Plant Manager's Journal articles from December 2006

Plant Manager's Journal archives from December 2006

Learn from the experience of others.(Editorial)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... As 2006 draws to a close, thoughts turn to what 2007 will bring--one thing's for sure, it's going to be challenging! Plant registration, particulate filters and penalties on older trucks are set to make life more difficult for those on both...

Hire sector will grow by 14%.(plant and tool hire market )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The plant and tool hire market is predicted to increase 14% by 2011 to top [pounds sterling]5bn (at 2006 prices), according to the latest research from Market & Business Development (MBD). The market, worth [pounds sterling]4.3bn in 2005,...

Lavendon bids to take over Gardemann.(Lavendon Group acquired Gardemann Group)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lavendon Group--the parent company of Nationwide Access, Panther Platforms, AMP Access and Kestral Powered Access--has launched a [pounds sterling]30.9m bid to take over German access rental hirer the Gardemann Group. The bid has been accepted...

Fatality.(NEWS)
December 1, 2006... Lorry driver Nathaniel Hugh Scollan sustained fatal injuries after raising a lorry-mounted crane while parked under overhead fines.

Firms fined for operator death.(Lyons Landfill, Francis Michael Lyons of Felstead and Essex)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lyons Landfill and Francis Michael Lyons of Felstead, Essex, have each been fined [pounds sterling]80,000 and been ordered to pay [pounds sterling]35,000 legal costs, following the death of a lorry driver working on a quarry and landfill site....

London gets best practice guide.(EMISSIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The London Best Practice Guidance, which specifies diesel particulate filters for diesel-engined plant of more than 37kW working on major sites, has been published. London mayor Ken Livingstone said: "With the 2012 Games and regeneration...

Ex-CRMS heads form dealership.(DEALERSHIPS)
December 1, 2006... Former CRMS chairman Stephen Long and former sales director Grant Linton have joined forces to create a dealership for Doosan Daewoo. The new business, called ProMac Solutions, will offer the full Doosan Daewoo product line in the following...

PTAG names registration partners.(Plant Theft Action Group, Construction Equipment Association )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Plant Theft Action Group (PTAG) chairman Kevin Clancy said the group is in the final stages of talks with the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) to sponsor the plant registration scheme and Datatag to provide data handling. Datatag won...

Case appoints dealers and adds to range.(COMPANY NEWS)(Warwick Ward )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Case has filled the holes in its dealership network and heralded an increase in total annual sales of more than 10% as a sign that it is over the worst of its problems. Existing dealer Gammies, which represents Case in northeast Scotland,...

Flexible friends.(NEWS)
December 1, 2006... Heavy-lift specialist Weldex has ordered four Kobelco CKE600 crawler cranes. All of the machines have a flexible counterweight system allowing them to be dual-rated to operate either at 45t capacity or as full 60t machines.

Fastline bags [pounds sterling]5m Metronet contract.(CONTRACT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Fastline has won a trackside plant-hire contract worth around [pounds sterling]5m with Metronet Rail for its London Underground operation. Metronet previously suffered a number of engineering overruns due to plant breaking down with no...

Industry body launched to combat HAV.(ASSOCIATION)
December 1, 2006... The Off-highway Plant and Equipment Research Centre (OPERC) at Loughborough University has instigated a new industry body for plant hirers called the Major Hire Companies Group (MHCG). Its immediate aim is to establish a standard system for...

Beware of insurance loopholes.(INSURANCE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Plant hirers, demolition companies and contractors could be put out of business because their insurance cover contains clauses that prevent claims being honoured, according to John Norbury, director with insurance broker Buckingham House...

Health and safety focus.(EXHIBITIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Health and safety is to be a key theme at the new Executive Hire Show (Ricoh Arena, Coventry, 31 January to 1 February) with four seminars each day complementing the tools, equipment and small plant on display. The seminars will focus on...

Size matters.(NEWS)
December 1, 2006... As PMJ goes to press, one of the largest Hitachi excavators ever to be sold in the UK is being delivered. Celtic Energy ordered the Hitachi EX1900 from HM Plant for work in an open-cast coal mine in Aberdare.

Expiring red CPCS cards not automatically renewed.(TRAINING)(Construction Plant Competence Scheme )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Plant operators with red Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) cards expiring at the end of this year will not get an automatic extension, but can appeal for their cards to be extended if they are actively pursuing conversion to the blue...

UK plant hire share price 2006.(NEWS)
December 1, 2006... UK PLANT HIRE SHARE PRICE 2006 PMI gives the lowdown on share prices for six of the industry's leading quoted companies Price (p) in Price (p) in Price (p) Price (p) in Company November 2006 October...

