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Benjamin Media offers educational “Business Series”of webinars
Bobcat Let Loose in the Museum
Contractor Take Cover
Kenworth Keeps Truckin’
Lubes of the Future
Corrections, Alaska
Lightning Bolt Action!
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Benjamin Media offers educational “Business Series”of webinars
Benjamin Media Inc. is pleased to bring you its new “Business Series” of webinars, which provides up-to-the-minute information you need to navigate today’s treacherous economic environment.
The “Business Series” – titled the Economies of Success -- kicks off with a presentation covering business valuations, presented by Brad Dawson, Managing Director of LTV Dynamics. Each attendee will be provided with a Corporate Value Calculator Tool.
“With over 15 years serving our respective markets through print publications, trade shows, conferences and seminars, we are excited to add this service to our readership,” said Rob Krzys, associate publisher of Benjamin Media.
The Economies of Success series will offer attendees the option of purchasing single webinar registrations, or discounted registration for the entire series. Topics will cover economic outlooks, business valuations, asset protection and succession planning, management strategies, regulatory and legislative developments, market trends and more.
“With the economy presenting a challenge this year, we saw the need to provide cost effective educational opportunities for people who may be unable to travel,” Krzys said. “With the Economies of Success series, we provide a low-cost option to deliver valuable information.”
For more information please visit http://benjaminmedia.com/webinars/
Bobcat Let Loose in the Museum
The Smithsonian Catalogues the Equipment Company
 Bobcat Co. is more than an equipment manufacturer. Its early skid steer loader changed the American construction and agriculture landscape. That legacy will be forever remembered in the halls of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The Smithsonian recently acquired 56 cu ft of records from Bobcat Co. This donation includes corporate records relating to American manufacturing and marketing, as well as business development. Housed in the museum’s Archives Center, these papers join the museum’s extensive collection of agricultural, industrial and business papers. A selection of these records is scheduled to be on view from Nov. 30 through Jan. 17, 2010.
“Bobcat Co. of North Dakota represents the ingenuity and innovation of American business,” said Brent D. Glass, Director of the Museum. “These records contribute to the better understanding of American entrepreneurship.”
The Bobcat Co. records focus primarily on production, marketing and advertising. They span a period from the 1940s to the present and illustrate the progression of a once-small, family-owned company that emerged as an industry leader. The donation includes photographs, product literature, advertisements, employee newsletters, drawings, scrapbooks and audiovisual materials.
The collection also contains notes on a 1985 trip to Japan where employees learned about Japanese manufacturing and engineering techniques, some of which were implemented in Bobcat factories. These papers are available for research and complement the Archives Center’s agricultural holdings, which include the Everett Bickley Collection, the William C. Kost Farm Records and the Southern Agricultural Oral History Project.
Bobcat Co. originated as Melroe Mfg. Co., a Gwinner, N.D., family-owned agricultural equipment maker in 1947.
The original compact loader was invented by Louis and Cyril Keller, who operated a small family blacksmith shop in Rothsay, Minn. Based on a request from a local turkey farmer, the brothers set out to develop a small loader that was lighter and more maneuverable.
After a few prototypes and an acquisition by Melroe Manufacturing Co., the three-wheeled Keller loader went into production in 1958 as the “Melroe self-propelled loader.” In 1962, as a four-wheeled model, it was branded the “Bobcat” skid steer loader, because of its “tough, quick and agile” characteristics and “skid steering” ability to turn within its own length. This single product became so successful that the company later took the Bobcat name, while adding several other machines to its product line.
“Equipment industry experts have called Bobcat a national treasure, and we are pleased the Smithsonian archivists agreed that our materials should be preserved for future generations,” said Leroy Anderson, Marketing Communication Manager and Bobcat Historian. |
Contractor Take Cover
FMI Says 2009, 2010 Look Ugly
 Why even bother reading new economic news? You know how tough it is out there on the front lines. And FMI confirms it. Last quarter, FMI described the outlook for construction as just plain ugly. Unfortunately, this still holds true. According to FMI’s Construction Outlook — Second Quarter Report 2009, total construction in 2009 and 2010 will be down 13 and 7 percent, respectively. FMI still anticipates that residential construction may find the bottom this year, but that the decline until it does will be steep.
Residential construction will decline 19 percent in 2009 and 1 percent in 2010. Nonresidential construction will turn negative this year and decline 14 percent with even further declines of 17 percent in 2010. Nonbuilding construction will continue to be the only bright spot, increasing 4 percent per year in 2009 and 2010, although not in the most obvious segments.
