During the National Demolition Association’s Live Demolition event at Demolition Rockies 2019 in Aurora, Colorado, dozens of people had an opportunity to operate Liebherr’s R 950 high-reach demolition excavator, among other equipment.
The Switzerland-based Liebherr Group says the entire R 950 excavator, fully manufactured in-house, is designed for selective deconstruction of large industrial buildings.
Liebherr machines have found homes in facilities across North America, including at the Toronto-based GFL Infrastructure Group.
GFL Infrastructure Group, part of the Toronto-based GFL Environmental family of companies, provides demolition and hazardous materials abatement services through its demolition division, which employs about 150 people. The company has decades of experience in the industrial and commercial sectors and a full range of specialized equipment.
Based in Toronto, GFL has several Liebherr high-reach demolition machines.
“They never let you down,” says Travis Willison, the vice president of GFL’s demolition division. “The automatic lube systems on them are fantastic. The hydraulic systems are amazing. One of the major benefits of the machine is it’s a single float, so anytime you need to pick it up to go somewhere, it’s quite easy.”
Liebherr says its high-reach excavator can eliminate the need of having another piece of equipment on site to take down structures below 15 feet. The machine can work in a 360-degree radius, which is important on tight job sites and makes installing demolition attachments easier.
“The industry has changed in Toronto a lot,” Willison says. “Everything is getting tighter. There’s no space, no room to get at things. To be able to put a machine in that can hit, quite easily, 70 or 80 feet and do work safely and efficiently in a tight spot is a bonus.”
With a reach of 83 feet and the capacity to handle a 7,720-pound tool, the R 950 is large enough for major jobs. Despite its size, Liebherr says the R 950 is also easy to transport because of its hydraulically expandable undercarriage. This undercarriage makes the machine easier to move to and from job sites because it retracts the undercarriage width. It also can expand to create a wider footprint, which enhances stability.
GFL works with clients to implement job-specific, environmentally sustainable waste management, disposal and erosion control methods. “We’re really busy,” Willison says, adding that the Liebherr R 950 “will help us build and grow our company to the next level. We’ve got the right equipment for the work.”
Liebherr high-reach excavators also have a plug-in boom section where the attachment is mounted, allowing the machine to be used for multiple tasks. A camera provides visibility to the operator when tools are placed inside structures, and Liebherr says it always gives the operator a better view when the end of the tool is out of sight.
High-reach machines “have eliminated the wrecking ball,” says Willison, who has nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. “The wrecking ball was a great invention for its time. It was used on conventional cranes. There wasn’t a whole lot of hydraulics involved with it. It was a great concept, but engineers have come a long way with these designs.”
Modern demolition machines, on the other hand, “are much safer, much neater, much quicker,” Willison adds. “You can organize your material properly. The operator is a safe distance away from the building when he’s working. It’s the way of the future.”
ABC members spent $1.6 billion educating employees last year
ABC's 2019 Workforce Development Survey shows employee education spending increased 45 percent in 2018.
Members of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) invested $1.6 billion to educate their employees in 2018, up from $1.1 billion in 2013, according to recent results of the Associated Builders and Contractors’2019 Workforce Development Survey. ABC says the 45 percent increase in spending resulted in nearly twice as many course attendees—more than 980,000—receiving craft, leadership and safety education to advance their careers in commercial and industrial construction, ABC says.
“The increase in spending on education demonstrates ABC member contractors’ commitment to developing employees, which is producing results in recruiting and retaining a skilled, safe and productive workforce,” says Greg Sizemore, ABC’s vice president of health, safety, education and workforce development, in a news release. “With more than 90 percent of members reporting a worker shortage and construction spending at near-record highs, this is the time to invest in our people, expand career opportunities and secure the workforce of the future.”
ABC member contractors invest an average of $117,679, or 8.3 percent of payroll, on workforce development and education annually, ABC says. Safety education accounted for the greatest share of spending at 48 percent, or $1,306 per employee. ABC contractor members provided safety education to nearly 600,000 course attendees in 2018.
Trade/craft personnel accounted for more than two-thirds of those receiving education. On average, member construction firms invest in trade/craft education for 122 employees per year at a per-person cost of $2,377. The vast majority of ABC member contractors—85 percent—use on-the-job training as part of their workforce development program for trade/craft employees, ABC says. In addition, the number of employees enrolled in U.S. Department of Labor-registered and industry-recognized apprenticeship programs at member companies has doubled since 2013.
Overall, 30 percent of education was targeted at senior leaders, project managers and field managers/superintendents, ABC says. The use of online education doubled from less than 10 percent in 2013 to more than 20 percent in 2018.
The survey also documented member contractors’ efforts to recruit workers across a broad demographic, including women, current high school and college students, people re-entering the workforce and active military and veterans. Women in craft professional roles increased from 3% percent of the workforce to 12 percent between 2013 and 2018.
ABC estimates that 8.2 million people were employed by the U.S. construction industry last year, and an additional 500,000 people will need to be hired in 2019 to meet the current backlog of construction projects—which stood at to 8.8 months in February 2019, according to ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator—and future spending expectations. ABC’s latest Construction Confidence Indicator found that nearly 70 percent of contractors expect to increase staffing levels in the next six months.
