Sources: Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Milwaukee; CP staff
Despite continued uncertainty in the U.S. construction markets and the overall economy, the mood at last week’s ConExpo-Con/Agg and IFPE 2011 in Las Vegas was, by all accounts, remarkably positive as industry professionals expressed hope for a sustained upturn in the coming months, while global sales continue to be strong for exhibitors with export capability or overseas production.
Read MoreSource: ConExpo-Con/Agg Daily News; CP staff
On one of ConExpo-Con/Agg’s final days, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood held a last-minute press conference to tout pipeline safety and to kick off National Pipeline Safety month, as well as discuss his assessment of a new highway transportation bill, which he would like to see pushed through Congress before the August recess.
Read MoreSource: Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill.
Cat Vocational Trucks will open orders for its flagship CT660 model in April, with contract production commencing the following month at the Navistar severe service truck assembly plant in Garland, Texas. Company officials note the truck will be premium priced, and they will focus on cost of ownership.
Read MoreSource: Navistar Inc., Warrenville, Ill.
Through a strategic partnership with Indiana Phoenix announced at the opening of ConExpo-Con/Agg, Continental Mixers LLC will add a new front-discharge mixer to complement its line-up of integrated rear-discharge models. The Continental front models will be available in the fall and manufactured for an interim period by Indiana Phoenix, which will remain active in the glider market.
Read MoreSources: Mack Trucks Inc., Greensboro, N.C.; CP staff
To round out options for truck weight-wise mixer and dump customers, Mack has extended its construction offerings with a Medium Duty Granite in axle-forward or axle-back configurations. Announced at ConExpo-Con/Agg, the new model will be equipped with a Cummins ISL9 engine, plus Eaton manual, or Allison 3000/4000 automatic transmissions. The Allison 3000 also has been added as an option for the standard Granite series, as has a single-piece windshield.
Read MoreSources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff
At the close of the NRMCA annual convention in Las Vegas, leading into the 2011 ConExpo-Con/Agg, Cemex East Region President Karl Watson, Jr. began a one-year term as board chairman, succeeding Tim Becken of Minnesota’s Cemstone Products.
Read MoreSource: Roanoke Cement Co., Virginia
By Don Marsh
Through 3,000-plus hours of technical assistance and energy management training last year, Roanoke Cement’s Plant A Star program saw staff position a group of ready mixed concrete customers to reduce plants’ electricity consumption by an estimated 15 percent.
Read MoreSource: PVC Pipe Association, Dallas
Emulating a national debt clock, a new website tracks a reported 800-plus water main breaks daily across North America. Watermainbreak.com sponsor, the PVC Pipe Association, contends that corrosion of old-technology pipe materials remains the leading cause of water delivery and sewage treatment systems leaks and breaks, with an annual tab exceeding $3 billion. Accompanying cost data on the site are charts showing “break rates” and repair costs per 100 miles of installed water mains: 1.17 and $11,700 for PVC versus 15.87 and $158,700 for ductile iron.
Read MoreSource: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.
The charter Middle Tennessee State University Concrete Industry Management program will become a department July 1, continuing growth from its 1996 launch as a concentration under Industrial Technology, to its designation as a stand-alone major in 2004. The four-degree CIM Program will function next to nine other departments within the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.
Read MoreSource: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OSHA’s Small Entity Compliance Guide for Cranes and Derricks in Construction aims to help businesses comply with an August 2010 rule addressing the number of worker injuries and deaths linked to crane and derrick use in construction.
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