Year-to-date nonresidential put-in-place construction through April is flat, but is expected to decrease sharply throughout the year. Contractors are still reporting backlogs of 9 months in second quarter 2009 (down from 11 months in first quarter 2008), according to FMI’s Second Quarter Nonresidential Construction Index (NRCI). Tight credit continues to cause cancellations and delays. Project delays continue to be four times the normal rate and are currently at 20 percent (up from 3 times in third quarter 2008). Project cancellations are five times the normal rate and are currently at 10 percent of backlog (doubled from third quarter 2008). Credit is expected to remain tight through 2010 and delays and cancellations are likely to increase.
In the first quarter Outlook, FMI discussed the stimulus bill and predicted that the bill would take longer to get into construction than was expected, and that it would not single-handedly be able to save the nonresidential construction market. This appears to be accurate. According to FMI’s second quarter Outlook, “Now that the details of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 [ARRA] projects are beginning to become known, nonresidential building contractors are realizing stimulus funds won’t bring an immediate cure for declining backlogs as 88 percent of panelists said they had not yet seen the effects of the stimulus bill. However, 23 percent expect the bill will increase their backlogs as much as 5 percent in the next year.”
The nonbuilding construction sector is the only bright spot in construction. This is mainly due to the stimulus bill, but it is not in the apparent segments. The stimulus bill appeared to be ready to step in and save the highway and street segment by creating new jobs. As it turns out, only paving contractors have benefitted so far, and they are facing intense competition, which has driven down prices.
The stimulus funds for highways and streets are only barely, if at all, offsetting the loss from state revenues that would be used for this type of construction. The water and wastewater segments were intended to benefit from the stimulus bill and will receive some benefit. These segments have been revised slightly upward from 2010 to 2012.
The conservation and development segment was a surprise winner from stimulus funds. It has been revised significantly upward for 2010 through 2013. The Army Corps of Engineers received $4.6 billion from the stimulus. Although, not all of these funds will be used for what we consider construction, and it will take several years for the funds to be worked into construction, it is a large amount of money considering that the market was around $5.5 billion before the stimulus.
Obviously, the construction industry is not dependent only on the stimulus bill. The general economy is a main driver for both residential and nonresidential construction. Real GDP decreased 6.1 percent in the first quarter according to advance estimates. GDP for the fourth quarter decreased 6.3 percent. Consensus Forecasts predicts that GDP will decline 2.9 percent for 2009 and then turnaround and increase 1.8 percent in 2010.
Kenworth Keeps Truckin’
New Vocational and Municipal Truck Enters the
Market
 Though GM has pulled out of the medium-duty truck market and many manufacturers have gone quiet, Kenworth Truck Co. is still truckin’ (pun intended) by expanding its product range in the vocational and municipal markets with the introduction of the new Kenworth T470 model.
“Kenworth is expanding its product line while other truck manufacturers are exiting the market,” said Gary Moore, Kenworth Assistant General Manager for Marketing and Sales. “The T470 offers Kenworth durability and performance that is serviced by our dealer organization for snowplow, dump, mixer, winch, refuse and other heavy front-axle vocational and municipal applications.”
The Kenworth T470 is powered by a 9-liter Cummins ISL engine with 345 hp and 1,150 lb-ft of torque. Other features include a range of manual and automatic transmissions, 12,000 to 22,000-lb rated front axles, 21,000 to 26,000-lb rated single rear axles and 40,000 to 46,000-lb rated tandem rear axles.
The fixed grille hood has a 50.5-in. bumper setting for convenient installation of a front engine PTO. The hood allows for full extended frame rails for a heat-treated, 120,000-psi steel frame without the need for cutouts. Halogen projector headlamps are standard equipment.
The interior of the Kenworth T470 features the same, high-quality multiplexed dash installed in Kenworth’s Class 8 product line with a large panel for convenient installation of body controls and gauges. The Kenworth Driver Information Center is standard in the T470. The popular Kenworth Extended Day Cab is available as an option. The spacious cab enhances driver comfort with an additional 6 in. of length and 5 in. of cab height compared to Kenworth’s traditional day cab.
Lubes of the Future
Simpler Ways to Go Green
 Aside from new hybrid engines, biodiesel and other eco-buzz words, there’s simple maintenance you can do to keep your machines working efficiently and green. Shell Lubricants, one of the world’s leaders in lubricants technology and innovation, has added a state-of-the-art lubricant to its high quality Shell Tellus hydraulic oil range that could help increase the energy
efficiency of hydraulic systems.
