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A $100 billion company without a finance department
Accounting. Finance. Human resources. Information technology. All four of these areas are vital for multimillion-dollar companies to function, but Cemex, as Fast Company reports, outsourced those functions last year to IBM as part of a 10-year, $1 billion contract. "What were once just outsourcing firms are now increasingly able to serve as business partners and collaborators who are able to take entire functions off your hands so you can specialize further on what really gives you an advantage," writes Fast Company's Kaihan Krippendorff. "[Cemex] is becoming a radically different kind of organization, carving out what does not contribute directly to its competitive advantage, freeing itself to focus more fully on what makes it competitive. Imagine, a $100 billion company that doesn’t run a finance department!" Learn more about Cemex's deal at www.fastcompany.com. Keep Reading
Three Cat vice presidents to retire; others shift roles
Three long-time Caterpillar vice presidents – Steve Fisher, Steve Larson and Bill Rohner – announced their plans to retire Feb. 1, 2014. Fisher, vice president of the Large Power Systems & Growth Markets Division, joined Caterpillar in 1978 and was instrumental in the company's mergers and acquisitions activities, according to a press release. Larson, vice president of the Parts Distribution & Diversified Products Division, spent more than 34 years with Caterpillar. Rohner, vice president of Cat's Electric Power Division, spent more than 41 years with the company. Tana Utley, vice president of the Industrial Power Systems & Growth Markets Division, will replace Fisher as vice president of Large Power Systems & Growth Markets. Ramin Younessi will take Utley's place as vice president with responsibility for the Industrial Power Systems & Growth Markets Division. To replace Larson, Caterpillar is realigning its Parts Distribution & Diversified Products Division and its Customer Services Support Division. As part of the realignment, Cat's Parts Distribution business will be integrated into the Customer Services Support Division.… Keep Reading
Holt Cat taking on massive expansion project
Holt Cat is undergoing a $77 million expansion due to increased demand from the Eagle Ford shale and other oil-and-gas plays, according to the San Antonio Business Journal. Among the upgrades is a new, 40,000-sq.-ft. repair shop that's due for completion next spring at its headquarters. Holt will convert its existing 25,000-sq.-ft. shop into a component-repair and warehouse extension. Keep Reading
W.S. Tyler offering ‘The Rock Book’ in additional languages
W.S. Tyler released "The Rock Book" in Chinese, French and Spanish. The book was first released in 2012 in English. According to W.S. Tyler, the new language editions include the latest technologies, definitions and specification tables for screening, washing and pelletizing operations. "The Rock Book" includes full-color images, detailed 3D schematic drawings and specific descriptions throughout its five sections: screens, components, equipment, services and resources. "The Rock Book" is free and available in print, online or as a downloadable PDF. Visit www.tylerrockbook.com to request a printed copy or get instant access to the digital version. Keep Reading
OSHA proposes new standards to limit crystalline silica exposure
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a rule to curb lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease in American workers. OSHA seeks to lower worker exposure to crystalline silica, which, according to a press release, kills hundreds of workers and sickens thousands more each year. After the proposal is published, the public will have 90 days to submit written comments. Public hearings will follow. The proposed rule includes two separate standards: one for general industry and maritime employment, and one for construction. According to OSHA, it currently enforces 40-year-old permissible exposure limits for crystalline silica in general industry, construction and shipyards. OSHA says the limits are outdated, inconsistent between industries and do not adequately protect worker health. OSHA's proposed rule includes a new exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica and details widely used methods for controlling worker exposure, conducting medical surveillance, training workers about silica-related hazards and recordkeeping measures. OSHA estimates that the proposed rule will result in saving nearly 700 lives per year and prevent… Keep Reading
Aggregate Industries hosts search-and-rescue exercise
Aggregate Industries and the International Rescue Dog Organization, based in Austria, put on a search-and-rescue test at the Aggregate Industries K-9 Testing Facility in Littleton, Mass. Rescue dogs and their handlers underwent rigorous testing, including a search for volunteer human "survivors” under piles of rubble. Aggregate Industries built the Littleton K-9 Testing Facility in 2010, when the company first hosted a similar event with the Massachusetts Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team. The course included specially designed rubble piles to replicate situations in which dogs must locate buried survivors. Dogs were tested in three different search disciplines: rubble, area search and tracking. “To be able to focus in the chaotic environment of a disaster site, search-and-rescue dogs need to be comfortable working on rubble piles of collapsed buildings,” says Debora Ash, operational leader for Canine Alert Search Teams, which hosted the overall event. “This can only be achieved by training and testing exercises like the one in Littleton." Keep Reading
MSHA says OSHA standard meets its own requirements
MSHA issued a clarification that mine operators who meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) hazard communication standard are in compliance with MSHA’s hazard communication standard. According to an MSHA press release, OSHA recently published an update to its Hazard Communication Standard, incorporating the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. Major changes to OSHA’s HazCom standard include a new system of classifying types and degrees of hazards, changes to labeling requirements and changes to the Safety Data Sheet, previously called the Material Safety Data Sheet. “We recognize that many mines already receive safety data sheets and labels for hazardous chemicals that are developed in accordance with OSHA’s revised standard," says Joe Main, MSHA's assistant secretary of labor. "We also recognize that mine operators may be required to develop safety data sheets and labels compliant with OSHA’s standard in order to transport, import or export hazardous chemicals because of the transition to the global classification and labeling system. This compatibility is a win-win." Although OSHA’s… Keep Reading
New MSHA tool allows mines to measure S&S violation rates
MSHA launched an online tool, the S&S Rate Calculator, to enable mine operators who implement a corrective-action program to determine if their mine is successfully reducing its significant and substantial (S&S) violations. According to MSHA, the S&S Rate Calculator is an enhancement to the two-year-old Pattern of Violations (POV) Monitoring Tool, which allows users to measure a mine’s performance against MSHA’s specific screening criteria for violations. The S&S Rate Calculator allows users to determine a mine’s rate of S&S violations for any specific date range. Users need the mine’s seven-digit identification number to find data. “It is the mine operator’s responsibility to track its violation and injury histories to determine whether it needs to take action to comply with mine safety laws, protect miners and not trigger a POV notice,” says Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for MSHA. “Operators who implement a corrective action program can use this tool, which complements the POV-monitoring tool, to track their progress and make sure a corrective-action program is effectively addressing the mine’s… Keep Reading
Sany America names dealer in Texas
Century Machinery was named a Sany America excavator dealer, covering west Texas. “Texas is a very important market for excavators in terms of traditional earthworks as well as emerging markets,” says Bill Step, regional manager at Sany America. “This partnership allows us to help address more and more customer needs in this market." Keep Reading
