Competitive Edge Journal: Huge Jump in Requests for Quotes on Aggregate and Construction
The number of Government Requests for Quotation (RFQ) is increasing every week as major highway and bridge jobs funded under the stimulus program begin.

"It was painfully slow to see the start of any stimulus funded infrastructure programs at the state and local level", says Rick Vandekieft, publisher of the electronic publication the Competitive Edge Journal. The Competitive Edge Journal is the government bid and tender notification system available to all aggregates producers, construction companies and equipment suppliers.

"Finally there is activity and lots of it as I have watched the number of requests for quotes on all classes of Aggs , sand, riprap double over the last few weeks, indicating that jobs are ready to start", said Vandekieft. “The number of road, bridge and other horizontal construction tenders open for quotes right now is also huge. Just this week we topped 800 requests for quotes in these construction areas and lots of others in demolition, building construction and renovations."

For more information on the open tenders or to subscribe to the Competitive Edge Journal, visit www.cej-usa.com.
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Excel Foundry Named a Top Supplier by Martin Marietta Materials
Martin Marietta Materials is a leading producer of construction aggregates with a network of more than 285 quarries and distribution yards in the U.S., Canada, and the Bahamas. Sales of $1.6 billion in 2009 were generated by 4,800 employees being supported by over 3,000 suppliers.

Excel Foundry & Machine has earned the right to stand among only 39 other suppliers and be named one of Martin Marietta’s preferred suppliers for 2010!
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CNH Contributes to Haiti Disaster Relief Efforts
Case New Holland (CNH), a leading manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, has been involved in efforts to relieve the humanitarian crisis in Haiti since the country was stricken by a mammoth earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.

The company is supporting relief efforts by providing Case, New Holland and Kobelco construction equipment and companywide monetary donations.

"Soged S.A., the Case dealer in Haiti, immediately deployed available excavators, wheel loaders and other equipment to assist in recovery efforts. And EDOM - Empresas Dominicanas C.A., a New Holland/Kobelco dealer in the Dominican Republic, was able to offer delivery of up to 10 machines within 24 hours," said Jim McCullough, president and CEO, CNH Construction Equipment. "Our Case, New Holland and Kobelco brands will continue to support recovery efforts in the coming weeks," he added.

CNH has also offered several pieces of heavy construction equipment to Haiti, including crawler excavators ranging from 7 to 16 tons, a tractor loader backhoe and motor grader, through the United Nations.

Finally, to facilitate employees wishing to make a direct contribution to earthquake victims, CNH will match employee cash donations, in addition to making a company donation.
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Foundation Releases Sustainable Concrete Plant Guidelines
The RMC Research & Education Foundation is proud to announce the release of a new tool for the concrete industry: Sustainable Concrete Plant Guidelines. The Guidelines were developed by West Main Consultants and William C. Twitty, Jr., with guidance from Lionel Lemay, senior vice president - sustainable construction, with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association.

The concept behind the development of the Guidelines was to further the efforts underway within the concrete industry in the sustainable development field and assist producers by providing additional resources on how to make their own plants and operations more sustainable. The Guidelines will be an evolving document and we seek comments from industry representatives on this released version and the supporting materials.

"Concrete by its very nature is a very sustainable material. These Guidelines are a great tool for producers to identify ways to enhance their manufacturing processes to make concrete even more sustainable," said James Repman, Foundation Chairman. Repman also noted "These Guidelines complement the other environmental and sustainability initiatives already established within the industry and allow producers to augment those efforts." Foundation Executive Director Julie Garbini agreed, adding "This document gives producers performance-based metrics by which to measure and demonstrate the sustainability of their operations. It provides specific guidance on how to assess energy and resource consumption for continuous improvement. We are proud to add this new deliverable to the many other sustainable development-related research studies, reports and tools available from the Foundation."

The Sustainable Concrete Plant Guidelines document and supporting materials are available for download from the Foundation's website at www.rmc-foundation.org. Comments on the Guidelines and materials may be directed to NRMCA's Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org. Additional resources are available on the Foundation’s Research to Support Sustainable Development CD. The mission of the RMC Research & Education Foundation is to support research and educational programs that will increase professionalism and quality in the concrete industry.
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San Antonio Equipment Distributors Sends Message to Congress
Get to Work on the Highway Bill So WE Can Get Back to Work!

