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December

• Meritor, Manitowoc Cranes Form Strategic Supply Agreement

  December 7, 2018 - Meritor Inc., Troy, Michigan, and The Manitowoc Company Inc., Milwaukee, have formed a strategic supply agreement under which Meritor will deliver multiple drivetrain products and solutions including planetary axles to the crane manufacturer. 

  Meritor products will be featured on several crane types across Manitowoc’s extensive portfolio. "As the mobile crane market continues to strengthen, this agreement positions Meritor as a key supplier to support crane production under Manitowoc’s Grove brand," said Joe Muscedere, vice president, Off Highway, Specialty & Defense, North America for Meritor. “It also reinforces our commitment to invest and expand our position in off-highway markets.”




• Dana Launches Electrified e-Hub Drive

  December 7, 2018 - Dana Incorporated has introduced a fully integrated electro-mechanical drive system for heavy-duty construction and mining applications that leverages Dana’s portfolio of vehicle electrification technologies.Although Dana unveiled its new Spicer Electrified with TM4 eSH81 e-Hub Drive at the recent Bauma China trade show in Shanghai, China, the company says the product is available in North America and can be used in rubber-tired gantry cranes, also called straddle carriers.




• Ed Bell Construction Adds New Link-Belt 75RT

  December 7, 2018 - Ed Bell Construction Inc., of Dallas, has been paving with concrete in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex since 1963.

  In the early 2000s, Bell expanded its range of work to include bridges, using its existing fleet of 50-ton rough terrain cranes.

  In the second quarter of 2018, Ed Bell Construction increased its lifting capacity by buying a 75-ton Link-Belt 75RT rough-terrain crane to handle the larger, heavier loads seen in modern road and bridge work. The purchase also was Bell’s first step in modernizing some of its aging crane fleet.

   




• Arborist Adds SP Load Pin to Tree Felling Toolkit

  December 5, 2018 - Arborist Adaptable Aerial Solutions LLC, Suffolk, Virginia, has added a second Straightpoint (SP) force-measurement device to its inventory. Following the successful implementation of a wireless 25,000-lb. capacity Radiolink plus load cell, a 60kN capacity load pin has also proved its usefulness in felling trees.
  
  SP’s range of load or shear pins is designed for use where an end-of-line load cell cannot be used or when an integrated solution is required in applications such as pulley or sheave axles, moorings, winches, or support blocks.
  




• Manitowoc Launches its Largest Potain Topless Crane

  December 5, 2018 - Manitowoc has launched its largest topless tower crane, the Potain MCT 565. The new model was unveiled at the recent Bauma China 2018 trade show in Shanghai, China.  

  The MCT 565 is being manufactured in nearby Zhangjiagang.  

  Although the MCT 565 will not be available in North America, it will sold in Latin America. 

  Francois Rotat, product manager for Potain tower cranes, said the new model gives customers lower total cost of ownership and allows them to take on new projects.
  




• Load King 60-Ton Lowboy Named a Top-100 New Product

  December 5, 2018 - Construction Equipment Magazine (CEM) has named Load King’s 60-Ton lowboy trailer as one of the Top 100 New Products of 2018.
  
  Each year since 1991, CEM editors have evaluated products that demonstrate innovation, productivity, efficiency, and safety. 
  
  The Load King, LK503-605 SS SFF 60-ton lowboy features a 20” loaded deck height and a distinguished range of innovative features and options. 
  
  Rated at 60 tons in 12’, the trailer has a 20” loaded deck height paired with the ability to add both a 24” and 36” flip extension on the gooseneck. Combined with the ability to run two additional axles in either close-coupled or as a separate axle group, these features ensure operators have the right combination of axles and spacing to haul legally.




• AEM Elects Officers for 2019, New Directors

  December 5, 2018 -The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has elected its officers for 2019, as well as directors for the AEM Board of Directors and AG and CE Sector boards.

  2019 AEM Officers are:

  • Chair John D. Lagemann, Sr. VP Sales & Marketing, Ag & Turf Div., Regions 3 & 4, Deere & Co.

  • Vice Chair Jeffrey R. Reed, President & CEO, Reed International/VSS Macropaver

  • AG Chair Gerald D. Johnson, President Farm, Ranch & Agriculture Div., Blount International Inc.

  • CE Chair Steven W. Berglund, President & CEO, Trimble Inc.

  • Treasurer Todd H. Stucke, Sr. VP Marketing, Product Support & Strategic Projects, Kubota Tractor Corp.

  • Secretary Dennis J. Slater, President, AEM




• Modulift Beams Help Construct Modular Hotel in Seattle

  December 4, 2018 - Modulift spreader beams were combined with other rigging equipment in 19 configurations to make more than 200 lifts during modular construction of the citizenM Hotel in South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington, recently.
  
  citizenM used a construction method that involved installing modules made by Modulift’s customer, Polcom, of Poland.
  
  The seven-story building includes six floors of modular units, with each floor requiring 19 unique lifts. The beam and sling lengths for each lift were different, totaling 228 for the whole project.




