Having a blast at Hillhead

14/06/2024 | DOMINIC BROWNE

Hillhead is a unique centrepiece of the highways calendar. This is the largest show of its kind in the world, where heavyweight quarrying, construction and recycling kit is brought to life.

From 25-27 June, the Hillhead quarry will become a small town, a pulsing hive of activity, where visitors move like ants between the big beasts of the sector – excavators, wheel loaders, ADTs, crushers, screeners and more.

With material blasted in advance for the demonstrations, the plant on display are given a real job site to work with: this year there will be a squared-off quarry face area with two large elevated levels for the live demos, and ‘Crusher Alley’ where the blasted rock is processed. A pre-show explosives blast produced around 20,000 tonnes of run-of-quarry stone in preparation for the event.

To give you some idea of the size of the operation, this bi-annual show is expecting some 20,000 visitors this year and international giants of the industry are showing off enormous machines, like Hyundai, which will have a 100-tonne excavator on display.

The event itself is also being expanded. The showground pavilion has increased in size by almost a third to accommodate a further 30-40 exhibitors and a new food court area will be installed. There is also more room in the demonstration area.

And, as Richard Bradbury, event director, says, alongside the ‘wow factor of the big machines’ there is now also the tech factor and the increasing digitalisation of the sector on display.

‘From telemetry solutions to machine control, drones, AI-driven safety, and the latest advanced 3D site management and modelling, the connected site will really come alive this year. And thanks to our continued investment in the wi-fi connectivity, we will have live data feeds from our demonstrations on site,’ he says.

‘The autonomous truck demo with Bell Equipment will be a real eye-opener this year, We are also a showcase for electric-powered machines, some of which will feature in our live demonstrations for the first time. I am most looking forward to seeing autonomous demonstrations and the increasing use of electric-powered material processing (SBM, Evoquip etc) and mobile plant. The SMT stand shows their journey to electrification and JCB is also promoting its hydrogen proposition.’

Mr Bradbury tells Highways about the main changes at Hillhead over its 42 years: ‘It has expanded significantly from around 100 exhibitors at its first edition to 600 with extensive development across the site to expand the showground outdoors.

The show is also now more international with many OEMs using the platform for European launches. Whilst there is a core quarrying element, the event has expanded to encompass a wider range of construction including brownfield and infrastructure. We have introduced more demonstration areas and the show has grown to four areas now.

‘We have more catering, seating and toilet facilities this year than ever before, as well as new hydration stations for people to fill up their water bottles with cool, filtered water free of charge. And we have put more investment in internet provision with a fibre optic system for exhibitors ducted around the site.’

Hillhead has four separate demonstration areas:

Quarry Face – three benches spanning the length of the quarry face will host over 35 machines including excavators, wheel loaders, dumptrucks, dozers, cold planers, hydraulic breakers, screening buckets and mist cannons.

Rock Processing – also known as ‘Crusher Alley’ where a range of tracked and skid-mounted crushers, screens, scalping grids and stockpiling conveyors can be viewed.

Recycling – located to the south of the exhibition site, this area shows a range of specialist crushers, shredders, screens and washing equipment.

Registration – this area hosts rock processing and recycling demonstrations.

Find out more and register for FREE here.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Senior Civil Engineer - Major Projects x 4

£45,894.00 - £54,952.00
We are looking for experienced engineers to help us progress a number of key projects and programmes Glasgow, Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Technician - Maintenance

£31001.0000 - £36471.0000 per annum
Essex Highways is responsible for managing and maintaining one of the largest highway networks in the country
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Highways Contract Engineer

£46,731 - £49,764
The team helps provide a safe road network that operates efficiently and effectively.  Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Principal Transport Planner

£46,731 - £49,764 (pro-rata)
We are looking for an experienced professional to join us on a six-month temporary contact as a Principal Transport Planner. Kettering, Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Highways Maintenance Operative

£Competitive
We have a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Highways Maintenance Operative Broughton, Brigg
Recruiter: Amey

Head of Highways Contracts & Network

£81,803 progressing to £90,664 per annum
The team includes approximately 60 directly employed HCC people Hertfordshire
Recruiter: Hertfordshire County Council

Principal Construction Manager

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Principal Construction Manager Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Quality Technician

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Quality Technician Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)

£42679.0000 - £50211.0000 per annum
Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)Permanent, Full Time£43,960 to £51,718 per annum*Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Project Manager (Major Projects)

£44,711 - £47,754
Are you an experienced project professional or engineer with looking to take the next step in your career? Halifax, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Senior Civil Engineer - Roads

£45,894 - £54,952
Are you an experienced engineer looking to support the Scottish Government’s national objectives. Scotland
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Project Team Manager

£55,147 to £60,676 per annum
We are pleased to be able to offer an opportunity for a role as Design Team Manager Norwich, Norfolk
Recruiter: Norfolk County Council

Clerk of Works

GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Assistant Projects Engineer

GRADE 06 (£29,093 - £32,654),GRADE 07 (£33,366 - £37,035), GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Principal Engineer - Traffic Management

£45,718 - £48,710 per annum
At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose – to improve people’s lives. Bath, Somerset
Recruiter: Bath & North East Somerset Council

Vehicle Technician - Improver

£28,624 - £30,060
Transport Services is responsible for all aspects of transport and related services Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Programme Delivery Office Administrator

Grade 9 £31,344 - £33,253 per annum
At Derbyshire, we have been on a journey to transform the way we deliver highway services to make them fit for the future Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Support Officer - Highways Asset Management Systems

£31,586 - £34,314
We are a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to maintaining and improving our highway infrastructure. Lincolnshire
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy)

£46,731-£49,764
We are looking for an experienced professional to join North Northamptonshire Council as a Principal Transport Planner (Strategy). Sheerness House, 41 Meadow Road, Kettering moving to Haylock House, Kettering Parkway, Kettering NN15 6EY, United Kingdom
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Electrical Engineer

Grade 9 £34,314 to £37,938 - Grade 10 £37,035 to £40,476 - Grade 11 £39,513 to £43,693 - Grade 12 £42,708 to £46,731 p.a.
The Construction Consultancy Services (CCS) team provide client-side construction consultancy services across a range of professional disciplines to d Durham
Recruiter: Durham County Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW