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MSHA and others to perform mine rescue exercise
On April 8, representatives from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), CONSOL Energy, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Special Medical Response Team will perform a join mine rescue exercise at the Harvey Mine in West Finley, Penn. During the exercise, MSHA representatives will test its new Mine Emergency Operations response system. The rescue communication system, which can also be used in underground aggregate operations, has the ability to track the movements of underground mine rescue teams on digital maps. It also uses cameras to transmit information to the command center and monitors the presence and levels of underground gases. “Mine rescue teams will now be able to communicate directly with the surface command center and have explorations mapped in real time,” says Joseph Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “The old method of relaying the results of exploration through multiple persons—almost like a ‘Pony Express’ system that often led to miscommunication—is over.” Keep Reading
IronPlanet, Cat Auction Services complete merger
IronPlanet and Cat Auction Services completed their merger. The new company houses equipment in three different markets: the on-road truck market, the government surplus market and the oilfield equipment market. The company now also has six selling platforms, including IronPlanet, TruckPlanet, GovPlanet, allEquip, Kruse Energy & Equipment Auctioneers and Cat Auction Services. “This is a very exciting day for IronPlanet and Cat Auction Services, and even more importantly, for our customers as this combination will drive value and services to all of our buyers and sellers in new and innovative ways,” says Gregory Owens, IronPlanet chairman and CEO. “I am confident that our marketplace offerings will enable our sellers to maximize the recovery on assets sold by reaching the right buyers at the right time through channels that are optimized for them.” Through the merger, customers can now purchase equipment immediately or through one of the company’s online or onsite auctions. Keep Reading
Schenck appoints Väth to vice president of operations
Schenck Process appointed Uwe Väth as its new vice president of operations. In this role, Väth will be responsible for global manufacturing and supply chain and purchasing. In addition, he will assume the role of joint managing director working from the company’s headquarters. Väth previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Keep Reading
SME to launch mining schools initiative
The Education Sustainability Committee of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) announced the launch of an initiative “to mitigate the challenges threatening the long-term viability of U.S. mining schools offering degrees in mining engineering, mineral processing or extractive metallurgy,” says the organization. SME’s main concerns center around faculty vacancies and labor deficiencies associated with retirements. The initiative includes two directives: Ph.D. Fellowship and Academic Career Development Grants. The Ph.D. fellowship will provide financial support for candidates with industry experience that would like to pursue a doctor degree in mining engineering, mineral processing or extractive metallurgy at a U.S. accredited university. The fellowship will support three graduate students, and three additional students will be added each subsequent year. The Academic Career Development Grants will provide tenure-track assistant or associate professors with financial support needed to participate in research, publication and professional service. The program will support two junior faculty members, with two faculty members added each subsequent year. According to SME, the program will be giving $1.4 million in… Keep Reading
Iowa Mold Tooling adds Kahn Truck Equipment as distributor
Iowa Mold Tooling Co. (IMT) added Kahn Truck Equipment Co., located in St. Louis, Mo., to its distributor network. Kahn Truck Equipment will now service IMT customers in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. “We’re excited to welcome Kahn Truck Equipment to our distributor network,” says Tim Gerbus, IMT director of sales. “Kahn Truck Equipment’s focus on service vehicles, vast experience and commitment to customer success make the company an ideal partner for IMT.” Kahn Truck Equipment now carries IMT’s Dominator mechanic trucks, telescopic cranes, Site Star lube trucks and lube skids, air compressors and articulating cranes. Kahn also provides IMT parts and services, including mobile field services. Keep Reading
P&Q Hall of Fame Profile: Glen Barton
Executive paved Caterpillar’s way into mining, spurred tremendous growth. Glen Barton was destined to “bleed yellow” since he was five years old, when his father purchased the first family tractor. “At six or seven, I could drive it and do everything you could do with a farm tractor,” says Glen Barton, retired chairman and CEO of Caterpillar. “It was sort of in your blood.” Barton worked at Cat for 43 years, but his interest in the industry didn’t start when he joined the company—it began long before that. At a young age, Barton had a fascination with the way things worked, and he taught himself about engines using an unlikely tool: a washing machine. “Washing machines used to have gas engines on them,” he says, describing how he used to remove the engine to tinker with it. Throughout his youth, Barton ran his family farm in southern Missouri with his two older brothers. He then followed in their footsteps to become a civil engineer. Barton graduated from the University of… Keep Reading
P&Q Hall of Fame Profile: Eli Whitney Blake
Inventor revolutionizes road-building industry with stone crusher. Two hundred years ago, building a two-mile macadam road was a daunting task. Today, it’s not a problem because of Eli Whitney Blake’s stone crusher. Born in 1795 in Westborough, Mass., Blake had the family talent for creative thinking and devising innovative solutions to challenging tasks. His father was a farmer, and his uncle, Eli Whitney, invented the cotton gin. Blake attended Yale University and graduated in 1816. Following graduation, he pursued a law degree at the Litchfield Law School. During his second year at Litchfield, Blake was summoned by his uncle, Eli Whitney, to help him expand his arms factory near New Haven, Conn., along with Blake’s brother, Philos. After his uncle’s passing, Blake and his brother took over Whitney Armory until 1835. That year, Blake and his brother, along with another individual, John, started a factory of their own called “Blake Brothers.” The factory made door locks, latches and other domestic hardware items. This company was the first in the country… Keep Reading
Eriez names Gland director of Erie operations
Eriez promoted Tim Gland to director of Erie operations. Gland joined the company one year ago as facilities director and previously worked for Lord Corp. as director-chemical and mechanical operations. In his new position, Gland will be responsible for all manufacturing operations at the company’s Erie, Penn., headquarters and Asbury Road plants. He will oversee the facilities’ production control, purchasing, subcontracting, shipping and operations. Keep Reading
Vulcan Vice Chairman Shepherd to retire
Vulcan Materials announced the retirement of its Vice Chairman Danny Shepherd on April 1. Shepherd joined the company in 1973 and worked a number of positions, including vice president and general manager for Georgia in 1989. He left the company in 1993 and returned in 2002 as president of Vulcan’s Southeast Division. Before he was promoted to vice chairman in 2013, Shepherd served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. After April 1, Shepherd agreed to serve as a principal advisor to Vulcan’s senior management team. Keep Reading