Shell Tellus EE, formulated in response to customers’ concerns over energy usage and associated costs, has been shown to help companies reduce the energy consumption of their hydraulic machinery by an average of 8 percent while also providing exceptional equipment protection and the capability of extending oil maintenance intervals.
“Energy costs will continue to represent a significant part of an industrial organization’s operating overhead for the foreseeable future,” said Dennis Woodley, Shell Hydraulics Product Application Specialist. “As a result, investing in a hydraulic lubricant designed to both help improve the energy efficiency of the machinery in which it is used and reduce the maintenance costs makes good sense from a commercial perspective.”
Shell Tellus EE is Shell Lubricants’ first synthetic hydraulic fluid that has been specifically designed to help improve the energy efficiency of the machinery in which it is used. The fluid contains a unique and patented additive technology and has undergone extensive laboratory tests and field trials that have demonstrated its ability to help improve a machine’s energy efficiency. With hydraulics being at the core of many production processes, Shell Tellus EE has the potential to contribute to the goal of reducing an organization’s energy costs.
“When developing Shell Tellus EE, it was essential that the lubricant’s ability to contribute to a machine’s energy efficiency was combined with the high-performance characteristics expected from a Shell Tellus product,” Woodley said. “For example, Shell Tellus EE exceeds the maximum test duration of 10,000 hours in the industry TOST[1] test used to assess the oil life of hydraulic fluids, as well as demonstrates wear levels in hydraulic pump tests way below the levels often set by industry standards or certain OEM limits.”
Corrections, Alaska
Wacker Neuson Machines
Construct one of Alaska’s
Largest Projects
 When Alaska — home of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the 2009 World Beard and Mustache Championship — was in need of a new corrections facility, Neeser Construction Inc. and Wacker Neuson answered the call. Wacker Neuson representatives were on hand at the June 17 groundbreaking ceremony of Alaska’s Goose Creek Corrections Center.
The $240 million project, located near Point MacKenzie, Ala., is the largest building construction project for the state in recent history. The 435,000-sq ft medium security facility will house over 1,500 inmates and is scheduled to be completed in late 2011. The project is expected to create about 700 construction jobs and approximately 400 full-time jobs once construction is complete.
General contractor for the project is Anchorage-based Neeser Construction Inc. Todd Christifulli, National Sales Manager, and Dan Sheridan, Metro Jobsite Specialist for Wacker Neuson, attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Wacker Neuson is excited to be part of this project,” said Christifulli. “Neeser Construction expects to use a large variety of Wacker Neuson construction equipment on the job. A mobile generator will be powering the jobsite trailer and a wide range of Wacker Neuson products will be used throughout the entire construction process.”
Wacker Neuson manufactures a complete line of light, compact and climate control equipment for all phases of the construction process. Many products including mobile generators and heaters are designed to withstand the harsh winters of Alaska and will be a perfect fit for this project.
Lightning Bolt Action!
The Cat D7E Harnesses the Power of Electricity
for Efficiency
Species have always adapted to new environments — changing colors, behavior and even form. The new Cat D7E track-type tractor is adapting to a Green environment thanks to the combination of its innovative electric drive system and proven Cat mechanical components to create an extremely efficient package.
 The Cat C9.3 ACERTTM diesel engine, rated at 235 net hp in the D7E, drives a powerful electrical generator that produces alternating (AC) current. Current flows through special armored cables and military-grade connectors to a solid-state inverter, then to the propulsion module. Within the propulsion module are two heavy-duty electric motors (using AC current) that drive through common gearing into the differential steering system. Power from the steering system is transferred via axels to mechanical, double-reduction final drives to provide smooth, infinitely variable driving force to the tracks. The engine in the D7E is entirely beltless, eliminating the need for belt maintenance and replacement.
Electric drive also eliminates the torque converter, powershift transmission and related drive shafts used in all-mechanical designs. Eliminating these components significantly lessens cooling requirements, decreases the number of moving parts and reduces the volume of fluids required.
So what does this electrifying new technology mean? Caterpillar reports that the D7E uses an electric drive system that delivers 10 to 30 percent greater fuel economy.
The overall efficiency of the new D7E results from its ability to better deliver engine power to the ground.
This efficiency means the D7E can use a smaller engine than comparable competitive machines, yet it can outperform them. In addition, the engine runs in a narrow speed range (1,500-1,800 rpm) to further reduce fuel consumption and extend engine life.
Equipment owners and operators will have their first opportunity to view D7E technology at work during a series of demonstration events taking place this summer at 14 Cat dealerships across North America.
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