Congress' failure to renew the federal highway program has real economic consequences for Texas and the rest of the country, construction equipment industry leaders said at a rally today at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

The event was part of a national grassroots campaign called Start Us Up USA! by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the nation's two leading equipment industry trade groups.

Following the rally, a caravan of trucks carrying large pieces of construction equipment idled by the industry depression and draped with banners made its way through the streets of downtown San Antonio.

AED and AEM are seeking to draw attention to the economic crisis facing construction equipment distributors and manufacturers, as well as the consequences of Congress' failure to reauthorize federal highway and transit programs. According to a recent study by IHS Global Insight, since 2006 the U.S. equipment industry has lost 37 percent of its workforce and 40 percent of its economic output. All indications are that construction industry business conditions are getting worse and what is happening -- or is not happening -- in Washington, D.C., is only adding to the misery.

SAFETEA-LU, the most recent federal surface transportation law, expired at the end of September. Distracted by health care reform and climate change legislation, neither the U.S. House of Representatives nor the Senate has made headway on a reauthorization bill. As a consequence, the highway program is operating under a series of short-term extensions that have added to historic volatility in the construction markets.

"States can't plan and contractors don't know how much work will be coming down the pike," AED President & CEO Toby Mack said. "As a result, they're sitting on their hands and not investing in new equipment. That's killing our industry."

"We're not asking for a handout like the ones Congress gave the auto industry or the financial services sector," AEM President Dennis Slater said. "We're just asking Congress to do its job and make highway reauthorization a priority."

Bennett Closner, president and CEO of Closner Equipment Co., Inc., a San Antonio dealer, provided a local perspective on the national crisis. Closner, who is the 2009 national chairman of AED, said that since 2006 Texas has lost more than $11 billion in economic activity because of the equipment industry downturn, the biggest loss of any state. And Texas is second only to California in equipment industry-related job losses, with more than 53,000 layoffs in three years.

"I've listened to friends and colleagues agonize over the difficult decisions they've had to make about their businesses. Almost all have had to lay off valued workers, many have closed one or more of their facilities, and some companies have shut their doors altogether after several generations in business," Closner said.

Peter M. Holt, CEO of San Antonio-based Holt CAT, told rally attendees that local equipment dealers have experienced a 70 percent drop in new machine sales from 2008 levels. He said that the most debilitating impact of the downturn for his company has been a 25 percent reduction in employment. "Our remaining employees have made sacrifices in pay and benefits to enable us to stay profitable, and plans for several new store locations were canceled," Holt said.

According to Holt, the economic crisis and uncertainty surrounding the highway bill are also taking a massive toll on local contractors. "Our customers who do highway construction have laid off thousands of employees. Many contractors are still reducing their workforces and their equipment fleets. The rapid drop in value of used equipment has also had a drastic affect on the equity of most contractors, resulting in a reduction of both borrowing and bonding capacity," he said.

Other speakers at the rally included Texas State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-District 25); Dean Word, III of Dean Word Company (New Braunfels); and Craig Paylor, president of JLG Industries, a manufacturer of mobile aerial work platforms based in Maryland. They pointed to the broad social and economic consequences of infrastructure investment, or rather Congress' failure to invest enough.

According to the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), traffic congestion costs the country $87 billion per year in wasted time and fuel. TTI reports that, on average, San Antonio commuters waste 27 gallons of fuel and 38 hours per year sitting in traffic. A study last year by the Transportation Construction Coalition found that road conditions are a contributing factor in more than half -- 52.7 percent -- of the nearly 42,000 American deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes each year. Accidents in which road conditions were a factor cost Texas more than $13 billion in 2006.

More information about highway reauthorization and the AED-AEM campaign is available at www.startusupusa.com.
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AEM's "Construction Challenge"
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and Volvo Construction Equipment have signed an agreement which makes Volvo the presenting sponsor for AEM's annual Construction Challenge teen competition. The challenge is a creative problem-solving program that educates young people about the value of construction industry careers, as well as industry contributions to improved quality of life.

Under the agreement, Volvo is the exclusive official presenting sponsor of the challenge competition for 2010-2014. The AEM Construction Challenge presented by Volvo Construction Equipment includes the challenge finals at the triennial CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition (2011 and 2014), the challenge program within Destination ImagiNation's yearly Global Finals, and regional rally qualifying events.

