Order intake of £2.1bn was 53% higher than the prior period and included the highest quarter for order intake on record with the strongest growth in demand in power generation, governmental and industrial end markets. In some market segments, production capacities for 2023 are already fully utilized.

Underlying revenue of £1.4bn (€1.6m*) was up 20%. (H1 2021: £1.18bn / €1.36 bn). Aftermarket services grew 17% with increased activity in both stationary and mobile solutions. OE revenue was up 21% with particularly strong sales in power generation, marine and governmental end markets.

Underlying operating profit was £119m (€142m) (2021: £41m / €47m), up £80m (€95m) giving an operating margin of 8.7%. The 17% increase in research and development costs reflects investment in new product development and transitioning products to sustainable fuel alternatives to help customers towards net-zero emissions.

Trading cash outflow was £(76)m (€(90))m (2021: £71m / €82m) with a negative cash conversion as inventory increased to meet growing demand and to manage the supply chain challenges. A dedicated task force is in place to mitigate risk and accelerate OE deliveries. It also reflected the investment in a 54% stake in electrolysis stack specialist Hoeller Electrolyzer.

“The good news is that demand for our products and solutions is very strong. In order to be able to supply our customers reliably, we are already holding strategic talks with suppliers for next year. Our consistent crisis management is working.”

says Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

Expected growth in public authority business provides optimism

In order to contribute to the security of Germany and allied nations and to be able to meet the increased demand for mtu engines for military applications resulting from the turnaround in security policy, Power Systems is building up capacity. The business unit plans to hire up to around 450 additional employees over the next ten years, depending on the specific order situation. New machines are also to be procured and larger assembly lines built at the plants in Friedrichshafen.

Important milestones reached on the way to climate neutrality

The top strategic issue of climate neutrality concerns Power Systems in many ways. As part of Rolls-Royce’s Net Zero strategy, Power Systems aims to achieve complete climate neutrality by 2050. Purchasing 4 million kilowatt hours of electrical energy annually from the new solar farm in Tengen, southern Germany, saves 1,300 tonnes of CO₂ annually compared to the German electricity mix.

“With ambitious interim targets for 2030, we aim to be completely climate neutral by 2050 across all global sites and areas from production to supply chains to our product portfolio, i.e. in all three recognized categories Scope 1, 2 and 3. The company’s own sustainable power generation is a key element in saving greenhouse gas emissions.”

says Dr Otto Preiss, COO and Chief Technology Officer.

The portfolio for climate-friendly products and solutions is being vigorously expanded

An important milestone was the release of the mtu series 1600 and 4000 power generation engines for sustainable and synthetic fuels. By the end of 2023, a large proportion of the engines will have been approved for this purpose in order to relieve customers’ greenhouse gas footprint. In July, the first own test bench for mtu hydrogen engines went into operation at the Augsburg site.

The business unit “Sustainable Power Solutions”, which was newly created a year ago to deal with sustainable system solutions, is continuously expanding its portfolio. One step in this direction was the complete takeover of the previous majority subsidiary Rolls-Royce Solutions Berlin GmbH (formerly Qinous), which forms the core of the Microgrid Competence Centre. A strong focus is on the hydrogen strategy. The acquisition of 54 per cent of the shares in the electrolysis stack specialist Hoeller Electrolyzer enables Power Systems to develop its own mtu electrolyzers, which will be on the market in a few years. With them, customers will be able to produce “green” hydrogen with electrical energy from renewable sources. And as part of a lighthouse project for the future container terminal in the port of Duisburg funded by the German Ministry of Economics, Power Systems is providing the first hydrogen-powered mtu energy supply systems: three mtu fuel cell systems and two hydrogen-fuelled mtu combined heat and power plants to supply CO2-free energy from 2023.

New Work concept sets standards in the industry

With the relaxation of the legal Corona rules, the Power Systems business division launched its pioneering New Work model in the first half of 2022.

“New Work allows all employees worldwide a combination of up to twelve days of mobile work per month and on-site presence at the respective location – provided they can perform their work independently of location. We have received a lot of encouragement from the workforce for our holistic concept, which sets standards in the industry. We are thus positioning ourselves as an attractive employer vis-à-vis the competition and are putting Power Systems on an efficient and future-proof footing.”

says Chief People Officer and Labor Director Dr. Thelse Godewerth.

