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Mind shift: Using telematics for data management
Machine hours, location and health. Fuel consumption and idle time. Emissions. Payload. The number of areas telematics covers grows with each new generation of the technology. Aggregate producers are among those positioned to benefit from telematics, but the amount of data available can be overwhelming to those diving in for the first time. “I would say, in general, that construction machine owners and quarry machine owners are scared of the amount of data available,” says Liz Quinn, product marketing manager of John Deere Worksight, the telematics package John Deere offers. “They don’t want to be swimming in data. They feel like it kind of goes outside their skillset, and they’re not sure how to leverage it. They feel like they have to hire someone to take advantage of it.” Hiring a dedicated person is one route aggregate producers can take to capitalize on telematics. Other routes can be taken, though. One starting point is to simply develop a data strategy, says Ken Calvert, director of Komatsu America’s business solutions group.… Keep Reading
Proppant demand to grow steadily through decade’s end
Demand for proppants in North America is forecast to increase 7.6 percent annually through 2019 to 162 billion lbs., according to a Freedonia Group Inc. study. The Freedonia Group values the demand at $8.2 billion. The market research firm says demand for proppants will decelerate from the extremely rapid growth posted between 2004 and 2014. Future gains will result primarily from increases in proppant loadings in unconventional well completions. These and other trends are presented in "Proppants in North America," the Freedonia Group's study. In addition to growth in unconventional drilling and completion activity, dramatic increases in the volume of proppants used per well have also supported rising proppant demand and a changing product mix. “As oil and gas companies have gained experience in optimizing hydraulic fracturing design, they have increasingly shifted away from premium resin-coated sand and ceramic proppants toward using much larger volumes of raw frac sand," says Jason Carnovale, a Freedonia Group analyst. While a period of high and relatively stable oil prices between 2011 and 2014… Keep Reading
FMI forecast revised to incorporate more potential growth
Construction activities are forecasted to grow at 6 percent through 2015, up from a second-quarter forecast of 5 percent, according to the latest FMI construction outlook. Construction growth is not only predicted to rise this year, but it is expected to climb to 7 percent and reach $1.09 billion in 2016. That would be the highest total since 2008, according to FMI. However, as construction gets busier, productivity improvement becomes more of a challenge, says Chris Daum, president and senior managing director of FMI Capital Advisors Inc. “Improvements in productivity will be critical for achieving growth and sustaining margins in the years ahead,” Daum says. “We expect to see the use of new technologies and services expand, especially in highly competitive markets or where it has been difficult to find skilled workers.” The latest FMI construction outlook forecasts growth for 17 sectors, across residential, non-residential and non-building groups. Manufacturing continues to be the fastest-growing construction sector this year at 18 percent, FMI says, but other strong markets are lodging, office,… Keep Reading
New, improved products emerge from dealer conference
KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens hosted 65 North American dealers at its annual National Dealer Conference this week at the Kolberg-Pioneer Inc. manufacturing facility in Yankton, S.D. KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens launched new products and sales tools for its dealers during the conference. This year, the company launched a number of new and improved pieces of equipment, including the 2056 Vanguard jaw crusher, the GT104 track-mounted screening plant, the GT205 track-mounted multi-frequency screening plant, the 6204QF screen, the portable K300/6203CC crushing and screening plant, the SuperStacker with improved Wizard Touch automation system, a portable hopper feeder, the FT4250 with tow-behind conveyor and the GT125 track-mounted jaw crusher. The company also launched its new S-Series parts line, a brand of cone liners and jaw dies. In addition to educational sessions on KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens’ latest innovations, 12 dealers were recognized for their sales excellence during the annual National Dealer Conference awards dinner. Keep Reading
Interest in Thornton Quarry tours reaches an all-time high