Volvo quells Komatsu speculation.(MANUFACTURING)
December 1, 2006... Volvo Construction Equipment has played down speculation in a local newspaper that it was set to increase collaboration with Komatsu in order to fend off competition from Caterpillar. Volvo said "everything is wrong," about the story, which...

Speedy Hire's [pounds sterling]16m boost.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Speedy Hire has unveiled an interim pre-tax profit to 30 September of [pounds sterling]16m, almost 20% higher than the same period last year, with turnover up one-third at [pounds sterling]150m. Its Tools Hire division had a turnover of [pounds...

Cory puts safety first.(NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... In the past 10 years, waste management specialist Cory Environmental has cut its accident rate from around 7,000 reportable incidents per 100,000 employees, to 1,772. The rate halved in 2004/05 and its insurance premium dropped by [pounds...

Finland fails to decide.(NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... Finland has failed to get a common position on scrapping the opt-out from the Working Time Directive within the European Union Council. In the absence of an agreement, the opt-out remains, but the Construction Plant-hire Association is...

Growth spurt.(NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... TowerLight and its sister firm GenQuip have both been named in the top 50 fastest-growing Welsh businesses during 2005/06. GenQuip reached fifth place with a 651% growth in turnover and TowerLight reached 33rd position with more than 136%...

MEP bought for [pounds sterling]3.3m.(Vp subsidiary Hire Station)(MEP Hire)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Vp subsidiary Hire Station has bought MEP Hire for [pounds sterling]3.3m. Scotland-based MEP specialises in the sale and rental of press fitting, electro fusion and pipe threading machines and made a pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]600,000...

Bobcat boosts its mid-range mini line-up.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Bobcat has unveiled the 329 mid-range mini excavator and added a simpler, more reliable hydaulic breaker attachment. The 3.3t 329 has a 3,102mm dig depth and uses a 20.6kW Kubota D1703 diesel engine. It shares the lowered body structure of...

Cleaning up.(KIT)
December 1, 2006... Bobcat is offering extra snow-pushing options on its compact loaders.

Caterpillar's dumper range gets a makeover.(dump trucks)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Caterpillar has renewed its range of rigid dump trucks, introducing the 36.3t payload 770, the 772 (a new size for Cat at 45.4t), and giving its 773, 775 and 777 the F generation treatment. The introduction of the 770 and 772 allows Cat to...

JCB beats two records in a month.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... In mid-November, JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford announced the company had already passed its annual production record of 50,000 machines. The achievement was announced at JCB's celebration for setting a land speed record. The company...

Manitowoc's Model 14000.(CRAWLER CRANE)
December 1, 2006... The Manitowoc Crane Group has introduced the 200t-capacity Model 14000 hydraulic crawler crane to replace its mechanical Model 4100W. Powered by a 253kW Cummins QSL 8.91 engine, the unit has a main drum-line pull of 140kN, an 86m boom, and...

Barford consolidates its operation in Euro markets.(DUMPERS)
December 1, 2006... Barford has recorded a 70% year-on-year jump in export sales of its site dumpers and claims to have built a distribution network in all the key European markets. The news follows a year in which the company has invested more than [pounds...

Bell considers Scots depot.(EARTHMOVING)
December 1, 2006... ADT manufacturer Bell is considering opening a depot in Scotland in what may be the first move in expanding its infrastructure ahead of the introduction of John Deere wheel loaders in 2007/08. Initially, the Scottish depot will handle ADTs,...

Towerlight's two in one.(LIGHTING)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lighting specialist TowerLight has teamed up with security specialists to produce what it claims is a unique concept--a unit that combines site lighting with CCTV. The manufacturer rigged its VT-1 SuperLight with monitoring equipment to...

Tracking device aids telehandler recovery.(TRACKING DEVICE)
December 1, 2006... The recovery of a stolen [pounds sterling]55,000 telehandler in just a couple of hours has prompted a major insurer to urge plant owners to fit tracking devices to their more expensive items of kit. Mike Bishop, managing director of...

New additions.(KIT)(Case introduces wheel loaders)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Case is set to introduce a range of three 'E' series wheel loaders, two of which-the 821E and 921E--will be on public show for the first time at Bauma. Meanwhile, the new 721E was unveiled at SAIE. With 13.9t operating weight, the 721E is Z-bar...

Wilkinson rolls out new generators.(GENERATORS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Industrial equipment supplier Wilkinson Star has announced the launch of the MOSA GE15 PSX-EAS and GE20 PSX-EAS diesel-driven, low-noise AC generators. The generators are designed for use on construction sites, providing temporary power...

Genset adds trio.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... GenSet has added 75kVA, 110kVA and 150kVA models to its EconoMan range. The machines have the latest water-cooled 1500rpm Perkins diesel engines and are full canopied and silenced.

Pop-Up gets a lift.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... Pop-Up scissor lifts are available from Pop-Up Products, a new company launched to sell the battery-powered machines that take eight seconds to reach their full 1.6m height and can perform 300 operations on one charge.

