Plant Manager's Journal articles from February 2005

Plant Manager's Journal archives from February 2005

Know the cost of your business.
February 1, 2005... It is fitting to start this month's comment with a vote of thanks to all those companies, organisations and individuals who are doing what they can to help in the tsunami relief effort (see Checkout for an industry round-up). There are several...

Case New Holland merges four into one.(RE-BRANDING)(Case New Holland Global N.V.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... CNH (Case New Holland) has rationalised its equipment branding with four of its five marques combining under the New Holland brand. To compete globally, alongside the company's Case brand, the New Holland line will include the name Kobelco...

Hose Counter launches pipe bursting machine.(PIPEWORK)(Hose Counter Midlands )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Hydraulic specialist Hose Counter Midlands has launched a pipe bursting machine said to be half the size and offering twice the power of existing units. The machine measures about 2.1m-long by 400mm-wide and has a pulling power capability...

Good turnout for Exac-1's kerb-laying demonstration.(KERB LAYING)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... More than 100 contractors and council officials attended a kerb-laying demonstration hosted by Exac-1. Visitors were able to see three systems in operation: the Kerb Grip Super KGS400; the standard Kerb Grip; and the lightweight version. ...

Hewden joins tool and plant.(COMPNAY NEWS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Hewden is to combine its tool and plant hire business into a single entity. The company aims to increase customer convenience (dealing with one company instead of two) and simplify contact, ordering, logistics and invoicing processes. ...

CPA launches tool hire schemes.(TOOL HIRE)(Construction Plant-hire Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) is launching a number of new initiatives specifically aimed at tool hire firms at last month's Hire Show. Special supplementary conditions were launched that are designed to cover the hiring of...

Volvo.(in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Volvo is planning to launch a 70t excavator in March at the Conexpo exhibition in Las Vegas. The unit will be powered by a Tier 3 Volvo engine but will not be available in the UK until spring 2006.

Terex.(in brief)(stake sold)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Terex has sold its stake in Hawk Plant back to the plant hire company: "to ensure complete transparency within its customer base." Last year Hawk purchased 32 ADTs and eight Atlas machines from Terex--which will remain a supplier to Hawk.

Brandon.(in brief)(Materials handling equipment industry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Brandon is to increase the number of its lifting specialist Loadtite depots from six to 11. The new depots will be located in existing premises at Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Bishop Auckland and Chandler's Ford.

Specialist lifting gear distributor Certex UK.(in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Specialist lifting gear distributor Certex UK has been sold to its management for [pounds sterling]5.2m (before expenses). The company had been part of Bridon International, a subsidiary of stock-exchange listed FKI.

PCM Fluid Power.(in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... PCM Fluid Power is marketing polyethylene stabiliser pads for truck cranes, mobile cranes and access platforms. The ISO approved pads range from 20X20cm to 120X120cm, and weigh from 1kg to 115kg.

Crane hire firms given new workplace regulations.(REGULATIONS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Crane hire companies must check to ensure the hiring contractor will comply with LOLER Regulation 8, the HSE's principal specialist inspector Andrew East has warned. East set out where the responsibilities for Regulation 8 fall with a...

SED 2005 looks to the future.(SED 2005)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In a move aimed at helping the construction industry cope with its skills shortage and attracting new workers, children between the ages of 12 and 16 are to be admitted to SED 2005, provided they are accompanied by an adult. According to...

UK plant hire share prices 2004/05.(NEWS)(Illustration)
February 1, 2005... UK PLANT HIRE SHARE PRICES 2004/05 PMJ gives the lowdown on share prices for 7 of the industry's leading quoted companies Price (p) in Price (p) in Price (p) Price (p) in Company Jan 2005 Dec 2004...

Red diesel ruling set to raise hire rates.(FUEL)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Plant hirers say rates may have to increase by 5% if the government withdraws concessions allowing some plant to use rebated red diesel when travelling on highways. The proposals mean machinery like mobile cranes, access platforms and...

Roberts fined [pounds sterling]10,000 for worker accident.(COURT CASE)(John Roberts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Plant firm John Roberts has been fined [pounds sterling]10,000 after a worker was seriously injured when a dump truck overturned. The company, based in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Merion, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety legislation at...

Metso crusher gets Smart.(QUARRYING)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Metso Minerals has launched a secondary cone crusher--the Lokotrack LT200HP--and a matching mobile screen--the ST352. The track-mounted LT200HP is designed for secondary and fines crushing. It is built around the Nordberg HP200 cone...

Hydrema slims down truck.(ADTs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Danish manufacturer Hydrema has launched a new slimline version of its 922C articulated dump truck (ADT). Initially designed for use on public roads in Scandinavia, the new version has a width of 2.55m (the maximum legal requirement for use...

Komatsu's six of the best.(TELEHANDLERS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Marubeni-Komatsu has launched six new telehandlers, featuring lift heights of between 9m and 16.1m. The machines are said to have a "super-low boom profile", which provides better visibility and stability for loads up to 4.5t. Frame...