Dennis Slater, AEM president, states: "Volvo has been a team sponsor since the first AEM challenge. This new and greatly enhanced level of support will enable us to extend the reach of the program, and bring more of the 'best and the brightest' into the construction industry. We applaud Volvo's initiative and forward-thinking leadership in helping build the construction workforce of the future."

Göran Lindgren, president of Volvo Construction Equipment North America, states: "The prosperity of our industry very much depends on the availability of a qualified workforce. We at Volvo are committed to supporting efforts that develop the workforce of tomorrow. We look forward to working with AEM on promoting the value of construction and the construction industry in communities across North America."

AEM initiated the Construction Challenge in 2007 as an engaging way to help students learn firsthand about careers in construction. Despite recent job losses, the construction sector still faces a severe shortage of qualified workers to meet future needs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the construction industry needs to attract 240,000 workers each year to replace those leaving the industry and to allow for growth. By 2020 manufacturing overall faces a skilled worker shortage of 13-15 million with no growth in the 18-26-year-old age group.

AEM partners with the global creativity organization, Destination ImagiNation (DI), and a construction-themed challenge is an integral component of DI's core program. DI programs foster creative problem solving through hands-on teamwork. They are offered in more than 30 countries, reaching more than 100,000 student participants each year. In addition, the CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition hosts a special edition of the Construction Challenge in show years, to provide teens with even more exposure to the construction industry.

Since its inception, the challenge has already directly engaged 3,000 middle and high school students across North America, and the program and its messages have made an impression on more than 18 million students on a global level. Nearly 70 percent of challenge participants said they are now considering a construction career.

AEM has received national recognition from association and trade show groups for the challenge's innovative approach to workforce development. The awards cited the challenge's creativity, utility and value, and deemed the AEM program "heads and shoulders above other (industry) recruitment efforts" because of the innovative partnering with Destination ImagiNation and a commitment to measuring program results.

For more information about the AEM Construction Challenge presented by Volvo Construction Equipment contact David Bannister, AEM workforce development manager, at 414-274-0657 or send an email.
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GIW INDUSTRIES & LAKE MEAD TUNNEL PROJECT
Subterranean tunnel with pump system will help secure future of Las Vegas' water supply

GIW pumps Grovetown, GA. (January 26, 2010) -- GIW Industries, the leader in the design, manufacture and application of heavy-duty centrifugal slurry pumps, will provide eight pump and drive train systems for use in the construction of the Lake Mead Intake Tunnel No. 3. The $450 million tunnel project is necessary to protect the water supply of Las Vegas and surrounding municipalities. In Las Vegas, 90 percent of the city's water supply comes from the Colorado River at Lake Mead, behind the Hoover Dam. The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) operates two water intakes in Lake Mead, located 20 miles east of Las Vegas. Drought conditions since 2000 have caused a severe decline in lake levels, which threatens the operability of the lake's current water intakes. With future declines expected, a third intake is needed to help ensure existing water-system capacity and to prevent depletion of the area's future supply. Scheduled for completion in 2012, the Lake Mead project first entails construction of a vertical shaft that is 600 feet deep and 30 feet in diameter. The shaft then opens to a man-made "cavern" where a tunnel-boring machine will be assembled for the purpose of boring a 24-foot wide, 15,000-foot long horizontal tunnel beneath Lake Mead. Vegas Tunnel Constructors, a joint venture of Impregilo and S.A. Healy Co., was contracted in March 2008 to oversee construction of the intake shaft and tunnel. Vegas Tunnel Constructors selected Georgia-based GIW Industries as a supplier to provide eight pump systems, seven of which will pump slurry through the tunnel's closed-loop circuit. The eighth pump will be located in the processing plant at the shaft's surface. According to John Park, GIW's western district sales manager, "Four of the pumps are going to be the slurry return pumps that come from the tunnel-boring machine's rotating cutter head and pumps slurry all the way out that 15,000-foot tunnel to the bottom of the vertical shaft."

Throughout the tunnel construction, a bentonite slurry, acting as a lubricant, will be pumped to the cutter face of the tunnel-boring machine. As the machine's cutter face burrows through the earth, the subsequent loose rock and dirt is pumped up to a processing plant at the shaft's surface. The dirt and rock are then separated from the bentonite, thus cleaning the bentonite slurry. Three of the GIW pumps will then pump the cleaned slurry back down the tunnel to the cutter face so that the same process can be repeated.

