The two largest American rental companies are merging.United Rentals Inc. on Dec. 16 inked a deal to buy RSC Holdings Inc. for $1.9 billion. As part of the deal, which United expects to close in the first half of next year, United will also assume $2.3 billion in debt, for a total value of $4.2 billion."This transaction marks a transformative moment in our company's history," says Michael Kneeland, United's president and CEO. "Combining the experience and resources of two top-performing equipment rental companies creates an exceptional company." Kneeland plans to stay in his position after the closing.Erik Olsson, RSC's president
We look at the lastest construction products, including a concrete mixer that delivers mix designs based on weight and a Tier 4i generator with a quieter design. Click on the image to begin the slide show.
This week we look at the latest construction products, including a Tier 4 Interim Motor Grader from Caterpillar and a set of Erico fasteners designed for solar panel arrays. Click the image to begin the slide show.
A simple request from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the construction of its 102,000-sq-ft, $27.5-million La Bahn Arena presented an engineering challenge for the contractor."They wanted as much open space as they could get in the men's and women's hockey locker rooms," says Dave Beck-Engel, executive vice president, J.H. Findorff & Son, the project's principal contractor. "But with a traditional concrete slab, it got pretty thick, [and the] low ceilings got in the way."After considering its options, the project team chose to use BubbleDeck, a nontraditional concrete slab system which uses evenly spaced plastic bubbles to reduce the amount of
This week we look at the latest construction products, including a warming blanket for curing concrete and rainwear for rough weather. Click on the image to begin the slide show.
This week we look at some of the latest construction products from around the world, from a Swedish hydro-demolition robot to a truck crane designed for China's construction market. Click on the image to begin the slide show.
Photo Courtesy of Cummins Inc. Eight ft tall, five ft wide and 14 ft long, this diesel engine will power offshore drills and generator sets. Mining companies want giant haul trucks to carry 500 tons. Today's threshold is 400 tons, and the biggest limitation is the availability of massive tires and engines. Cummins has the second part covered: The company plans to build a new 4,000-horsepower diesel in Seymour, Ind., by 2015.The new QSK95 powerplant "moves Cummins into a significantly higher power class, and we know that many of our customers have been eagerly anticipating us making that move," says
PHOTO BY TUDOR VAN HAMPTON / ENR While fleet managers are replacing aging machines, the rate of purchases is slowing down. This dip is mainly due to a lack of confidence in construction starts, which are expected to remain flat next year. While mining, oil and gas projects could be bright spots for big equipment next year, general construction, well, not so much.Even so, most fleets are still in need of fresh iron. During the recession, contractors, rental companies and truckers have stretched their machines far beyond their typical useful lives. At some point, fleets need to be upgraded to
CDC and NIOSH guide offers advice for preventing nail-gun injuries on the job. CDC and NIOSH are bridging the safety gap with Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors. Related Links: NIOSH Nail Gun Safety Guide at CDC Website Nail guns are favored for their efficiency and convenience, but they're also sending users to the emergency room. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37,000 people each year are treated for nail-gun injuries, with foot and hand punctures being the most common. A study of residential carpenters in St. Louis found that two of every five
Construction of new cement plants is under way in Africa. At least nine new cement plants are under way in Africa, where leading producers are expanding capacities to meet growing construction demands on the continent. The work will cost billions of dollars and take several years to complete, but political instability poses risks.All eyes are on North Africa, where cement demand is expected to boom once new governments review construction sector policies in Egypt, Algeria and Libya.The rebuilding of Libya is at the top of the regional agenda. However, the region's leading cement firms report sluggish performance—especially in Egypt—due to
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