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‘Built for It’ trials embody creative construction
Caterpillar has taken construction to the next level with its series of “Built for It” trials, where it demonstrates its equipment in challenging, unique tasks. Among the latest of these tasks was building the world’s tallest sand castle. A Cat CS54B soil compactor, D6N dozer, 320D hydraulic excavator and 336D hydraulic excavator, among other Cat machinery, crafted the castle, reaching 41 ft., 3.67 in. for a Guinness World Record. Watch the video below to check out the building process. Keep Reading
Holt Cat president and COO retires
Holt Cat’s President and COO Allyn Archer retired on Dec. 31 after a 43-year career with the company. Archer joined the company in 1971 as a service technician leadman and eventually made his way into senior management. “Allyn’s career has been distinguished by a relentless commitment to excellence, integrity, values and service,” says Peter Holt, Holt Cat’s CEO. “Under his leadership our business has grown dramatically to serve new markets and new lines of business, becoming the No. 1 Caterpillar dealer in the nation.” Among Archer’s accomplishments was the company’s acquisition of Darr Equipment Company. Executive Vice President and General Manager David Harris will succeed Archer as president and COO. Keep Reading
MSHA releases 2014 mining fatality statistics
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that 24 deaths occurred in metal and nonmetal mines in 2014, an increase from 22 deaths in 2013. Eight deaths were caused by power haulage accidents, which involve equipment used to transport people. Six deaths in metal/nonmetal mining occurred underground and the remaining 18 occurred at surface operations. “Mining deaths are preventable, and those that occurred in 2014 are no exception,” says Joseph Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “While MSHA and the mining industry have made a number of improvements and have been moving mine safety in the right direction, these deaths, particularly those in the metal and nonmetal industry, makes clear the need to do more to protect our nation’s miners.” Keep Reading
Liebherr signs dealer in Alaska
Liebherr signed Delta Industrial Services in Alaska as a new dealer for its earthmoving and material handling equipment. “We are happy to move into a relationship with Liebherr," says Curtis Dufendach, president of Delta. “The new agreement with Liebherr will allow us to expand our product breath and target markets that we were unable to address before.” Doug Fletcher, Liebherr’s regional business manager, will be working with Delta to introduce the Liebherr line to its customer base. Delta has three dealership locations in Fairbanks and Delta Junction. Keep Reading
Gas tax an option for top Republican leader
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the incoming Republican leader of the Senate Transportation Committee, says a gas tax increase is up for consideration. "I don't think we take anything off the table at this point," John Thune said on "Fox News Sunday." According to CNN, the last time the federal gas tax increased in 1993, the price at the pump was $1.09. Now, the nationwide average has dropped to $2.20 — the lowest it’s been in years. Although this has been a relief for drivers, the Highway Trust Fund is looking at about a $100 billion shortfall, Thune says. On top of this, the fund is set to expire in May. With U.S. infrastructure in dire need of funding, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) proposed an increase of 12 cents per gallon over the next two years. In addition, business leaders, including the Chamber of Commerce, have called for an increase. The federal government currently collects 18.4 cents in tax per gallon of gasoline. Keep Reading
Frac sand producers face uncertainty with positivity
Earlier this fall PacWest Consulting Partners, a company that forecasts sand demand, projected sand use would grow by 20 percent in 2015. However, now that oil prices have fallen, many sand fracking companies are retrenching, says an article in The Wall Street Journal. PacSand now expects sand demand to stay flat. According to the article, new sand mines could add another 10 percent on top of the existing pile, decreasing frac sand prices even more. Despite this, U.S. Silica Holdings’ Chief Executive Bryan Shinn says he still expects growth in 2015 and job cuts “aren’t in the cards” for his company. Chief Executive Rick Shearer of Emerge Energy Services, another sand company, also acknowledges the challenges his company faces due to the decrease in oil prices. “Lower oil prices are a concern,” he says. “This adds a lot of uncertainty to 2015.” According to WSJ, Emerge Energy made its debut on the stock market at $17 in May 2013 and soared as high as $145 in August. Today it trades… Keep Reading
2014 construction put in place to end on high note
According to FMI’s Q4 Construction Outlook, total construction put in place (CPIP) for 2014 will be $62 billion greater than last year, which is a 7 percent increase. The outlook also reports that CPIP should finish around $972 billion this year and is expected to top $1.04 trillion in 2015. The report states that commercial and manufacturing construction are two of the largest growth sectors, accounting for more than $111 billion in new construction. In addition, it says that lodging has experienced the largest percentage increase for CPIP in 2014, accounting for nearly $17 billion in CPIP. Keep Reading
Global demand for silica sand reported to increase
According to the World Industrial Silica Sand study by The Freedonia Group, global demand for industrial silica sand is forecast to advance 5.5 percent per year to 291 million metric tons in 2018, with a value of $12.5 billion. This is expected due to increases in construction spending and manufacturing output worldwide. The North American market is expected to experience rapid gains in the hydraulic fracturing market, reports the study, as horizontal drilling for shale oil and gas resources expands. In addition, the Asia/Pacific region will remain the largest consumer of industrial sand through 2018 and the demand for silica sand in North America is expected to rise at a faster annual pace than any other regional market. The study also reports that the U.S. and Canada will lead regional growth, and strength in U.S. oilfield activity will boost demand for sand proppants. Keep Reading
Trimble debuts Insight HQ for aggregates industry
Trimble’s acquisition of Loadrite opened the company up to possibilities in the aggregates industry, including technological integration. With the acquisition, Trimble also gained ownership of Loadrite’s scale technology, including the company’s loader scales, excavator scales and belt scales. The scales have the ability to determine the exact weight of materials in or on the equipment, as well as track the operational activity of the equipment. To coordinate with these scales, Trimble began to integrate its current technological capabilities with the aggregate scales. The company came up with Insight HQ, a browser-based platform where operators can view the data from their equipment, which debuted at the 2014 Trimble Dimensions User Conference. The company integrated the scales with Insight HQ so the scales can send information to the Insight database. “We’re bringing an improved version of the existing technology,” said Johan Smet, general manager of the quarry division for Trimble Loadrite, at the conference. “Insight HQ is essentially a consolidated platform taking a lot of the reporting capabilities we have from different… Keep Reading