Tunnel and shaft construction commenced in June 2008, and GIW's pump installation is set to begin in April or May of 2010. Pumps, each with an assembled weight of 24,000 pounds, will be strategically placed along the wall of the tunnel that, when complete, will be three miles in length. The seven GIW high pressure LSA36 pumps will be placed in series to remove the excavated material from the tunnel. Park, who worked on the project with GIW representative Pacific Coast Pump and Equipment, Inc., says that several factors helped GIW Industries earn the contract from Vegas Tunnel Constructors.

In addition to being a more economically sound option than European pump manufacturers, GIW Industries was able to provide what Park describes as "bigger, heavier, more rugged equipment." "Not only were they (Vegas Tunnel) confident in our equipment and confident in our ability, but our supply chain was domestic," says Park.

GIW Industries began as a small foundry and machine shop in Augusta, Ga., in 1891. In 1914, GIW began building slurry pumps. Today, the company comprises two manufacturing facilities, one in Grovetown, Ga., and the other in Thomson, Ga. These foundries and machine shops are used for manufacturing and assembling pumps and for casting a variety of abrasion- and corrosion-abrasion-resistant alloys and polyurethane elastomers. As a subsidiary of KSB AG of Germany, a global pump and valve manufacturer, GIW has the infrastructure to supply pumps worldwide. KSB has presence in 100 countries with sales organizations, offices and 30 manufacturing sites.
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Sandvik Mining and Construction partners with Barrick in Pascua-Lama
Sandvik is pleased to announce the successful agreement with Barrick regarding the supply of several classifications of equipment for its Pascua-Lama site. Barrick’s positive experiences with Sandvik products in the past and the results generated by the proactive relationship between and within the two organizations will benefit both companies.

Pascua-Lama is an open-pit mining project for the extraction of gold and silver. Pascua-Lama is located in the Andes Mountains, south of Atacama, straddling the border between Chile and Argentina. Considering Pascua-Lama's 5,200 meters (17 000 feet), altitude all equipment must be able to operate at high altitudes and in cold conditions -- requirements that Sandvik was able to meet across all product categories.

Barrick has been planning the project for several years. For nearly 10 years and after a complete extensive community consultation process and a robust review by communities, stakeholders, regulators etc. with modifications, Pascua-Lama was approved by COREMA, the regional environment authority, in 2006. Barrick plans to invest between USD2.8 and 3 billion in Pascua-Lama, with an expected annual output of 750,000-800,000 ounces of gold and 35 million ounces of silver in the first five years. The company will create 5,500 jobs during the initial construction stage, and will employ approximately 1,600 over the approximate 25 years of operation.

The products to be delivered include:
Three DS410C bolting rigs, two DC302R drill rigs, three DD420-60C jumbos, six LH514 loaders, four EJC533 dump trucks, three TH540 dump trucks, one DR460 blasthole drill, one D90KS blasthole drill and three CH880 cone crushers.

The underground machines will be used to construct a ramp (1,514 m/5000 feet), crusher cavern and conveyor tunnel (3,940 m/13 000 feet) connecting Chile with Argentina. The surface rigs will start the open pit development in parallel with the tunnel development.

Sandvik is determined to complete this order by Q3 2010, and to provide all suitable support on a continuous basis.
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CUMMINS ANNOUNCES MULTIYEAR AGREEMENT WITH CHRYSLER GROUP LLC
Cummins Inc. announced a multiyear extension of its current agreement with Chrysler Group LLC. Cummins will supply 6.7-liter Turbo Diesel engines for Ram Heavy Duty pickups and Chassis Cab trucks while continuing to grow its partnership with Chrysler, which began 21 years ago.

Cummins has produced over 1.7 million Cummins Turbo Diesel engines for Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks since 1989. Today, over 80 percent of Ram Heavy Duty truck customers purchase their truck with the legendary Cummins Turbo Diesel.

The first Cummins Turbo Diesel was used in the 1989 Dodge Ram, with projected sales of less than 5,000 engines. Actual sales exceeded 20,000 engines in the first year, signaling to the market that a powerful new combination had been created.

The first Cummins Turbo Diesel was a 5.9-liter at 160 hp (119 kW) and 400 lb-ft (542 N•m) of torque. Today's 6.7-liter Turbo Diesel delivers 350 hp (261 kW) and 650 lb-ft (881 N•m) of torque. This 118 percent increase in horsepower and 86 percent increase in torque have been achieved while also reducing exhaust emissions by 90 percent. In 2007, Dodge and Cummins produced the cleanest heavy-duty diesel pickup in the market by meeting U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2010 emissions levels a full three years in advance.

