Oshkosh Corp. has been named to the 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company list by the Ethisphere Institute, a leader in defining and advancing business standards. Oshkosh is one of only 131 companies, representing 54 industry sectors in 21 countries on five continents named to the list, and the only company selected in the “Trucks and Other Vehicles” category.
The World’s Most Ethical Companies designation recognizes companies that have had a material impact on the way business is conducted by fostering a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the organization. The World’s most Ethical Company assessment is based on the Ethisphere institute’s Ethics Quotient (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the advice from Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. Scores are generated in five weighted categories: ethic and compliance (35 percent), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20 percent), culture of ethics (20 percent), governance (15 percent), plus leadership, innovation and reputation (10 percent).
“Our team members embrace the idea of ethical behavior in everything they do,” says Oshkosh CEO Wilson Jones. “It is a fundamental part of our culture, and is our way of doing business each and every day. All of our employees around the world understand and practice this. This award is a tribute to their diligence and commitment.”
Continental Tire the Americas, LLC has reached an agreement with the state of Mississippi to purchase a Hinds County site for the construction of a commercial vehicle tire plant. Continental has committed for a long-term investment totaling approximately $1.4 billion and employing 2,500 people when the plant reaches full capacity in the next decade. The facility will be located at a green field off of Interstate 20, 20 miles from Jackson. A date for the start of construction has not yet been announced, but the company expects to break ground in the next several months; tire production is planned by late-2019.
RPM International’s Rust-Oleum Corp. subsidiary has acquired Seal-Krete, a leading U.S. manufacturer of concrete care coatings and sealants for the retail market with annual net sales in excess of $10 million. Seal-Krete, formerly a division of Clayton Valve, manufactures a complete line of priming, painting, sealing and finishing products for maintaining and decorating concrete, masonry, brick and pavers. Its products are sold primarily through home improvement centers, as well as through independent hardware and paint stores.
Caterpillar Inc. has effected a strategic collaboration whereby waste products of its combined heat and power cogeneration facility in Mossville, Ill., will be put to productive use in SunSelect Products Inc.’s hydroponic greenhouses. SunSelect will purchase real estate adjacent to Caterpillar’s Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems for a greenhouse tapping excess thermal energy and carbon dioxide from the generation facility’s natural gas fired turbines. By providing low-grade heat and abundant CO2, the collaboration will maximize healthy plant production and allow for more efficient use of Caterpillar’s power generation.
Link Manufacturing, Ltd. in Sioux Center, Iowa, has announced four promotions aimed at helping OEM customers meet overall business objectives by collaborating on developmental projects and streamlining processes that improve commercial vehicle efficiency and enhance driver comfort. A 20-plus year Link veteran of product development, manufacturing and operational process improvements, Jim Huls has been promoted from vice president and general manager to executive vice president. Bill Ott moves from director to vice president of Engineering; Michael Hof from director to vice president of Sales and Marketing; and, Jeff Nibbelink from Engineering Group manager to director of Product Engineering.
OCM Manufacturing of Ottawa has entered an agreement to manufacture Giatec Scientific’s SmartRock electronic concrete temperature monitoring device. SmartRock is a rugged waterproof wireless sensor for monitoring the temperature and maturity of concrete from fresh to hardened stage. This information is analyzed using a mobile app to estimate real-time concrete strength.
The SmartRock sensor is placed directly in formwork at the pouring stage and enables wireless and continuous monitoring. The product has these Giatec Scientific-cited benefits: optimization of formwork removal times; more accurate assessments of load on structures; and, ongoing curing temperature adjustment. Data is recorded on the SmartRock memory and shared via mobile devices on-site during concrete setting and hardening.
Birmingham, Ala.-based Motion Industries Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Co., announced plans to acquire Florida’s Epperson & Co., an industrial distributor specializing in material handling products and services since 1932. Epperson has full service locations in Jacksonville and Miami. Offerings include conveyor-related products such as belting, idlers and pulleys, as well as services such as system installation and removal, belting splicing and installation, idler replacement and other maintenance projects.
KION North America Corp. has appointed Reliable Forklift Sales, Phoenix, to its dealer network. Founded in 2005 by Don and Mary Carlson, Reliable is a full-service equipment dealer offering new and used sales along with rental equipment and allied products. Over the last decade the company has tripled in size, expanded into all forklift services and been recognized as one of the top producers in the industry.
Through truck graphics and other promotional efforts, Schwing America spotlighted at World of Concrete 2016 two longtime customers marking milestone years. Few contractors had embraced concrete pumping in 1966 when Pumpcrete was founded in Niagara Falls, Ontario; even fewer have exploited the method so completely since. From residential to commercial to mega-projects, the company has pumped mixes higher, farther and in higher volume than any Canadian peer. The business started by Ken Williams continues under Ken Williams, Jr.
Pumpcrete adopted Schwing America equipment in 1981 after setting a world-record of 3,470 feet for the longest placement of concrete through a horizontal pipeline with a trailer pump. The visibility gained with the record placement, notes Ken Williams Jr., “Helped solidify relationships with contractors and owners that continue to this day.”
Ramcrete Inc. of Hamilton, Ohio, longtime leader in concrete pumping, is celebrating 40 years in the construction industry. Founder Ron Morgan, and his son Todd, represent two generations of leadership, including service to the American Concrete Pumping Association as board members. Like most early pumpers, Ramcrete worked hard to overcome bias against the delivery method. “We were fortunate to get in the business when reliable concrete pumps were coming on the market,” says Ron Morgan. “It’s amazing to think of how far the industry has come since the beginning.” The company standardized on Schwing America equipment early on and now has a fleet of 20- to 61-meter boom pumps.