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Vulcan to host investor day Feb. 25
Vulcan Materials announced that it will be hosting its investor day Wednesday, Feb. 25 in Washington, D.C. Vulcan President and CEO Tom Hill will lead the event, which will include presentations from members of the senior management team as they outline their corporate strategy and strategic priorities to expand Vulcan’s market leadership in the aggregates industry. Investors and other interested parties are welcome to listen to the live webcast, which will began 9:30 a.m. EST on Vulcan’s website. A replay of the webinar will also be available three hours after the webinar ends. Keep Reading
Cat headquarters to remain in Peoria, new design revealed
After completing a multiyear study focused on modernizing its headquarters, Caterpillar Inc. reaffirmed that its headquarters will remain in Peoria, Ill. The company also revealed a new design that will eventually span 31 acres on the city’s riverfront, which will include a three-tower building located in the heart of a six-block campus. “Caterpillar’s roots in the Peoria area run deep, and this year we celebrate 90 years as a company—a perfect time to share our plans of where we plan to be anchored as we continue to build, develop and power the world,” says Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman. “This campus represents an investment in both our people and community, with such features as collaborative work areas, improved technology, a more energy-efficient design, green space and an expanded showcase of our historical equipment, along with food and retail shops.” Construction for this multiyear project will begin after 2015. The six-block campus will include a headquarters building consisting of three office towers with parking structures; an energy center; green space,… Keep Reading
January construction rises 9 percent
According to Dodge Data & Analytics, the value of new construction starts climbed 9 percent in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $621 billion with a Dodge Index of 131. The increase in January construction was due in large part to the nonbuilding construction sector, which benefited from the start of a liquefied natural gas terminal facility in Texas. In January, nonbuilding construction climbed 87 percent to $231.8 billion. The electric power and gas plant category soared 840 percent, the public works portion grew 7 percent and the miscellaneous public works category rose 49 percent. In addition, sewer construction increased 30 percent and water supply construction was up 12 percent. Nonresidential building fell 17 percent to $159.3 billion in January, with much of the decline due to the manufacturing plant category, which decreased 61 percent. The commercial categories as a group also retreated, lowering 13 percent. New hotel construction starts were down 31 percent, store construction decreased 5 percent and office construction fell 3 percent. Warehouse construction was… Keep Reading
David Stillman to present keynote speech at NSSGA convention
David Stillman, best-selling author and expert on generational issues in the workplace, will deliver the keynote speech at the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s annual convention closing general session on Wednesday, March 18 in the Baltimore Convention Center. Stillman’s presentation, titled “Rocking the Workplace: Leading and Engaging Four Generations,” is based off his book When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work. During his speech, Stillman will address the top talent trends on the horizon and what it will take to attract and retain the best employees. He will also provide hands-on methods to close generation gaps as well as tools to recruit, retain, motivate and manage each generation. Keep Reading
RAM adds Advanced Vibration Technology course to program
R. A. McClure (RAM) added a one-day Advanced Vibration Technology course to its educational program, following its Premier Surface Blasting course Sept. 9-11. According to the company, this training program targets a growing need for companies operating in high liability areas to control vibration generated by the blasting program. The course, held Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will educate attendees on capturing the signature hole, analyzing data and processing results in order to determine the best detonator timing for a blast. It will also cover seismograph analysis using the Mini-Seis III seismograph. Attendees will be supplied with high-tech workstations that include Seismograph Data Analysis and Alpha-Blast software for blast analysis. They will receive eight continuing education hours for completing this one-day course. Attendees can register for each course individually or as a package. Those who register for the Surface Blasting course before July 31 will receive a discount, and those who register for both courses by July 31 will receive an additional discount on the Advanced Vibration… Keep Reading
MSHA revises proposed civil penalties rule
According to NSSGA, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has been making substantial revisions to its proposed civil penalties rule. NSSGA and other stakeholders have expressed opposition to the rule, which has the potential to reduce operators’ options to contest citations and risk an increase in penalty assessments. “The agency made significant improvement in the proposed civil penalties rule,” says Joe Casper, vice president of safety services for NSSGA. “While it’s clear that MSHA is listening to our concerns, we’ll only know with certainty once the final rule is published.” MSHA improved the definitions of “severity” and “gravity of violations,” which will save money in penalty assessment costs, NSSGA reports. MSHA held a public meeting regarding the rule Feb. 12 and also extended the deadline for comments on the proposed rule to March 31. Keep Reading
SME offers preview of annual conference
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) released a new episode for its Thought Leaders podcast series that features SME Executive Director David L. Kanagy discussing the 2015 SME Annual Conference & Expo scheduled for Feb. 15-18 in Denver. The conference will include more than 900 booths, 100 technical sessions and 628 professional papers for attendees, SME reports. The conference sessions will cover topics including coal and energy, bulk materials handling, environmental issues, geology, industrial minerals and aggregates, mining and exploration, metallurgy and mineral processing, industry research, and health and safety programs. The conference theme is “Mining: Navigating the Global Waters,” and it will include three pavilions on the exhibit floor. The opening keynote session, titled “The Mine of the Future: Forecasting Opportunities and Challenges for the Global Mining Industry,” begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16 and will feature a number of leaders across the coal, metal, industrial minerals and aggregates industries. “One of the best reasons for anyone to come to the SME annual meeting is for… Keep Reading
FMI warns shortage in trade workers may slow construction
After surveying members of the Construction Personnel Executive Group, FMI reported a craft labor shortage might slow construction. The survey determined that 24 percent of the survey respondents will be unable to bid more work and 32 percent will experience slow growth if their companies cannot meet the need for skilled labor and tradespeople. “Overall, there’s an increase needed in skilled trade workers of more than 10 percent throughout the next three to 10 years,” says Ken Wilson, director for FMI. According to FMI, the top five positions that will be most difficult to fill are heavy equipment operators, welder/boil makers, carpenters, pipefitters and ironworkers. Two of the significant contributing factors to the high demand for craft labor include the shift of construction workers to oil and gas related construction, and the number of survey respondents that plan to increase the amount of work the company self-performs, FMI reports. Download a copy of FMI’s 2015 survey report, "Craft Labor Recruiting and Retention" here. Keep Reading
McCourt & Sons named distributor for CDE Global
CDE Global announced that McCourt & Sons Equipment joined its global sales network. McCourt & Sons will now be selling CDE Global’s full range of washing and classification equipment at its locations in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Over the last year, the companies have been working together in North America on a number of projects, and both see this partnership as a way of moving forward in 2015. “We expect 2015 to be a very significant year for CDE in North America” says Joel Prince, CDE regional manager in North America. “McCourt & Sons is a name associated with quality equipment, excellent customer service and above all a capability to work with customers to identify issues with their existing processing plant and develop a system that improves efficiency. This matches our own approach to the design and execution of successful materials washing projects and we are very excited about the opportunities that will present themselves as a result of our new partnership.” Keep Reading
