Editors’ Blog
Excavators, dozers showcased at John Deere event
John Deere Construction & Forestry capped its dealer and customer training series with a trade press event at its facility in Sacaton, Ariz. The event offered an up-close look at some of John Deere's latest equipment, including excavators, crawler dozers,… Keep Reading
Unfamiliar roles
From the Mine Safety & Health Administration comes news that operator-reported injuries reached historic lows last year. That is great news for an industry that continues to place a high priority on safety. The bad news is that there are… Keep Reading
Lafarge/Holcim back on track, but a long process
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that the Lafarge/Holcim merger, an estimated $44 billion deal, is back on track after the appointment of a new chief executive for the combined group. Eric Olsen, who currently serves as Lafarge’s executive vice… Keep Reading
Free rocks in California?
While watching a television news report about the California drought, I learned of the state's plans to cut water usage. The report discussed an initiative to replace 50 million sq. ft. of lawns throughout the state with drought-tolerant landscaping in… Keep Reading
Lafarge steps up to protect endangered species
Lafarge Canada Inc. is working to protect coastal populations of western painted turtles, which are listed as federally endangered and red-listed provincially in Canada. According to Lafarge, western painted turtles are the only remaining native freshwater turtle in British Columbia,… Keep Reading
Still challenges ahead
For the aggregates industry, there is much to be optimistic about in the Spring of 2015. Martin Marietta and Vulcan Materials, the nation's two largest producers, are reporting strong earnings and outlooks. The Producer Price Index shows that crushed stone,… Keep Reading
JCB expands North American presence with wheel loader, excavator
In light of the upcoming spring season, JCB held a press event March 5 at its headquarters in Savannah, Ga., to debut its new equipment. North America is the company’s third largest market, and JCB plans to take advantage of… Keep Reading
Vulcan execs offer positive view on coming years
Vulcan Materials Co. executives offered an optimistic outlook of their business' future in interviews with Barron's, which produced a feature article on one of the top U.S. aggregate producers. According to Vulcan CEO Tom Hill, the company has "multiple years… Keep Reading
Parks and recreation
When visiting an aggregates operation, I’m always fascinated to hear what plans the owners and managers have for reclamation. Often, it’s nothing more than backfilling, sloping the surface to an acceptable grade and returning the land to a natural state.… Keep Reading
