Equipment report

Departments - Equipment Report

May 22, 2018

Epiroc adds Chicago Pneumatic attachments to product lineup

Epiroc, Commerce City, Colorado, has announced that hydraulic excavator attachments from Chicago Pneumatic, Rock Hill, South Carolina, are now included in its product lineup as part of the planned Epiroc split with Sweden-based Atlas Copco.

Epiroc is a new company born of the mining and rock excavation business and the hydraulic attachment tools division of Atlas Copco. The spinoff company now offers all the hydraulic attachments previously marketed under the brand names of Atlas Copco and Chicago Pneumatic, a member of the Atlas Copco Group.

The former Chicago Pneumatic hydraulic attachments that Epiroc has added include:

14 RX breakers for applications including demolition, landscaping, building renovation, road construction, rock excavation and quarrying;
six RC compactors used to compact soil in trenching, ground leveling, embankment construction, driving in and pulling out posts, sheet piling and other formworks; and
18 CG grapples designed for demolition, rip-rap, construction and demolition debris sorting, scrap and waste handling.

All the attachments will be backed by a group of Epiroc manufacturer representative agencies and the new Epiroc Hydraulic Attachment Competency Center that combines a customer center, repair shop and configuration center, and parts and supplies warehouse.

PacWest Machinery plans new dealership

PacWest Machinery has announced the purchase of land in Spokane, Washington, for the construction of a new dealership facility. PacWest Machinery is the dealer in the Pacific Northwest for Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE), Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and other leading brands of equipment with locations in Seattle; Spokane; Portland, Oregon; and Eugene, Oregon.

Beginning in the second quarter of 2019, PacWest Machinery customers in eastern Washington and northern Idaho will be supported and serviced from the new dealership near the company’s current location.

The new 30,000-plus square-foot building will sit on approximately nine acres and include a 14-bay service center designed to accommodate a full range of equipment. There will be an expanded parts warehouse, modern showroom and enhanced service capabilities. The larger facility will enable the company to stock more equipment and host demonstrations and training sessions.

PacWest Machinery is responsible for the sales, rental and aftermarket support of the full line of Volvo CE’s general production, road machinery and compact equipment in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, the company supplies equipment from other manufacturers including Metso Minerals, Helsinki, Finland; Roadtec, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Tymco, Waco, Texas; Gomaco, Ida Grove, Iowa; Etnyre, Oregon, Illinois; Broce Broom, Dodge City, Kansas; Genesis, Superior, Wisconsin; and FRD Furukawa, Kent, Ohio.

PacWest Machinery provides equipment and aftermarket services from its four facilities, plus additional support from an extensive mobile service fleet. PacWest Machinery is owned by the Joshua Green Corp., Seattle, and by company management.

Volvo CE uses 3D printing for spare parts

Volvo CE, headquartered in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, has introduced 3D printing to quickly manufacture spare parts. The company is also investing in 3D printing methods in the research and development of its prototype machinery.

Additive manufacturing, another term for 3D printing, is the process of repeatedly layering a molten material or liquid in a specific pattern that is set by the printer’s software until it solidifies into the required three-dimensional shape. For its aftermarket service, Volvo CE commissions the creation of spare parts made of thermoplastics to send to customers who require the replacement of a part that has worn out through natural usage.

Parts can be made of any shape and size for any unit in Volvo CE’s range of off-road machinery. Typical parts Volvo currently makes through 3D printing include parts of a cabin, plastic coverings and sections of air conditioning units. The company uses its own archive of drawings, 3D models and product information to feed into the printer to produce the correct new part.

The creation of new parts using the 3D printing process can take one week. Parts made of metals may also be offered in the future through additive manufacturing.

The process is also being used by Volvo CE in building new components for prototype machinery. The company has several 3D printers for this purpose at its research and development facilities.

Eriez sees increased participation in Quick Ship program

Eriez, Erie, Pennsylvania, has reported increased participation in its Quick Ship program for vibratory equipment, particularly to aggregates processors. Through the Feeders Fast program, customers with approved credit can receive select Eriez feeder models within five days from order date.

Feeders Fast is part of Eriez’ Quick Ship stocking program that includes the company’s most popular items. All Quick Ship products are readily available for immediate needs.