"Cummins and Chrysler have a long and important history together," said Dave Crompton, VP and General Manager, MidRange Engine Business. "The Chrysler business continues to be a key part of our MidRange engine business. Cummins is proud to supply engines for the award-winning Ram Heavy Duty and to continue working with Chrysler to develop best-in-class products that customers can trust and depend on now and in the future."
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SENNEBOGEN OPENS AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS
The new 54,000 sq. ft. development establishes a world-class facility to support users of material handling equipment in North America.

STANLEY, NC -- The American headquarters with a new parts and training facility announced by SENNEBOGEN LLC in October 2008 has now opened its doors in Stanley, NC and committed to serving the North American marketplace from this central location.

SENNEBOGEN, a family-owned business founded in 1952 in Straubing, Germany, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of specialized material handling machines used in scrap, recycling, ports, logging and forestry and many other industries.

SENNEBOGEN LLC is the US-based subsidiary of the company, established in 2000 to introduce and support SENNEBOGEN equipment throughout the Americas. Its 54,000 sq. ft. facility with six bays for shipping and receiving occupies a secure 32 acre site located in Lincoln County, about 20 minutes from the City of Charlotte.

Planned for Growth

According to Constantino Lannes, the President of SENNEBOGEN LLC, the opening of the new facility is just the first step in its development as one of North America’s premier support centers for heavy equipment. The center is designed to accommodate a significant increase in employees as the business achieves expected growth targets. SENNEBOGEN LLC has enjoyed rapid growth over its 10 years in North America, now with industry leading sales in its key markets supported by a coast-to-coast dealer network. Its head office, parts and training facility is part of the company's plan for continued growth as it expands sales into new sectors. "This positive strategy has allowed us to grow." According to Lannes, "We are committed to keeping the investment in our staff. They are part of the SENNEBOGEN family."

"We are very proud of how this facility has been conceived and constructed," Lannes says. "Every feature is based on the specific activities. We are always explaining to customers how SENNEBOGEN equipment is 'purpose-built' for its application. This project was developed with the same kind of thinking."

The site is close to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and is well served for air travel and truck transportation. The facility itself comprises two main areas: one to warehouse replacement parts for distribution to equipment dealers, and one for training dealers’ and customers’ staff on the operation and maintenance of the equipment.

Complete parts inventory

Entering through the main door to the facility, visitors arrive to an open, welcoming reception area – a far cry from what they might expect in a typical industrial warehouse. The depth of the inventory here is evident in the array of thousands of different hydraulic and mechanical components in stock to service various machine models. The warehouse also maintains an extensive inventory of major machine components and assemblies, weighing from ounces to literally thousands of pounds. “We keep everything on hand that a technician might need to keep one of our machines up and running and with 24/7 parts and service availability, SENNEBOGEN is maintaining its pledge to maximize their customers' up time." Lannes claims. "Our distributors do a tremendous job of keeping their own local supplies of service and repair parts, so we’re always ready to replenish their stocks, without waiting for orders to come from overseas. Almost any customer request is on its way the same day the order arrives here."

Lannes notes that the warehouse even keeps a large inventory of engines in stock. "Replacement units for heavy equipment normally come directly from the original engine manufacturers or their dealers," Lannes explains. "But we make sure we have the exact engines available to fit into our units in the field easily. That can offer a great time-saving for service technicians. In one case recently, we had one of our distributors who was told he would have to wait up to eight weeks to get an engine from its manufacturer, but we had it in stock and shipped out to him the same day!"

Hands-on equipment training

The rear area of the facility is a wholly self-contained training center, complete with a separate entrance and its own kitchen. Meeting rooms and classrooms are all equipped with the computer networking and projection technology required for today's interactive instruction methods. The training section occupies two levels, including an upper area that overlooks a large machine bay. This bay allows SENNEBOGEN trainers to bring any SENNEBOGEN machine indoors, up to the 200,000 lb. 870 model material handler. "Efficiency has been built into this facility. With a number of classrooms available, different classes can run simultaneously", said Lannes. It also allows us to have a number of distributors in at the same time." Workplace health & safety