Optimistic outlook for the second half of the year

“Power Systems expects good revenue growth in 2022 supported by record order intake, partly held back by the current global supply chain constraints. Operating margin is expected to be broadly flat with higher activity levels utilisation offset by continued inflationary pressures and increased research and development in net zero solutions. Cash conversion is expected to improve in the second half with some of the recent inventory build unwinding, but is still expected to be lower for the full year.”

says Andreas Schell.

The post [Job Story] Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ Order Intake in Second Quarter appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Brent Kennedy, co-owner of Kennedy’s Grading Inc., began visiting job sites as an eight-year-old tagging along with his dad, who started Kennedy’s Grading in the early ‘60s.

“We’d go around and check on the jobs. It was a good time back then. I knew immediately this was what I wanted to do. I just wanted to move dirt. It’s all I’ve ever known,”

he said.

Headquartered in Thomasville, North Carolina, Kennedy’s Grading does the “whole package,” except for curb and gutter and paving, when it comes to site development for commercial property and housing developments around the Triad.

Trouble-free equipment

Kennedy’s Grading bought its first Hitachi, a ZX300LC-6, just three years ago and has since added a ZX350LC-6 and another ZX300LC-6 to its fleet.

“The first time I got in the cab, I loved it. I knew it was for me and I’ve loved it ever since,”

Kennedy said.

Kennedy’s operators agree with him.

“Hitachi cabs are very spacious. You can sit in them for 10-12 hours a day and feel like it’s been no time at all,”

said Joshua Lambeth, Kennedy’s Grading operator.

The company uses its Hitachi fleet primarily for mass excavation and top-loading off-road trucks. Recently, the excavators worked on a 62-lot housing development with 160,000 cubic yards of cut to fill – at the time, one of several jobs the company was working on in Davidson County, North Carolina.

Production demands reliability and Kennedy said his Hitachi excavators deliver it.

“The Hitachis have been trouble-free machines. They’re very productive and we like the fuel economy. They’ve been exceptionally good machines, all of them,”

he said.

Leveraging technology

On its most recent ZX300LC-6, Kennedy’s Grading opted for Hitachi’s Solution Linkage Grade Guidance system.

“We got into GPS about four years ago; we had never had it before. In today’s market, it’s a must. No matter where you’re at on the job site, you know where you’re at, where your house pads are, where your curb and gutter start and stop. It vastly improves production,”

Kennedy said.

Kennedy’s crew – and his bottom line – continuously experience the benefits of Hitachi’s grade management technology.

“Moving dirt is easier and cheaper because you don’t move it twice. You can put it down with confidence knowing that you’re not going to have to move it again,”

Kennedy said.

Moving forward

Currently, Kennedy’s Grading consists of 18 employees, six of whom are Kennedy family members. And the ones who aren’t directly related are like family.

“It’s been really good working with family day in and day out. A lot of people wouldn’t say that I guess, but we’ve been really lucky. A lot of the guys on my crew who aren’t related to me, I’ve had longstanding relationships with them. I’ve known a lot of them since I was a kid,”

Kennedy said. It’s that loyalty that Kennedy counts on to keep the future looking bright.

“There’s definitely been some trials and tribulations over the last year and a half. But we’ve got a great crew. Based on all the feedback we’re getting from our customers, nobody has any intentions of slowing down. Everybody is upbeat.”

At the end of the day, for Kennedy, it’s all about doing what you say and keeping the dirt moving.

“If we promise somebody a firm completion date, we stick by it and we try to keep everybody moving forward. I mean, I like to see dirt move. The more the better!”

The post [Job Story] About Kennedy’s Grading Co-Owner Experience with Hitachi Construction Equipment appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Junttan USA General Manager Miika Eskelinen says,

“Junttan and XCMG will work closely to help strengthen both of our product lines in the future. Both companies share the same values of quality, trust, and partnership with our valued customers. It is with great pride that we see our U.S.-based company strengthening its products.”

Not only is XCMG one of the largest construction equipment manufacturers in the world, but it also has 20 years of experience manufacturing foundation equipment. This new partnership will expand Junttan’s product line from primarily piledriving equipment into foundation drilling equipment.

Junttan USA’s Vice President Sales & Operations Tim Dutton, who has previous experience with foundation drilling equipment, will be instrumental in guiding this expansion. He says,

“This partnership will allow Junttan to expand its already extensive line of piling rigs and bring new options to our customer base. We are proud to be partnered with an organization like XCMG.”

