Aggregate Operations Exempted From Proposed Federal Mine Safety Legislation
On Wednesday, July 21, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to review and approve H.R. 5663, the "Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010". At the outset of this hearing, Congressman George Miller (CA-7), the Committee Chair, offered an amended bill including language totally exempting the aggregates industry from H.R. 5663. A stunning victory for the aggregates industry!

In a recent email about this legislation, Joy Wilson, President & CEO, National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, does a nice job summarizing why this Committee properly carved the aggregates mining sector out of H.R. 5663:


IAAP members, along with the men and women who operate sand, gravel and crushed stone operations from coast to coast, and the folks who sell goods and services to aggregate producers, hammered Congress about H.R. 5663. They made these essential points over and over again - that the aggregates industry should not be included in new federal legislation targeting underground coal mine fatalities.

And Congress did the right thing in response. The IAAP, along with allied state and national trade associations, will be monitoring the status of H.R. 5663 to ensure that the aggregate industry's interests are protected.
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Mike Rowe Is Ready to Hit the Dirt with Caterpillar Customers and Dealers
The Dirty Jobs creator and star is teaming with the company to showcase Caterpillar Customers, Dealers and Employees

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT: NYSE) has announced that it is partnering with Mike Rowe, the creator and star of the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs and founder of mikeroweWORKS.com. With Mike's dedication to the trades and Caterpillar’s commitment to its customers, the two have joined forces to highlight the important and essential work Caterpillar customers perform everyday.

Rowe will be spending time with Caterpillar customers and dealers to get a real world perspective on their jobs and how the two partner to be successful. These encounters will be featured on cat.com and at Cat Dealerships across the country and will be used to demonstrate the solutions that Cat Dealers provide their customers throughout the lifecycle of their equipment, highlighting their superior parts and service support.

"When hard work is being performed and progress is being made, Mike wants to be in the thick of it, so teaming with him is an absolute perfect fit," said Denny Vosberg, Caterpillar Parts and Service Support Manager. "Our dealer personnel are the best in the world and have been supporting our customers with their critical work for generations. Now is the time to shine a light on it and Mike is going to help us with that."

Rowe, who calls himself a perpetual apprentice, has performed more than 300 jobs in locations around the country via his show, Dirty Jobs, which is currently one of the Discovery Channel's most popular programs. Mike is also the creator of mikeroweWORKS.com, a website dedicated to and for people in the trades to meet, discuss relevant topics and learn what is the latest in the industry. He says his partnership with Caterpillar was "inevitable" because the two share the same work philosophy.

"I see Cat equipment and the hard working people operating it around the world, building and creating infrastructure," said Rowe. "I'm excited to go beyond the machine and talk with the people who are actually making it happen."
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KNIFE RIVER CORPORATION PRESIDENT BILL SCHNEIDER TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS ON BEHALF OF NSSGA REGARDING THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 27-- Bill Schneider, president and CEO, Knife River Corporation, Bismarck, N.D., testified today before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure regarding the status of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. His testimony, on behalf of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, was to present the benefits to aggregates employees from ARRA stimulus money and to discuss the condition of America's infrastructure, construction unemployment numbers and the need for a long-term funding bill.

Providing an overview of Knife River Corporation and of the aggregates industry in general, Schneider testified that, despite an 11-percent decrease in aggregate production in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, there was evidence to suggest that ARRA funds helped maintain the market and prevented significant erosion of the workforce in the transportation construction market of the aggregates industry.

Schneider cautioned that ARRA is a one-time bankroll and that construction workers are on the unemployment lines at more than double the rate of other American workers. The unemployment rate peaked at more than 27 percent earlier in 2010 and is now at 20.1 percent, due to increased seasonal construction activity.

With a decline in construction activity, nearly 2.2 million construction workers have lost their jobs since industry employment and aggregates production peaked in mid-2006. Schneider also described the deplorable and unsafe conditions of the nation's roads and bridges, citing The American Society of Civil Engineers, which reported that one-third of America’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and that bridges are in even worse condition He continued by saying states and industry cannot plan for maintenance and new construction projects without knowing if the federal government has a long-term budget plan.