Lannes points out that the building was designed with people as much in mind as machine parts. "The health and safety of our staff and customers is primary at SENNEBOGEN, here at home or on the jobsite." The building is well ventilated for continuous air exchange and the windows open for fresh air to enter. Access to the fully fenced site is through a gated entry, providing an extra measure of personal security for staff and visitors who often work late into the night.
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CASE AWARDS NEW SKID STEER LOADERS TO SWEEPSTAKES WINNERS
RACINE, Wis. (Feb. 2, 2010) -- Case Construction Equipment has awarded each of the three winners of its Rockin' Block Party sweepstakes with a new Case 430 skid steer loader valued at more than $47,000. A random drawing conducted December 14 selected American Abatement, San Antonio, Texas; WWF Construction, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and R-Crow Construction, Terrell, Texas, as grand prize sweepstakes winners.

"The response to the Rockin' Block Party celebration was extraordinary," said Ion Warner, senior director of marketing. "Thousands of Case customers participated in the events hosted by more than 20 Case dealers throughout North America."

Case also announced winners of its Rockin’ Block Party skid steer story contest. Grand prize winners each received a $1,000 CNH Capital card. The four grand prize winners were Douglas Bullerman, Adrian, Minn.; Doug Eastwood, Medina, Ohio; Roger Betland, Dayton, Minn.; and William Jackson, DeMotte, Ind. Another 20 winners were drawn for first through fifth place and received prizes including jackets, T-shirts and hats. A complete list of story winners is available at www.CaseRocks.com. Throughout 2009, as part of the Rockin' Block Party celebration of the 40th anniversary of Case skid steer loaders, customers were invited to climb into the cab of a Case skid steer loader for a demo and a chance to win a new machine. The events raised more than $50,000 in support of local Habitat for Humanity affiliates across North America.

During the past three years, Case has raised nearly $200,000 in support of Habitat for Humanity and Case and its dealers have helped build several homes in their local communities.

"The Case Rockin Block Party events provided an opportunity for the local Habitat for Humanity affiliates to accept donations, generate awareness and recruit volunteers, Warner said. "Some Case dealerships also participated in local Habitat for Humanity home builds."

Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates homes and sells them at no profit, and with zero-percent-interest mortgages, to low-income, first-time home buyers. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses.
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Bigge Equipment Company Opens Facility in Houston
Bigge Equipment Company has opened a new facility in Houston, Texas and is targeting rental and sales of Rough Terrain, Crawler and Tower Cranes in the Gulf Coast Region.

As a national powerhouse for equipment rental and an international dealer of multiple brands, Bigge is uniquely positioned to provide new and used equipment for rental and purchase.

Bigge's decision to open this new facility is based on demand from our existing customers. The new facility will maintain its own fleet of cranes as well as have access to heavy lift and specialty transportation equipment from Bigge’s nationwide network.

Regional Manager Jeff Pobanz states, "Our plan is to provide our customers with the best combination of quality, price and service (QPS). Our sales and technical representatives are the best in the business and we believe that our customers are eager to do business with us because of our commitment to the QPS strategy."
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The Hertz Corporation Expands Into Saudi Arabia
PARK RIDGE, NJ, Feb 01, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The Hertz Corporation (NYSE: HTZ) and its equipment rental subsidiary, Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation (HERC), have entered into a Joint Venture with Saudi Arabia based Dayim Holdings Company Ltd. to set up equipment rental operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The new joint venture entity will rent and sell equipment and tools to construction and industrial markets throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"The equipment rental market in Saudi Arabia is expanding rapidly, driven by heavy construction and opportunities in the petro-chemical industry. Our joint venture with Dayim Holdings will enable HERC to tap into growth throughout the country," commented Mark P. Frissora, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Hertz Corporation. "With an established presence in the Kingdom, HERC will be able to offer a one stop shop for equipment rental and fleet management needs for this important market."

Dayim's Executive Chairman HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan said: "HERC is a global leader in the field of equipment rental, therefore we believe that it is ideally placed to serve the Kingdom's aggressive expansion plans in all relevant sectors."

Gerald A. Plescia, Hertz Executive Vice President and President of HERC, adds, "This was truly a collaborative effort as our HERC teams from the U.S., Europe, and Asia worked closely with the Dayim team to put this important business partnership together. The combined strength of these two organizations will enable outstanding growth opportunities for both and allow us to deliver the highest level of service to those customers in Saudi Arabia."
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BRATHWIT MARINE IMPRESSED WITH SENNEBOGEN
DICKINSON, TX -- When towing and shipyard company, Breathwit Marine Contractors, acquired the assets of Tex Mex Marine in December 2007, included among them was a SENNEBOGEN 835 M material handler that was already in place and working at a port transfer application.

