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Portable Metso machine combines crushing, screening
Metso introduced two new portable plants Monday during ConExpo-Con/Agg 2014 in the Lokotrack LT220D crusher and the Lokotrack ST2.8 screen. According to Adrian Wood, Metso's vice president of sales support for crushing and screening equipment, the LT220D will revolutionize the way aggregate producers operate. Wood says the key to Metso's new crusher, which blends crushing and screening, is a centrifugal conveyor. "We take the material along the conveyor and turn it 180 degrees by centrifugal force," Wood says. "The machine becomes very compact. You have a very small area where we transfer [material]. That's what makes [the machine] transportable." Advantages Wood expects producers to experience with the LT220D are less downtime and less trailer transportation. "We believe that because you have one machine instead of two you'll have 100 hours' less downtime [per year]," Wood says. "We think there will be about 600 miles less trailer transport [per year]." He adds that Metso's LT106 jaw crusher is an ideal machine to partner with the LT220D. The second new Metso machine,… Keep Reading
Mellott venturing into new territories
Mellott Co. has traditionally been a regional company focused on contract crushing, and one that has primarily sold new equipment. But Mellott, a Warfordsburg, Pa.-based company, is venturing into some new areas to accommodate customers' evolving needs, says Rich Blake, the company's president. One recent company development is the Mellott Certified Rebuild Program. "We're in the remanufacturing business," Blake says. "We'll buy an asset, we can part it out or we can remanufacture the whole machine." Blake says the program is one that gives customers the opportunity to get something for equipment for which they no longer have a need. Blake also says Mellott is capable and willing to remanufacture equipment across a variety of brands. The Mellott Certified Rebuild Program preceded another recently developed program: the Mellott Component Exchange Program. This program is designed to expedite repairs of complete assembles for crushers by allowing customers to instead exchange components. According to a press release, the program offers a credit on repairable assembly cores. Mellott is offering a choice of… Keep Reading
Senator sets course of action on transportation bill
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) plans to bring a surface transportation authorization bill before her fellow Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members as early as April, according to NSSGA. Boxer is planning a series of committee hearings to build momentum for action on a bill. According to NSSGA, while the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has jurisdiction over most transportation regulations and policy, the Senate Finance Committee must find a way to save the Highway Trust Fund. Keep Reading
Vig, Hay to be honored with NSSGA awards
NSSGA will present three awards reflecting outstanding grassroots contributions in 2013 at its Honors Awards Ceremony during its annual convention in Las Vegas. Astec Industries’ Joe Vig will be presented with the Grassroots CEO of the Year Award; John Hay of Oldcastle Materials will be recognized as the Grassroots Coordinator of the Year; and Ryan Lindsey of Oldcastle Materials will receive the Grassroots Advocate of the Year Award. According to NSSGA, Vig met with numerous members of Congress and congressional staffers in 2013. He also hosted a number of elected officials at his company’s facilities, where he engaged them in discussions on the need to address surface transportation reauthorization and find a sustainable source of revenue to fund the program. Hay will be honored for implementing a successful company-wide effort in support of NSSGA’s grassroots plans, as well as participating in numerous one-on-one meetings with members of Congress and hosting elected officials at Oldcastle facilities. Lindsey will be recognized for his role in meeting with dozens of members of Congress… Keep Reading
NSSGA chairman’s perspective
We asked NSSGA’s chairman of the board questions about MSHA, surface transportation funding and the association’s direction as the group prepares for its annual convention. Ward Nye, president and CEO of Martin Marietta Materials, was named National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) chairman around this time last year. Pit & Quarry Managing Editor Kevin Yanik recently asked Nye a few questions about association developments within the last year and its approach to lobbying for the next surface transportation bill. P&Q: In a September 2013 meeting with MSHA’s Joe Main, you reportedly stated that some NSSGA members have expressed concerns that the association is too close to MSHA. According to these NSSGA members, in what ways is the association too close? What do those same members propose be done to adjust the nature of the relationship? What is feasible and realistic? WN: First, any member of our industry who believes that NSSGA is “too close” to MSHA misunderstands our position. As any good trade association would, we will collaborate to… Keep Reading
Poor weather puts a damper on builder confidence in February
Unusually severe weather conditions across much of the United States, along with continued concerns over the cost and availability of labor and lots, caused builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes to post a 10-point drop to 46 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). “Significant weather conditions across most of the country led to a decline in buyer traffic last month,” says Kevin Kelly, NAHB chairman and a homebuilder and developer from Wilmington, Del. “Builders also have additional concerns about meeting ongoing and future demand due to a shortage of lots and labor.” Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 25 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores for each component are then… Keep Reading
Construction takes a hit in January
The value of new construction starts fell 13 percent in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $485.0 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The downturn followed a healthy performance in December, which was the third-highest month for total construction starts during 2013, the firm says. According to McGraw Hill Construction, January’s retreat encompassed all three main construction sectors, with moderate declines reported for nonresidential building and housing, as well as a more substantial loss of momentum for nonbuilding construction after a robust December. On an unadjusted basis, total construction starts in January came in at $34.1 billion – down 5 percent from the same month a year ago. The January statistics lowered the Dodge Index to 103, compared with a revised 118 for December and below the average index reading of 110 for all of 2013. “The year 2014 began slowly, due to behavior specific to each of the three main construction sectors,” says Robert Murray, chief economist for McGraw Hill Construction.… Keep Reading
LiuGong moving into larger facility to support dealers
LiuGong North America, headquartered in Katy, Texas, is scheduled to move to a larger interim facility to support its expanding dealer network. The move comes after LiuGong announced its most profitable year since the company began operations in the United States in 2008. The new facility, located in Katy, will almost triple the amount of space currently housing the company’s operations, LiuGong says. “We are in the process of identifying a large tract of land to buy and build a permanent facility to include parts warehouse, training center, shop, paint booth, fabrication and assembly, equipment proving ground, and equipment storage yard," says Marc Dowdell, LiuGong North America president. LiuGong will move into its interim facility the week of Feb. 24, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony taking place on March 1. According to a press release, the new space will feature more than 27,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space and close to 8,000 sq. ft. of office space. The expanded facility will support North America, Mexico and Central America. Keep Reading
Coalition to support federal mineral science and information activities
Fifteen organizations united to form the Mineral Science and Information Coalition (MSIC) to advocate for reinvigorated minerals science and information functions in the federal government. According to the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME), federal programs in minerals science, research, information, data collection and analysis have been weakened over the 10 years. As an example, SME points out that funding for the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Mineral Resources Program has decreased by 30 percent. The coalition will ask Congress and the Obama administration to increase investment in and support for federal minerals research, information gathering, analysis, and forecasting to sustain economic prosperity and ensure national security. Current members of MSIC include the Aluminum Association, American Exploration & Mining Association, American Geosciences Institute, Associated Equipment Distributors, Association of American State Geologists, Geological Society of America, Industrial Minerals Association – North America, Interstate Mining Compact Commission, Materials Research Society, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, National Mining Association, National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, Portland Cement Association, Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration… Keep Reading