Junttan recognized an increase in drilled shafts in the North American foundation market and wanted to expand beyond its traditional line of piling rigs and hammers to meet the changing needs of its contractor customers. The new line of XCMG drilling rigs allows the company to provide equipment and tooling for both driven and drilled pile foundations. These rigs are designed for Kelly drilling, continuous flight auger (CFA), full displacement piles (FDP), single-column mixing (SCM), cased CFA (CCFA), and low headroom applications. Junttan USA also expects to eventually expand its technology to perform cutter soil mixing for diaphragm wall applications.

The XCMG line of drilling rigs has a large range of operating weights from 45 to 200 tons and torque values between 130 and 800 kNm. All are outfitted with Cummins engines and will be Tier 4 or greater to comply with emission standards in the U.S. Junttan USA has access to the Cummins InSite software for troubleshooting and diagnostics. This allows all engine service to be performed by Junttan technicians with no outside support from a Cummins dealer. All new products will be backed by a one-year/2,000-hour warranty and handled directly through Junttan USA.

Junttan USA will provide service, and stock a comprehensive inventory of parts for the XCMG product line at its Delaware and Florida locations. XCMG has also committed to stocking parts at its locations in Nevada, Texas, and Minnesota.

“The signing of this agreement between XCMG and Junttan USA is a mutual relationship that is built on respect and communication. We see a great opportunity to provide drilling equipment in the United States and are very happy with our new partner Junttan USA,”

says Kong Qinghua, president of XCMG Foundation Construction Machinery.

The post Junttan Brings New Line of XCMG Rotary Drilling Rigs to U.S. appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Owned and operated by Mick El-Massri, Lakeside Builders has grown with the city since its inception more than 25 years ago. As Charlotte evolved, so did Lakeside Builders. While the company originally did everything from start to finish – from site development to construction and property sales – Lakeside Builders now specializes in heavy land and site development, turn-key site solutions, sewer line construction, and single-family residential construction.

Diversity in the field

With more than 32 years in the real estate development field, El-Massri knows the ins and outs of the business. Not only did he grow up in the industry, but his involvement included design, development, and construction since his start.

As the son of a Lebanese immigrant, El-Massri understands the importance of diversity on the job site and beyond. This is reflected in Lakeside’s crew, which includes laborers and operators from different backgrounds and cultures.

“Mick is very attuned to equal and fair treatment for all and equal opportunity for everyone. He absolutely refuses to allow any sort of discrimination or anything that may be typically associated with any industry. We’ve got a young, female operator who’s been with us close to two years now and is able to operate every piece of equipment we have onsite and does a phenomenal job with it, too,”

said John Kucera, Lakeside Builders’ business operations manager.

Kucera believes that this diversity gives Lakeside Builders an edge as it also leads to open and encouraging communication throughout the Jobsite.

“We’re a small company but we’ve got greater diversity I would say than anyone out there. We at Lakeside have benefitted from that because of what we are and what we have been able to do. It’s really like a family. We may have differences of opinion and we may challenge each other, but we always push each other to do our best. At the end of the day, we’re here for one another,”

Kucera said.

Challenge accepted

For Lakeside Builders, there’s rarely a project that’s too difficult or unheard of for the crew to take on. In fact, El-Massri takes pride in accepting projects that others would try to avoid.

“A lot of the projects that people would shy away from, those are the ones that Mick gravitates toward. If there’s one thing everybody in the company will tell you, it’s that he loves a challenge and loves challenging us to deliver on them. It gives us the confidence to say we can take on those projects that others may pass on,”

Kucera said.

To tackle those challenges, the team at Lakeside Builders turns to Hitachi – recently purchasing a ZX85USB-5 and ZX210LC-6.

“Our two Hitachi machines fit the profile of where the company is headed. They’re specialized machines and they each do two very different types of tasks, but they’re able to work collectively and cooperatively very easily. The reception by the crew has been phenomenal. Our guys have been more than pleased with the performance and the power,”

Kucera said.

That Hitachi excavator power has proven to be a gamechanger as the crew at Lakeside Builders uncovered a large amount of rock while working to set water and sewer lines in a new 40-50 home subdivision.

“We’re going through anywhere from three to 15 feet of solid rock to set these water and sewer pipes. With the Hitachis, we’re seeing a greater ability to cut through the rock and move it quicker, better, and faster – saving time and money. We have a set of rock teeth sitting on site here, but we haven’t had to use them yet. The machines are performing phenomenally,”

Kucera said.

