To help meet the industry’s persistent demand for heavy equipment operators, Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers has gone virtual. 

Investments pour into construction tech, but where are the real advancements?

When the under-construction Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans partially collapsed on Oct. 12, the initial response was one of search and rescue, as well as a dramatic effort to secure the site that led to the controlled demolition of two tower cranes.

Looking to capitalize on the vast stores of equipment performance data it has captured from its massive rental fleet, United Rentals announced a broad expansion of its Total Control fleet-management system and is hinting at major advances yet to come with Big Data and fully connected jobsites.

Getting the most power out of lithium-ion has been an ongoing arms race in the world of power tools in the past few years, and Milwaukee Tool just launched another major offensive in the battery wars.

Repetitive overhead tasks are rough on the back and shoulders and can result in stress injuries over time. While some companies have exoskeletons designed to improve lifting, Levitate’s Airframe exoskeleton is designed for overhead work.

Two unstable tower cranes at the site of the New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel collapse were brought down on Oct. 20 in a controlled demolition, but work to stabilize the structure is far from over.