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Atlas Copco opens configuration center in Ohio
Representatives from Atlas Copco Construction Equipment gathered earlier this month for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new configuration center in Independence, Ohio. According to a company press release, the 150-ft.-long facility was built across from an existing Atlas Copco service center. Staff in the 9,000-sq.-ft. center will assemble hydraulic attachments and Weda submersible pumps. The existing service center will continue to refurbish and provide other technical services. “Placing the configuration center at the Independence location makes shipping sense,” says Rock Stacy, Ohio operations manager for Atlas Copco Construction Equipment. “One-third of the U.S. makes up more than 59 percent of the market’s ‘weight footprint' of hydraulic attachment customers, basically from Illinois to the Atlantic coast.” Keep Reading
Talbert adds director of materials
Talbert Manufacturing hired Rick Myers as director of materials. Myers will oversee deliveries, material purchases, warranty fulfillment and aftermarket parts. He is also responsible for budgets, employee training and planning in those areas. Myers has held a range of leadership positions during his 28 years in operations management. Most recently, he was the operations and purchasing manager at Jost International, a manufacturer of fifth wheels, landing gears, kingpins and other trucking-related products. Keep Reading
Philippi-Hagenbuch names Swank president
Danette Swank has been promoted to president at Philippi-Hagenbuch Inc. She previously served the company as vice president of internal operations and has been involved in Philippi-Hagenbuch operations since 1997, having worked in the administration, finance, human resources, marketing and operations departments. According to a company press release, Swank has been involved in a number of projects during her tenure. She oversaw the 20,000-sq.-ft. expansion of a manufacturing facility, streamlined communications between the company's departments and was active in contract negotiations and corporate strategic planning. Former President LeRoy Hagenbuch will remain as chief engineer, working with customers on their needs while focusing on Philippi-Hagenbuch's research and development capabilities, intellectual property and new equipment inventions and design. Keep Reading
Practicing what you preach
MSHA inspectors are finding fewer hazards at Conmat Inc., and the hazards they are finding are less severe than the ones they used to come across at the operation's limestone quarries in northwest Illinois. So what's making the difference? It's difficult to pin the improvements to one specific change, but Conmat safety director Shawn Meier largely credits the institution and practice of a concept called Peer Review Check for the reduction of hazards. According to Meier, the goal of Peer Review Check is to bring miners together to inspect and check operations before starting, resuming or imposing major changes to operations. "The MSHA inspector we had last year thought it was one of the best ideas he's seen put in place," says Meier, whose company is based in Freeport, Ill. "He asked for a copy of our Peer [Review] Check sheets and if he could share them with other contractors or quarries. I told him that's what it's all about." According to Conmat, its number of Significant & Substantial (S&S)… Keep Reading
Students visit KPI-JCI for special event
KPI-JCI hosted junior and senior high school students June 20 for a Chamber of Commerce youth event in Yankton, S.D. About 85 students participated in the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce's Youth Business Adventure (YBA) at KPI-JCI. According to a KPI-JCI press release, YBA selects one local business for students to tour each year as a way to showcase business opportunities in South Dakota. This year, program participants toured KPI-JCI's manufacturing facility and office. Participants also met with representatives from various departments, giving them a better grasp on the kinds of jobs available at KPI-JCI. Keep Reading
Atlas Copco names manager for Nevada store
Atlas Copco has appointed Rob Root manager of its Elko, Nev., store. In his new role, Root will be responsible for all store operations and personnel in parts, service and sales. Prior to joining Atlas Copco in 2010, Root served as parts operations manager for a dealer headquartered in Colorado. He then joined Atlas Copco as national customer service manager, a position he’s held for the past three years. Keep Reading
Main addresses elimination of State Grants Program
Representatives from seven Midwest state aggregate associations and NSSGA met June 18 with Joe Main, MSHA's assistant secretary of labor, during an Indiana Mineral Aggregates Association meeting in Indianapolis. Three MSHA officials joined Main: Neal Merrifield, a metal/nonmetal administrator; Steve Richetta, North Central district manager; and Lawrence King, Indianapolis field office supervisor. According to the Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers (IAAP), Main discussed ongoing efforts to improve the consistency of enforcement and to improve communications with the industry. He outlined changes and improvements in MSHA’s Small Mine Consultation Program to make it more efficient, and he explained MSHA’s decision to defund the State Grants Program in response to ongoing budget reductions. After Main's presentations, the associations discussed their issues. RiverStone Group's Jim Papenhausen highlighted how the Small Mines Consultation Program is useful to his company and the industry, and IAAP's John Henriksen focused on the association's strong opposition to MSHA’s decision to eliminate the State Grants Program in the upcoming fiscal year. According to IAAP, Main responded to the State… Keep Reading
Nonresidential building carries new construction starts in May
New construction starts in May advanced 5 percent from April, according to McGraw Hill Construction. Much of the upward lift came from nonresidential building, which registered moderate growth for the second straight month after a sluggish performance at the outset of 2013. Smaller gains in May were reported for housing and nonbuilding construction. Total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $187.6 billion during the first five months of the year – down 3 percent from the same period a year ago. May’s data raised the Dodge Index to 105, up from the 100 that was reported for April and slightly above the average 101-index reading for all of 2012. “The construction industry has shown modest improvement over the past year, helped by some project types while restrained by others,” says Robert A. Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw Hill Construction. “The housing sector played a leading role last year in lifting overall construction activity, and while this year’s month-to-month gains have been smaller, housing continues to… Keep Reading
Hitachi extends partnership with Immersive Technologies
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. (HCM) has renewed its exclusive partnership agreement with Immersive Technologies for five years. According to HCM, the agreement provides Immersive Technologies with continued access to HCM's engineering information and staff. The partnership will facilitate the ongoing development and support of a range of equipment simulators, which are designed by Immersive Technologies for equipment operator training and workforce development. Immersive Technologies will provide training feedback to HCM about general operator behavior. HCM says it plans to use the information to develop, improve and troubleshoot mining equipment. Keep Reading
