Monthly Archives: June 2015

Workers working in construction sites are prone to various air-borne diseases

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

We say that the human race is developing but it seems that we are making things that will cause more harm to us than ever. We make things for our ease but in this process, we forget that there are certain repercussions that we have to face and without wanting to know those repercussions we do things that affect us the most. Our environment is so polluted that every other day we get to see people dying of lung disorder, heart failure, and asthma attacks and so on. If we talk about people working in construction companies, we will find that they belong to the worst affected lots and are infected with various air-borne ailments. They have to go through a lot of dust that is so prevalent in a construction zone. Fresh air is so seldom for them and they are simply left with no other option than to inhale the polluted air.

It is not only the dust that they inhale but also the smoke that comes out of heavy equipment. Most heavy equipment run on diesel and after a certain period of time they emit smoke and intoxicants in large quantity that becomes unhealthy for the people around. There is primarily one reason why machines emit black smoke. It is particularly due to lack of proper maintenance of the machine. The equipment work for months without much lubrication and the engine oil also is not changed at regular intervals. This leads to problem in the engine and if the health of the engine is not good, it is bound to emit intoxicants in the form of black smoke.

What construction companies/employers must do to safeguard the health of their workers has become a matter of discussion and many companies are incorporating the following measures to ensure that the lives of their workers is not taken for granted.

Proper maintenance of machines:-

Intoxicants in the air are one of the major reasons for the falling health of construction workers and machines emit intoxicants due to improper maintenance. To get this fixed, the only way is to ensure that the machines are maintained at regular intervals. It is quite obvious that the operator may forget to send the machine for maintenance. Hence, a calendar must be prepared where you jot down the date when you will take the machine for a wash and get it serviced.

Procure heavy equipment that are environment friendly:-

Many construction companies are in the process of acquiring green machines that will not emit or will emit less toxic in the air as compared to the ones being used currently. Though the equipment will be expensive but will last for more years and will also not pose a risk to the health of construction workers.

Set up camps to check the health of workers:-

Construction companies should take the initiative where they set up camps at least twice in a year and conduct a complete health check-up of its employees. They should not just restrain it to the laborers but also include staff and guys from other departments.

Caterpillar clothing

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

If we think that the heavy equipment manufacturing companies are only into producing heavy construction machines then it is time that we re-adjust our thoughts about these companies. They are no longer limiting their business to manufacturing heavy equipment but have also expanded their horizons into new spheres like manufacturing accessories like boots, gloves, jackets, clothing etc. They see a sizable market that is even bigger than the heavy equipment market. They can sell big construction equipment to construction companies that are engaged with projects around the country but they sell absolutely nothing to the major chunk of the population.

Now a person who work in a convenient store sees no utility of these heavy equipment companies in his life but if he is paid good commission to sell products manufactured by them they the store owner will not mind keeping some stuffs and check if it attracts the attention of the buyers. At the end of the day, it is all about keeping the customer happy and in this process making some money out of it. Simultaneously the heavy equipment producing company also reaches out to rest of the population who is not bothered about what kind of the business they are into but if they like the pattern and design of the clothing then they will buy few clothing from them.

Keeping the entire population into consideration, Caterpillar is producing accessories/clothing products that are widely appreciated across United States. They have not only managed to establish a reputation in the field of heavy equipment but are also doing well in the apparel segment.

Produces clothing that is in trend:-

The clothing manufactured by Caterpillar is indeed classy that quite trendy. They give a lot of importance to the current fashion and what people like to wear. Rather than just producing apparels without even trying to know the wants of its users, they spent a lot of their time, effort and money into doing research, trying to know what people like to wear. The very fact that they invest their time and money into doing research is what keeps them on top of the chart. Quality is another parameter where they never compromise on. They never did on heavy equipment and like to keep the same attitude as far as the clothing segment is concerned.

Clothing for construction workers and employees:-

They are also into manufacturing clothes for people working in the construction domain. Right from workers to staff members, they have clothes for everyone. They manufacture clothes that are cotton rich so that workers working under the scorching heat of the sun do not feel terrible because of improper clothing. They understand what suits them better and produce clothes accordingly. The clothes are mostly airy and not tight to your skin and offers ample comfort to the end user.

Clothes are available in all major apparel stores:-

Availability of CAT clothes is never an issue. You can get what you want in any major apparel store. They are absolutely not overtly expensive though they may seem to be and will definitely not burn a hole in your pocket.

