Photo courtesy Wolffkran Wolffkran pioneered the modern tower crane in 1910 and plans to return to the U.S. after a 25-year hiatus. Photo courtesy Wolffkran A freestanding Wolff 1250B works on a pumped-storage dam in the Swiss Alps at Valais. Related Links: New York City Floats Ban on Old Cranes Looking Back: Tower Cranes Enabled Construction of Tall Buildings One of the oldest crane manufacturers, Wolffkran AG, is moving up in the world, with two new high-profile construction projects planned in New York City and San Francisco. Having received support from building officials to operate its signature red tower cranes
Photo courtesy of Hertz Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. is the country's third-largest equipment-rental company, with $1.54 billion in revenue last year. Related Links: Tax Law Changes May Hurt Equipment Sales, Boost Rentals in 2014 2014 Equipment Forecast: Mixed Growth Dampens New Machine Sales By spinning off its equipment-rental business, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. hopes to make the construction unit stronger while bolstering its core car-rental service. The Park Ridge, N.J.-based company plans to divest the 355-branch equipment unit into a separate, publicly traded company, valued at $2.5 billion."Hertz was starving the equipment-rental business through a lack of investment," explains Nicholas
Related Links: Production Tax Credit Extension Boosts Wind Sector Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet Peter W. Davidson, 54, a former investment banker and entrepreneur, is bringing the U.S. Energy Dept.'s 8-year-old Loan Programs Office (LPO) back to life following $527 million in controversial loans made to the solar-panel maker Solyndra, which declared bankruptcy in 2011. As executive director, Davidson oversees a 180-person staff and $50-billion loan budget for clean-energy projects, including nuclear power and advanced car technologies. Prior to leading LPO, Davidson was senior advisor for energy and economic development at the Port
Photo by Tony Illia for ENR March 1 telematics discussion panel (left) Gregory Puckett, director of machine-to-machine solutions, Oldcastle Materials Inc., Atlanta, and (light) Daniel E. Samford, vice president of corporate equipment, Herzog Contracting Corp., St. Louis, Mo. Related Links: Caterpillar Brings Telematics Solutions to CONEXPO The Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) unveiled a comprehensive telematics standard March 1 during its annual management conference in Las Vegas. AEMP began pursuing a telematics standard in 2008 with input from manufacturers Caterpillar, Volvo, Case, Komatsu and John Deere. The new standard, set for release in October, consists of 19 data elements and
Related Links: CONEXPO 2014: Trends To Watch CONEXPO 2014: Products To Watch Heavy metal is hitting Las Vegas as ironmongers prepare for CONEXPO 2014, which opens its doors on March 4. Equipment makers are setting up impressive displays for this year's show.We prepared another cranespotting slideshow of setup images. Tell us what you see, below.
Related Links: CONEXPO 2014: Products To Watch More Coverage at ENR.com/CONEXPO Cranespotting: CONEXPO Setup Photos The North American market for heavy equipment is on the upswing as non-residential construction activity, a key driver for these machines, is climbing slowly back up. Look no farther than Las Vegas, where the booms that now dot the skyline are all competing for attention as crane makers get ready for the triennial CONEXPO-CON/AGG exhibition, which opens its doors on March 4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.Among the debuts are lifting giants capable of hoisting more than 1,000 tons, standing hundreds of feet tall
With a 65,000-lb lift capacity, the Xtreme XR6538 is said to be the largest telehandler in North America. Related Links: CONEXPO 2014: Trends to Watch CONEXPO 2014: Products to Watch Xtreme Manufacturing LLC is unveiling its most extreme machine yet at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014.With a 65,000-lb lift capacity and 38-ft maximum lift height, the Las Vegas company's model XR6538 now leads its machine lineup and is said to be the largest telehandler in North America. This year, France-based rival Manitou is introducing an 80,000-lb-capacity telehandler, thought to be the world's largest, for the South African
Photos by Tony Illia for ENR Workers can play key role in modularization, Ironworkers' union President Walter Wise told labor- management gathering in Las Vegas earlier this month. Owner executives urged union to change negative perceptions about organized labor. Ironworkers must embrace more project collaboration by providing preconstruction, value engineering and constructability services while adapting skills toward increased modularization, Fluor Senior Vice President Robert Prieto told union members, contractors and owners at a Las Vegas labor-management meeting.“We need to understand that the vast majority of projects have marginal economics today,” he told attendees.Construction has a 55% to 60% efficiency rating, which
Photos by Tony Illia for ENR The International Builders' Show attracted 75,000 attendees Feb. 4-6 in Las Vegas, aided by the newly concurrent Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. Related Links: Construction Market Forecast: Slow and Steady For 2014 Boomers, Multifamily and Gen Y Bring Fresh Hope for Homebuilders Rising consumer confidence, pent-up demand and home values are driving a slow-but-steady residential market recovery, with 1.15 million new housing starts anticipated this year, or nearly a quarter more than in 2013, reports the National Association of Home Builders."There is a growing need for new construction. Distressed sales are diminishing, and builders
Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros. Traylor Bros.' Amcon 150 barge-deck winch is one of the 3,000 pieces of equipment that need added attention due to Tier IV Final rules. Photo courtesy of EMI-Global In order to meet Tier IV Final emission rules, equipment must have dozens of sensors and actuators, leaving little free room under the hood. Related Links: Clean-Air Costs Will Come in Stages, Caterpillar Says Why Contractors Are Renting More And Buying Less Fleet owners are struggling with new federal emission rules effective this year for off-road diesel-powered trucks and machines. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 4