Yamaguchi to Snowdon.(KIT NEWS in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Four Yamaguchi tracked dumpers have been purchased for repairing footpaths on Mount Snowdon. The units have been supplied to a partnership between Snowdonia National Park, the National Trust and the Countryside Council for Wales.

Glenfarne buys Hitachis.(KIT NEWS in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Leeds-based civil engineering contractor Glenfarne has purchased three Hitachi Zaxis excavators for a local regeneration project. Supplied by HM Plant, the order consists of a ZX50 and two ZX30s.

Groundhog day for Nixon.(KIT NEWS in brief)(Nixon Hire )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Nixon Hire has purchased 43 Groundhog mobile welfare units from GenQuip. The GP360 units are towable and comply with the Health & Safety at Work Act for Welfare.

Kobelco claims top spot.(KIT NEWS in brief)(Kobelco Cranes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Kobelco Cranes says it has established itself as the world's leading supplier of crawler cranes, with over 30% of the global market. The independent Japanese company was established within Kobelco Steel at the beginning of September 2003.

Speedy's Glasgow hat-trick.(KIT NEWS in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Speedy Scotland has reached a total of 19 depots with the opening of its third Glasgow branch. Situated on London Road, the depot is the result of an initial [pounds sterling]500,000 investment.

Bobcat's Chinese steer.(KIT NEWS in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The first Bobcat skid steer loaders to be manufactured in China are now rolling oft the production line at the Ingersoll-Rand plant in Wuxi. The initial models to be produced at the factory are the S150 and S160.

UK Forks appoints Davies.(KIT NEWS in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Harrogate-based telehandler rental company UK Forks has appointed Haydn Davies as its new divisional director. He was previously at boiler manufacturer Baxi.

Pirtek to go nationwide.(HOSE REPAIRS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Pirtek, the mobile hose replacement service, has begun a programme to install its new Pirtek Virtual Office (PVO) system in all of its 92 UK service centres' vans. Pirtek says the system has been designed to harness state-of-the-art...

Manitowoc's crane trio.(CRANES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Manitowoc Crane Group will launch three new cranes, two mobile and one crawler, at the US Conexpo exhibition in March. The largest of the new cranes is the 400t capacity 16000, the latest addition to the company's crawler range. It is...

Dig deep.(KIT)(Bullimore Sand & Gravel purchased an excavator)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... DIG DEEP: Bullimore Sand & Gravel of Lincolnshire has bought a 46t Volvo EC460BLC excavator for its primary extraction operations at Collyweston quarry near Peterborough. The machine is part of a [pounds sterling]750,000 investment by the...

Mixed fortunes for CV sales in 2004.(VEHICLE SALES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Light commercial sales rose to record levels in 2004, with almost 330,000 registrations. But sales of vehicles below 1.8t fell by 3.3%, while 4X4 commercials suffered a similar decline. In the sub-1.8t sector Vauxhall remained market leader,...

New Year deals from Citroen.(VANS)(Automobiles Citroen S.A.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Citroen has started the year with a new range of cash-back deals, which can save purchasers up to [pounds sterling]4,000 on vehicles registered before the end of March. Citroen's CV Operations manager Robert Handyside said the vans offer a...

Ford invests in diesel.(MANUFACTURING)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Following the end of car production at Dagenham, Ford has announced a further [pounds sterling]169m investment in diesel engine manufacturing on the site. Engines from Dagenham are currently used by both Ford and PSA Peugeot Citroen. Ford...

DAF heads truck market.(truck sales )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... A total of 56,312 trucks (above 3.5t) were registered in 2004--the highest figure since 1989. Daf took a firmer grip on the market increasing both its overall sales (see table) and market share from 21.2% to 22.4%. Second and third place...

Lombard's sales pitch.(FINANCE)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Finance company Lombard has launched a Van Sales Unit to offer a one-stop shop for all areas of van sourcing, financing and customisation. The company said the unit offers customers access to immediate pricing on over 2,000 packages, along with...

Skills Centre at NEC show.(in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... This year's CV and Automotive Trade Show (5 to 7 April 2005 at the NEC) will host a Skills Centre. Visitors will be able to find information on careers and ways into the road transport and commercial vehicle industry.

Plymouth's new Volvo dealer.(in brief)(Stuart's Truck and Bus)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... A new Volvo truck dealership has opened in Plymouth run by Stuart's Truck and Bus. Located a mile from the A38, it provides repair and maintenance cover for Volvo trucks, buses and coaches.

Balfour fits Brigade alarms.(in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Balfour Beatty Group is the latest company to fit Brigade Electronics' bbs-tek(r) reversing alarms on all its new heavy commercial vehicles. New trucks between 2.2t and 3.5t are now fitted with the bbs-tek 87dB(A) reversing alarm, while...