• Lift & Move USA Provides ‘Authentic’ Career Exploration

  December 4, 2018 - A recent Lift & Move USA event hosted by NessCampbell Crane + Rigging in Portland, Oregon, drew positive responses from teachers.
  
  Lift & Move USA is an industry-led program to promote careers involving cranes, rigging, and specialized transportation. It is organized by SC&RA, the SC&R Foundation, NCCCO, and KHL Group.
  
  Attendees came from high school or post-secondary career and technical education programs. “The student guests were a highly qualified group. Many of them are already enrolled in welding, metals, manufacturing, and carpentry programs,” said Tracy Bennett, Lift & Move USA Director. Students, teachers, and career transition specialists from more than a dozen schools took part.
  
  “My students really got a lot out of it and it opened their eyes to definite career possibilities. Each of the NessCambell employees did a great job speaking to the kids and relating to them. This really makes a difference,” said Brian Taylor, CTE Metals Instructor for Centralia High School.




November

• WIKA Installs qSCALE I2 LMI on SMF Boom Trucks

  November 28, 2018 - Structural Metal Fabricators, Inc. (SMF) has partnered with WIKA Mobile Control (WMC) to install the qSCALE I2 load moment indicator on their 10-, 15-, and 20-ton boom trucks.

  The system gives the boom-truck operator a display of the current load and geometric information, including actual load, allowable load, boom length, boom angle, and load radius.




• Enhanced MeritorPartsXpress Searches Faster for Aftermarket Parts

  November 28, 2018 - Meritor Inc., Troy, Michigan, has made major enhancements to MeritorPartsXpress.com that improve search functionality for more than 100,000 aftermarket products and offer new self-service tools to help North America customers bolster their operations.
  
  “With these enhancements, MeritorPartsXpress.com becomes an even more important resource that helps warehouse distributors (WDs), manufacturers, and dealers not only find parts more quickly but also assist them in making important business decisions to grow their businesses,” said Brett Penzkofer, vice president, Aftermarket, North America for Meritor.
  




• Electric Drive Axle Wins Technical Achievement Award

  November 28, 2018 - A powered auxiliary axle for road tractors won the 2018 Jim Winsor Memorial Technical Achievement Award, voted on by truck writers.

  The fuel-saving electric drive axle, called the 6x4HE is made by Hyliion, a recent start-up company.

  When added to a truck or tractor, the electric axle acts as a hybrid system. It captures braking energy and converts it to electricity, then uses that energy to help launch the vehicle and propel it up hills, explained Thomas Healy, founder and CEO of Hyliion. That relieves the engine of some of its usual work and thus saves fuel. It also reduces wear on service brakes.




• Hiab Receives Quality Organization of the Year Award

  November 28, 2018 - Hiab, part of Cargotec, recently received the inaugural Quality Organization of the Year Award at the 2018 International Quality Awards in London. 

  The Awards, organized by The Chartered Quality Institute, recognize the outstanding work of quality professionals and, for the first time, also a whole organization - Hiab AB. 

  "When customers invest in Hiab they know they are investing in equipment and solutions created to the highest international standards. We are incredibly proud to be able to call ourselves Quality Organization of the Year. This is a great achievement by the whole Hiab organization," says Joakim Andersson, senior vice president cranes, Hiab.
  




• Empire Crane Names New Service Manager for New Jersey

  November 21, 2018 - Empire Crane Company, North Syracuse, New York, has named Anthony Caltabiano as service manager for the company’s branch in Bridgewater, New Jersey.  

  Caltabiano is responsible for overseeing all service operations, including customer relations, service scheduling, and safety.  

  Caltabiano says he is looking forward to “working hand and hand with [his] technicians to ensure Empire’s customers are taken care of efficiently and at the highest quality of service.”
  




• Equipment Leasing and Finance Confidence Eases

  November 21, 2018 - The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s monthly confidence index for November 2018 shows that confidence in the equipment finance market fell to a rating of 58.5, down from 63.2 in October.

  The index collects leadership data to provide a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future, as reported by key executives from the $1 trillion equipment finance sector.




• Comansa Upgrades 21LC660 and 21LC750 Flat-Top Tower Cranes

  November 20, 2018 - Comansa has applied upgrades from the new 21LC1050 flat-top tower crane it rolled out in September to two of its most successful existing flat-top tower crane models.
  
  The changes significantly improve the performance of Comansa’s 21LC660 and 21LC750 flat-top tower cranes, both of which are both designed mainly for large industrial projects, energy, mining and PPVC construction.
  




• Association of Safety Professionals Offers Seminar on Total Worker Health

  November 20, 2018 - Workplace safety professionals from all industries learn at the American Society of Safety Professionals’ (ASSP) Seminarfest 2019 in Las Vegas, January 24-31, 2019. 

  This year, attendees can learn why the Total Worker Health model developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the way of the future. 

  “The Total Worker Health approach can help break down organizational silos and foster a more holistic view of employee well being,” said ASSP Senior Vice President Deborah Roy, corporate director of health, safety, and wellness at L.L.Bean. 