Nearly every state is doing business by deficit spending, which means highway funding and new construction projects will continue to be delayed. With the majority of states dealing with budget deficits, federal highway funding is crucial. Schneider concluded his testimony by urging support for a long-term highway funding and multi-year authorization bill, and for making it a priority in Congress. Passing the bill would mean passing a jobs bill and putting thousands of Americans back to work not only in the construction industry but in the many other supportive industries.

Supporting a well-funded, multi-year authorization bill that includes capacity expansion also benefits millions of Americans who depend on safe driving surfaces.
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Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. Second Quarter Conference Call Live on the Internet
Conference Call Live on the Internet at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 3, 2010

RALEIGH, N.C., Jul 27, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) today announced that it will provide an online Web simulcast of its second quarter 2010 earnings conference call on Tuesday, August 3, 2010. The Company will release results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010, that morning before the market opens.

The live broadcast of Martin Marietta Materials' conference call will begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 3, 2010. An online replay will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the live broadcast and will continue for one year. A link to these events is available at the Company's website: www.martinmarietta.com.

For those investors without online web access, the conference call may also be accessed by calling 970-315-0423, confirmation number 88075436. A seven-day telephonic replay will be available by dialing 706-645-9291 and entering 88075436 when prompted for the access code.

Martin Marietta Materials is the nation's second largest producer of construction aggregates and a producer of magnesia-based chemicals and dolomitic lime.
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'Localism' Agenda Should Promote ALSF Funding for Quarrying Communities
MPA is calling for a shift in the focus of the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) to local communities, which would support the Government's 'localism' agenda by giving people in areas affected by quarrying a greater say over the use of the fund.

Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive MPA, said, "In the first eight years of the ALSF from 2002/3 local communities received only 11% of total ALSF spending. This is too little and represents a missed opportunity to improve the links between the industry and local communities affected by aggregate extraction.

"We believe the share of the ALSF going directly to local communities should be increased by up to between 33% and 50% of the value of the fund.

"This would establish a closer link between the Levy paid by local companies and the potential use of the fund in local communities to give local people a greater opportunity to influence projects of direct benefit to them."

The aggregates industry has always regarded the funds allocated to local communities in quarrying areas as a key element of the ALSF. Funding of initiatives in local communities, often in association with quarry operators, provides a direct and transparent link between the industry, the Levy and local people.

The use of the ALSF has also been extremely beneficial because it highlights the actual and potential biodiversity contribution from former quarries as a key component of meeting national biodiversity targets and greatly expanding knowledge of the marine environment.

MPA has made representations to Government for the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) to be retained for as long as the Aggregates Levy itself is paid. However, MPA is opposed to the Aggregates Levy itself and has requested that the indexation is frozen (this was unfrozen in the recent emergency Budget) and that the quantum of the Levy is reduced to reflect the progress the industry has made since the Levy’s inception to reduce its operational and environmental impact.

Nigel Jackson said, "The ALSF was introduced in recognition that the Aggregates Levy itself is a pretty blunt instrument which uses sales volumes as a proxy for environmental impacts. The ALSF was designed to generate more direct and visible sustainability benefits for the Levy and the funds allocated to local communities in quarrying areas are a key element of the ALSF.

"We believe enabling local people to be more involved in influencing ALSF projects of direct benefit to them will help ‘make the link’ between the need for essential aggregates and the benefits that arise in both the built and natural environment.

"We hope that the outcome of the spending review will enable the ALSF to continue to generate sustainability benefits and that there is an opportunity to redirect a significantly higher share of the fund into local communities."
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Caterpillar 2Q Profit Soars; Raises Outlook
Courtesy: Google/The Associated Press

Caterpillar's second-quarter earnings shot up 91 percent with the heavy machinery manufacturer reporting robust sales of equipment for industries that range from mining and infrastructure to energy.

The company boosted its 2010 profit outlook as well on Thursday, saying it is trying to keep up with new orders and will ramp up production of its signature black-and-yellow equipment in the second half of the year.

The results and Caterpillar's own forecast reflect an uneven recovery and some anxiety about what kind of rebound to expect. Emerging markets like China and Brazil, not U.S. or Europe, still lead the way.

Asian sales grew by 62 percent to $1.7 billion. Caterpillar said overall sales of machinery were helped by low interest rates and higher metal prices that spurred mining activity, and a brighter global economic picture.