Eriez designed the Feeders Fast program to include a variety of feeders that address a broad range of capacities and applications. “The program has grown continuously as customers who already trust Eriez for quality products recognize our ability to satisfy their urgent equipment needs,” Rob Yandrick, vibratory and screening product manager, says.

While Yandrick says the program has been successful overall, he notes that the aggregates industry has been especially enthusiastic. “When an aggregate plant needs a feeder to keep the plant producing, they almost always need it quickly. In these applications, time really is money,” he says.

Feeders Fast offers nearly 40 feeder models that are manufactured for a variety of industrial and process applications. The most popular Feeders Fast models for aggregates are the Hi-Vi electromagnetic heavy-duty Model B feeders and the electromagnetic bin vibrators. Eriez Hi-Vi electromagnetic heavy-duty vibratory feeders can be used to convey abrasive products and are often used to feed material out of a hopper onto a belt or feed material to a crusher or screen.

Liebherr expands Virginia headquarters

Liebherr International AG, the family-owned construction machinery and earthmoving equipment manufacturers with U.S. headquarters in Newport News, Virginia, has announced its $45 million investment to expand its Newport News facility.

The expansion will include the construction of three new buildings on 28 acres adjacent to Liebherr’s current manufacturing facility. Once completed, the new facilities will total more than 251,000 square feet and will be occupied by Liebherr USA Co. The expansion will offer space for Liebherr USA’s new headquarters and administrative building, a production and workshop facility and a warehouse and distribution building. Construction is expected to begin in July 2018 and be completed by the summer of 2020.

“Since 1970, our continued success and commitment to customers in the United States has always been at the forefront of everything we have done and continue to do,” Torben Reher, managing director of Liebherr USA, says. “This expansion underlines our commitment and further strengthens our position in North America to deliver sustainable long-term growth and to offer exceptional and consistent experience to customers across the United States.”

The Liebherr Group says it has continually grown its operations in Newport News and throughout the U.S. since it opened in 1970. It operates 13 locations for manufacturing, sales and service across all its divisions.

Doosan adds two new authorized dealers

Doosan Infracore North America LLC, Suwanee, Georgia, has expanded its dealer network with the addition of two branches of Atlantic Coast ToyotaLift (ACT) Construction Equipment, Charlotte, North Carolina, which will serve as sales, service, parts and rental providers of Doosan equipment.

The company now offers its customers in the Wilmington and Charlotte, North Carolina, areas a range of Doosan equipment, including crawler excavators, wheel excavators, material handlers and wheel loaders.

ACT Construction Equipment has been in business since 1951, under current ownership since 1973, and in the compact equipment market since 2008. The company decided to offer Doosan equipment to complement their current compact equipment offerings.

“ACT has a lot of compact customers who also run heavy equipment who had to go elsewhere for their heavy equipment needs,” Britt Hefner, operations manager for ACT Construction Equipment, says. “ACT was looking for a heavy line that matched well with the compact equipment we already carry, and we saw it was a good match. Our core values support relationships with quality, well-supported products, which is what we found with Doosan. By carrying Doosan, we will give customers a one-stop shop for sales, parts and service.”

Screen Machine appoints new president and CEO

Shane Terblanche has recently assumed the role of president and CEO of Screen Machine Industries, Etna, Ohio.

“I find the complexity of these machines both challenging and exciting,” Terblanche, who joined Screen Machine on March 12, says. “Screen Machine has a long history of producing innovative and durable crushing and screening equipment. We have a great team here, and we are all dedicated to designing, building and manufacturing the next great generation of Screen Machine equipment.”

Before joining Screen Machine, Terblanche served as general manager of the Hybrids Drives Systems Division at Parker Hannifin Corp., Cleveland. The Parker Hannifin division introduced hybrid technology to bus and delivery truck manufacturers, Screen Machine says. He also led Lisle, Illinois-based Navistar’s global introduction of electrical vehicles, which included relocating all manufacturing operations to the U.S. from the U.K.

Terblanche also previously was on the leadership team of a startup for Volvo Car Corp. in Sweden and was a chief engineer for Bae Land Systems, the Arlington, Virginia-based manufacturer of mobile platforms for military weapons vehicles.

“This is a company with a proven track record of building and supporting high-performance, heavy-construction machinery,” Terblanche says. “I see enormous potential for us to build upon the partnerships we already have with our dealers and customers and to expand into new markets as well, throughout North America and around the world.”

