A new implosion compilation featuring the music of The Prodigy.

No need to comment; just crank up your speakers, blow up the video to full screen and enjoy.

Oil rig decommissioning is big business; and when we say big, we mean BIG!

We have just received a photo of a new demolition specification excavator that has been delivered to a contractor in Norway solely for the purpose of dismantling and decommissioning oil rigs. Nothing too unusual there.

The machine is also based upon a Caterpillar 5130 excavator which, once again, is hardly unique.

But take a closer look. Fully rigged, this machine weighs in at 340 tonnes, and has a reach of “just” 34 metres, allowing it to wield a truly massive 25 tonne shear attachment.

Our thanks to Genesis for providing this photo – We hope to see more when this giant machine goes to work.

Preparatory demolition work is now underway on the London Astoria theatre.

Cast your minds back to the beginning of the year (15 January, to be precise) and you might recall that we reported on the “Demolition Ball“, a one-night-only concert before the closure and ultimate demolition of the London Astoria, long one of the UK capital’s premier music venues.

Well, with work on London’s Crossrail scheme now in full swing, we have just seen photos of the initial preparatory demolition works.

It is still our hope that we will get onto the site once works starts in earnest to bring you more news.

The closing date for our skid steer model competition is just a few weeks away.

Having just announced the winner of our CNH/New Holland competition, this is just a quick reminder that our second model competition – this one in conjunction with C&D Consultancy – will be closing soon.

To enter the draw for this machine, all you need to do is submit your answer to this very simple question:

On 1 August 2009, C&D Consultancy will host an asbestos and demolition safety awareness course. But in which English city will the course take place?

Please send your answers via email to manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk, adding Skid Steer Contest in the subject line. The closing date is 31 July, so act now!

Arne Marx of Genesis is the proud winner of the New Holland E215B model.

A few weeks back, we launched a competition to win a scale model of a New Holland E215B hydraulic excavator. Participants were asked to name the world-famous Italian manufacturer that is the majority shareholder in CNH.

To be honest, we were unprepared for the response, our biggest ever for a model competition. In fact, having just checked, we received entries from no less than 19 different countries.

However, the winner drawn at random and who correctly answered Fiat is Arne Marx, area sales manager for attachments giant Genesis. Arne’s prize will be winging its way to Memmingen in Germany shortly, together with our hearty congratulations!

KHL’s much-anticipated Demolition Awards will close for entries on 31 July 2009.

The closing date for entries for the inaugural annual Demolition Awards is drawing near. In order for your entries to be accepted and considered by the judging panel, they need to be received at the KHL offices by 31 July 2009.

Click here for more details.

Demolition News is hosting the first-ever Demolition City world championships.

Following the incredible feedback we received on yesterday’s post about the Demolition City online game from Armor Games, we have decided to host our own Demolition City world championships.

All you have to do is click here to play the game. When you’ve finished, simply hit the “print screen” button on your keyboard to capture your score (damage dollars), paste the resulting picture into Word (or similar) and send it to us.

We will reward the player with the highest score with a machine scale model from our rapidly diminishing collection.

The competition will run until the end of July, by which time we hope to have crowned the Demolition City world champion.

Instructions: When you have finished playing the game and have seen your final score, hit the “print screen button on your PC’s keyboard. Now open Word, right click on an empty page, and select paste. This will generate a “photo” of your score. Now save that document and email it to us at: manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk.

Good luck.

Crusher bucket specialist Dig A Crusher has added a magnet to its growing range.

We have featured products from Dig A Crusher on these pages before. In fact, Dig A Crusher managing director Sean Heron was among the first to volunteer to be featured in a Demolition News audio podcast. But we do like to keep an eye on companies that are constantly innovating, either with new products or better ways to utilise existing products.

Take for example the company’s new Dig A Magnet, an electro-magnet retrofit attachment for the existing Dig A Crusher 900 crusher bucket, that facilitates efficient segregation of steel scrap from demolition waste stream, making it ideal for metal reclamation, separation and salvage applications.

Sean Heron has just added a new video of this product in action which you can view by clicking here. We’d love to know what you think.

According to a new study, a third of all UK demolition contractors are operating at a loss; and around 250 will struggle to survive the current recession.

The latest edition of the respected Plimsoll Report into the major players in the UK demolition industry is out now. And while we haven’t managed to get our hands on a review copy (rest assured, we ARE trying) the headlines do make interesting if not worrying reading.

According to the brief synopsis we have seen so far, the study analyses emerging threats and opportunities in the UK demolition market, and has named 255 aggressive firms that you will need to be aware of in 2009.

Having apparently analysed some 850 individual companies, the report also identifies:

• 255 aggressive companies are chasing sales at the expense of prudence

• 179 of these companies are perfect takeover targets

• 251 demolition contractors are in financial danger and will struggle to survive

• Competitive pressure is now so intense, a third of companies are making a loss

This brand new edition of the report not only analyses each company in detail over two pages, but each company is valued too. Each company in the report is rated on their attractiveness as an acquisition showing at a glance the best prospects in the market as well as those rated danger.

Normally priced £350+VAT, this brand new report is available to order now, priced just £300+VAT for a PDF version.

To order a copy, please email Clair Sherwood-Parkin at: c.sherwood@plimsoll.co.uk or call on Tel: (01642) 626400

We’d love to hear your comments on this worrying report; please use the Comments tool below to let us know what you think.