The North American market, Caterpillar's biggest, saw sales rise 43 percent. The company said the growth was driven by an improvement in home construction, a modest increase in federal spending for highways, and better prices in sectors like metals, coal and lumber.

While sales are up, Caterpillar has not brought back most of the 19,000 full-time and 18,000 contract and part time workers it was forced to shed during the recession. Caterpillar added about 3,650 new workers by the end of the second quarter to push its total employment to about 97,500. A third of those jobs were outside the United States.

Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman noted "significant economic concerns" that remain globally, but he remained optimistic.

"We continue to be positive about the longer-term prospects for many of the industries we serve," he said.

Caterpillar is a bellwether of industrial activity and broader industrial growth. Almost every sector needs the products that Caterpillar sells in order to grow, whether it's a utility installing new power lines or a developer building new homes. When the economy is expanding, Caterpillar sells more of its backhoes, mining equipment and engines.

When the recession set in, Caterpillar was among the first to feel it.

The company's quarter and its forecast reflect a global recovery and economies still smarting from the economic downturn.

For instance, dealer inventories remained flat, which is good compared with last year during the same period when inventories were trimmed by nearly $1.9 billion. On the other hand, dealers have yet to begin restocking, which is usually what happens when an economic recovery is gaining momentum.

Still, Caterpillar has posted two strong quarters this year after seeing profits tumble drastically in 2009 and the company's outlook cheered investors Thursday.

Caterpillar reported second-quarter net income of $707 million, or $1.09 per share. That is from $371 million, or 60 cents per share of profit a year ago.

Sales rose 31 percent to $10.4 billion, with Caterpillar reporting gains in machinery sales in all four global regions it serves. Manufacturing costs fell by $316 million, helping to fatten profits.

That easily topped Wall Street expectations of 85 cents per share of earnings on revenue of $9.8 billion.For all of 2010, Caterpillar expects to earn between $3.15 to $3.85 per share, up from a previous forecast of $2.50 to $3.25 per share. It also tightened its revenue forecast, bumping up the lower range by $100 million. Caterpillar now expects between $39 billion to $42 billion in revenue.

Shares in Caterpillar Inc. Rose $1.58, or 2.3 percent, to $68.45 in early afternoon trading.
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Sustainable Concrete Strategy Wins Top Environmental Award
The concrete industry's Sustainable Concrete Strategy has won the prestigious 2010 Trade Association Forum (TAF) Best Practice Awards for Environmental Initiative. The awards recognise and celebrate best practice and reward the achievement of trade associations from all industry sectors.

The Sustainable Concrete Strategy was developed and implemented by key trade associations and companies within the concrete sector. It commits them to a common vision where by 2012 the UK concrete sector is recognised as being the leader in delivering sustainable construction. The aim is to create an honest, responsible dialogue that enables the sustainable development of the built environment.

"The Sustainable Concrete Strategy demonstrates the industry’s commitment to transparency and continual improvement. These are not vague promises but commitments to real action. The success of the Strategy at the TAF Best Practice Awards is welcomed recognition of the achievement of all those involved who have helped to not only forward the vision but to ensure that the vision becomes a reality," said Andrew Spencer, Chairman of the Sustainable Concrete Forum.

The Strategy's first report, published in 2009, provided industry data across 14 performance indicators against which the concrete industry has committed to be benchmarked against and to improve upon.

The latest performance report, published in March 2010, provides 2008 performance data and outlines 12 targets, plus those in development, to be achieved by 2012.

The concrete industry consists of nine sectors and the performance data represents 77 per cent of the concrete industry. The Strategy is a truly pan-industry initiative and its achievements are already evident and impressive:

Responsibly Sourced Materials The target set by Government is that at least 25% of construction materials should be supplied with responsible certification by 2012. The concrete industry has taken significant steps to exceed this, publishing its own guidance to facilitate certification to the BRE standard BES 6001. 95% of certificates issued to date are to the concrete industry. [www.greenbooklive.com]

Waste Minimisation The concrete industry used over 18 times more waste, by-products from other industries and secondary materials than it produces, diverting over five million tonnes of material from the waste stream for use as alternative fuels, to replace virgin materials in concrete production. CO2 Emissions -- Production Through investment in new technology and use of biomass fuels there has been an estimated 14.6% decrease in CO2 emissions from comparable concrete mixes from 1990 to 2008. Our target is to reduce it by a further 17% from this 1990 baseline.