Founded in 1966, Screen Machine manufactures portable equipment, with a focus on material crushing, recycling, screening and stockpiling. Screen Machine combines its manufacturing capabilities at its Etna, Ohio, headquarters with brand name components from companies such as Caterpillar, Peoria, Illinois, and Dodge, Auburn Hills, Michigan, to create equipment for a variety of applications.

“The potential here is incredible,” Terblanche says. “We manufacture a world-class line of products for an industry that is booming right now, and we are one of a few doing it here in the U.S. Combine that with the fact that we have performance innovation like no one else, and the future looks very bright indeed.”

Are Trump’s tariffs a threat to industry growth?

Columns - Editor’s Focus

May 21, 2018

Adam Redling

President Trump’s recently announced tariffs on imported steel and aluminum have received a lot of attention as of late. In particular, stakeholders across the construction and demolition sectors have voiced concern over whether the tariffs designed to stimulate the U.S. manufacturing industries and the economy at large might have the opposite effect for contractors, in essence throwing the emergency brakes on an industry that is presently enjoying near-record growth.

Under the plan, foreign-made steel shipped to the United States will be subject to a 25 percent tax, while imported aluminum will be subject to a 10 percent tax.

Although the Trump administration has stated that the tariffs will help restore manufacturing at home by encouraging U.S. companies to buy from domestic producers, some industry associations have questioned the validity of the plan, noting that the tariffs could lead to elevated material prices and instigate international trade wars.

“The hope is that uncertainty emerging from the policy making environment will quickly abate,” Anirban Basu, Washington-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) chief economist, said in a recent release. “Many agree that there are opportunities for the United States to improve its access to foreign markets, but also that the eruption of full-blown trade wars could bring the current economic expansion to a halt. That would not be good for contractors in terms of demand for their services. It also likely would translate into additional significant increases in overall materials costs as tariffs take hold, which presumably would further dampen profit margin growth.”

Arlington, Virginia-based Associated General Contractors of America CEO Stephen Sandherr echoed a similar sentiment in a recent release, noting, “Tariffs will harm contractors that are currently working on projects for which they have not bought materials and will disrupt budgets for future construction.”

Regarding the implications the tariffs could have on the C&D recycling space, the Milwaukee-based Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) told Construction & Demolition Recycling (C&DR) that the association has concerns regarding potential cost advantages that the import taxes could afford foreign manufacturers.

“The CDRA is concerned that possible tariffs on imports of steel could affect its vendor members that manufacture machinery in the U.S. without penalizing foreign machinery manufacturers selling into the U.S., resulting in an unfair cost advantage. But also, the possibility exists to further exacerbate the problems with exports of recyclables to China, as the tariff war could escalate to affect many other parts of the U.S. economy,” CDRA said in a statement.

As with most things related to the global economy, changes in one country’s policy—no matter how well intentioned—can have sweeping ramifications across the globe.

While it might be too early to forecast exactly what the tariffs might mean for the construction, demolition and recycling industries, time will tell whether Trump’s tariffs are the stimulus the U.S. didn’t know it needed or a presidential misstep that hurt the very industries it was meant to protect.

Handling adversity

Features - Equipment Focus \\ Material Handling

Mryglod Steel & Metals Inc. focuses on increasing efficiencies to kick-start growth.

May 21, 2018

By Paul Posel

The Mryglod family, from left: Brad, Kyle, Sandra, Tyler and Travis.

Mryglod Steel & Metals Inc. in Saskatchewan, Canada, is a scrap metal processor with a long history of environmental stewardship. The family-owned company, now in its fourth generation, has followed a business strategy focused on conscientious scrap recycling that has served the company since World War II.

Mryglod purchases scrap from industrial manufacturers, railroads, auto salvage yards, metal dealers and individuals—most of it coming from obsolete machinery and equipment such as automobiles, railroad cars and tracks, home appliances and construction debris. Once the scrap metal arrives at the company’s 10-acre facility, it is processed by sorting, cutting, shredding, torching and baling. Much of the metal is converted into pieces that are the size, density and purity required by steel mills and foundries for melting, for use in the production of new finished steel and other products.

“We process and sell everything we purchase,” Travis Mryglod, vice president and CEO, says. “We understand that buying scrap metal is only half the equation; we need to put it back into the metal manufacturing cycle. Recycling has always been important to our family.”

Travis owns the company with his brothers, Bradley, Tyler and Kyle, and their mother, Sandra.

