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Lending a Helping Hand
Surveying the Past
Built in the U.S.A.
Arming the Military with Material Moving Machines
In The News
Lending a Helping Hand
Torrential downpours overwhelmed the Midwest in June with Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin shouldered much of the damage. Many people are still reeling from the loss of their homes and jobs now that the flood waters have subsided. And picking up the pieces of their lives isn’t as easy as cleaning up the destruction.
To help the individuals and the communities directly affected by the flooding recover, Terex Corp. established a two-pronged strategy for donating assistance — one for its internal team members and a second for the communities in which they live.
Upon learning of the need, Terex sent two semi-trailer loads of bottled drinking water to the Waverly and Cedar Rapids manufacturing facilities, which used a small portion of the shipment and then donated the rest to the Red Cross to help flood victims. Terex also provided gift cards to all team members who were directly affected by the floodwaters to help with basic needs assistance, and the company offered temporary housing assistance. The company also established a “Terex Helping Terex” program wherein Terex team members can contribute cash donations to help team members affected by the flooding in Iowa.
“The factory also rallied volunteers from within to assist in the clean up efforts for fellow team members affected by the floodwaters,” said Lowell Puls, General Manager of the Terex Cedar Rapids plant. “We continue to explore other means for assisting them further.”
For the Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities, Terex donated equipment from its Terex Construction Americas (TCA) business segment to help with the clean up efforts. Immediately after the Cedar River’s June 13 crest, Terex sent an assessment team to Cedar Rapids to make contact with city leaders and public works officials to determine the needs. Nearly $600,000 worth of wheel loaders, backhoes, mini excavators and light towers were shipped on June 17 from North Carolina to the Terex Cedar Rapids facility, where the equipment was staged for pick up by any city department that needed it.
“We wanted to be a part of the solution, and we informed city officials that the equipment was being donated free of charge for whatever they needed to help with clean up efforts and for as long as they needed it,” explained Tim Karnitz, Regional Sales Manager, west central region, for Terex Construction Americas. “Everyone was incredibly grateful for the gesture, and the cities of Palo and Cedar Rapids almost immediately picked up our SKL 873 wheel loaders to put them to use.” Currently, the equipment is being loaned to the cities on a four-week basis with extension periods available as needed.
The Terex team saw how devastating the June storms could be — nearly 70 Terex Cranes team members’ lives were affected by the flood waters in Waverly, while more than 30 members of the Terex USA facility in Cedar Rapids were affected by flooding there.
“The entire Terex family was saddened to learn of the devastating effects that the flood waters had on so many of the lives of our team members and their families,” said Ron DeFeo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “At the same time, we were truly inspired both by how our Iowa team members pitched in to help each other and the fact that they remained dedicated to doing their jobs for Terex throughout this wrenching ordeal.“
Home to the manufacture of crushing and screening equipment for Terex materials processing and asphalt paving equipment for Terex roadbuilding — the Terex plant in Cedar Rapids did not sustain water damage from the record water levels of the Cedar River that reached beyond the 500-year flood plain. However, the flooding affected the electrical grid supplying power to the offices and factory.
“The short-term power interruptions resulted in a disruption to paver equipment and parts deliveries for some of our customers,” said Mark Hunt, Senior Director of business development and paver operations for Terex Roadbuilding.
“However, we are now fully operational, are working to quickly recover from these delays and look forward to continuing to supply our customers with parts and equipment. Our entire team appreciates the concern, support and understanding shown by our customers as we work through the impact of the power outage and the effects of the flooding on some of our team members.”
Surveying the Past
Uncovering our past is a window into our future. Through the wisdom and mistakes of older generations and cultures, we can better chart our course. In order to learn more about our past, Leica Geosystems donated its highly loaded total station technology to the Chieftains Museum Major Ridge Home — a national historic landmark that serves as the educational and interpretive site for preserving the Cherokee Nation and its history of forced removal along the Trail of Tears national historic trail.
With the Leica TPS1200 R300 total station, historians and onsite archeologists now have the technological capacity to locate previously undiscovered relics and accurately map their existence in the area, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the Cherokees.
The Chieftains Museum, based in Rome, Ga., has strived to save the Major Ridge Home dating back to 1819 and to interpret the complex story the home, and its first known owner Major Ridge. Since 1969, Chieftains has been educating individuals, families and school children about its local Cherokee culture and preserving cultural resources found on the site.
Dave Davis, Chieftains Archeological Projects Manager, said the fast, long-range, millimeter accuracy of the Leica TPS1200 R300 will provide the non-profit museum with the precision it needs to accurately map artifacts already unearthed, heighten the educational tools and experience of students and visitors and elevate the platform to further discover the historic significance of the property and the Cherokee Nation.
“I chose the Leica TPS1200 because it is a top surveying instrument,” says Davis. “With this technology we can now map, to the millimeter, every archeological feature on the site and provide that spatial awareness to our students and visitors. We are so thankful to Leica Geosystems for giving us the technological tool to better preserve the Major Ridge Home and the cultural resources on the property.”
Immediate plans for the total station technology are to create a mock archeological dig site for students and visitors to experience archeology, history and technology. Students will learn the art of unearthing history while others will have the chance to map it using the Leica TPS1200.
Chieftains’ long-term view is to become a leading visitor destination that will take visitors back in time and immerse them in the Major Ridge Home and farm and the momentous events that led to the expulsion of Cherokees from their ancestral homelands in 1830. A significant part of meeting this goal is to restore the home and surrounding area to 19th century life. The Leica TPS1200 will play a pivotal role in guiding the restoration, new construction and the recording of any new cultural discoveries found.
“Having an accurate mapping tool will allow us to begin to relate specific data about structures, features or artifacts to a broader context of the geography of the region and the social climate of the time,” said Davis. “I am thrilled with the possibility of learning even more about the Cherokee culture.”
