This point became clear to Walter Shanly, a civil engineer from Canada, who finally pierced the Hoosac Mountain in western Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day, 1873, in an age when tunneling was accomplished by the strength of strong arms swinging sledgehammers.
Photo Courtesy Bauma China Excavators on display at the last Bauma China exhibition, held last November in Shanghai. The Chinese yuan tumbled 3.8% after Chinese officials announced they were devaluing their currency on August 12, and further drops are expected. But for Chinese exporters, including those dealing in construction equipment, these currency shifts may help them compete on price in the global market."It is true that a weaker currency could drive Chinese exports higher," concedes Benjamin Duyck, director of market intelligence at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Meanwhile, U.S. equipment exporters are struggling to raise exports at a time when
Photo by Jeff Rubenstone / ENR With One Key, power tool settings can be selected on a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, and performance data and telematics can be uploaded to inventory-control systems. The next time you need a little extra power out of your cordless drill, you could just take out your smartphone and dial it in.Milwaukee Tool is bringing power tools into the “Internet of Things” with its new One Key system. Launching this fall, the system will allow Bluetooth-enabled power tools to be configured via a smartphone app, with full control over tool performance and behavior. These
Photo courtesy FCA FCA most recently recalled Ram trucks for telematics systems vulnerable to hacking and faulty air bags. Related Links: Ram Recall Lookup NHTSA Recall Database Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S. LLC, which produces the Ram truck brand, is to pay a record-high settlement of up to $105 million in civil penalties to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and others for allegedly mishandling 23 recalls of some 11 million vehicles.Terms of the settlement state that FCA must also offer to buy back more than 500,000 Ram and other trucks that were recalled in 2013 for faulty tie-rod assemblies and
Related Links: AEMP Says a Telematics 'Good Housekeeping Seal' Is Coming Soon Telematics: Moving Data and Dirt In terms of overall operating costs for heavy equipment, including depreciation, fuel can account for 30% or more of the total tab. Over time, fuel costs add up. A heavy civil job lasting several years may easily consume $1 million in fuel.“It makes you think,” says Thad Pirtle, vice president of equipment for Evansville, Ind.-based Traylor Bros. Inc. “When fuel jumped up to $5 a gallon a few years ago, it got everybody’s attention.” Small changes, such as cutting idle time, upgrading machines
Photo courtesy Caterpillar Inc. Cat is ending a four-year partnership with Navistar and bringing vocational truck production in house starting next year. Related Links: Brazil Construction Machinery Sales Face Steep Drop in 2015 Caterpillar CT680 Expands Construction Truck Line Sales of construction equipment are performing better this year, but suppliers are taking a cautious approach to their full-year outlooks due to a slow mining sector, soft construction in Europe, China and Brazil, and less exploratory work in the oil patch.“While economic conditions in the United States are modestly positive, the global economy remains relatively stagnant,” said Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar Inc.
Photo courtesy John Deere The new John Deere 1050K crawler dozer now comes with five years of basic telematics service for free. Related Links: Telematics: Moving Data and Dirt Deere's 1050K Dozes Into the Production Class Members of the Association of Equipment Management Professionals are working on a certification app for the standard telematics code the group has developed for construction machinery.“It’s like a Good Housekeeping Seal,” Stan Orr, the Glenwood, Colo.-based association’s executive director, told ENR during a July 14 phone interview. “We want to make sure our members—the equipment customer—is getting what they are told they are going
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