Understanding the business

The four Mryglod brothers all became full-time employees at the company in 2011 when their father, Kevin, passed away. The brothers’ great-grandfather, Alex, and his three sons started the firm in the 1940s by collecting scrap metal to help build equipment for the military to use in World War II.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of tons of steel, aluminum, copper, lead and other metal products have passed through the Mryglod facility, allowing the family to learn the process.

The firm has baling equipment and bin service to help customers properly recycle their scrap. Additionally, a mobile operation featuring crawler excavators equipped with magnets and large shears allows the company to handle industrial and commercial cleanup projects.

“Since we process everything we buy, we can offer much better prices than others in our business,” Mryglod says. “Other firms buy scrap metal and sell it in the same form. We process what we buy down to its purist form and sell directly to the consumer of that product.”

Overcoming obstacles

The Mryglod business model—buy, process then sell—has served the company well over time. Recently, however, a sluggish economy and lower metal commodity prices have resulted in reduced sales.

“One of the steel mills we sell to makes tubular goods for use in the Canadian oil fields,” Mryglod says. “The demand for those products has been down. The market, and lower prices across the board, meant we did not haul as much as we typically do. As a result, our yard was extremely full for eight months. We had to tighten up everything.”

To ready the company for when demand did return, Mryglod set its sights on increasing its efficiency and fine-tuning its processes.

“We knew that once the yard was full, we had to do something about handling and moving the material,” Mryglod says. “And we had to do it efficiently because commodity prices were low.”

To do a better job of moving its scrap metal and loading trucks, the company purchased a new DX300MH-5 material handler with a 1-cubic-yard grapple attachment from Suwanee, Georgia-based Doosan Infracore North America.

Coincidently, about the time the material handler was delivered by Bobcat of Regina, the nearby Doosan equipment dealer, sales picked up.

“The timing could not have been better,” Mryglod says.

Boosting efficiency

With business now trending upward, Mryglod says there is plenty of activity around the company’s facility, with the DX300MH-5 making a noticeable difference in moving the process forward.

“This is the first purpose-built machine for handling scrap that we ever purchased,” Mryglod says. “Previously, we did this work with construction-type excavators that we converted, either with our own magnet or grapple. But because a warranty is so important, we decided not to buy a new piece of construction equipment and make a bunch of changes that would affect the warranty.”

The main buyer of steel products from Mryglod is the Evraz North America steel mill in Regina, Canada. According to Mryglod, the new equipment has made it easier for the company to transport goods to Evraz in a timely manner.

Mryglod says the company wasn’t able to get all of its trucks loaded in one day before purchasing the material handler. With the new equipment, crews can load all the trucks in an afternoon.

When there is sufficient demand, the company sends out four trucks per day: a 75-yard triaxle dump trailer, two 60-yard tandem dump trailers and a 40-yard tandem truck with a dump body. The 75-yard triaxle dump trailer is the model that usually makes the second trip.

“The material handler, which is mainly used to load trucks, has doubled our efficiency,” he says. “The elevated cab allows us to see down into the boxes of the trucks without having to wonder where our attachment is going. We now get maximum weight in each load because we are able to fill the entire box. Plus, we don’t need a spotter anymore.”

Mryglod points out that the new equipment helps pile the material once it is prepared and ready to ship. It has 15 feet more reach than any other machine the company used previously.

He also rates the machine high in fuel efficiency. “The fuel use to product loaded ratio is probably double what our old machines would do,” he says.

Mryglod’s two construction-type crawler excavators that were replaced by the material handler are now available for off-site work, which frees the company up to tackle new initiatives.

“All of our other equipment will be out this summer on cleanup projects,” Mryglod says. “We have a job at a power plant [where we will] haul away their scrap after they make annual improvements. We also will be on a large farm where we will be cutting up and preparing surplus equipment such as combines and trucks. With the material handler taking care of sorting and loading in the yard, our other equipment can be out working in the field. That will allow us to get maximum use from all of our machines.”

With improved business operations and new equipment functionality enabling the company to streamline its recycling operations, Mryglod says that the future is bright.

“We feel that growth will come naturally by focusing on providing quality service, pricing and honesty to all of our customers, and by doing so with the best employees and equipment in the business,” Mryglod says.

The author is a writer with Two Rivers Marketing, Des Moines, Iowa.

Equipment report

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