“We were eager to support the Chieftains unique, interesting and culturally significant mission,” said Andre Ribeiro, Leica Geosystems’ Director of Marketing. “We are confident that the Leica TPS1200 will provide them with the user-friendly, reliable, consistent and accurate positioning technology they need to better map the Cherokee’s history in the area. We too look forward to learning more about our local Georgian history.”
Built in the U.S.A.
In a time when much of America’s manufacturing is outsourced to foreign plants, New Holland strengthens its resolve to add to an already solid line of American-manufactured equipment. New Holland Construction has announced that it will begin production of backhoe loaders at its Burlington, Iowa plant. Starting in September 2008, this shift will transfer backhoe loader production for the North American market from the company’s Imola, Italy, plant to the United States.
The Burlington plant, which spans 156 acres and employs over 400 people, already manufactures New Holland Construction tractor loaders. The addition of New Holland Construction backhoe loaders to the plant’s output will mean increased supply and decreased lead times for North American customers.
“The Burlington plant has long been known as a pillar of the local community, which is heavily rooted in manufacturing,” said Robert Ciecko, Plant Manager at Burlington. “Significant investments have been made in the plant to continue this tradition and to continue the standard of quality for every machine that comes off the assembly line. We take pride in every piece of equipment we make and are very excited to include New Holland Construction backhoe loaders among them.”
The Burlington plant is known for its robotic welding, machining, painting and assembly; $6.75 million has been recently invested in plant improvements and expansion, which included in-sourcing chassis welding, loader arm welding and a building upgrade. Additional investment plans will add over 100 new jobs by April 2009.
“At New Holland Construction, we are committed to designing and manufacturing construction equipment that is built around our customers,” said Terry Sheehan, Vice President of New Holland Construction, North America. “This promise extends from the construction business owner to the operators that use the machines day in and day out. We take pride in building our machines to the highest quality standards, and by bringing production of backhoe loaders closer to our North American customers, we are able to further strengthen this commitment.”
Production of New Holland Construction backhoe loaders at the Burlington plant will include the B90B, B95B, B95BTC, B95BLR and the B110B models. These were recently unveiled at this year’s CONEXPO in standard, tool-carrier and long-reach versions.
Arming the Military with Material Moving Machines
While the day when sentient machines fight our wars for us is a long way off, the need for manned, modern-day construction machines is important in today’s current struggle. And JLG Industries Inc., a leading manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telescopic material handlers, has been on the frontlines of military machine manufacturing since 2001. Recently, JLG produced and shipped the 1,000th millennia military vehicle (MMV) telescopic material handler, built for the U.S. Navy as part of JLG’s contract to provide MMVs to the Naval Construction Battalion.
“The JLG team is extremely proud to have delivered 1,000 MMVs to the U.S. military for a wide range of logistics applications,” said Denny Buterbaugh, JLG Vice President of government products and programs. “JLG team members are committed to delivering the highest quality, highest performance equipment to the men and women in the U.S. armed forces, and we’re honored by the confidence they have placed in our workmanship and attention to detail on the MMV program.”
The 1,000th MMV was built over a two-shift operation, across two military manufacturing and support facilities. The first MMV machine was produced in July 2001 and was initially developed for the U.S. Marine Corps to meet the needs of Combat Service Support Detachment groups. Since 2001, the MMVs have been fielded with the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy across the United States and in other countries such as Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The MMV telehandler features a variable load capacity through the use of two different fork attachments. It is capable of moving all palletized classes of material up to its rated capacity, with an optimum lifting range of 4,000 to 11,000 lbs. The MMV has a maximum lift height just over 42 ft and a maximum horizontal reach of 29 ft. The MMV can operate in rough terrain and is self-deployable with a maximum off-road speed of 35 miles per hour and a cruising range of 425 miles. The MMV is also air-transportable in CH-53 and KC/C-130 aircraft.
In The News
Deal or No Deal?
Deal. Allied Resources USA, one of the Carolinas’ largest site development companies, and Carolina Caterpillar, one of the largest Cat dealers on the East Coast, struck a deal resulting in Allied buying 23 various Caterpillar machines and Carolina Cat earning Allied’s business.
The collective Allied think tank determined that it was time to sell or trade its stock of company-owned equipment to a dealer that would then lease replacement machinery to Allied.
The goal was to cut overhead and lower maintenance costs.
Power and Equipment
In expanding its network, Case Construction Equipment has entered an agreement to purchase select dealership assets of Western Power and Equipment of Vancouver, Wash., which sells, rents and services construction and industrial equipment through eight locations in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The strategic positioning of Western Power and Equipment allows Case to continue grow the business that Western Power developed in the Northwest.
Going Green
Environmental concerns weigh heavily on the minds of manufacturers and consumers alike. To understand the latest in environmental (“green”) technologies, Kenworth has launched its Environmental Programs Web site at www.kenworth.com/environmental.asp. The Kenworth green Internet site leads off with the Kenworth Clean Power no-idle system and an easy-to-use calculator to help figure savings. Also featured are Kenworth alternative fuel trucks and hybrid programs. Rounding out the site are sections on Kenworth dealerships, PACCAR engines, the in-cab Kenworth Driver Information Center, EPA SmartWay models and PACCAR Environmental Leadership.
Getting an Extension
In keeping with the company’s “value without compromise” philosophy, Yanmar North America has recently increased the warranty to three years or 3,000 hours on its line of excavators, loaders and backhoes, which covers all elements of those machines. “Based on internal surveys, we know our equipment in the field has a reputation for durability and reliability that translates to cost savings for our customers. That’s why we stand squarely behind this equipment with such confidence,” said Jack Green, Yanmar North America’s Service and Warranty Manager.
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