Site Stewardship and Biodiversity Seven hundred sites of special scientific interest (SSI's) in the UK are sites of previous or current mineral extraction. Currently 94.3% of relevant sites have site specific action plans and this is targeted to increase to 100%.

The submission to the TAF Awards was made jointly by the Mineral Products Association and British Precast on behalf of the Sustainable Concrete Forum. "It is thanks to the commitment and collaboration of the sector trade associations and their members that has enabled this momentous strategy to be possible", concluded Spencer.
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Mineral Products Association - Helping to Improve Poverty Housing
His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, last night joined delegates and their partners at the European cement industry’s annual General Assembly's Gala Dinner, where he welcomed a donation of £17,000 on behalf of Habitat for Humanity GB. The charity exists to help some of the world's most vulnerable people out of poverty housing and into decent, basic, dry homes -- something many of us take for granted.

"Poverty housing is a blight on humanity and our landscapes and we cannot stand idly by", said Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive of the Mineral Products Association, as the MPA handed over a cheque to Habitat for Humanity Great Britain.

"Our donation is in fact a donation from every single delegate to the CEMBUREAU¹ General Assembly", added Dr Pal Chana, Executive Director, MPA Cement. "Traditionally, delegates have received individual gifts from the host country. We took the view that there were many more people who could benefit if we set aside individual expectations and embraced a collective responsibility to those less fortunate."

"The basic building materials that our members produce are the very foundations and fabric of decent homes. Cement, concrete and aggregates can make the difference between a watertight, safe, secure environment in which to raise a family, and poverty housing that harbours destitution, hopelessness and disease. If we can help make even one family's life better, then it is worth it. But we know that £17,000 can make the lives of hundreds of families elsewhere in the world far better.

"MPA has supported Habitat for Humanity for the past year and has raised money for its Haiti appeal through the sale of surplus office furniture. It also 'walked the talk' when it, together with Hanson Cement, Cemex UK, Lafarge Cement UK and Tarmac Buxton Lime and Cement, sponsored a senior member of staff to go to a remote village in Bangladesh, with Habitat for Humanity, to work alongside two families to help them build their own homes."

"We are delighted that we can be of some help to such a worthy cause", said Nigel Jackson, "and very grateful to his Royal Highness for all the hard work he does on behalf of Habitat for Humanity. We will continue to make contributions to this movement as the opportunities present themselves."
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Deere Customers Get Twice the Protection with New Standard Warranty
With a down economy still challenging Deere's customers, the company has responded by increasing standard warranty coverage on new construction equipment in the U.S. and Canada. The free, basic warranty has changed from six to 12 months -- protecting customers twice as long.

"Now customers will be protected longer in this difficult climate," said Ron Mayfield, director, worldwide customer and product support, John Deere Construction & Forestry. "That's more than possible money savings; it's valuable peace of mind."

In an industry-exclusive, Deere's basic, no-deductible 12-month warranty actually "travels" with the machine if the equipment is sold to another party.

"This unique traveling warranty increases the re-sale value of the equipment and gives the buyer 'like new' protection if the iron is sold during its first year," Mayfield said. "In addition, the entire network of more than 600 dealer locations in the U.S. and Canada stand ready to honor our warranty. And nine regional parts depots back up the full parts shelves at our dealerships to make sure you get the parts you need."

If the basic warranty isn’t enough, Deere and its dealers also offer strong extended warranty packages for even greater protection. The John Deere StructurAll™ warranty for excavators is one example.

The StructurAll warranty provides three years or 10,000 hours of free service coverage on factory-installed major machine structures, including booms, Rollover Protection Structures (ROPS) and mainframes. Extended warranties also travel with machines.

See a John Deere dealer for details or visit http://www.deere.com/en_US/cfd/construction/deere_const/service_support/extended_coverage.html.
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CUMMINS VALIDATES ITS ISX11.9 AS BETTER ENGINE CHOICE FOR VOCATIONAL AND SPECIALTY VEHICLES
ISX11.9 Receives 2010 EPA And ARB Certification

Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) announced it has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) for its ISX11.9 diesel engine. The new ISX11.9 is an expansion of the industry-leading Heavy-Duty engine product line for Cummins and will commence with full production in August. Certification of the ISX11.9 rounds out the complete lineup of Cummins engine offerings for on-highway applications for 2010.

