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Higher confidence leads to increase in home building
Nationwide housing production rose nearly 23 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. “Builders are increasingly confident that buyers who have sat on the sidelines are feeling more secure about their economic situation and are now moving to purchase new homes,” says Rick Judson, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), in a press release. “This upward trend could be even stronger if not for persistently tight lending conditions for buyers and builders facing rising costs for building materials, lots and labor.” According to David Crowe, NAHB chief economist, single-family and multifamily starts are at five-year highs. "We hit a soft spot this fall when interest rates jumped and the government closed down, but mortgage rates still remain very affordable and pent-up demand is helping to boost the housing market," he says. "We expect a continued steady, gradual growth in starts and home sales in 2014.”… Keep Reading
Nonresidential, nonbuilding construction down
New construction starts in November fell 11 percent from the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction. The downturn followed heightened activity in October, which, according to the firm, showed the strongest pace for construction starts during 2013. Both nonresidential building and nonbuilding construction pulled back from their elevated October amounts. At the same time, residential building showed modest growth in November, continuing the steady upward trend that’s been present most of this year. For the first 11 months of 2013, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis came in at $475.3 billion – up 6 percent from the same period a year ago. McGraw Hill Construction adds that November’s data produced a reading of 111 for the Dodge Index, compared with 125 in October and 118 in September. For the first eight months of 2013, the Dodge Index had averaged 105 as it hovered within the fairly narrow range of 100 to 108. While November showed a decline from the previous two months, the level of activity was still… Keep Reading
Three metal/nonmetal mines involved in impact inspections
MSHA conducted impact inspections at three metal/nonmetal mines and six coal mines in October, issuing 120 citations and 10 orders, according to a press release. Impact inspections were curtailed during part of October due to the government shutdown. In addition, MSHA issued 174 citations, 11 orders and two safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines in November. Keep Reading
Komatsu app lets users monitor equipment with smartphones
Komatsu America Corp. launched a mobile app that allows users to view machine information from the Komtrax fleet-monitoring system on their Apple or Android smartphones or tablet devices. According to a press release, the app lets users locate assets and obtain driving directions to it; identify hours worked, idle time and fuel consumption; identify caution codes with descriptions and time stamps; understand machine movements; and analyze machine utilization. In addition, Komatsu says the app gives users the opportunity to directly contact their distributor, product support sales representative, salesperson, service provider, parts counter or Komtrax coordinator by emailing, calling or texting. The Komtrax App can be downloaded for free at either the Apple Store or the Google Play Store. Search for "Komtrax," download and register. Keep Reading
Caterpillar vice president to retire
Hans Haefeli, vice president with responsibilities over Caterpillar's Advanced Components & Systems Division, announced plans to retire after more than 15 years with the company. According to a press release, Haefeli will officially retire April 30, 2014. Jean Savage, who is currently a senior vice president and COO of Cat's locomotive and railcar services business unit, will take Haefeli's place. Keep Reading
Vulcan makes four changes at executive level
Vulcan Materials Co. announced several leadership changes for 2014. One change is that Tom Hill, previously senior vice president of Vulcan's South Region, was promoted to executive vice president and COO for the company. Hill joined Vulcan in 1979. In addition, John McPherson, senior vice president of Vulcan's East Region, was promoted to executive vice president and CFO. McPherson has been with Vulcan for two years. He spent many years with McKinsey & Co. In a third move, Danny Shepherd, executive vice president and COO, was promoted to vice chairman. Shepherd will support and advise the company on matters such as organization, business development and succession planning, while also helping to facilitate the transition of the new management team. Also, Dan Sansone, previously executive vice president and CFO, was named executive vice president, strategy. Sansone will lead strategic initiatives for the company and assist the transition of the new senior managers. "These are key steps in our succession planning process, which is an important and ongoing focus of our board of directors," says… Keep Reading
Hall of fame induction ceremony and dinner is March 3
Six men whose work and dedication made them pioneering leaders within the aggregates industry will officially be inducted into the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame on Monday, March 3, 2014, during a ceremony and dinner. The six pioneers join seven members of the inaugural class who were inducted into the hall of fame earlier this year. The six members of the 2014 class are: • J. Don Brock, Astec Industries Inc. • Bernie Grove, National Stone Association • Howard Hall, Iowa Manufacturing/Cedarapids Inc. • Chuck Lien, Pete Lien & Sons • Bruno Nordberg, Nordberg Manufacturing Co. • Ralph Rogers, Rogers Group The induction ceremony and dinner will take place at 7 p.m. March 3, following the NSSGA Chairman's Reception at the Encore Las Vegas. For more information on tickets to the black-tie induction ceremony and dinner, click here. Keep Reading
2014 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame class announced
Pit & Quarry's 2014 class of hall of fame inductees will be honored at a black-tie induction ceremony and dinner Monday, March 3, at 7 p.m. The event follows the NSSGA Chairman's Reception at the Encore Las Vegas. The six new inductees, detailed below in alphabetical order, were selected by a group of peers from a pool of nominees submitted by industry experts and you, our readers. This group joins the inaugural class in the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame. For more information on tickets to the black-tie induction ceremony and dinner, click here. J. Don Brock, Astec Industries Inc. J. Don Brock, chairman and CEO at Astec Industries Inc., founded his company in 1972. Under his leadership, Astec grew into a family of 17 companies - 13 of which are located in the United States. Astec also has companies in Australia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa. Brock presently has about 100 U.S. and foreign patents on construction machinery and drying equipment to his name. Photo: Don Brock Bernie Grove,… Keep Reading
Michelin opens manufacturing plant in South Carolina
Michelin opened a manufacturing facility to produce large tires for earthmoving equipment in Lexington, S.C. Dignitaries from across South Carolina joined Michelin executives and employees to celebrate the opening. The project, completed 17 months after ground was broken, enables Michelin to begin production of commercially available tires in January 2014 for sale in mid-2014. Back in April 2012, Michelin announced a $750 million investment to construct the 800,000-sq.-ft. facility and expand its existing Earthmover manufacturing plant in Lexington, S.C. Both projects created hundreds of jobs, says Michelin, which expects to create an additional several hundred in future years. Keep Reading