Kucera also said that the crew is impressed by the Hitachis’ ease of operation, safety, comfort, and maintenance, which came in handy during long days of digging and moving dirt.

“All of those factors combine to pride in ownership and just an all-around great response from our crew, which is important to us,”

he said.

Opportunities for growth

When searching for the right machines for jobs, Lakeside Builders relies on its relationship with James River Equipment to help determine the right product line.

“We do a lot of research on our own, but when push comes to shove, dealers are the experts, so we rely on them. With James River, the relationship has been very positive – we couldn’t be happier with it at this point. We want to build a long-term partnership because we have every intention of growing,”

Kucera said.

As Charlotte and Lakeside Builders both continue to grow, Kucera and El-Massri know they have a crew that’s ready and willing to tackle nearly any job out there.

“Everybody knows that as soon as we finish a job, we’re going to be doing something different next. We’re going to have another challenge, another opportunity. We’re going to have the ability to learn something new and that’s critical – just keep learning every day,”

Kucera said.

The post [Job Story] An Insight on Lakeside Builders and the Construction Boom in Recent Years appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“The rock anchors are there for when the structure is empty. When it’s empty and the ground water table is above the bottom of the structure, if the rock anchors aren’t there, it could push up out of the ground like a boat. These buoyant forces are exactly what the rock anchors are there to resist,”

explains UMA’s Senior Engineer/Estimating Manager Mitch Crayton.

Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority outsourced this pump station improvement project to Atlanta-based Lakeshore Engineering, a heavy civil contractor that focuses on industrial, municipal, and environmental projects. UMA served as the
geotechnical subcontractor.

Located within proximity to Blankets Creek in Canton, Georgia, the water table is known to fluctuate. UMA’s sole function was to install a rock anchor system to keep the pump station’s concrete slab pinned down. The components to be built on top of the slab
would be a diesel engine-driven centrifugal pump and a concrete cast-in-place
emergency storage tank.

Working Down in the Hole

One of the biggest challenges for UMA’s team was working in a 23-foot-deep-by-
56-foot-wide excavation. Lakeshore Engineering had excavated the pit and installed a soldier pile wall with wood lagging. Tied-off workers accessed the pit via ladders.

“We’re working in a pretty tight area compared to what we’re normally used to on highway projects. It’s not the smallest footprint we’ve worked in, but it’s a lot smaller than our usual working space,”

says Crayton.

Lakeshore Engineering installed a mud mat to provide a stable working surface for UMA’s drilling rig and to keep the worksite clean. There was no air movement so the air was pumped in from ground level and circulated with fans to keep workers from breathing in diesel fumes.

The working area had to be dewatered also due to the proximity of Blankets Creek and a water table approximately five feet below the ground. While the failure of
dewatering pumps would not have been cataclysmic, the potential slow accumulation of
water in the working area could have damaged equipment.

One of the visual spectacles on the project was Lakeshore Engineering using a crane
with rigging to lower a Beretta T46 Drilling Rig into the excavation as UMA’s team
provided direction.

“It’s a smaller machine, but we selected it for this purpose. It doesn’t quite get the production that we’re typically used to, but it can hold its own with this smaller hole size,”

Crayton explains.

UMA’s crew was seasoned and used to working together. They were also familiar with the equipment and how to rig it based on past projects.

“We shut down around Christmas every year for safety and for training. We alternate between first aid, forklift certification, and crane and rigging so that everyone is safe on the job site. That’s always our number one concern,”

Crayton says.

Drilling the Rock Anchors

UMA was tasked with installing 24 rock anchors, evenly spaced every 10 feet vertically and 8 feet 8 inches horizontally. Skyline Steel supplied the anchors, which were 1-inch-diameter Grade 150 ksi DCP (double corrosion protected) bar. The owner’s representatives provided the grid layout with specific locations required to support the pump station equipment.

“It was critical to making sure these (rock anchors) worked because it would be very cost-prohibitive to move them. If even one failed, they would have to change reinforcing plans and the connection details of the slab foundation to the actual structure,”

says Crayton.

The Beretta was drilling a minimum 4.25-inch-diameter hole 15 feet down to bedrock with a permanent casing supplied by Star Iron Works. The drilling crew had to focus closely on ensuring that the anchors were plumb and in the exact location specified.

The material was higher quality partially weathered rock, although the crew hit a high-quality bedrock in a handful of areas. The team then drilled into bedrock with a 10-foot
rock socket.

“Our drillers are schooled enough to distinguish between the materials they’re drilling through. One drills a lot slower than the other and they can hear and feel the differences,”

says Crayton.