Range Rover Sport prices.(in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Prices have been announced for the new Range Rover Sport; they range from [pounds sterling]35,000 for the entry-level 2.7 litre TDV6 S, to [pounds sterling]59,000 for the supercharged 4.2 litre V8 First Edition.

New Volvo for Teasdale.(in brief)(DK Teasdale of Doncaster)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Heavy haulage contractor DK Teasdale of Doncaster has purchased a high specification 455kW, 8X4 FH16 Volvo tractor unit. The STG0 articulated unit was bought from dealer Crossroads Truck & Bus, and is plated at 150t.

All Access gets a Scania.(in brief)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Heathrow-based All Access Platforms has replaced two vehicles with a Scania 6X2 rigid truck, equipped with two bespoke, low-profile bodies. Supplied by Andover Trailers, the bodies are 9.2m-long and offer a higher deck height than normal...

Single-drum debate rolls on: drum manufacturers face yet more trials after successfully meeting the Highways Authorities and Utilities Committee's regulations. Martin Cooper reports.(COMPACTION)
February 1, 2005... The continuing saga on whether single-drum rollers are suitable or not for trench reinstatement work has pretty much dominated the compaction industry over the past 12 months. During the autumn, most people within the industry thought the...

Hamm heads to number one: with a new range and a new owner, Hamm is competing strongly in the compaction market. Martin Cooper reports.(COMPACTION)(Hamm Ag)
February 1, 2005... Since becoming part of the Wirtgen Group in 1999 Hamm says it is no longer a niche player but a major force within the compaction industry. The company says by launching new roller ranges and fully utilising the contacts built up with the...

'I love the yellow machines': Hiremee MD Magnus Mildwater tells Colin Sowman why his positive outlook has helped his firm thrive in the plant hire market.(HIRE VIEW)(Interview)
February 1, 2005... Occasionally, people come along who seem as though they are enjoying their life and their job. For these people, work is just fun that they are getting paid for. Magnus Mildwater, managing director of Hiremee, is one such person. "There is...

Oil's clean break: with biodegradeable hydraulic oil soon to be a pre-requisite for excavators working on Environmental Agency jobs, Colin Sowman catches up on Land & Water's bio-oil trial.(BIO-OIL TRIAL)
February 1, 2005... It's only four months until the Environment Agency's (EA) implementation date, when all excavators working on its projects must be filled with bio-degradable and non-toxic hydraulic lubricants--known as ECLs. This may seem a bit drastic, but it...

Digging a niche: traditionally, trenchers have accounted for only a small sector of the construction equipment market. But smaller models are increasing in popularity, reports Martin Cooper.(TRENCHERS)
February 1, 2005... Historically, the trencher has not been one of the UK construction industry's favoured items of kit. Take a trip around North America or other European countries and you're likely to see many trenchers working on sites. However, UK contractors...

Love it, dump it: PMJ calculates the cost of buying and operating one of the industry's favourite machines--a site dumper.(DUMPER COSTS)
February 1, 2005... You have to try hard to find a UK construction site that doesn't have a dumper running around it. This quintessentially British machine doesn't travel that well and while they are visible in Spain, Italy and France, dumpers are almost extinct...

Making it big: Barford launches its biggest-ever dumpers in the form of a 9t swivel skip and a 10t forward tip.(BARFORD)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... Something big is happening to dumpers. Barford, which already produces the industry's heaviest swivel at 8t and is one of four manufacturers with a wheeled 9t forward tip, is going one better--in fact a whole tonne better--with the launch of...

Access all areas: this year, SED will once again host the Cranes & Access Village, where visitors can see the latest lifting and related equipment on show.(SED 2005)
February 1, 2005... As the construction sector continues to boom, so does the SED Cranes & Access Village. Visitors to the 39th National Event for Construction, held at Fen Farm, Milton Keynes from 17-19 May 2005, will see kit both on static display and in action,...

UK industry offers tsunami relief.(CHECKOUT)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In the wake of the Asian tsunami disaster, the UK's plant and construction industry has not been slow to lend a hand. The Lighthouse Club, the construction industry's charity, swung into immediate action and is looking for donations of hand...

In the picture: win [pounds sterling]50.(CHECKOUT)
February 1, 2005... All of this month's entries correctly spelt the editor's name and correctly identified the access platform from the small piece of boom we pictured. The winner pulled from the PMJ hard hat was Mark Thomson, product buyer for HSS in Mitcham, who...

Ainscough to run training programme.(CHECKOUT)(Northern Solutions)(Ainscough Crane Hire)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Ainscough Crane Hire has cemented a partnership with Northern Solutions, a buildings maintenance company, to provide year-long training and employment opportunities to local people in the Manchester area. The project, to which Ainscough...

Events diary.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... 2005 MARCH 1-5 Smopyc 2005 Feria de Zaragoza Zaragoza, Spain Tel: +34 976 764 700 www.feriazaragoza.com MARCH 15-19 Conexpo-Con/Agg Las Vegas, USA Tel: +1 414 298 4141 www.conexpoconagg.com...