never let them admit that there are no complaints on how the construction industry has boomed over the years. With new products being manufactured almost every month from various capital equipment companies, there will be no lack of special tools to use for your specific construction needs.

Axis Capital Group, a company which sells and rents high-quality construction equipment in Singapore and has now expanded to Jakarta, Indonesia to cater a wider scope of clients all over Asia makes sure to provide the latest in the market and has been updated by various wide ranges of big brands in the industry.

To keep tabs of what’s new in the market, representatives from Axis visited Intermat 2015 in Paris, an annual exhibition of anything new in the world of construction and industrialization. In reviews, here are some of the novelties that were displayed:

1. Hitachi

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) presented the first model of its Zaxis-6 medium excavator range, namely the ZX300LC-6. This model is said to be released to Asia soon, thus, warning its competitors to gear up soon.

The 6-series Zaxis machines incorporate new TRIAS II technology to meet EU Stage IV emission regulations. Hydraulic loss is decreased by reducing the amount of hydraulic oil returned to the tank due to cooperative control of the pump and valve.

A selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system injects a urea solution into the exhaust gas to reduce nitrous oxide from the emissions. An after-treatment device – integrated with diesel oxidation catalyst, urea water mixing pipe, SCR catalyst and silencer – has also been incorporated.

2. Terex

Machinery on the Terex booth included the new Genie GTH-4018 telehandler with 4 tonnes capacity and 18 meters lift height. Sister company Terex Cranes showcased the new load moment system (LMS) on its Explorer 5600 all terrain crane.

Load charts are calculated for every boom position, subject to slewing angle of the superstructure, which may increase capacities up to more than 200% when operating over the outriggers, Terex says. The operator can position outriggers independently and asymmetrically and the LMS works everything out.

3. Goodyear

Goodyear, meanwhile, used Intermat to introduce its own new offering for wheeld loaders, namely the RT-5D. The Goodyear RT-5D is a level 250 (L5) traction tyre for severe conditions such as quarries and mines.  The Hi-Stability carcass technology combines reinforcements in the bead area, on the carcass breakers and at the ply turn-up, giving greater protection for the sidewalls and less deflection.  The RT-5D can carry up to 25% more load per cycle compared to a non-Hi-Stability carcass, Goodyear says.