Caterpillar Inc. is ramping up for several new capital construction projects following a record-setting second quarter of earnings. Photo: Courtesy Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar’s Model 336 excavator is one of the machines that will be produced at a new plant in Victoria, Texas. Fueled by industrial market strength in mining, energy and infrastructure, the Peoria, Ill.-based company, the world’s largest construction and mining equipment maker, saw second-quarter profits increase 91% to $707 million, up from $371 million a year ago. Cat previously trimmed staff last year, cutting 20,000 jobs, or about 18% of its workforce. “We have streamlined our organization from
A new thermal-imaging device is helping contractors build better roads, and transportation owners are offering incentives to use it. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Available since last fall and officially rolled out at the World of Asphalt in Cincinnati in February, the new system, called Pave-IR, continuously monitors and records the location and temperature of asphalt as it is laid. Pave-IR helps contractors identify segregation, or weak spots, in the pavement as it happens. Manufactured by MOBA Corp., Limburg, Germany, the unit uses sensors and a display screen with colors that represent different temperatures. If the display shows a
Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest construction and mining equipment maker, is shifting its economic engine into overdrive with several new capital projects following a record-setting second quarter. Photo: Caterpillar Inc. Cat's Model 336 excavator is one of the machines to be produced at a new plant in Victoria, Texas. Fueled by industrial market strength in mining, energy and infrastructure, the Peoria, Ill.-based company saw second-quarter profits increase 91% to $707 million, up from $371 million a year ago. Caterpillar has since upped its annual outlook based on higher expected machinery sales and revenue, which could top $40.5 billion. Other construction
Construction machinery juggernaut United Rentals Inc. and industrial contractor Fluor Corp.’s AMECO unit are teaming up to offer equipment, tool and logistics services for oil-and-gas owners along the Gulf Coast. However, both say the venture may expand beyond the region. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton for ENR An AMECO trailer supplies gear to a new Luminant power plant in Texas. Related Links: As Builders Farm Out the Fleet, AMECO Plants New Seeds “We are just getting started,” says Michael Kneeland, CEO of Greenwich, Conn.-based United. As most construction markets remain in a slump, companies sitting on capital equipment are looking to
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp, Brookfield, Wis., used a one-day symposium in late July to unveil more than a dozen new tools—ranging from a battery-powered palm nailer and tubing-connection tools to a battery-heated jacket and even non-powered hand tools—that will be coming out this fall. The event also showed off dozens more new products the company has brought to market this year, including a battery-powered grease gun, a cordless no-hub coupling driver and a wide range of non-powered hand tools. All were introduced since April. ENR got an up-close look at the new lineup. Palm Nailer Many of the new products
A typical job for the Bocell brothers starts with a phone call. “Nothing else had worked. Figured we’d give it a shot,” says Stanley Wondolowski, manager at a Corpus Christi, Texas, condominium association, recalling the day he dialed the Bocell’s number. “Every time it rained, it was a swimming pool down there.” CGI Texas, Dallas, knew how to handle the leaky concrete parking structure. “They drilled holes in the concrete, shot this gel into it, and the leaks stopped. It was very successful,” says Wondolowski. Photos courtesy of Marshall Bocell The CGI Injection Pistol requires only a single hole to
German equipment manufacturer Liebherr is opening a new production facility in northern Mexico to manufacture wind-power components for the North American market. Photo Courtesy Liebherr Liebherr’s Mexico factory will serve North American wind power market. Scheduled to begin operation this summer, the newly built 269,000-sq-ft Liebherr Monterrey S. de R.L. de C.V. factory sits on 74 acres near Garcia in northern Mexico, about 85 miles southwest of McAllen, Texas. It will operate under two managing directors, one responsible for production and development, the other for business administration and finance. Liebherr expects to eventually have 180 employees working there. Initially, the
General Motors has launched its 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD with aims of winning the heavy-duty power battle. ENR accepted GM’s invitation to test and compare its re-engineered trucks against the competition, namely the 2011 Ford Super Duty that we reviewed in the spring. Nuts and Bolts GM has beefed up the two available powertrains in its 2011 offerings to handle heavier loads. Starting things off is the 6.0-liter V-8, good for 360 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Impressive, but GM’s Duramax turbodiesel—a 6.6-liter V-8— delivers 397 horsepower and 765 lb-ft of torque, and packs a
As more cities and states are imposing bans on silica grit used to clean bridges, buildings and other infrastructure, suppliers offering safer alternatives are seeing tremendous growth. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Surface-preparation alternatives are increasing as bans on sandblasting rise globally. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton BlastGreen’s new wet-abrasive system is available in the U.S. this year. Photo: Sponge-Jet Inc. Sponge-Jet’s dryblasting system includes a recycling machine that sorts debris so foam media can be reused. Related Links: VIDEO: Master Blasters: Sandblasting Goes Green “Typical sandblasting is being eliminated across the country,” says Keith Eliason, vice president of EcoQuip Inc., a
A Minnesota entrepreneur’s lightweight, aerodynamic wheel covers promise to save trucking companies millions of dollars in fuel costs every year by boosting big-truck fuel economy by 1%. Photo: Schneider National Inc., Cloth windscreen zips into a spring-loaded base inside the wheel, cutting drag. Jon Fleck’s “Deflecktor” wheel covers consist of a spring-loaded steel frame that snaps into the standard concave rear wheels of truck tractors. A circular truck-tarp-vinyl cover zips into the frame. The device cuts drag by keeping air from flowing into and out of the deep rear wheels as the truck speeds along the highway. The covers’ ability
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