Crafco Acquires Deery
Crafco, Inc., an Ergon Company with headquarters in Chandler, AZ, announced in December it had purchased substantially all the assets of Deery American Corporation and its affiliated companies. The transaction was effective December 3, 2010.
Crafco said it will continue to market and supply these brands to the industry and will add Deery’s two additional manufacturing locations in Cheyenne, WY, and Youngstown, OH, to its six other strategically located manufacturing facilities throughout the United States.
Elgin Sweeper Enters into Research Agreement with EPA
In what is reportedly the first agreement of its kind in the sweeping industry, Elgin Sweeper will share its background of surface cleaning information with the Environmental Protection Agency to improve understanding of the maintenance needs of three types of porous pavement.
The cooperative research and development agreement is between Elgin Sweeper and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development’s National Risk management Research Laboratory.
“The partnership with the EPA furthers Elgin Sweeper’s commitment as the leader in environmentally efficient street sweepers to develop, formulate, and distribute environmental solutions and implementation technologies that reduce air pollution and storm water pollution in cities and communities across the United States,” said Brian Giles, sweeper product manager at Elgin Sweeper.
The National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1995 from several former Office of Research and Development (ORD) organizations. The NRMRL focuses on environmental problem solving. Recognized as a national leader in scientific and engineering expertise and capability, NRMRL’s research directly supports national priorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, manage chemical risks, clean up hazardous waste sites, and protect America's water.
LeeBoy Licenses Blaw Knox Name for New Commercial Pavers
LB Performance Paving Products (a new division of LeeBoy) will launch a new line of Blaw-Knox branded equipment including three road wideners and two wheeled pavers based on traditional Blaw-Knox models. In collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment, LeeBoy licensed the Blaw-Knox brand from Volvo Construction Equipment and will design, manufacture, market and support Blaw-Knox commercial paving products.
"We're using our paving expertise and understanding of the market to get back to the basics, an attribute contractors respected about Blaw-Knox," said Kelly Majeskie, president of LeeBoy. "The new line will feature the hallmark simple design that's easy to service and intuitive to the operator, with upgrades in engine and drive systems to ensure optimum performance."
The units will be officially introduced at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG show in Las Vegas. All the products are being produced at LeeBoy's plant in Lincolnton, NC, and will be distributed by Volvo Construction Equipment Roadbuilding distributors.
The new RW-80A road-widener is powered by an 80-horsepower C Tier IV diesel engine, and features a 7-foot material placement width. Model RW100B, the mid-size unit, features a 10-foot material placement width and is powered by a 110-horsepower Cummins diesel engine. The largest unit in the family, the RW-195E, is powered by a 190-horsepower Cummins diesel engine, and features a 12-foot material placement width.
Also included in the initial product launch are the PF-150B and PF-161B rubber tired pavers. The most powerful pavers in their size class, the PF-150B and PF-161B feature a 67-horsepower K liquid-cooled diesel engine and a 110-horsepower Cummins engine, respectively, and offer 15- and 17-foot paving widths.
Blaw-Knox division manager Al Cleeland is looking forward to the new venture. "Blaw-Knox was traditionally a brand held as the standard for pavers. Returning to the roots and the core values that initially built this brand, we believe we can give contractors and agencies that same ownership experience they once enjoyed with Blaw-Knox," Cleeland said.
Majeskie adds, "It boils down to more than the product design. Our team offers more than 100 years of paving experience and the knowledge to be jobsite consultants, as well as the ability to put that expertise to work in engineering of the best possible product. It really adds up to so much more than a just a piece of equipment."
Schwarze Industries Partners to Develop Electric Sweeper for Air Force
Schwarze Industries, Huntsville, AL, has partnered with Enova Systems, a leading innovator of electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle solutions for medium and heavy-duty trucks and busses, to develop a fully electric green sweeper for the United States Air Force.
“We’re excited about the partnership,” said Raymond Massey, director of sales and marketing for Schwarze. “We’ll be sending over an A7000 for the project, and the hope is that this sweeper will become the standard Air Force spec for all sweeping applications.”
The fully electric green sweeper will be powered by the Enova 120kW all-electric drive system coupled with a hydraulic pump, and will use hydrogen produced by a solar electric array. This drive system will be paired with Schwarze’s regenerative air sweeper design. Production will take place at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, where it will be the first advanced sweeper technology used by the USAF.