Hire, Purchase or Lease – Which One is better for Your Next Heavy Equipment Investment?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Presently, construction industry is blooming but in a slow speed. In this situation, is it better for a construction company owner to lease, procure or rent a bulky paraphernalia? According to Peter D. Gregory, the senior vice president of the reputed construction group of Atlanta commented that right now the condition of the market is tentative that’s why the construction company owners are hesitating to procure heavy equipment or go for leasing deals. Yet, the construction concerns still require bulky paraphernalia to accomplish their task on the site.

In large organisation, the construction business possessors hire equipment managers and chief financial officers to give suggestion on the issue of renting, leasing or purchasing the heavy equipment. On the other hand, in the budding construction firms, the owners alone take the decision. The presidents of some of the well-renowned construction companies stated that the decision entirely counts on the financial condition of the organisations. To determine, which one is the most suitable one needs some logical prediction and forethought. Here in the following piece, the readers will come to know the difference between the buying, renting and leasing a heavy construction equipment.

Renting, Purchase and Leasing Options for Construction Site Contractors

Rent option helps the contractors to save their capital. Often, they choose the option of renting when they require a specific item for a particular task. Some of the well established construction merchants stated that renting is more costly than lease and purchase options because it provides flexibility to the clients.

When the contractors procure heavy construction apparatus, the dealers not only proffers instant ownership but also subtracts the depreciation cost of the equipment. The interest the possessors get form the deduction helps the construction firms to conserve their tax amount. Majority of the construction organisations prefer to buy heavy equipment parts as it adds as a valuable asset in the in the balance sheet. But, the majority of the budding construction owners prefer to go with the lease option because of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

Lease is yet another option that is facilitated to the construction company owners by the dealers. It is the best choice for those organisations which are not efficient enough to utilise the depreciation. Other than ownership, this option also provides usage pact with typical no money upfront quality.

Comparison Between Lease, Rent and Buy of Heavy Construction Equipment

For long term use, the charge of the lease is much lower than the renting cost. Therefore, it is sensible for the contractors to avail the benefits of leasing heavy equipment for long term basis. If the construction company owners desire to attain the equipment, then the outright purchase technique is more economical to other alternatives.

On the other hand, for short term purpose, the option of renting heavy construction apparatus is the best. If any construction concern owner wants to go with the buy option, he/she should asses some factors like time duration of the application of the equipment and its maintenance cost.

To sum up, it can be said that all the above mentioned options of availing the benefits of heavy equipment are beneficial to the construction owners unless and until they have the skill to attain it in proper way.

 

Related articles across the web

Don’t Let Your Dreams Die Due To Scarcity Of Funds

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

We all have dreams in our life to become rich, to pursue the career we always wanted to, and to live a lavish life having all its luxuries. Well these were just about the dreams we all have but in order to fulfill them we have to work real hard. At times, simply working hard is not sufficient to get what you want; you need to do a bit more than that. For instance, a person working in a particular sector now wants to start a business of his own in that sector. However, due to lack of funds, he is not able to. Though he knows that if he is given the opportunity and the money to kick start a business he intends to do, there is no looking back for him but just because he doesn’t have sufficient amount with him, he can’t take the leap forward.

There are many individuals who are capable of starting up a business of their own but just because of scarcity of funds; they stick to what they are doing rather than taking any risks in their lives. What is perhaps suitable for them is to approach a bank and check if they can give him a loan to meet his financial requirements as far as his business is concerned.

There are few things that are very important to do before you approach a bank for loan. We would be discussing them and understand their importance respectively.

How well do you know your work?:-  Before you start up a business of your own, it is important that you analyze how well you know this business. You should never see yourself in a situation where people are taking you on a royal ride and you can’t do much about it just because you don’t know much about the business. This kind of situation can be very harmful to you and therefore it is very important that you take some time to first learn your work and then think of setting up a business of your own.

Availability of businesses from clients:-  Availability of clients plays a significant role in shaping up your business. Your business entirely depends upon the sort of network you have and through that network, how many clients you can get for your business. You may have just started up your business and have no goodwill in the market. It is probably the network thing that can earn you few businesses for the mean time and then once you have established goodwill, you can cash it on by acquiring more clients.

Research on which bank offers loan at low rate of interest:-  Different financial institutions charges different rate of interest to their customers. It is prudent that you first understand the amount you want to borrow and then do some research on the banks which provide loans at lower rate of interest. You will definitely get hold of something that you never knew about.

Availing loans can secure your dreams. It’s just that you got to be a bit careful while you select the financial institution from whom you’d be borrowing the money.

To Buy or Not Buy Construction Equipment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

It is very important that you have the right kind of equipment to make sure that your construction business is going well. It is not always the availability of capital that would determine if you should rent an equipment of buy one. It is one of the most challenging decisions that have to be taken in this business. There are a few factors that play quite an important role when it comes to the decision of either buying or renting the construction equipment. These factors are discussed as follows.