The current EPA regulations took effect January 1, 2010, and are the most stringent in the world for on-highway commercial vehicle engines. Cummins ISX11.9 meets the emissions regulations for Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) of 0.2 grams and 0.01 grams per brake-horsepower-hour, respectively.

The rugged ISX11.9 builds upon the legacy of strength and performance of the Cummins ISM engine and the proven technology of the ISX15. Cummins ISX11.9 has improved reliability and durability that can be attributed to the benefits of 10 years of advancements incorporated into the ISX15, today's market-share leader for the Class 8 commercial vehicle market. The Cummins ISX11.9 utilizes common components with the ISX15, including an enhanced cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system, a single VGT™ Turbocharger and the proprietary XPI fuel system. Like the lineup of on-highway Heavy-Duty and MidRange engines, the ISX11.9 will also utilize Cummins Aftertreatment System with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology.

Featuring better pulling power, excellent driveability and stronger clutch engagement torque, the ISX11.9 is designed for rigorous duty cycles, including those for work trucks such as dump and mixer trucks, and refuse applications. Additionally, a full suite of horsepower and torque ratings are available for fire and emergency vehicles, recreational vehicles and motor coaches as well as tanker and day cab operations in Class 8 trucks.

"Cummins is excited about the expansion of the Heavy-Duty product line to include the ISX11.9, which is ideally suited for vocational and specialty vehicles," said Ed Pence, Vice President and General Manager - Heavy-Duty Engine Business. Customers can be confident that the ISX11.9 is the better choice for these applications, which require strength, performance and maximum uptime in their operations."

Cummins will offer horsepower ratings of 310-450 (231-336 kW) and torque ranging from 1150-1650 lb-ft (1559-2237 N•m) for the ISX11.9, depending upon vehicle application. The compact design of the ISX11.9 allows customers to select engine options that have been tailored to suit unique operating needs. Optional features include single- and dual-cylinder air compressors, Front Engine Power Take-Off (FEPTO) and the enhanced Cummins-designed Rear Engine Power Take-Off (REPTO) for customers who need to maximize payload.

Prior to making its engines commercially available, Cummins takes many steps to validate their reliability and durability, including rigorous testing during the product design and development stage. Specifically for the ISX11.9, Cummins has accumulated over 1.44 million miles and nearly 19,000 hours of testing, both in-house and with customers, in nearly 20 unique vehicle installations.

Cummins commitment to quality goes beyond product design and testing and continues through every step of the manufacturing process. Cummins has invested over $63 million over the past two years to ready its Heavy-Duty manufacturing facility - Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP) - for the full production of the ISX11.9 engine line. Since mid-2009, the JEP has been producing 2010 Heavy-Duty engines, including the ISX15, and had shipped over 4,500 Heavy-Duty engines as of the end of June. "As we enter our full production phase for the ISX11.9, we have every confidence that our manufacturing processes have been validated and that we will deliver products with the performance, reliability and durability our customers demand," commented Pence.

Cummins had shipped over 12,000 EPA- and ARB-certified on-highway engines as of June 2010. For more information on the Cummins engine lineup, visit cumminsengines.com.
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M786 MINE GRADER FROM CHAMPION
ONSITE CUSTOMER SUPPORT LEADS TO PURPOSE-BUILT

Champion Motor Graders has announced a new line of low-profile compact graders specially developed for work in underground mines.

The new M786 mine grader is a modified variant of Champion's popular all-wheel drive C86 C-Series compact grader. The low profile cab has been lowered to give the M786 a maximum height of 7 ft. (2.13 m). The grader is also reinforced in critical areas to withstand the added shock loads and long duty cycles of mine operations.

According Bryan Abernathy, Executive Vice-President of Champion Motor Graders, the M786 is the product of an extensive engineering review of previous models working in mine sites. Interest in developing a specialized mine grader came to Champion by word-of-mouth from dealers and mine operators who encountered recurring problems as they attempted to utilize conventional graders in mining applications. "Word has been spreading that there is an alternative solution for haul road maintenance," Abernathy reports. "A lot of mines don't own a grader of any kind. Purpose-built mining graders are very expensive because they come with so many unique features and really short overall height. We see the M786 as a cross of a standard off-the-shelf C86 and a purpose-built mining grader. This offers mines a grader that is designed for underground work but that is much easier to justify in terms of cost.

