Construction Equipment Owner

I’m back from the World of Concrete, on the tail-end of a nasty flu bug I caught during the show and trying to organize the knowledge I gained during concrete’s premier event. New products, old friendly faces — the show had it all! If you missed the World of Concrete, check out this 15-minute video highlighting some of the new products and equipment (Click on “Education/Events” on the toolbar on the left to get to the “World of Concrete 2008″ video.)

I started my trip with Bobcat, celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary and learning about the introduction of the company’s new compact tractor line. Looking at the old images of advertisements and historic equipment was fun, but riding around a construction site on these new little tractors was a blast! Throughout the course of the show I learned about many other new products being introduced, including:

• A new concrete mix by Sakrete, endorsed by Fu-Tung Cheng of Cheng Concrete and ideal for countertops.
• A wireless version of Trimble’s LM80 layout system.
• The new 210LJ Landscapt Loader from John Deere, designed with the landscape industry in mind but perfect for concrete contractors who need to work close to homes.
• A densifier and finish coat for concrete polishing from L.M. Scofield.
• A 30-in.-wide Mini Screed from Somero with laser-controlled accuracy.
• Pourform-OS from Ainsworth, which is a proprietary OSB panel with an enhanced MDO overlay which is designed for a low re-use but offers a better release and finish than B-B plywood.

This is of course only a small sampling of the dozens of new products I learned about at the show. Did you see a new product or piece of equipment at the WOC that you’re planning to bring into your company? Comment back to this post and tell us about it!

National Pavement Expo 2008 is only days away and I’m heading out tomorrow to get the seminar program all set up. If you’re heading to NPE in Nashville, good for you. Please take a few minutes out of your day to stop by and say hello. I can usually be found in and around Room 207 at the Nashville Convention Center. If you’re not heading to NPE, and particularly if you’ve never attended, you ought to give the show some serious consideration. Whether you’re in the market for equipment, considering adding a service, looking for a material supplier, or just want to exchange ideas with other contractors there’s no better time and place to do it. Hope to see you there!

Seems we can’t turn on the television, read the newspaper, or access just about any internet news site without reading that we could be, might be, or already are in one of the most-dreaded of economic situations, a recession. Never mind that a real recession requires six - six! - full months of economic decline and as of this writing we’ve had only one, recession is just one of those news “stories” the other media likes because, like “fire,” “shooting,” “accident,” and “illicit affair” the word elicits a reaction and draws attention, regardless of whether the information provided is beneficial, or even whether it’s accurate. I’m not saying we aren’t in a recession; I’m just saying let’s wait until the numbers are in, then call it what it is, recession or not.

With a growing population of Spanish-speaking employees in the construction industry the importance of effectively communicating with these employees also grows. For those looking for help in this area without having to completely learn a new language, there is a new book that is aimed at those in construction. “Spanish for the Construction Trade,” authored by William C. Harvey and published by Barron’s Educational Series, this 313 page reference book provides essential words and phrases in chapters on specific construction situations. Additional information contained in the book includes pronunciation, greetings, numbers and time, and common verbs. A vocabulary for general topics such as health, clothing, the weather, tools and materials, and measurements is also provided. In addition there are also segments on Latino traditions, beliefs and general ways of life.

A google search of the book title will bring up several websites where you can find this book priced less than its $14.99 retail price.

Caterpillar made a very intriguing announcement the other day. It plans on equipping most of its new core, mining and industrial machines with EquipmentManager and Product Link - a remote asset management solution developed by Caterpillar.

The remote tracking and management system will be a standard feature on equipment in the United States and Canadian markets. Remote asset management has been available as an option prior to this since 1998. Those machines that Product Link does not come standard will have it as an option.

Wheeled hydraulic excvators and articulated trucks will be the first units that will have EquipmentManager/Product Link phased in.

Technologies such as these are becoming ever-popular on construction equipment and are of great benefit to users. Fleet managers will find great value when utilizing these technologies and having them be a standard feature on equipment is ideal.

Over the last year and a half, the National Read Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has had a positive response to its nationwide seminar “Pervious Concrete — A Stormwater Solution.” The NRMCA has announced eight more classes for 2008:

• February 11 – Little Rock, AR
• February 18 – Charlotte, NC
• March 17 – Louisville, KY
• March 19 – Springfield, MO
•  April 14 – Hartford, CT
• April 21 – Omaha, NE
• April 24 – Nashville, TN
• May 1 – Philadelphia, PA

The continuing interest in pervious concrete from concrete contractors across the nation shows the importance of this growing trend. If you’re still wondering what pervious concrete is and how it can work in your community or in your business, check out this website, which offers a wide range of pervious concrete-related information. You can also learn more about pervious concrete in the pages of Concrete Contractor by reading this FAQ article about pervious concrete or this job story that features a pervious concrete job.

Sam Simon talks with Al Cervero, Senior VP with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, about the Construction Challenge - how it’s helping promote careers in the construction field and its culmination at CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE 2008 in this edition of the Construction Equipment Owner’s Podcast.

More information about the Construction Challenge can be found at ConstructionChallenge.org.

 Construction Challenge [13:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (736)

Will Hill from FMI Corp. is the guest on this episode of the Construction Equipment Owner’s Podcast. Hill discusses a recent report from FMI Corp. that looks into the results of an in-depth study and analysis of the causes of large-contractor bankruptcies and why these failures occurred.

Get a copy of the report by contacting FMI Media Relations at mediarelations@fminet.com or calling (919) 785-9359.

 Why Contractors Fail [9:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (827)

In an unexpected turn from the 0.5% decline economists expected, overall construction spending rose by 0.1% in November. Lead by a 2.5% increase in spending on state and local projects and overall public construction. This was more than double their paces from October.

Home construction spending marked its 21st consecutive month of decline falling 2.5% following an October drop of 2.3%.

Year-over-year construction spending is down 0.1%.

Census Bureau Release available here.

Occasionally this blog will feature useful websites, other than ForConstructionPros.com, that may be of use to you and your business. Today’s featured website is ConstructionCrossing.com. It is a construction job board strictly focusing on construction professionals.

The staff of this website researches, monitors and posts job openings from thousands of employer websites, job boards and trade-organization websites for construction jobs. Employers are also able to post their jobs for free. So this could be a good avenue to find an employee to fill a void in your crew. There is a fee for job seekers to search and browse jobs. For those job seekers interested, they can take advantage of 30 days of free access to the website by entering the promotion code PublicationSubs2008.