Related Links: Dispute Flares, Accusations Fly Over Claims in Pipe Lawsuit A federal jury in California on Nov. 14 found pipe manufacturer JM Eagle liable for making false claims about PVC water pipe it sold to states and municipalities over the course of nearly a decade. JM Eagle pipes are used extensively in drinking water, irrigation and other public systems. The jury's verdict opens the company to potentially billions of dollars in damages, with an exact amount to be determined in a separate trial.JM Eagle says it plans to appeal the verdict, stating in a press release that "we believe
Related Links: Tier-4 Emission Controls Push Up Machine Prices for 2014 This week we look at some Tier-4 wheel loaders from Caterpillar with continuous-variable transmissions and a compact tandem wheel loader from Chicago Pneumatic.Click here for the slide show.For more on Caterpillar's Tier 4 Final plans, see our coverage here.
Related Links: Solidia Technologies Portland Cement Association Concrete technology is not an easy business to break into. There have been many attempts in recent years to "green" the concrete business, from cements that fix CO2 during the curing process to industry attempts to increase the use of fly ash in concrete. But while new companies have come and gone, Parsippany, N.J.-based Solidia Technologies thinks it's onto something new.The venture-capital-backed firm recently signed a partnership agreement with France-based concrete giant Lafarge and is now working to bring its CO2-cured cement to market. Lafarge will work with Solidia on demonstrations of commercial-scale
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Manufacturers have spent billions of dollars to make diesel engines meet Tier-4 Final. Related Links: Product Snapshot: Caterpillar's CVT Wheel Loaders Tax Law Changes May Hurt Equipment Sales, Boost Rentals in 2014 Will Tier-4 Engine Challenges Bring New Opportunities? As a January deadline to clean up off-road diesel emissions approaches in the U.S., prices are expected to rise in 2014 to pay for the new technology. However, better fuel economy will help offset the up-front cost."We've looked in every nook and cranny, trying to save fuel," said Bill Campbell, product application specialist for
This week we look at a pile-driving hammer from BSP International Foundations and a noise-reduction fence from Echo Barrier. Click to begin the slide show.
Related Links: European Vans Invade Work Truck Show Unlike pickup trucks, which have been consistently redesigned to keep up with drivers' demands for greater capability, fuel efficiency and connectivity, full-size vans such as the Chevrolet Express and Ford E-Series have remained relatively unchanged for decades.However, the van landscape is getting a new look for 2014, with the debut of all-new models such as the Ram Pro-Master. According to R.L. Polk data, the number of commercial van offerings has more than doubled in the past six years, with anticipated annual sales of 365,000 units—compared to 155,000 in 2009—and a bump in
Terex Corp. Market uncertainty dragged down sales of new cranes in the third quarter. Related Links: Tax Law Changes May Hurt Equipment Sales, Boost Rentals in 2014 At 2013 ICUEE Show, Utility Contractors Fleet Up A lack of confidence in non-residential construction activity slowed down equipment manufacturers' sales in the third quarter, renewing some analysts' fears the U.S. economy is suffering from a "craneless" recovery, or a scant amount of available infrastructure work requiring heavy earthmoving and lifting machines. Leading indicators, however, show that non-residential activity may soon pick up.Equipment market leader Caterpillar Inc. is experiencing what it describes as
UCR To track emissions in California, test equipment sits atop a Komatsu hybrid excavator. UCR A D7E dozer is tested in California. Related Links: Do Hybrid Construction Machines Pollute More? Volvo Dials Back Hybrid Wheel Loaders, Citing Cost Concerns For Excavators, Hydraulic Is the New Hybrid A two-year study of hybrid construction vehicles reveals that while the machines offer significant savings in fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, they produce higher levels of smog-forming pollutants than their conventional diesel counterparts. The results have come as a surprise to scientists, who say the machines will require further engineering to integrate their diesel-electric
Photo Courtesy of First Solar Overcapacity in China has contractors refocusing their efforts on downstream powerplants. Related Links: Rooftop Solar Set To Soar Solar Sees Growth But Clouds Loom A new $300-million solar-panel factory sits just outside Mesa, Ariz., waiting to be sold for a $50-million loss. Never used by Tempe-based First Solar, the plant is symbolic of how solar-panel manufacturing has been hit hard by Chinese overproduction. Other solar plants have been mothballed, and General Electric has scrapped plans for a major Aurora, Colo., production facility.Things could be looking up for U.S. manufacturers, however, as China, the global production
Photo Courtesy of Bosse Tools Old Tools, New Tricks Stephen Bosse (above) turned to the crowd-funding website Kickstarter to pay for the initial production run of his Ergonomic Shovel design. The makers of the hybrid hammer-prybar Cole-Bar (below) are now negotiating their own manufacturing arrangements after a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year. Photo Courtesy of Cole-Bar Related Links: Hammer-Crowbar Tool Seeks Boost From Kickstarter Kickstarter The initial idea for the Ergonomic Shovel came from personal experience, says inventor Stephen Bosse. "Shoveling is tough," he says. "You get tired and sore. So I came up with this pen-and-paper design for
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