Industry consulting firm FMI of Raleigh, North Carolina, conducted the 2019 Workforce Development Survey to quantify the scope of workforce development initiatives by ABC member contractors. The survey was conducted from Jan. 8 to Feb. 19, 2019, and the response rate was 7 percent. Aggregated data was derived by calculating the average amount spent on education by each respondent and multiplying that by the total number of ABC contractor members.
Doosan names top dealers of 2018
According to the company, these dealers have demonstrated high-quality customer service.
Doosan Infracore North America LLC, Suwanee, Georgia, recently announced its top-performing equipment dealerships of 2018. According to the company, these Doosan dealer enterprises have demonstrated high-quality customer service in providing exceptional sales, parts and services to their customers, scoring well on their annual dealer performance reviews.
The top 2018 Doosan dealers are:
Barry Equipment, Webster, Massachusetts;
Best Line Equipment, Allentown, Pennsylvania;
Bobcat of Buffalo, Lockport, New York;
Bobcat of Mandan, Mandan, North Dakota;
Bobcat of Omaha; Omaha, Nebraska;
Capital Tractor, Greenwich, New York;
Earthworks Equipment; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan;
Equipment East; Dracut, Massachusetts;
Gateway Bobcat of Missouri, Valley Park, Missouri;
Paul Equipment, Balmoral, New Brunswick; and
Wilson Equipment, Central Point, Oregon.
“Our top Doosan dealerships are being recognized for their continued success in sales, parts and service,” Doosan Director of Dealer Management and Marketing Todd Roecker says. “These enterprises worked hard in 2018 to ensure they met or exceeded our expectations for serving our Doosan customers. We thank them for their hard work and dedication to ensuring our customers have the best experience at the local dealership.”
Representatives from the top Doosan dealers earned a spot on the Doosan Dealer Advisory Council, a group of individuals that serve as a resource for Doosan Infracore North America and provide feedback to the Doosan leadership team.
Understanding project management best practices
How the NDA’s Foundations of Demolition Project Management course is designed to help project managers mitigate risk and maximize profitability.
Successful project management during demolition is critical for staying on task and on schedule. However, managers can have difficulty planning a job without clear metrics or strategies. With this in mind, the Washington-based National Demolition Association (NDA) created its Foundations of Demolition Project Management course. This two-day course assists managers in the preplanning, on-site management and evaluation phases of the job to help mitigate risk and maximize profitability.
Michael Casbon, the technical director for Environmental Resource Management (ERM), Indianapolis, and member of NDA’s education committee, teaches the Foundations of Demolition Project Management course. He spoke with Construction & Demolition Recycling about what managers need to know to develop a strategy that lays the groundwork for a fruitful job.
Construction and Demolition Recycling (C&DR): What role does preplanning play when it comes to successful project management?
Michael Casbon (MC): The role and value of preplanning cannot be underestimated. The course design for Foundations of Demolition Project Management focuses on this premise. If your planning is well thought out, your execution of the project will be aligned with your company’s goals. Almost all project challenges and problems arise from a lack of planning and poor preparation. For example, even if your estimating team makes mistakes, proper planning and lean execution can still bring the project to a positive completion.
C&DR: What things should project managers consider prior to starting work to hit the ground running?
MC: First and foremost, project managers should understand the spec inside out. Secondly, they should understand their company’s bid and how the estimator planned the work. They also need to understand their resources when the job starts versus the way it was bid and adjust the schedule accordingly. The next important thing in my mind is the preparation of the required deliverables or paperwork. In my experience, the failure to perform these tasks can really start the job off on a bad foot and make it difficult for your field team.
C&DR: How does the scope of the job change the role of the project manager, if at all?
MC: I am not sure the scope of the job changes the role of the project manager; however, it will dictate the areas that the project manager will need to focus on to make the project successful. As I mentioned, understanding the scope and specification fully will direct the project manager to those areas of the job that need the focus. The role of the project manager will be dictated by the individual companies and the roles that they have set out for their project managers.
The Foundations of Demolition Project Management course is designed to teach basic principles of project management, but it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each individual or company will need to decide how the principles fit into their individual business model.
C&DR: How do you initiate a project setup and management process that mitigates risk while ensuring profitability?
MC: Project setup and management processes are generally proprietary, but the course gives the students methods for risk mitigation and asks questions of the students to look at different methods of mitigation that they can take back to their respective companies. One of the things we recognize at the NDA is that every company has unique things that make them successful. We encourage them to enhance those things, add some new techniques and tweak everything else.
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C&DR: What kinds of metrics should be assessed during production to stay on time and on task?
MC: There are several metrics that need to be assessed throughout the project. The project manager must evaluate labor costs versus schedule. For example, if you have used 50 percent of your labor budget and are only 25 percent done with the project, there may be a problem. We discuss how this process needs to be forecasted and evaluated in real time, or as close to real time as possible, so a project manager has time to make corrections.