New crusher for Terex.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... Terex Finlay will launch a new C-1540 cone crusher at Bauma next year. The track-mounted crusher complements the manufacturer's existing jaw, impactor and cone crushing range.

SGB gets high and mighty.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... SGB has launched a versatile, all-in-one trestle guardrail system, said to fully comply with Work at Height Regulations. The Staybill unit is available with factory-fitted stabilisers and space bar, and offers working heights of up to 1.7m.

Hammer time.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... Chicago Pneumatic has introduced a vibration-reduced pick hammer, the CP 0017. The unit is designed for renovation work such as concrete chiselling and roughing.

Bad vibrations.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... Scientists and engineers working on Loughborough University's HAVETEC register have shown that cheap drill bits increase the amount of vibration transmitted to the user and take longer to produce the hole, further increasing the operative's...

Infotec pipes up.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... Infotec has introduced a pipeline mapping system called PipeTrack and will act as an agent for the product throughout the UK. The gyro-based system allows new and existing pipes to be mapped and is not affected by electro-magnetic interference...

Crane Care on hand.(KIT NEWS in brief)
December 1, 2006... Materials handling specialist Crane Care has launched the new Quadrix remote control handset in the UK, made by German manufacturer HBC-radiomatic.

Iveco's Daily is given a makeover.(PANEL VANS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Iveco's latest Daily comes with new 2.3-litre and 3-litre Euro 4 engines, a restyled cab and front end, uprated brakes and a revised load box. Within the restyled cab is a dash-mounted gear lever to ease cross-cab access, more contoured...

Citroen Relay goes hi-tech.(PANEL VANS)
December 1, 2006... Citroen claims its newly-launched Relay is the UK's only van range with both Smartnav GPS satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking systems as standard. The panel van is the widest in its sector and has the lowest loading...

Operators warned: get ready for speed limiters.(LEGISLATION)(Freight Transport Association )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is warning van and light truck operators not to get caught out by the 1 January deadline for the introduction of top-speed limiters to vehicles over 3.5t. "As the programme has been ongoing for almost...

Pulling power.(heavy haulage )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Volvo Trucks has unleashed a heavy haulage version its new 660hp (492kW) FH16. The demonstration unit was fitted with the company's I-Shift automated transmission and was pulling a King GTL70 hydroneck trailer loaded with an Extec crusher....

CV sales drop in October.(in brief)
December 1, 2006... Sales of commercial vehicles over 3.5t dropped 40% in October to 3,000 registrations. Four of the seven main manufacturers saw sales halved compared with October 2005, while Mercedes was down by 41% and Iveco by 28%. MAN was alone in recording...

Cut fuel bill by [pounds sterling]11k.(in brief)
December 1, 2006... Clean Air Power claims its diesel/natural gas technology not only reduces carbon emissions from trucks, but can also cut the fuel bill by [pounds sterling]11,000 per year. Rather than using a spark plug, the system uses a small diesel injection...

Mek-Tek Feeder frenzy.(in brief)
December 1, 2006... Mobile concrete mixer manufacturer Mek-Tek is offering an optional automated Fibre Feeder unit for its MBP range. Unlike drum mixers, where fibre needs to be added to the cement at the plant, the Fibre Feeder is synchronised with the mobil...

Hewden adds bodies.(in brief)
December 1, 2006... Hewden has placed an order for 19 plant bodies with King Trailers as part of its fleet upgrade programme. The low-profile bodies will be mounted on 26t GVW Scania P95D truck chassis.

Hewlett buys 35 Caddys.(in brief)
December 1, 2006... Volkswagen has sold a further 35 Caddy vans to Leeds-based Hewlett Civil Engineering, just four months after selling 40 of the vehicles to the same company. The vans will operate as support vehicles on major construction projects, transporting...

Sprinters for HM Plant.(in brief)
December 1, 2006... HM Plant has renewed its fleet of product support vehicles with 23 Mercedes Sprinter vans. The vehicles are fully branded and will operate out of HM Plant's regional depots.

Garic goes for maximum impact at next year's SED.(EXHIBITOR)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Garic has booked its biggest-ever stand for SED 2007 with more than 850[m.sup.2] of hard standing, plus an additional 600[m.sup.2] of demo plot. The fast-growing company, which booked just 72[m.sup.2] in 1999, is best known for its...

New exhibitors join line-up for SED 2007.(SED 2007)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... SED is now in its 41st year--and it continues to grow, attracting new products and new exhibitors to its 2007 show. TPS Fronius will be showing welders and generators from Japan in the Site Equipment Zone. Spokesman Stewart Quinn says: "We...

