Sources: Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill.; CP staff
Caterpillar has added to its Class 8 heavy-duty work truck line the CT681, a mixer- and dump-ready, set-forward axle model designed for operators contending with restrictive road and bridge load limitations. It was unveiled at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2014, nearly three years after a charter model, the set-back axle CT660, proved a key draw at the Las Vegas show’s 2011 staging.
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By Don Marsh
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and business leaders convened in late-January to outline a financial structure for an export-driven start up, McInnis Cement. The company will commence spring 2014 construction of a “shovel ready,” $1 billion project: An advanced portland cement mill with ultimate annual capacity upward of 2.5 million tonnes (2.75 million tons), plus marine terminal equipped to load 2,000 tonnes (2,200 tons)/hour.
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The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s 18th Annual Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year program recognizes three industry veterans from a pool of outstanding nominees across the country. The NRMCA Operations, Environmental and Safety Committee assembled a panel of judges to weigh nominees’ competence, driving skills, number of years without an on- or off-road accident, and colleague or customer testimonials.
Read MoreImpending ownership changes of two concrete and cement businesses, one each side of the Atlantic, remind us how reasonably regulated free markets overwhelmingly trump those hamstrung by heavy-handed government agencies. Consider the investor-sanctioned Martin Marietta Materials–Texas Industries merger versus the British government-ordered creation of a portland cement, GGBF slag and ready mixed producer from the sale of existing players’ assets. The driving forces behind the transactions are the embrace or rejection of realities of a market rewarding efficiency versus fragmentation.
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Gorilla Grout Enhanced Strength Grout suits high compressive strength applications without the “creep” associated with epoxy grout formulations. Plastic and flowable compressive strengths exceed 10,000 psi at 28 days (ASTM C 109 2-in. cube test), notes the manufacturer. The non-shrink, non-metallic construction grout features controlled expansion, meets ASTM standards C 1107 and CRD-C621, and can be specified for high tolerance placements that require maximum load bearing capacity. The grout can be placed with standard equipment even at high fluid consistency.
Read MoreSources: McNeilus Companies Inc., Dodge Center, Minn.; Argos USA, Houston
McNeilus Cos. will begin delivering compressed natural gas-powered mixer trucks this spring to the Houston and Dallas-Ft. Worth operations of Argos USA, which is preparing for the diesel alternative by equipping plants with compressor and fueling infrastructure.
Read MoreSource: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.
Member producers participating in the 2014 NPCA Benchmarking Survey—the industry’s most comprehensive study of financial data, sales mix, salaries and benefits—will receive copies of the finished, 100-plus compilation later this year, along with a Company Performance Report to compare against peer operator metrics.
Read MoreSource: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA Center for Corporate Climate Leadership named the third annual Climate Leadership Award winners at a conference in San Diego late last month, honoring 15 organizations and two individuals in the public and private sectors for carbon pollution reduction efforts.
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