  Roy will lead a session on Total Worker Health at the event. 

  Traditional occupational safety and health protection programs have concentrated on ensuring that workers are protected from the harms that arise from work itself.




• SC&RA Clarifies Date of Mandatory Crane Operator Certification

  November 20, 2018 - The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) is working to clarify questions that have surfaced after OSHA’s final rule on crane operator certification requirements. 
  

  On November 5, in anticipation of the effective date of existing crane operator certification requirements and awaiting the publication of a new final rule revising these requirements, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued compliance guidance noting that “OSHA will accept operator certification issued by type only, or by type and capacity.” 
  




• H&E Names New CEO

  November 11, 2018 - H&E Equipment Services Inc., Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has appointed Bradley W. Barber as Chief Executive Officer, president, and a director of the company, effective January 1, 2019.

  Barber will succeed current CEO John M. Engquist, who has been appointed executive chairman of the board of directors, effective January 1, 2019.

  Gary W. Bagley, current chairman of the board, will remain a director of the company.

   




• A1A Software Expands Features of 3D Lift Plan

  November 14, 2018 - A1A Software LLC, Fernandina Beach, Florida, continues to improve the interface and features of 3D Lift Plan, making it easier for customers to use the crane lift planning program as a sales tool and for bid proposals, crane selection and setup, lift planning, and documentation. 

  “We have utilized WebGL technologies to enable the display of 3D content in Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge web browsers to improve the interface for customers no matter their preferred browser,” said Tawnia Weiss, president of A1A Software. “This flexibility is important because 3D Lift Plan is a cloud-based program, eliminating the need to download and update software to individual computers,” she said. When using one of these browsers, users simply select the WebGL version.
  




• OSHA Reveals Top 10 Violations for 2018

  November 14, 2018 - The American Society of Safety Professionals reports that OSHA has announced its preliminary list of the Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2018.  

  Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the list during the 2018 NSC Congress & Expo in Houston.
  
  Year to year, the rankings rarely change, although this year's No. 10, "Eye and Face Protection” (1926.102) was not on the 2017 list.

   




• Hayes Joins AED Foundation as Vice President of Operations

  

  November 13, 2018 - The Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) recently hired Cory Hayes as vice president of operations for The AED Foundation. 

  
  

  The AED board of directors has recommended an effort to aggressively increase focus on the workforce skills gap facing the industry. The continued development of The AED Foundation’s accredited diesel technician footprint remains a top priority to provide a quality workforce to AED members in North America. 

  
  

  As part of the expanded efforts, Hayes has been brought in to spearhead operations. 

  
  

  He has nearly 20 years of experience in the heavy equipment industry, working with dealers, OEMs, and service providers. He brings a decade of experience from the private sector, having worked at a leading consulting firm that helps heavy-equipment dealers improve operational, financial, and management practices.  

  
  



• Pink Boom Truck from Manitex and Dealers Helps Raise Breast Cancer Awareness

  November 13, 2018 - Manitex International Inc., Bridgeview, Illinois, has unveiled a Manitex 22101S boom truck with custom graphics to help support the fight against cancer.

  October was breast cancer awareness month. In support of that, Manitex and several of its dealers have customized a Manitex boom truck for the 2018 TCI Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina.  
  

  After the event ends on Saturday, November 10, the special unit will immediately go into service wearing its distinct colors. 




• Mammoet Handling More than 1,000 Girders for Calgary Ring Road

  November 13, 2018 - Mammoet has begun its heavy lift and transport work for the Southwest Calgary Ring Road (SWCRR) project.

  The SWCRR will improve safe and efficient movement of goods and people in and around the Calgary area by reducing overall traffic congestion and providing effective routes for commercial vehicles.  

  Mammoet was contracted by KGL Contractors Partnership, a joint venture between Kiewit, Graham, and Ledcor, to help construct 45 bridge structures on the southwest portion of the ring road.  

  Mammoet’s expertise and combined crane and transport equipment were pivotal in being able to transport more than 1,000 girders and hoist them into place. For the project, Mammoet will use a variety of trailers, as well as cranes ranging in capacity from 65 to 500 tons to transport and install the girders. 
  




• Select Crane Delivers Manitex TC450 to Clarence’s Crane Rental

  November 13, 2018 - Select Crane Sales has delivered a new Manitex TC450 45-ton boom truck to Clarence’s Crane Rental, Altamonte, New York. 
  
  The TC450 continues Clarence’s long history of Manitex ownership, and Select Crane’s President Jason MacKenzie assisted Clarence’s Crane Rental with the purchase.
  
  The TC450 meets the wide-ranging needs of residential and commercial construction. That versatility allows Clarence’s Crane Rental the ability to meet the need of a several kinds of projects.




• NCCER Announces New President

  November 13, 2018 - NCCER has appointed Boyd Worsham as its new president. Worsham began his new position November 5 at NCCER’s headquarters in Alachua, Florida. 
  
  Starting as a carpenter apprentice and rising through the ranks to vice president of a global company, Worsham embodies the enterprising spirit of the construction industry.