The Beretta was equipped with a down-the-hole hammer with a 4½-inch bit to drill the rock sockets. This tooling fit perfectly inside the casing, allowing the cuttings to be extracted onto the mud mat before being plowed away with Lakeshore Engineering’s Takeuchi skid steer loader.

“We drill down into a specific rock socket, place our anchors, and lock them all to that slab. That’s how we end up with our rock anchor system,”

Crayton explains.

Testing Anchor Strength and Movement

UMA conducted two extensive performance tests to ensure that the anchors were of sufficient strength to support the pump station. The movement was essential also.

“These anchors are basically like high-strength rubber bands. Anything that moves has some sort of desire to go back to where it was. When they flood this pit with water, the anchors will keep the slab and pump station from rising,”

Crayton says, noting that the anchors are designed to move.

Testing requirements placed some restrictions on the schedule. UMA was only permitted to install two anchors on the first couple of days and conduct a load test to demonstrate that capacity was achieved before installing the third. This pattern continued throughout the project.

UMA was installing multiple corrosion-protected anchors. The corrosion protection is granted by several components within the anchor, in addition to the grout itself. The
grout was then pumped to grade until clean grout was observed.

“We worked with Lakeshore closely to help speed up their construction process and get out of the way so they could finish their job. The main way we expedited our work was to lock off the anchor to a mud mat using a secondary bearing plate,”

Crayton says.

The double bearing plate system had one bearing plate locking the anchor to the mud mat and one suspended in the air to transfer the loading to the foundation. UMA was able to get all of the testing completed at one time under the initial mobilization. This permitted Lakeshore Engineering to set a bearing plate at a certain elevation and pour the structural slab without having to wait on remobilization for final stressing. This allowed a majority of the elastic elongation to occur prior to the final placement of the slab, ultimately saving the contractor time and money.

Batching and Grouting to Lock in Anchors

UMA grouted the rock anchors in place. The material was mixed in a batch plant on-site
with a specific gravity of 1.85 to 1.86. Its team is trained to check specific gravity prior to pumping, and a third-party contractor was retained to take samples and ensure quality control.

This standard mix was one that UMA was accustomed to and achieved the strength that
was required on this project. The spec called for a minimum of 3,500 psi at three days and 5,000 psi at 28 days.

Most of UMA’s soil nail projects require larger material quantities and hole diameters, and also deeper drilling.

“The crew that was doing this job came off of a year-long soil nail project so they were used to drilling 30-foot-long, six-inch diameter holes, and four batches of grout at a time. There’s a pretty big difference between a rock anchor job and a soil nail job, and our crew adapted well to the switch,”

says Crayton.

The grout was pumped through a tremie pipe to the bottom of the hole from within the casing. The casing sections were installed with the Beretta drilling rig, which was equipped with a special adaptor. UMA was performing a duplex drilling process, which involves drilling the casing and the hole concurrently. Once the rock was hit, the casing was halted, and drilling continued with the inner rod.

UMA workers fed casing to the drilling rig by hand.

“Normally we would use an EZ Spot UR attachment on the excavator to handle large casing sections. We had to use smaller pieces on this job because we didn’t have the real estate to put them in the pit with us,”

Crayton says.

The majority of UMA’s work on the Blankets Creek Pump Station project was done within a week and completed on schedule. Despite the technical nature of the work, the distance between the Jobsite in Georgia and UMA headquarters in Colfax, North Carolina was the true challenge.

“Making sure that everyone who needed to observe different processes was onsite during the installation and load testing was our greatest challenge,”

says Crayton.

That’s generally the hardest aspect of most of our projects: the distance between the field where the actual work is done and the office where the computers are required to do the analysis.”

The post UMA Goes Deep to Anchor Georgia Pump Station appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Growing up around his parents’ company, Page Construction, in the North Carolina Triad area, Bud Page always knew he wanted to end up with a career in dirt work.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to be in construction. I remember sitting in high school, looking out the window and watching the man mowing the yard or seeing construction down the road and thinking, ‘That’s what I want to do,”

Bud said.

The construction industry wasn’t always the plan for Bud’s sister Mary Jane Scott, however. Although she spent many summers picking up nails at her parents’ job sites, she moved away from the industry as she got older.

“Growing up, I definitely did not foresee myself in this industry. I actually went to nursing school and worked as a nurse, even after I got married. Then my parents’ business was growing so much, and they were going through some hardships, so I came on board,”

she said.

