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Longtime Eriez employee dies unexpectedly
Dan Norrgran, manager of minerals and materials processing and heavy industries at Eriez, died Oct. 16. He was 59. Norrgran was employed at Eriez for 27 years. In his most recent position, he traveled extensively worldwide to expand the company's global equipment sales to the mining, coal processing and industrial minerals industries. Norrgran was a member of several associations, including the Society of Mining Engineers, which he served as national committee chairman. Norrgran received Eriez' highest honor in 2004 when he was named Person of the Year. Keep Reading
Aggregates marketing firm officially changes name
The Barlow Marketing Group (BMG), the Midwest firm focused on sales development, marketing and research for aggregates and other industries, has changed its name to Barlow Strategic Sales & Marketing. The firm decided to change its name to more accurately reflect its services, which include strategic direction; sales development; channel management; marketing; research; sustainability; and international expansion. Keep Reading
Vulcan sets record as third-quarter results are shared
Vulcan Materials Co.'s aggregates segment gross profit improved by 10 percent in the third quarter, reflecting increased pricing and lower unit cost of sales due to improved productivity and cost reduction initiatives. The 10 percent stride was announced as Vulcan released its results for the third quarter Thursday. Another third-quarter development at Vulcan was that aggregates pricing increased 4 percent from the prior year, reflecting an improvement in most markets, the company said. Unit cost of sales decreased 1 percent from the prior year. On a same-store basis, aggregates shipments decreased 6 percent from the prior year. Aggregates cash gross profit was $4.75 per ton, a mark that set a third-quarter record at Vulcan. "This quarter marks the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year higher unit profitability in aggregates, lower SAG expense and growth in adjusted EBITDA," said Don James, chairman and CEO. Keep Reading
Majority of transportation ballot initiatives passed on Election Day
U.S. voters approved 68 percent of the measures that appeared on Nov. 6 ballots to increase or extend funding for highways, bridges and transit, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The association tracked 31 measures overall, including five statewide initiatives and 26 that were local. Voters approved all seven of the bond initiatives on ballots. Eighteen measures were designed to increase, extend or renew a sales tax for transportation purposes; two were property tax extensions; and one was for a local gas tax. The total value approved was $2.4 billion. The results are consistent with previous elections, ARTBA says. In 2010, voters approved 61 percent of similar measures, with 78 percent approval in 2008, 77 percent in 2006 and 76 percent in 2004. “The results show the American people are looking for solutions to address their transportation challenges and are willing to pay more if they know the revenue generated will be used for its intended purpose,” says Alison Premo Black, the ARTBA chief economist who… Keep Reading
Martin Marietta releases third-quarter results
Ward Nye, president and CEO of Martin Marietta Materials Inc., noted several positive trends in construction activity upon the company's public release of third-quarter results Tuesday. One positive trend Nye noted is the continued recovery and growth in the residential sector end-use market, which is reporting a 14 percent increase in heritage aggregates product line shipments over the prior-year quarter. MAP-21 is another positive trend Nye pointed out, citing the fact that several key states the company serves are taking steps to use various funding alternatives to support infrastructure projects. "It seems a backlog of construction work is awaiting, what we believe to be, a general restoration of confidence in the current economic and political environment," Nye said. "We anticipate these positive trends will continue and provide the prospect for increasing volume momentum as we move forward into 2013.” In the third quarter, Martin Marietta saw a 27 percent increase over the prior-year quarter in earnings per diluted share. Shares finished at $1.36. Martin Marietta's consolidated net sales through the… Keep Reading
Nonresidential building slips for third straight month
The Dodge Momentum Index that measures nonresidential building projects dropped another 0.6 percent in October, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. The index retreated for the third consecutive month, this time to 93.3, after peaking at 96.0 in July. McGraw-Hill Construction attributes the recent loss of momentum in part to the high degree of uncertainty affecting the U.S. economy and the construction industry, reflecting the U.S. presidential election and the looming fiscal cliff. In addition, plans for institutional building projects were particularly strong in recent months, but that strength dissipated in October given the continued tight budget conditions states and localities face. The drop in the October index was due entirely to a 1.3 percent decline in its institutional segment. In particular, the volume of publicly financed construction projects eased as fewer large-scale healthcare projects entered the planning phase. Keep Reading
Continuous conversation key to accident prevention
Mark Kennedy fortunately hasn't seen this happen, but he's heard stories from years ago about how quarry workers would wedge steel bars into a clogged crusher, only to have the crusher spit the bar out and shoot it through the worker's skull. Kennedy, like many of you, has seen workers climb ladders while lugging a bucketful of tools. He's seen workers jump off track-mounted equipment from dangerous heights, and he's thought long and hard about the day a worker tries to jumpstart a mobile unit without fixing the root cause of a problem, only to have another worker lose a limb because a jumper was thoughtlessly put onto an emergency stop. "It would be truly tough to live with yourself," said Kennedy, a Metso senior technical training instructor, to an audience of the company's distributors Oct. 24. As troubling as some accident outcomes are, it's essential to remind yourself such outcomes can happen on your watch. So as unmoving as safety education can be, especially when it's continuously reinforced much… Keep Reading
Sany names Van Keppel excavator dealer in Arkansas
The G.W. Van Keppel Co. has been named a Sany hydraulic excavator dealer covering central and western Arkansas. Van Keppel serves equipment customers through 15 locations in five states, providing crushing and screening equipment, material-handling machines and quarry supplies. The company's headquarters is in Kanas City, Kan. Keep Reading
Siemens names new CEO for drives portfolio
Jürgen Amedick has taken over as CEO of the large drives business unit for the Siemens Drive Technologies Division, which develops, manufactures, and markets products, systems, solutions, and services for drive engineering. Amedick follows Jürgen Brandes, who took over leadership of the rail automation business unit in the infrastructure and cities sector. Amedick most recently headed the products segment of the large drives business unit. Keep Reading
