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A national audience
About 12 million people watch the television news magazine 60 Minutes each week. So, when yesterday's program led off with a report about America's aging and crumbling roads and bridges, viewers heard in 15 minutes a message our industry has spent countless hours and millions of dollars trying to get across. "Falling apart: America's neglected infrastructure" may have helped the cause for highway funding more than all of the ROCKPAC dollars that have ever been spent. This isn't a criticism of NSSGA's lobbying effort — it's simply a recognition of the power of the voting public. Ultimately, politicians who want to stay in office must cater to the wishes of their constituents, so getting the public onboard with the need for infrastructure improvements is the most important piece of the puzzle. Reporter Steve Kroft leads off the segment: "There are a lot of people in the United States right now who think the country is falling apart, and at least in one respect they're correct. Our roads and bridges are… Keep Reading
Showtime in the desert
When introducing its 6020B hydraulic mining shovel and 994K wheel loader last week, Caterpillar put on quite a show in the Arizona desert. Taking place at the company’s Tinaja Hills Demonstration & Learning Center near Tucson, the event drew about a dozen journalists and more than 200 customers. Taking the stage first was the 994K wheel loader, a unit designed for large mining operations. While onlookers watched from the bleachers, Cat demonstrated the 994K side-by-side with its predecessor – the 994H. A key selling point of the new unit is its ability to load large mining trucks in few passes, resulting in a lower cost per unit of material moved. After dark the real show began, when journalists and customers returned to the demonstration area for the unveiling of the 6020B hydraulic mining shovel. Applicable to large aggregate operations, you can learn more about it here. Combining music, laser lights and fireworks, the show delighted customers. And while the 6020B was the center of attention, the well-choreographed display also included… Keep Reading
Cat introduces new hydraulic shovel
Caterpillar introduced its new 6020B hydraulic mining shovel to a gathering of journalists and customers at the company’s proving grounds in Tinaja Hills, Ariz., near Tucson. Featuring a standard 15.7-cu.-yd. bucket and 24-ton payload, the unit is well suited for high-volume aggregate operations, in addition to mining applications. The Cat 6020B is a brand new model in the extensive line of Cat hydraulic mining shovels. The clean-sheet design features a 247-ton operating weight and teams with the Cat 777G off-highway truck for optimized loading and hauling. "Voice-of-customer drove the requirements of the machine,” says Anita Russwurm, product introduction manager for the 6020B. “Every decision, every design detail was based on the hundreds of comments we received during our customer research,” she says. The 6020B features a new, state-of-the-art cab and operator station with high visibility provided by the large floor window and expansive windshield and side windows. Unrestricted lines of sight to the crawler tracks and pit floor aid the operator when repositioning the shovel and when loading trucks. Modular… Keep Reading
Rocking out in Cleveland
Every year, the staff of Pit & Quarry hosts a Roundtable & Conference, where we entertain aggregate producers, manufacturers, association representatives and other industry experts. This year, the event was held in Cleveland and included a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Roundtable participants roamed the museum halls to see things like stage outfits from Mick Jaggar and David Bowie and guitars from Jimi Hendrix and U2. The Roll Hall’s first redesign in its 15-year history was completed in early 2012 and includes several new exhibit spaces and hundreds of new artifacts, including Beatles’ items on display to the public for the first time. Our conference also included a talk by FMI’s George Reddin on the industry’s economic outlook, and Mike Heenan, Pit & Quarry’s safety/law columnist, discussed MSHA issues. Split into two simultaneous sessions, the roundtable portion of the event was recorded, as participants talked about the economy, highway bill, MSHA, trade shows, labor issues and much more. As always, we publish an edited… Keep Reading
George Reddin joins Pit & Quarry team
We are pleased to announce that George Reddin, a managing director with FMI Capital Advisors Inc., joins Mike Heenan and David Chereb as a regular Pit & Quarry contributor. Reddin will serve as our economics columnist, and his articles will appear on a quarterly basis. With FMI, Reddin specializes in mergers and acquisitions, and financial advisory services. Reddin works regularly with companies in the construction materials industry (aggregate, hot-mix asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and concrete products), as well as with contractors involved in roadbuilding construction. He is a member of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, National Asphalt Pavement Association, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and the National Precast Concrete Association. Keep Reading
NSSGA discusses key issues at Fall Board Meeting
At the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association's (NSSGA) Fall Board Meeting in Santa Barbara, Calif., members advanced the Rocks Build America strategic plan with consultant Glenn Tecker who led a two-day workshop. NSSGA reports that the purpose of the seminar was to align the goals of membership, the board and association staff to strengthen the aggregates industry. “Harnessing the energy of the entire membership to grow the scope, size and influence of NSSGA will ultimately serve the best interests of every aggregates producer and the companies that support them,” said NSSGA President and CEO Mike Johnson. According to the association, members heard from the association’s various divisions on a wide range of successes, challenges and future plans. The group reports that the most pressing topic on the legislative and regulatory front is NSSGA’s push to get Congress to pass a multiyear, well-funded surface transportation bill before the end of the calendar year. NSSGA actively supported the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act passed by the House… Keep Reading
Think pink
Supplier to the aggregates industry, Philippi-Hagenbuch Inc. (PHIL), is showing its caring side with its Pink Tailgate Initiative. With a goal of raising money for breast cancer research and prevention, the company is donating 5 percent of all proceeds from the sale of pink tailgates through the end of the year. In the same spirit of caring, Pit & Quarry and our parent company North Coast Media LLC (NCM) are also giving back, as a portion of all October advertising revenue will be donated to the American Cancer Society. In addition to the monetary donation, all NCM publications will feature pink logos in October, along with pink ribbons to raise awareness for breast cancer charities. "Giving back is an important part of the culture here at North Coast Media," says President Kevin Stoltman. Other recent NCM charitable activities include donations to the American Red Cross, Wounded Warrior Project and more. Additionally, NCM staff members regularly volunteer their time to serve lunches at the Bishop Cosgrove Center in Cleveland, which helps… Keep Reading
CEMA to expand membership to all of the Americas
The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) held its Fall Meeting in Chicago, where the organization announced plans to expand membership to all countries in the Americas. CEMA will also print its book, "Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials," in Spanish. Better known as the "Belt Book," it's currently in its seventh edition. Nearly 100 CEMA members, as well as Pit & Quarry, attended the fall meeting. Economist Daniel Young, a vice president at Wells Fargo, gave a talk on the economy. Young said the U.S. economy continues its recovery, and noted that since 2009, the cumulative return of the stock market is at about 100 percent. Topics of the group's meetings included revising standards, establishing best practices, and the affects of federal legislation and regulations. CEMA will hold its next annual meeting March 6-10, 2015 in Naples, Fla. Keep Reading
Public content
I've used this space from time to time in recent years to suggest that a large highway bill isn't getting done because politicians in Washington simply don't have the stomach to vote for a costly measure that would require raising the federal gas tax. A recent survey from the Associated Press and GfK Public Affairs suggests the American public doesn't have the stomach for it, either. We seem to be content with our roads. The poll results show that only 14 percent of Americans support the idea of raising federal gasoline taxes from their current levels of 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel fuel. The poll indicates that the idea with the largest show of support (still only 30 percent) is to turn the responsibility for paying for such projects over to state and local governments. However, at least in Missouri, the American public showed it isn't ready for that approach, either. The state's voters have soundly defeated a proposed sales tax increase… Keep Reading