Today, Breathwit Marine's SENNEBOGEN 835 M is located at Cemex USA's Turkey Bend Island (TBI) Navigation Yard in Houston, where it transfers sand and gravel from barges to hoppers that feed conveyors to Cemex's asphalt and cement plants.

"We transport the aggregate material to the Cemex yard using our tugs and barges, and then we transfer it to their hoppers using our SENNEBOGEN 835 M which is equipped with a 2 cu.yd. clamshell bucket attachment. It’s all part of a package deal we offer them," says Cliff Breathwit, General Manager Breathwit Marine Contractors. "We haven't had any problems with the SENNEBOGEN machine since taking ownership of it. It’s proven to be a very reliable machine for this particular application.”

Breathwit a diversified company
As a parent company, Breathwit Marine Contractors oversees 22 different companies. The company got its start in the towing business in the early 1980s with one tugboat and one barge. Today it has nine tugboats and thirty-six barges. Breathwit estimates that in 2008 the company transported about 1.5 million tons of sand and gravel to the Houston area and unloaded the majority of it using their own material handlers, including the SENNEBOGEN 835 M they acquired from Tex Mex Marine.

The SENNEBOGEN machine was originally purchased by its former owners from Rusty May at Waukesha-Pearce Industries (WPI). Breathwit says that his company has a long-time relationship with May and Waukesha-Pearce as an equipment supplier. Breathwit Marine also provides barge transportation services for the Houston-based Komatsu dealer. Breathwit says he just loaded one of WPI's SENNEBOGEN rental units on a Breathwit Marine barge for delivery to a customer doing hurricane clean-up in the region. He says that WPI is very attentive to Breathwit Marine’s needs and notes that service calls for the 835 M have been dealt with in a very timely manner.

835 M is very truckable
Breathwit says his SENNEBOGEN 835 M is very "truckable" in comparison to some of his other material handling equipment. "Some of our other equipment requires a major disassembly to get it on a trailer and transport it anywhere -- not our SENNEBOGEN. You just pull out its outriggers, put it on a trailer and away you go."

The 835 M does a great job at the TBI yard, Breathwit says. "It doesn’t actually do a 360° swing, but more like a 90° cycle from the barges to the hopper. Our operators say it's really smooth and efficient. And because they have to look down into the barges when they are unloading them, they find the SENNEBOGEN machine’s elevating and tilting cab a necessity for this application."
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Caterpillar Must Pay $54 Million to Paralyzed Texas Worker
Courtesy: Bloomberg

Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest maker of bulldozers, must pay $54.2 million in damages to a worker paralyzed by an accident involving one of the company’s earth-moving tractors, a Texas jury ruled. Jurors in state court in San Antonio deliberated more than three hours yesterday before holding Caterpillar and one of its distributors liable for Alfonso Lopez's injuries tied to its line of Wheel Tractor 623 G Scrapers.

The panel ordered the companies to pay a total of $15.8 million in actual damages and $40.5 million in punitive damages over Lopez's claims that electronic-control defects caused the machines to unexpectedly bounce. Lopez alleged that Caterpillar delayed addressing the defects for two years.

"If companies don't put safety first, juries will hold them accountable," Mark Lanier, Lopez's Houston-based lawyer, said after the jury returned its verdict.

Jim Dugan, a Caterpillar spokesman, declined to comment on the award. W.T. Womble, a Houston-based attorney who represented the company in the case, said he "respects the jury's verdict" in an interview after the award was announced.

Caterpillar's fourth-quarter profit fell 65 percent to $232 million as the global recession curbed demand for bulldozers and excavators, the Peoria, Illinois-based company said Jan. 27. Sales last year dropped 37 percent, the biggest single-year percentage decline since the 1940s.

'Dramatically Bouncing'

Lopez, 41, says he was using one of the scrapers, which sells for $518,000, to help build a subdivision north of Dallas in August 2006 when the machine "suddenly and without warning began dramatically bouncing up and down," according to court papers.

The scraper's bucking caused Lopez's seat to fail and slammed him against the machine's frame, Lanier said. Lopez suffered spinal injuries and a punctured lung in the accident and is now paralyzed from the waist down, Lanier told jurors.