Champion initially investigated how to meet requests for a lower cab height without compromising operator comfort and safety. As development progressed, Champion's engineering team identified additional modifications to adapt the grader to its new environment.

Less height, more strength for extended duty cycles

"Height was the big issue, to start with," Abernathy said. "But we began putting more into new product development as we gained a better understanding of the differences in operating conditions that a mine presents."

Abernathy notes that, in more typical operations, the daily duty cycle of a grader may total 3.5 hours. In the mines, however, graders can run continuously for as much as two full shifts. The M786 was given a more robust frame using thicker material and extra welding passes. In the early stages of development, Champion simply adopted improvements driven by mine operations as upgrades to standard C86 models. As a result, once the decision was made to establish a new model with special mine features, the basic model required relatively little change. "By strengthening and improving the C86 as we went, we were able to keep Champion's manufacturing process simple and economical, while letting us remain responsive to customer requests."

"Under normal conditions, a problem might occur very rarely in the grader and you wouldn't notice a pattern. When you put it underground, though, and you see a failure happen more frequently, you can start to think about ways to improve the design overall. The mines basically give us a lot of testing hours under extreme conditions. We could be looking at a part failure that would never happen outside of the mine, but Champion doesn't ignore the opportunity to make our product better."

Solving problems with hands-on grader experience

The greatest challenge to Champion engineers, according to Abernathy, was to lower the grader while maintaining adequate clearance for its many moving parts and assemblies. Particular attention was paid to the placement of the final drive on the M786 and to fine-tuning the wheelbase. Additional considerations included the mine's narrow workspace, subjecting the machine to impacts on the sidewalls, as well as the shocks of hitting large rocks and the need for the grader to run in reverse for extended distances. The M786 is also designed to accommodate "mine ready" specifications such as fire suppression or special braking requirements.

Abernathy credits Champion's decades of hands-on grader experience for its ability to develop the equipment customers need, quickly. "Designing the mine-duty grader was no different from what we have been doing for 30 years. With our experience, we go to the customer and find ways to help them achieve what they need from their equipment. You can make great strides in a short time when you go onsite personally and see what the customer is trying to do."

"We started out paying attention to what makes a big grader great," says Bryan. "We incorporated a lot of big grader features into our compact machine. Then we designed our production process to let us keep it open and adapt to satisfy different customer applications. That put us in a good position to create a mine grader like this -- the only compact mine grader on the market!"

Working with the customer underground

Part of Champion's strategy for mine operations is to work with the equipment operators and maintenance technicians onsite to show them how to maximize productivity with a compact grader. Abernathy says that, with a short training session, the mines he has visited find their Champion Graders are producing well for a lot less cost. Recently, Abernathy has traveled as far as Canada's Northwest Territories and Red Lake, Ontario, to commission his graders and train local staff. More Champion Graders are in mining service in Juneau, Alaska as well as Mexico and Peru.

"When we go into the mine, everyone walks away more experienced. They learn to get the most out of the grader, and we get a whole new appreciation of what they're doing."

"Their location alone is a major factor," Abernathy continues. "Many of our mine graders are in very remote locations - places that are almost impossible to reach at certain times of the year. Our C86 in Yellowknife was delivered by a C-130 cargo plane because the ice road was shut down. It shows you just how important the grader is to the mine, otherwise, they could have waited for it till the ice road opened again. Mines are unique because nothing shuts them down. That tells us we have to build our graders with the same kind of mentality."

Champion currently has 14 graders working in underground applications. Another recent order will see a standard model of Champion's C116 Production Class Grader go into a mining application. In that case, the C116 was chosen over a full-size conventional grader because of the maneuverability it allows with a shorter wheel base.

Abernathy acknowledges that the M786 is not the first grader to be built for mining. "There are other low-profile machines that just live in the mine; they're very heavy-duty and very intense units but you're spending double or triple the cost of our compact model. We feel we're definitely the most cost-effective machine available."
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