Massive canyons appear on both sides as passers-by drive east or west through Thornton, Ill., on Interstate 80. Often, people will get outside their vehicles to peer into the massive manmade holes. "They're standing by the fence trying to get a look at what's going on down there," says Margaret Loitz, president of the Thornton Historical Society. Locals dubbed this site “the Grand Canyon of the Midwest.” A mere look from the top isn’t satisfying enough for some people. Some have returned over the years to visit the quarry operation – Lehigh Hanson’s Thornton Quarry – that’s situated below the interstate. Open invitations aren't available to the Thornton Quarry. Lehigh Hanson does, however, have an active partnership with the Thornton Historical Society, which organizes biannual tours of the quarry. The tours are so popular that they're sold out through this decade. "We are booked into 2022," Loitz says. "They just keep coming in." A major attraction According to Loitz, the Thornton Historical Society-organized tours of the Thornton Quarry started around 1985.… Keep Reading
Why passage of a long-term highway bill is unlikely this year
There goes the industry's chance this year for a long-term highway bill. That was my reaction upon reading earlier this month that the U.S. Department of Transportation updated its Highway Trust Fund ticker and reported that the federal government is unlikely to run out of money for infrastructure projects until June 2016. Industry stakeholders must have had the same thought upon reading that more funds are apparently available than originally anticipated. Congress still faces an Oct. 29 deadline to extend a federal policy authorizing highway spending. But the urgency that existed knowing funds would run out sooner than later lessens the likelihood of a long-term highway bill making its way through Congress this year. Transportation lobbyists aren't giving up hope, though. According to The Hill, long-term highway bill advocates are urging the House to pass an existing, six-year Senate bill that provides three guaranteed years of funding. Also, the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) and some of its members were on Capitol Hill this week to discuss the… Keep Reading
New rescue facility in Kentucky available to mines
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) opened a mine rescue station Sept. 18 in Madisonville, Ky. According to MSHA, the facility will serve mining operations in the Midwest during mine emergencies. The facility joins emergency response stations in Pittsburgh, Beckley, W.Va., and Price, Utah. Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for MSHA, is expected to deliver brief remarks during an event at the Madisonville mine rescue station on Sept. 18. Other MSHA officials, a representative from Kentucky’s Division of Mine Safety and others are also expected to deliver brief remarks. Tours of the facility are scheduled to follow. MSHA says the Madisonville station will house a mine emergency unit team truck, a surface communication system, a first response underground communication system, infrared gas monitoring and a mobile gas chromatograph laboratory. Keep Reading
Report quantifies transportation projects’ effects on economy
An American Road & Transportation Builders Association report (ARTBA) finds that the money invested in transportation construction industry employment and purchases generates nearly $510 billion in annual U.S. economic activity. According to ARTBA, that figure accounts for 1.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The report, which ARTBA chief economist Alison Premo Black authored, is titled "The 2015 U.S. Transportation Construction Industry Profile." Black estimates that the annual value of public and private transportation construction and maintenance work will be nearly $275 billion in 2015. According to ARTBA, that ranks higher than sectors such as wireless communications carriers ($254 billion); food and beverage stores ($222.5 billion); insurance agencies and brokers ($219.5 billion); nursing care facilities ($171.1 billion); aircraft manufacturing ($158.3 billion); and automobile manufacturing ($131.4 billion). The report also shows that the transportation construction industry supports nearly 4 million full-time jobs, generating more than $155 billion in direct and induced wages nationally. “The simple fact is that nearly 63 million American jobs in just tourism, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, agriculture… Keep Reading
U.S. Concrete acquires two aggregate facilities
U.S. Concrete Inc. acquired two sand-and-gravel operations from E&A Materials Inc. and Pitts Sand & Gravel Inc., respectively. The operations are located near Vernon, Texas, and Waurika, Okla. According to a press release, U.S. Concrete plans to improve the operating dynamics of its northern Texas and southern Oklahoma operations by combining the efforts of this business into one cohesive unit with its existing ready-mixed concrete operations. "We are excited to welcome this highly complementary business to our growing family of companies and, specifically, this addition to our aggregates operations," says William J. Sandbrook, president and CEO of U.S. Concrete. "This acquisition provides us a unique opportunity to improve the operating efficiencies of our overall business in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. As we move forward, we remain intensely focused on further increasing our level of vertical integration through increasing our aggregate profile." According to a press release, U.S. Concrete has 13 producing aggregates facilities, 139 standard ready-mixed concrete plants and 16 volumetric ready-mixed concrete facilities. U.S. Concrete sold about 4.7… Keep Reading
