Heavy Equipment & Machinery Show exhibitors showcased the latest earthmoving machinery and technology on the Australian market in Brisbane in May
The 2025 Heavy Equipment & Machinery Show (HEMS), operated by Civil Contractors Federation Queensland, saw thousands of attendees enter the gates of Brisbane Showgrounds on May 15–17.
Having returned for its fourth biennial edition, HEMS 2025 saw more exhibitors and innovations than ever before.
“HEMS 2025 brought strong engagement and great energy across the board,” event manager Jasmine Collins says.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for exhibitors to meet new clients, reconnect with familiar faces and showcase what they do best.
“The show delivered exactly what we hoped – strong leads, great networking and a platform for exhibitors to connect with prospective clients whilst entertaining existing ones. We’re excited to keep that momentum going into 2027.”
Once again, HEMS partnered with the Brisbane Truck Show – which took place simultaneously at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre – to offer reciprocal ticketing to both events.
With HEMS being Queensland’s go-to event for the civil construction industry, the Earthmovers & Excavators team was on site to find out what was on offer for the local market.
CJD Equipment
The Australian distributor of Volvo Construction Equipment, CJD Equipment focused on the future of heavy machinery, showcasing its electric offering.
The Volvo CE L120 electric wheel loader made its Australian debut at HEMS, with CJD unveiling the 20-tonne machine as a sustainable option for worksites. Ideal for civil construction projects, the L120 features a 282kWh battery, enabling it to run for five to nine hours depending on the application.
With a top speed of 40km/h, the electric loader combines the performance of its diesel counterpart with zero exhaust emissions and near-silent operation.
CJD also showcased a smaller option in Volvo CE’s five-tonne L25 electric loader, which features a 1.2 cubic metre bucket as standard.
Volvo CE’s 2.6-tonne ECR25 compact electric excavator was another highlight of CJD’s booth, with the Australian distributor also displaying a range of Volvo CE’s traditional diesel machinery.
Hastings Deering
Caterpillar dealer Hastings Deering had a variety of Cat equipment on display, but it was its demo of the Cat Line-Of-Sight (LOS) Command system which stole the show.
Using a Cat 325 excavator borrowed from Gold Coast-based PCA Ground Engineering, the Hastings Deering team demonstrated how the technology enables remote-control operation of machinery.
The Cat Command Console can operate the excavator from up to 400m away and provides all the same functions that would be available inside the cabin.
Hastings Deering says this technology ensures a safer working environment in hazardous conditions by removing the operator from the cabin.
Among Hastings Deering’s Cat showcase was a 255 compact track loader, a 315 track-mounted excavator, a 972 XE wheel loader and a 301.7 CR mini excavator.
ANT International
Local earthmoving attachment manufacturer ANT International was out in force, with a highlight of its booth being a new range of hydraulic hitches from small to large and standard hydraulic to full 180-degree tilting.
On display for the first time, the new range is trademarked Advantilt and is suited for excavators up to eight tonnes.
In addition to this, ANT’s exhibit featured several different types of buckets, large and small, including GP, mud, trenching, heavy-duty rock, sieve and tilting variations.
Hydraulic and static grabs were another focal point of the showcase, built with Hardox steel and featuring hardened pins and bushes.
‘Sold’ stickers increasingly appeared on ANT’s attachments throughout the event, highlighting the popularity of its offering.
Tilly’s Crawler Parts
As its name suggests, Tilly’s Crawler Parts displayed a selection of premium alternative earthmoving equipment parts from its extensive product range, including buckets, stick rakes and undercarriage parts, to name a few.
This year marks one year since the business was acquired by USCO ITR Group, which has seen Tilly’s also introduce ITR rubber tracks to its lineup, offering various compact tracked loader parts.
While parts are the bread and butter of the business, Tilly’s also continues to offer a range of quality, near-new earthmoving machinery, including late-model excavators, loaders, dozers and skid steers.
A 2022 5.6-tonne Caterpillar 907 compact wheel loader was on show showing only 11 hours and boasting a 55kW (73.8hp) engine.
Hitachi
Visitors to Hitachi’s booth were treated to the new 35-tonne ZX345USLC-7 (ZX345-7) excavator, which the OEM says is designed to meet a growing need for ultra-short tail swing machines.
With an ultra-short tail swing radius of under 2.1 metres, the excavator is well-suited to civil construction projects where space is limited, including roadsides, urban construction sites and retaining wall installations.
It also fills a gap in Hitachi’s range of reduced-radius excavators in the Dash-7 series, which also includes the 15-tonne ZX135 and the 26-tonne ZX225. The new model is equipped with an Isuzu diesel engine that produces 197kW (264hp).
Another eye-catching machine was Hitachi’s 24–25-tonne class ZW310-7 wheel loader. Boasting 233kW (312.5hp), Hitachi says this loader is its most popular model, thanks in large part to its impressive bucket capacity of 3.4–4.5 cubic metres.
Kommand
With something a little bit different, machine control solutions business Kommand showcased the USA-made Level Best precision grading technology.
Kommand recently introduced this product line to its Australian customers, with the GB96 grader blade onsite at HEMS.
Designed to be fixed to the front of compact track loaders, and performing best on models over 70hp, the Level Best grader blade can be integrated seamlessly with customers’ machine control systems.
It is available in two sizes, 108 inches (2.74m) wide and 96 inches (2.43m) wide, thriving in grading long roadways.
FlipScreen
Renowned for its cutting-edge screening attachments, Australian award-winning company FlipScreen showcased its various innovative screening buckets.
The FlipScreen WL185D is designed for tasks such as quarrying, demolition and material processing, and can handle large volumes of material like dirt, debris and waste.
Suitable for carrier machines from 11 tonnes up to 23 tonnes, the attachment features a 1.85 cubic metre scoop size and a 6.8 square metre screening area.
Also on display was the smaller FlipScreen S45 screening bucket, which is designed for backhoes and skid steers from three to four tonnes.
This attachment features a 0.45 cubic metre scoop size and a 3.2 square metre screening area, with the ability to transform a machine into a powerful and portable screening unit.
Brisvegas Machinery
Perhaps the largest brand variety of equipment at the event came at Brisvegas Machinery’s exhibit, which saw Kobelco, New Holland Construction and ASV featured.
As the authorised dealer of these three brands, Brisvegas Machinery showcased a range of Kobelco’s well-known blue excavators, both large and small, New Holland’s C327 & C338 compact track loaders, plus the ASV Posi-Track RT-50.
The 3,750kg (3.7-tonne) New Holland C327 is powered by a 74hp (55.2kW) engine, and includes an air-conditioned cab with joystick control, as well as a 4-in-1 bucket.
On the other hand, the 2,427 (2.4-tonne) ASV RT-50 features a 50hp (37.3kW) engine, is only 1,540mm wide and includes a 4-in-1 bucket.
Tutt Bryant Equipment
National distributor of Sumitomo Excavators and Yanmar equipment, Tutt Bryant, presented visitors with various excavators from the two brands.
Having had a long-term partnership with Sumitomo, a standout of Tutt Bryant’s showcase was the 15.3-tonne SH145XU-6 hydraulic excavator.
Featuring a 70.9kW (95.1hp) Isuzu engine, the machine can dig to depths of up to 5.21m.
Tutt Bryant’s Yanmar display included the 5,255 (5.2-tonne) VIO55 zero tail swing excavator. It is powered by a 33.4kW (44.8hp) engine and has a digging depth of 4.12m.