Another area of concern is waste and shipments in general. Is the estimate of volumes correct, and are the trucking costs in line with the estimate? If not, the project manager needs to look a little deeper into the problem. Foundations of Demolition Job Cost Tracking is an additional NDA course that digs deeper into some of these metrics.
C&DR: How do you create a system where accountability is championed and enforced throughout the workforce?
MC: Wow, that is a big question. This class is a foundations course that provides the students with best management practices and real-world examples of their implementation. Developing workforces that champion accountability is something that we discuss frequently throughout the course. Giving insight and experience is another big part of this course. Using instructors who are from the demolition industry and are practitioners in the industry really gives the student something that they cannot get anywhere else.
C&DR: What controls are necessary to instill during production to keep things moving?
MC: The project manager needs to be keenly aware of what is going on with the project. As I mentioned, looking at your metrics in real time will help you keep things moving. Looking at your forecasts will also help the team evaluate any potential upcoming roadblocks in the project. Additionally, daily documentation and communication with field personnel will help keep things on track.
Tomasz Zajda | Adobe Stock
C&DR: How can project managers best manage unexpected challenges or delays?
MC: No matter how well you plan, there are always unexpected issues that arise on a project. Having sound management best practices in place will help guide you through the unexpected. Knowing the scope of work inside out is critical. This will help the project manager determine if the unexpected delays or challenges are a change order situation, scope creep or a requirement of the contract.
C&DR: What should project managers know about evaluating production versus estimate costs on a job for future projects?
MC: Those who do not know the past are destined to repeat it. The same thing applies to estimate costs and projects. The Foundations of Demolition Project Management and The Foundations of Demolition Estimating course from NDA both emphasize the importance of conducting post mortems on all jobs. This practice has incredible value for future performance. As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” We hope the reason people are taking the course is to get better at their jobs over time. This starts with looking back on past performance to see where there are areas to improve.
C&DR: What are some of the most common missteps you see project managers make, and how can continuing education and training help project managers improve?
MC: The most common misstep is failure to understand the scope, spec and contractual documents. The next most common mistake is not recognizing scope creep and how that affects your bottom line. Monitoring progress and forecasting can bring some of these issues to light while there is still time to do something about it, rather than at the end of a job, where it just becomes a losing project.
In terms of improving through continuing education and training, I think seeking out opportunities that provide that real-world insight is a must. NDA’s continuing education is the one place a demolition contractor can come and talk to others that have similar problems and understand the demolition process. The courses are taught by demolition practitioners who can “talk the talk” as well as provide examples from their experiences. We have had students with zero to 30 years of experience, and all have walked away with something that they could apply to their company.
This article originally ran in the March/April issue of Construction & Demolition Recycling magazine. The author is the editor for Construction & Demolition Recycling magazine and can be contacted at aredling@gie.net.
AGC honors outstanding student construction chapters of 2018
The organization awarded three universities during its convention April 1-4.
AGC announced the winners during its annual convention in Denver April 1-4. The student chapters were honored in three categories: Emerging Student Chapter Award, Community Service Award and Construction Management Skills Award.
"There's no more important goal for our industry today than to invest in its leaders of tomorrow," says Eddie Stewart, the association’s president and president and chief executive officer of Caddell Construction in Montgomery, Alabama. "These student chapters have helped cultivate the construction workforce of the future and have completed projects that improve their local communities."
The Roger Williams University student chapter won the Emerging Student Chapter Award for exceptional program building and phenomenal partnership with its local AGC Chapter. The student chapter was re-established in 2016 and began with a small group of about 15 interested students. Over the next two years, they began partnering with Rhode Island AGC, developing fundraiser events, organizing field trips, bringing in guest speakers, holding webinars and presenting information on club activities in construction related classes on campus. Currently, the group holds meetings where networking opportunities, current industry trends and news in the world of construction regularly fill a classroom of over 40 attendees.
The Oregon State University student chapter won the Community Service Award for its project benefiting a school that was gravely damaged following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The student chapter partnered with its local AGC and traveled to Puerto Rico to help. The Oregon State students replaced the roof, removed debris and made the building more accessible. The students spent approximately 150 hours planning over a six-month period and 190 hours working on-site. They partnered with student volunteers from the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, who also dedicated 100 hours to help finish the project.
The Pittsburg State University AGC student chapter won the Construction Management Skills and Project Award for the renovation of a rail road bridge in Joplin, Missouri, showcasing how successfully they applied classroom knowledge to real-world applications. The "Rails to Trails" campaign, organized by the Joplin Trails Coalition, partnered with the AGC Student Chapter to remove existing railroad ties, weld a steel frame to the existing beams, pour and finish a concrete deck on the new frame and install a metal and wood handrail system.
The three winning chapters received $2,000 each with a $1,000 travel stipend to attend AGC’s Annual Convention. They were selected by a panel of judges made up of practicing commercial contractors. Student chapters were evaluated on qualifying criteria in each of the three categories for exemplary demonstration of the AGC of America tenants of skill, responsibility and integrity. The student chapters received their awards during the closing session of the convention in Denver.
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Posted by Adam Redling
