CRIB CONNECTION Handheld devices scan and upload tool data. (Photo courtesy of QuickPen Intl.) It is no wonder that firms operating many large, expensive machines on a daily basis sometimes tend to overlook small items such as reciprocating saws and battery-powered drills, which can slip through the cracks of a jobsite at the end of a shift or when a project is completed. But in today's economy, equipment managers are recognizing the value of trying harder to hold onto tools previously treated as more disposable assets. Now more than ever, CFOs are pressuring managers to control spending and tools are
(Photo courtesy of Reichmann International) Standing on seismic Mexico City's dry central lake bed or "bowl of jello," where many buildings collapsed in 1985's magnitude 7.3 earthquake, Latin America's tallest building might be mistaken for a giant sitting duck waiting for the next Big One. But on closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the $250-million-plus Torre Mayor, which officially opened last week, is no quack. The 225-meter-tall office tower sparkles with damper-studded, diamond-shaped superdiagonal bracing, architecturally expressed on its perimeter moment frame. It is a giant billboard for seismic strength. The diamonds and dampers offer structural efficiencies and other advantages
The new economic stimulus package that the Bush Administration signed into law May 28 promises immediate tax relief for construction firms, but critics believe it will do little for large contractors already holding vast amounts of equipment in their fleets. "We don't buy equipment just to buy equipment," says Bob Andrade, vice president of equipment management for The Walsh Group, Chicago, which operates 1,200 pieces of heavy equipment across 30 states. When the fleet is underutilized, "we sell the machinery," Andrade says. "My CFO is more interested in seeing the assets turn back into cash." This year's Jobs and Growth
Hard-pressed by drastic cutbacks in state and local budgets, more highway contractors are working less, further sharpening competition and ratcheting margins down ever tighter. Key highway materials prices appear to be relatively stable, with few spikes expected. Although the end of major conflict in Iraq appears to have stabilized the price of asphalt and other petroleum-based materials, some executives warn that asphalt remains volatile. Materials prices in Michigan "are probably the cheapest we've seen in 17 years," claims Hal Howlett, vice president of estimating, Angelo Iafrate Construction Co., Warren, Mich. For gravel, concrete, and other materials, "Everybody's just as low
School work has been construction's fastest-growing market during the last decade and this extraordinary growth has put some extra pressure on building costs, according to a special study conducted for ENR by Dodge Analytics, a division of McGraw-Hill Construction. Last year, the average cost of new senior high schools, excluding renovation and additions, was $115.91 per sq ft, or 45% more than in 1992, says Dodge Analytics. During the same period, the average cost of a junior high school increased 47% to $106.53 per sq ft and the cost of a new primary school rose 36% to $104.23 per sq
With middlemen diverting cash into the Swiss bank accounts of a corrupt southern African official, the Lesotho Highlands Water project epitomizes graft in international construction. Continuing court activity this month and next will ensure that Lesotho remains a symbol of international construction’s murky side and may help clean up the industry globally. In Lesotho, a former government project director of the multibillion dollar Highland’s dam and tunnel scheme is entering his second year in prison. He will stay there until 2020, barring parole. A key middleman died before facing the law and another local consultant pleaded guilty a few weeks
The 55 largest countries in the world will spend nearly $4 trillion in 13 different construction markets in 2003, says a study released this month by Global Insight Inc., an economic and financial research firm that has gauged each nation's spending history, current work, rate of economic development and likely business risks. While that figure is a 2.8% increase over 2002, the forecast is more bullish on the future. Spending in the 55 countries will grow by 4.6% annually over the next five years, with China and India accelerating even faster. "We looked at historical estimates and the economies of
The famously flat Dutch countryside is proving to be a difficult platform for one of Europe’s latest high-speed railroads, now spreading between Amsterdam and the Belgian border. To build the 100-kilometer link, tunneling technology is being stretched to new limits, while soil-like "brown yogurt" combined with complicated contractual boundaries and tragedy on a bridge test Dutch engineering nerve. Along an arc roughly south from Amsterdam to Belgium, six teams are now forming the base for a 300-km-per-hour train service, due to start operations in 2006. Their tools include a tunnel boring machine with the world’s biggest cutting head, at 14.87
Like the rest of society, the design and construction industry is seeing a growing array of products and services capitalizing on wireless communications. From laptops equipped with wireless modems, to cell phones, to computer tablets linked to dedicated data management services, untethered communications are becoming part of the business of building. The idea of cutting the communication cord is appealing. Vendors are gathering like bees to nectar to offer tools to enhance wireless exchanges between field crews and project data. RUGGED LOANER Tablet PC packs technology that synchronizes data constantly with server. One construction need in particular, the collection of
OUT OF GAS Firms report few design opportunities from U.S. manufacturers for new auto plants. Concern about the impact of the Iraq War on manufacturing has largely diminished, but designers still worry about the effect on capital spending of soft demand in a lackluster economy. "General manufacturing is at a terribly low ebb and not picking up very quickly," says Dick Bither, executive vice president of buildings practice at ARCADIS, Detroit. Manufacturing activity picked up in May, although the sector is still contracting, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The Tempe, Ariz.-based trade organization’s purchasing managers’ index rose to
RSS