Free parking.(TRANSPORT & ACCOMMODATION)
December 1, 2006... Parking will be free at SED 2007. In addition, the Green entrance has been redesigned to make it three times bigger, while a third entrance has been added, with a fourth to follow. A traffic management consultant will be working with police and...

Park & fly.(TRANSPORT & ACCOMMODATION)
December 1, 2006... A 'park and fly' service will be available for SED 2007. You can park at the nearby Sywell Aerodrome, and be flown to the showground in just eight minutes. Price is [pounds sterling]250 per person for a return flight. Contact Sloane Helicopters...

Accommodation.(TRANSPORT & ACCOMMODATION)
December 1, 2006... You can find accommodation through a new search facility on the SED website. Thanks to a link up with VisitBritain, SED can offer details on over 130 hotels dose to the showground. Go to www.sed.co.uk and dick on 'Accommodation Search'.

Have you registered yet?(TRANSPORT & ACCOMMODATION)
December 1, 2006... To save time when you arrive at the show, you can register for SED 2007 online. Go to www.sed.co.uk and click on the link at the top of the homepage.

60 seconds on SED: Colin Campbell, founder, Red Rhino crushers.(SED 2007)(Interview)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Colin Campbell has never missed an SED, coming to the first show at Carpenters Park, Watford in 1964 aged 14, when it was launched by his father. He is now technical and development director at Red Rhino, working on several additions to his...

Shift in power? It's been a hive of activity this year in the site dumper sector, as nine-tonners have evolved into tens, along with the suggestion that larger models could soon follow. But is it enough to challenge those with compact ADTs on lower volume muck shifts? Geoff Ashcroft asks the questions.(EARTHMOVING)
December 1, 2006... When it comes to muck-shifting equipment, the UK market falls into two very specific sectors--articulated dump trucks and site dumpers. While ADTs remain the machine of choice for all-out productivity, particularly with larger capacity models,...

Stirred not shaken: Paul Howard assesses the impact of the Whole Body Vibration regulations on the compaction sector.(COMPACTION)
December 1, 2006... For some time now, the compaction sector has been at the forefront of the clash between manufacturers, the construction industry and new health, safety and environmental legislation. Not only have producers had to deal with the same...

Balancing act: is it more cost-effective to hire in plant and transport fleets as you need them, or to buy them outright? Dan Gilkes talks to Steve Prentice, May Gurney's director of plant and transport.(HIRE VIEW)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Whether to run plant and transport fleets in-house or to hire in equipment as and when needed has been a major decision for contractors over the past few years. While contractors traditionally ran their own plant and hired the occasional...

Selection process: with the wide range of excavators on the market, how do you identify the best piece of equipment for the job? Colin Sowman visited Clancy Docwra to see how it selects plant.(BUSINESS)
December 1, 2006... Many buying decisions are simple--such as replacing a self-drive hire machine that has successfully earned its keep working trouble-free around the local district. You know the dealer, you know the machine, it does the job and your customers...

A drop of the hard stuff: a stalwart member of every hire fleet, concrete mixers have earned a place in construction's hall of fame. Neil Gerrard finds out why.(EQUIPMENT FOCUS)
December 1, 2006... Concrete mixers, as one industry figure remarks, are the unsung heroes of plant. They are so common you barely even notice them on a site in the way you would a shiny new telehandler or excavator. They may not be sexy, but they're an essential...

High fliers.(CHECKOUT)
December 1, 2006... Pictured is Lindsey Lewis, an administrator at The Platform Company's Liverpool depot, during her tandem skydive in aid of Cancer Research UK. Lindsey has raised more than [pounds sterling]700 for the charity so far. It's still possible to...

In the picture: win [pounds sterling]50.(CHECKOUT)
December 1, 2006... It was the last chance to grab a little extra Christmas money last month, and almost all entrants were on top form. The vast majority identified the mystery machine as Kramer's 4009 telehandler, but there can be only one winner. So...

CPA makes its point-78 times.(CHECKOUT)
December 1, 2006... The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) briefly became the Computer Problems Association for a week in November, after an email sent out by its legal adviser, David Smith, re-sent itself dozens of times. PMJ received 78 copies and the...

On top of the world.(CHECKOUT)(JCB Company Ltd.-Chris Dolman)
December 1, 2006... JCB Service employee Chris Dolman, 55, sits at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro after a gruelling nine-day trek. Chris, along with colleague and nephew Gavin Dolman, 24, his brother Wilf, 58, and Gavin's dad Lawrence, 56, had to undertake several...

2007.(CHECKOUT)(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... JANUARY 23 Construction Industry Theft Solutions (Forum) JCB HQ, Rocester Staffordshire Tel: 0800 083 8015 Email: cits@yesresponse.co.uk JANUARY 31 & FEBRUARY 1 Executive Hire Show Ricoh Arena, Phoenix Way...