In 2007, Bud, Mary Jane, and their mom transitioned the family business into Page and Associates, specializing in grading and utilities along with commercial and residential rental property management.

Running and trusting Hitachi

As co-owners of Page and Associates, Bud and Mary Jane work together when it comes to making major company decisions. This is especially true for purchasing new equipment. Since 2008, Page and Associates have turned to Hitachi.

“We love Hitachi. We know it’s going to withstand the hardships of constantly running day-to-day. We love it because we can trust it. We know that we won’t need to have people constantly coming to work on our Hitachis. If they’re working on them, that means our guys aren’t running them and that time is money,”

Mary Jane said.

The company currently has around 10 Hitachi excavators in its fleet including three ZX350LC-6s, a ZX245USLC-6, a ZX300LC-6, and a few smaller models including a ZX85USB-5 and ZX35U-5.

“I always needed more equipment. As the years progressed, we were able to purchase some machines. Hitachi’s fuel economy, power, and product support…it’s all why we chose the brand and continue to choose it,”

Bud said.

Thick as thieves

Bud and Mary Jane had just transitioned the family business into Page and Associates when the recession hit. Despite the economic challenges, Bud and Mary Jane’s relationship remained solid.

“The hardships have definitely brought my brother and me closer together. We’re thick as thieves and there’s nothing that can break that. We know that if we have a bad day, tomorrow is going to be better. I’m thankful that we’re able to work together, happily run a company together and trust one another,”

Mary Jane said.

Their mutual support is also shown through Mary Jane’s co-management of the company. As a woman in a male-dominated field, she knows Bud has her back.

“As a female business owner in this industry, I don’t always get the respect that I would like to have. It’s getting better, but there are still times I call someone for a piece of equipment and they’ll call Bud back instead of me. When he gets that call, he’ll say, ‘I guess you better call Sis back because I didn’t call you.’ He always says, ‘We’re the boss.’ It’s great that he trusts me and knows that I can do what a man can do,”

Mary Jane said.

Loyal relationships through and through

Bud and Mary Jane also appreciate the positive partnership they have with their local Hitachi dealer, James River Equipment.

“The fact that James River respects me as a female business owner is huge. They get products and equipment out when they say they are going to. If something’s down, they fix it. They always have done what they said they were going to do. That’s why we have such a good relationship with them,”

Mary Jane said.

For Bud and Mary Jane, positive relationships – both in the family and with their employees – are key to a successful business. Without the lasting support of their employees, they both acknowledge that Page and Associates wouldn’t be what it is today.

“We couldn’t do anything without our employees. We appreciate the loyalty and trust they’ve shown us, even through all the hardships. They’ve been with us through the good, bad, and ugly,”

Mary Jane said.

Bud echoed Mary Jane’s sentiment, noting that all employees make a positive difference for the company.

“I always say that each of our employees doesn’t have a number; they have a name. We all work together every day and we’re all human. We have quite a few employees who have been with us for many years and they’re a big part of our business. In this industry, you need a few good people, and we have them,”

he said.

The post [Job Story] Page and Associates Becomes Utility Contracting with the Help of Hitachi Dealer and Equipment appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Take one glance at Woody Weld’s eclectic office at ACME Lift Co. (ACME) in Mesa, Arizona, and it is impossible not to ask any questions. It resembles a museum, packed with memorabilia and artifacts – from photos and books to robots, car figurines, and a large dragon sculpture.

“My office is a reflection of the people I’ve known and all the things that have happened over 45 years in the business. They’re things people have given me or that have some story and connection to the business or my life,”

said Weld, president, CEO, and chairman of ACME.

Weld’s rental industry experience helped spur the idea for co-founding ACME in 1997.

“I worked for a big rental company and we would get a job to build a stadium. We would win the whole job – all the lifts, earthmoving equipment, cranes, everything they wanted. Then we’d run short of equipment. We couldn’t find any place for short-term, late-model equipment that we could give to our customers to retain our relationship with them and not give up that relationship to another rental company,”

he said.

After understanding the industry’s need for short-term rentals firsthand, Weld decided to offer a solution.

“We started with the idea that rental companies might share their infrastructure with us if we solve problems for them. We had maybe 40 machines and a couple hundred thousand dollars, and we built ACME up to where we are today,”

Weld said.

