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Superior hires conveying equipment territory manager
Superior Industries Inc. added Bill Humphrey as a territory sales manager. Humphrey will work closely with Superior’s dealers in the Midwest to bring conveying equipment to bulk material producers in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. Humphrey most recently worked at Aggregates Manufacturing International, where he had sales, design and production responsibilities. He has also worked for Process Machinery Inc., Nordberg Manufacturing and J.W. Jones Co. Keep Reading
Atlas Copco crusher, screen demoed at dealer event
Aggregate producers and recycling professionals saw new crushing and screening equipment in action at Pine Bush Equipment’s Holmes, N.Y., location. The event introduced Atlas Copco's PC2 jaw crusher and HS1 screen to Pine Bush customers and served as a step in the training process for the dealership’s sales force. Pine Bush Equipment specialist Dave Ewald says the Powercrusher PC2 is a great fit for rental or purchase, in both recycling and small job aggregate work. “The PC2 and HS1 have a small footprint, and that is important to a lot of customers who have sites where other screens might not fit," Ewald says. The Powercrusher PC2 crusher features quattro movement, which causes a figure-eight motion in the moving jaw. This increases feed capacity and produces a post-crush at the crusher outlet, according to Atlas Copco. The initial swing-stroke movement of the jaw gives 100 percent crushing across the entire surface of the jaw plate, the company adds. The PC2 material inlet measures 40 in. x 28 in., with a capacity… Keep Reading
Atlas Copco adds dealer in West Virginia for crushing, screening line
Swanson Industries, a distributor located in Morgantown, W.Va., is now carrying Atlas Copco's Powercrusher crushing and screening line of equipment. According to a press release, Swanson Industries has been representing Atlas Copco’s surface crawlers and rock drilling tools for more than 15 years. The Powercrusher line of track-mounted mobile crushers and screens is designed for demolition, recycling, quarrying and road construction applications. The product range covers jaw crushers, impact crushers and cone crushers with a crushing capacity ranging from 242 to 606 tph. The range includes screens with a capacity of 242 to 485 tph. Keep Reading
Nonresidential building plans see spike in April
The Dodge Momentum Index measuring the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning advanced 8.4 percent in April to 123.0, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The momentum index had retreated in February and March, following steady gains that were reported during most of 2013. With the April increase, the momentum index resumed its upward track and is up 17.8 percent compared to the same month a year ago, McGraw Hill says. A harsh winter helped to slow overall economic growth in the first months of 2014, the firm adds, but prospects for commercial development are again showing improvement, as reflected by the growing number of projects at the planning stage and strengthening market fundamentals such as occupancy rates and rents. The commercial segment of the momentum index specifically climbed 12.1 percent from March. The institutional segment rose 3.9 percent. Keep Reading
Organizations team to promote infrastructure needs with dedicated week
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, Building America’s Future, the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution organized Infrastructure Week 2014, a full week of events and briefings, national and targeted regional media coverage and other activities convening business and policy leaders to articulate the national, regional and local challenges in maintaining, updating and developing new infrastructure across the United States. According to a press release, Infrastructure Week 2014 is designed to help build momentum and urgency to attract the attention of key policymakers and the larger community by telling the story of business, labor, industry and citizens dedicated to improving America’s global competitiveness through investment in infrastructure. The Highway Materials Group includes the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the American Concrete Pavement Association, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, the Portland Cement Association and the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute. The group has been meeting with members of Congress during the past months to… Keep Reading
MSHA gathering industry to discuss spike in mining deaths
MSHA plans to host a meeting of mine industry stakeholders in the wake of a dramatic increase in metal and nonmetal mining deaths. The meeting, to take place May 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET at MSHA's headquarters in Arlington, Va., will address the causes of recent deaths, identify actions needed to prevent them and work to reverse the trend. According to a press release, there have been nine deaths in the metal and nonmetal sector since the start of 2014. Plus, nine of the 22 metal and nonmetal deaths that occurred in 2013 happened in the fourth quarter. “The recent news on the rise in mining fatalities is disturbing,” says Joe Main, MSHA's assistant secretary of labor, in a press release. “We plan to engage all of our tools: enforcement, education and training, and technical support, to respond to this trend. “It is clear that, at some of the operations involved, basic health and safety protections are not always in place," Main adds. "MSHA will provide operators… Keep Reading
MSHA to increase enforcement following fatalities
MSHA, following a string of industry fatalities, is encouraging inspectors to do more to keep miners out of hazardous situations, NSSGA reports. According to the association, MSHA Administrator Neal Merrifield indicated he has directed agency inspectors to look for miners working in hazardous situations, issue a 107-A order citing imminent danger and withdraw the miners. Merrifield expressed concern that many of the recent fatalities appear to be the result of ill-advised actions. In addition to his directive, Merrifield is asking NSSGA for help. One step NSSGA says it has taken is to increase circulation of MSHA's best practices tied to all fatalities occurring to operator personnel in the aggregates industry. Eleven miners died in the aggregates industry last year, according to NSSGA, compared with seven 2012 deaths. Five industry fatalities have happened so far in 2014, the association adds. Keep Reading
Nonresidential drives Martin Marietta’s first quarter aggregates growth
Martin Marietta Materials Inc. released its first-quarter report April 29, touting net sales increases of 10 percent and increases in aggregate product line volumes. “Our first-quarter 2014 results reflect the continued economic momentum from 2013’s fourth quarter, as well as successful execution of our strategic initiatives to improve performance and maintain a lean cost structure," says Ward Nye, president and CEO of Martin Marietta Materials, in a press release. "This combination helped drive both revenue growth and improved profitability." According to the press release, Martin Marietta's aggregates product line shipments increased 8 percent, with March shipments increasing 13 percent compared with 2013. Nye says that's an indicator of accelerating demand as the construction season begins. Aggregates product line shipments achieved double-digit growth in three of the four end-use markets Martin Marietta measures. Volumes to the nonresidential market represented 34 percent of quarterly shipments and increased 13 percent, according to a press release, reflecting growth in the commercial and energy sectors. The residential end-use market accounted for 15 percent of quarterly… Keep Reading
Foxx completes tour promoting need for highway funding solution
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx wrapped up a multi-state bus tour last week, making several stops to see what's taking place – or, in some cases, not taking place – on the frontlines of U.S. infrastructure development. One place Foxx visited is Garland, Texas, a city Foxx describes in a blog post on the U.S. Department of Transportation's website as one that's rapidly growing with people yet failing to keep pace in terms of infrastructure. "The expansion of the Lyndon Johnson Freeway in Garland, [Texas], is one of countless projects across the country that needs to be tackled, but can’t because we aren’t adequately investing in our infrastructure," Foxx writes. "Dallas and the surrounding area sit at the center of one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, and they desperately need new roads to help reduce congestion and to create jobs, as well. "These are the kinds of investments we need to make all over the country," Foxx continues. "And my hope is that, if we do, the next time I… Keep Reading