Caterpillar was ordered by the jury to pay 90 percent of the actual damages, or $14.2 million, plus $40 million of the punitive damages, said Patrick O'Hara, a lawyer for Lopez.

Holt Texas Ltd., the dealership that sold the scraper, was held liable for 10 percent of the actual damages and $500,000 in punitives, or a total of $2.1 million, O'Hara said.

G. Wade Caldwell, a lawyer for Holt Texas, declined to comment.

Peter Holt, chairman and chief executive officer of Holt Texas, is the majority owner of the National Basketball Association’s San Antonio Spurs. The case is Alfonzo Lopez v. Caterpillar Inc., 2007-CI- 1586, District Court for Bexar County, 224th Judicial District (San Antonio).
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Sandvik to Supply 7 Bolter Miners to Chinese Coal operation
Sandvik Mining and Construction is pleased to announce a major order from Chinese Shenhua Energy Company Limited's Shendong coal production center.

According to the contract, a total of seven low-profile Sandvik Bolter Miners MB670 will be supplied during 2010, with delivery commencing in May 2010.

The Sandvik MB670 Bolter Miner is equipped to simultaneously cut a rectangular shaped roadway and install roof and rib bolts. The MB670 Bolter Miner can be operated at top speeds in modern roadway development layouts thanks to its ability to cut and install roof support in simultaneous operations. Coal mines in China are among the world leaders in achieving top performances. Advance rates of 50 meters per day using a Sandvik Bolter Miner are commonly reached.

This order was secured due to the excellent performance demonstrated by Sandvik Mining and Construction's products worldwide as well as the company’s efforts to continuously increase health and safety standards for machine operators.

Shendong Coal Branch is a major coal-production company owned by China Shenhua Energy Company Limited and is responsible for the development and construction of the Shenfu Dongsheng Mining Area in the border zones of the southern part of Inner Mongolia and the north of the Shaanxi province, as well as the Baode Coal Mine in the Shanxi province of China.
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ARA will recognize members for their service at The Rental Show
American Rental Association (ARA) recognizes individuals for outstanding service to the Association and the industry each year. Here is the list of those who will receive awards on Feb. 8 during The Rental Show in Orlando, Fla.

Meritorious Service Award
Stan Crumbaugh, president of Independence Rent-All, Independence, Mo., will receive the Meritorious Service Award, which honors an ARA member who has made a significant contribution and demonstrated leadership pivotal to the success of a project or program. Crumbaugh has been an energetic leader of The Rental Show Work Group, established by the ARA board of trustees to research and provide information on innovations for The Rental Show's short- and long-term future. He served as chair of this committee in a volunteer capacity and gave much time, effort and leadership to creating a cohesive team with diverse opinions and ideas. His leadership kept the group focused, resulting in significant changes to improve The Rental Show and move the event into the next era of ARA conventions and trade shows. Crumbaugh served as ARA president in 2007 and is a long-time Association volunteer. The Meritorious Service Award will be presented during the keynote session.

Special Service Award
The Special Service Award, also presented at the keynote session, will be awarded to Clay Eubanks, president of Takeuchi Manufacturing (U.S.), Pendergrass, Ga. Eubanks was instrumental in assisting ARA with efforts to increase attendance at The Rental Show 2009 in Atlanta. He went beyond his duties as an ARA board member as he hosted a video promoting Atlanta as a destination city, identified opportunities to market Atlanta, encouraged members to attend The Rental Show and rallied support from general and associate members alike. Eubanks also has been an upbeat supporter of the rental industry. He completes his term an associate member director on the ARA board at The Rental Show. He is a member of The Rental Show Work Group and also has served on the Exhibitor Advisory and Government Affairs Committees, as well as attended the ARA Legislative Caucus.

Outstanding Leadership Award
Neil DeJong, manager of Industrial Tools and Equipment Rentals, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, will receive the Outstanding Leadership Award during the keynote session. The award honors a member who has provided an example of superlative leadership at the grassroots level. DeJong is being recognized for the work he has done with the Canadian Rental Association (CRA) Ontario association, increasing membership, encouraging volunteer involvement, activating an Ontario next generation group and providing support to both ARA and CRA.

Regional Person of the Year Awards
This award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions at the regional, state or local level. Awards are presented during the new Regional Breakfasts