Partnering with Hitachi

Today, ACME is the world’s largest wholesale re-rental company, with a $450 million fleet including aerial lifts, telehandlers, portable air compressors, and earthmoving equipment, which most recently includes Hitachi excavators.

In March 2018, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (HCM) acquired a 33.3 percent share of ACME. The joint venture allows retail construction equipment rental companies access to Hitachi excavators through ACME’s re-rental business. ACME serves large rental companies as well as small independents.

“I’ve had a lot of business partners and a lot of manufacturers in my life. Hitachi is the best I’ve ever done business with, in terms of how we work together and how well we accomplish the tasks they set forward,”

Weld said.

ACME’s Hitachi excavators range from the ZX130-6 up to the ZX470LC-6. The company also buys used Hitachi equipment through the Hitachi dealer network.

“Our customers have reacted very positively to us carrying the Hitachi brand. And the machines are excellent. Hitachi makes spectacularly good products. This year we are adding at least $40 million worth of Hitachi product into our fleet,”

Weld said.

The War Room

Although ACME’s fleet includes about 300 Hitachi excavators, you won’t see any of the machines if you visit the company’s headquarters. And that’s a good thing – all across the U.S., each excavator is where it needs to be when it needs to be there.

“The machinery doesn’t do much good sitting here. It’s in rental company yards or our local laydown yards in markets where we know there’s business and demand, so it can be delivered quickly,”

Weld said.

That timely distribution is thanks to ACME’s War Room. Instead of separate departments handling logistics, service, freight, parts, and sales, ACME has them housed at headquarters in one space called the War Room. The War Room functions as a streamlined operations center designed to provide real-time information about equipment and single-point customer support.

“The War Room is a little bit like an aquarium in that all of the different disciplines required to do our job exist in that one space. Everybody works together to solve customer problems in real-time. A customer can call ACME and rent a machine, repair a machine, get parts for a machine or move a machine with one phone call into one room,”

Weld said.

ACME’s entire fleet, including its Hitachi excavators, is equipped with telematics to monitor equipment availability and usage.

“We don’t get phone calls from people idly wondering what we have in inventory. Our customers call, and they need something right away. The War Room map is basically a heat map of where there’s work. If the Gulf is busy, the machines get drawn there. After the big fires in California, they needed earthmoving equipment for the clean-up. The machines migrate to wherever the work is,”

Weld continued.

Weld said the secret to ACME’s customer service is resourceful employees.

“One of the most important things I teach people when they start working at ACME isn’t that we know the answer to every question. What we know how to do is learn. ACME is about learning. It’s about finding the answer very quickly. The whole point of this place is to make customer problems disappear.”

An evolving industry

Weld’s success comes not only from his industry experience but also from his strength to continuously adapt. When he first entered the industry, the rental was a monthly business. A company would create a machinery list and bring all the equipment to the job on the first day. The equipment yard would be debited as work was carried out. This process has changed dramatically over the years, and by focusing on logistics, Weld ensures that ACME remains an industry leader.

“Now, there are algorithms, product management systems, and highly educated people coming out of construction management programs. Those people are managing down to the hour and the day and the week. Customers are saying, ‘I want it on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. and I want it gone by Friday. And then I want it back again the following Thursday.’ That becomes more of a logistical business than it is a rental business,”

Weld said.

The charismatic Weld forges ahead, making sure he has the best people on his team.

“This company is about people. It’s about the relationships we have with our customers and the interrelationships with all the people on our team. And trying to make sure we do the right thing every day and we’re headed in the right direction.”

Weld also said it’s those relationships, along with the multi-faceted work, that keeps him coming back for more.

“I do this work because I passionately love to be involved. I guess the thing you think about as you age is that you want to remain relevant. I want to have a purpose and a meaning. I can teach young people about the business. Customers have problems we can solve. Manufacturers have issues; we can give them a solution. Maybe that’s why I’m passionate about it because it’s quite fulfilling.”

The article first appeared in Hitachi’s BREAKOUT magazine, Spring 2021 issue, and it was written by Kristin Stires

The post [Job Story] How Hitachi Excavators are Used by ACME Lift appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

The latest Kverneland 6716 Plus series balers combine good high output performance with market-leading bale density. They benefit from a host of upgrades designed to boost output and reduce maintenance requirements, keeping operating costs to a minimum.

The Kverneland 6716 Plus bale chamber is designed for multi-crop use and is equally at home in silage, hay, and straw. With the new Intelligent Density 3D, the setting of bale density is made very quickly with three pre-selectable options for straw, hay, and silage, set from the control box. It is also possible to customize the bale density in three separate zones yourself, each with a choice of diameter and pressure to let you perfectly tailor the structure of the bale to your requirements.

