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App assists in chemical selection
Wilden's free Chemical Resistance Guide mobile app is designed to provide Wilden customers with one-click access to information regarding the chemical resistance of various types of diaphragm materials. The app works on iPhone, Android, Windows and Blackberry platforms, the company says, and it can be saved to a user’s device home screen to be accessed without a network connection. According to Wilden, it recently developed new tools, guides and information that will educate customers on the various diaphragms available for air-operated double diaphragm pumps. The new tools range from basic diaphragm information to a cross-reference grid, the company says. All of the materials are housed on the Wilden diaphragm website. wildendiaphragms.com Keep Reading
Howard Hall: 2014 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame Inductee
After serving in France during World War I, Hall, a 2014 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame inductee, started his business career in 1919 by buying Iowa Steel & Iron Works in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Four years later, he and associates formed Iowa Manufacturing Co. to manufacture rock-crushing equipment. The company quickly became known nationally and internationally for crushing and screening equipment sold under the brand name Cedarapids. Keep Reading
IronPlanet and Cat Auction Services to merge
IronPlanet will be merging with Cat Auction Services. Once combined, the two companies will provide buyers and sellers with used heavy construction equipment. They will also provide auction and remarketing solutions; a global, integrated market; and value and convenience for customers. “The live auction format from Cat Auction Services, along with IronPlanet’s online marketplaces, will give our customers the innovative solutions they are looking for to meet their inventory management requirements,” says Gary Trettel, president and CEO of Cat Auction Services. “This is a very significant merger as both companies are industry leading and clearly complement each other. We have a unique opportunity to transform our business and position ourselves to meet the growing demand of our customers for better technology, tools, and services when buying and selling heavy equipment.” Keep Reading
Vulcan announces a retirement from board of directors
Vulcan Materials Co. announced the retirement of H. Allen Franklin from its board of directors, effective Dec. 31. Franklin, who is retiring due to health reasons, joined the board in 2001 and is the former chairman, president and CEO of Southern Co. He also served on Vulcan’s board’s executive, audit, compensation, and safety, health and environmental affairs committees. Keep Reading
EPA announces decision to not regulate fly-ash
According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made a decision to not regulate fly-ash, a byproduct of coal combustion that produces electricity, as “hazardous material.” According to ARTBA, this decision will save American taxpayers $105 billion over the next 20 years. The EPA’s fly-ash rule will be setting new requirements for the storage of fly-ash. Keep Reading
Unique retrofit
A producer successfully incorporates modern replacement parts into a 20-year-old log washer. Seeking out replacement parts that aren’t genuine factory replacement parts can be a risky move if producers don’t prioritize quality. But for Lloyd Gerbrandt, manager of Butler Brothers Supplies in Duncan, B.C., Canada, updating the parts in his washing equipment translated into less maintenance, more uptime, reduced wear and improved performance. Butler Brothers is a family-owned, Canadian ready-mix and aggregate producer that’s been serving the South Vancouver Island area with aggregate and ready-mix concrete since the early 1940s. Its main aggregate depot, located in Duncan, supplies 65 different products, including limestone and granite. The company owns 23 ready-mix trucks with three batch plants in Central Saanich, downtown Victoria and Sooke. The company owns two log washers to scrub 3-in.-minus material and two KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens fine material washers to scrub and dewater sand products, in addition to a number of KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens products, including a classifying tank and feed conveyor. Three years ago,… Keep Reading
Expect more high torque with drive system
The Dodge HT500 synchronous drive system delivers high torque, low maintenance and potential energy savings with less overhung load than V-belts, according to Baldor Electric Co. HT500 belts also offer longer life in wet and oily environments than rubber-made products, the company says. The HT500 belt is made with polyurethane for harsh environment resistance and carbon fiber cords. baldor.com Keep Reading
Chuck Lien: 2014 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame Inductee
Chuck Lien, a 2014 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame inductee, established Pete Lien & Sons in 1944 with his father, Pete, and brother, Bruce. The company grew from one of three employees and one location to a company with nearly 400 employees across 30 sites in three different states. Lien reinvested the company's earnings into reserves in South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado and grew Pete Lien & Sons into a $100 million company. He served in World War II and the Korean War. Keep Reading
Cleans chevron, cleated and raised-rib belts
Flexco's motorized brush cleaner is designed to clean chevron, cleated and raised-rib belts. According to Flexco, the brush cleaner is also useful on worn or pitted vulcanized or mechanically spliced belts. For an optimal cleaning performance, the brush spins in opposite direction of the belt while the patterned polypropylene bristles reduce material buildup. The brush cleaner is available in sizes to fit belt widths of 18 in. to 84 in. Adjustable tensioners allow easy brush-to-belt modification as the bristles wear, the company adds. The simple design of the cleaner also makes replacing brushes fast and easy, Flexco says. flexco.com Keep Reading