“I run a farm of 150 ha and 120 dairy cows. I was looking for a baler for baling both dry and wet material (straw and hay) to make a total of about 4,000 bales a year. This includes a little bit of contracting, but most of the bales are for our own needs. The baling all has to be done in a short period, so we were looking for a baler that will be solid and dependable, as we have no margin for downtime.

I decided to buy a Kverneland variable chamber baler as this let us make bales of different diameters and with the highest density – not just the outside but also in the core of the bale.

The verdict on my Kverneland baler? (It’s) A great machine – I can recommend it! ”

Marian Chojnicki, Farmer, Makówiec, Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Poland.

Source: Kverneland

The post [Job Story] A Customer’s Experience with the Kverneland 6716 Plus Series Balers Combine appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

The Shifttronic powershift enables a small tractor and a large mixer feeder to be combined.

Although dairy farmer Eigil Miang has the relatively light tractor Case IH Maxxum with 140 HP, he chose a bulky 46-cubic-meter mixer wagon so he can use it to make one ration and feed all 310 milk cows in one go. Eigil:

“A large mixer feeder is practical; I can use it to feed all the cows at once, which saves a considerable amount of time.”

The same amount of diesel with a bigger mixer

The Shifttronic 3-speed powershift makes the unusual tractor and mixer wagon combination possible. The automatic gearbox ensures that the driveline starts up effortlessly and automatically shifts from first to second to third gear.

As soon as the programmed weight is reached, the Shifttronic shifts back down automatically. This enables the tractor to operate at the optimum torque at all times, which you can see primarily from the low fuel consumption and the minimal wear and tear on both the tractor and the mixer feeder. Eigil:

“I use the same amount of diesel with this 46-cubic-meter mixer wagon as I did with the old 30-cubic-meter one. At the time I also had a hundred fewer cows, so fuel consumption has stayed the same with more cows and a larger mixer feeder.”

Saving on maintenance costs

“I’m very happy with this powershift: I save on maintenance costs as well as time. Incidentally, another big advantage is that this mixer feeder also mixes small quantities of feed really well, such as the 3-tonne ration for the heifers.”

Source: Trioliet

The post [Job Story] How the Shifttronic Powershift Could be Useful for Feeding appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

UMA is working as a geotechnical subcontractor to A Fluor-led joint venture (JV) with United Infrastructure Group, Inc. The project, formally known as NCDOT I-26 Exit 40 to I-40 Interstate Expansion Project, will help to alleviate traffic congestion and improve the safety and operational efficiency of this vital stretch of interstate in the Asheville area.

UMA commenced work in September 2020 and will ultimately construct 15 soil nail walls of varying heights, ranging in square footage from less than 1,000 to more than 25,000. All are permanent walls consisting of epoxy-coated soil nails, bearing plates, and a decorative cast-in-place concrete finish.

The magnitude of the project required UMA to rely on several local material suppliers. The I-26 project was subject to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Buy America policy, so UMA secured nearly a half million pounds of domestic structural steel for the epoxy-coated soil nail bars from Skyline Steel. Reinforcing steel is being sourced from Guaranteed Supply Company. Roanoke Cement is supplying nearly 2 million pounds of Portland Cement required to bond the reinforcing tendons to the surrounding soil and rock, and enough shotcrete to cover a football field with an 8-inch layer.

The widening project also required a wider, taller, and more aesthetically pleasing Blue Ridge Parkway Bridge over I-26. UMA was tapped to install 35 rock anchors for the new three-span precast segmental bridge.

“UMA is proud to play an integral part on the Fluor-United JV for the I-26 project. Our combined efforts will help to improve traffic flow in the area while also retaining the natural beauty of Asheville.”

says President Brian DeSpain.

An industry leader in the development and refinement of innovative polymer grouting techniques, UMA Geotechnical Construction, Inc. creates specialized solutions to assist clients with ground engineering needs that save money and minimize downtime. As one of the first to use lightweight structural polymers to improve subsurface soils at depths greater than 40 feet, UMA is uniquely equipped to deliver safe, predictable, and effective results. The team includes industry experts in structural support, earth retention, and soil stabilization with decades of experience, and is dedicated to ongoing advancement in the field.

The post UMA to Break NCDOT Record for Largest Square Footage of Soil Nail Wall appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.