One of the factors that are to be considered is the capital. The current situation of the capital of the company is a condition that may affect the decision. If conserving the capital is felt important by the company, it should probably go for renting. There are many companies that go out of business because they fail to make payments. Therefore, if a company is going through a cash crunch it is probably a good idea to go for renting the equipment instead of making a permanent purchase and digging a hole in the company capital. Therefore, it can be said that, although, the capital is not the sole reason but is quite an important factor that may influence the decision.

The regulations imposed by the government also play a very important role when it comes to making these decisions. The rules and regulation keep changing regarding the possession of heavy equipment. Some states make the regulations much more liberal. Therefore, it depends on how the conditions are in your state that will influence the decision whether to buy or rent heavy construction equipment.

Another important factor that plays a very important role in this regard is the management of fleet. Some companies may have a high level of competency when it comes to fleet management. If the company has excellent skills when it comes to logistics, transportation, service of equipment and maintenance it is a good idea to have hundred percent ownership of the fleet. However, if the company lacks the desired amount of expertise in fleet managing, it is probably not a good idea to buy your own fleet.

Buying or renting equipment will depend a lot on the amount of risk that you are willing to take. You may not want to take risk or you may be a risk taker. However, it is always the prerogative of the businessman to take calculated risks. There are many factors that are to be considered when it comes to taking risks. If you think that the current year is going to be a good one as far as fiscal matters are in concern, you can go ahead and take risk of buying equipment. However, for those who want to check their grounds safely and take no unnecessary steps, renting the equipment is always a good idea. The production value will depend on the quality of the equipment and not on whether you have the ownership of the equipment. Therefore, when you acquire the machine make sure that you are paying money for a worthy machine no matter you buy or rent.

 

 

Related articles across the web

Simple steps to repair your excavator

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Excavators are important heavy equipment that are used to remove large amount of soil from the surface of the ground for construction purposes. Without it, many of the constructional works would stop. Therefore, its routine maintenance is very essential. You should do it to detect the problems. If you find some serious problem, go immediately for repairing it. Any kind of negligence in this case will lead to major damages. Many a times we have to kick on emergency repairs due to the sudden slip of the rubber/steel track or tearing of the wheel of the excavator. Don’t worry, you only have to follow some simple steps for its repairing and your excavator will be ready to go again.  Just have a look at the following article.

Steps to repair the excavator

  • First of all, it is very important to detect the device of track tension. After that, access your excavator’s plate. Every excavator has their own system of chassis which is situated in different time and place. This system depends completely on the type and model of the excavator.
  • The gap between the excavator and the ground surface should be 6 inches minimum. To lift the excavator, you have to use the hydraulic jacks. Don’t forget to keep the bucket and the crane against the ground. It will help the machine to be steady. Now, stabilize the whole excavator on the repairs and jacks before you start repairing.
  • The cover plate of the tension should be removed from the frame of the track. Against the zerk of the grease, the socket wrench should be placed. Try to remove it slowly. Allen wrench should be inserted in to the whole. Push inside the check ball. To lose the tension, press your feet against the rubber track retracting the idler wheel.
  • Using the metal links put the new track over the wheel sprocket of the drive. Now, skate the rubber track on the tension wheel with the help of the pry bar. To get on the metal links over the wheel, push the track’s bottom with your foot.
  • Put the grease zerk into the frame of track tension. With grease gun, push some grease into the zerk. If the frame of the track sag upto 3 inches, stop smearing grease.
  • Placing the engine on the idle, kick on the excavator. Try to rotate the track in all directions using the control lever. Check out the sag by turning off the engine. Go on rotating the track until the sag becomes at least 3 inches.
  • Don’t forget to secure the cover plate of the tension by stabilizing the track sags at 3 inches.
  • Detach the blocks by lowering the hydraulic jacks so that the excavator touches the surface of the ground.

Carefully go through all the following steps. It is not at all difficult. But, it requires little bit concentration and labor. So, go ahead and repair the excavator yourself and make it a new one.

Stagnancy in construction business – It’s time to review your strategy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Forming strategy is a part of every industry and all kinds of businesses. You have to plan few things in advance by assuming how the situation could be in the next few days, months or years. A person who has been running a business for years and has seen many ups and downs of the business can make little mistake in assuming the market trends and on the basis of his assumption, he can form a strategy. However, what can one do if he finds that his strategy is not working and the business is still stagnant and waiting for the push.

Well, it means that it is time to review your strategy and probably re-plan things. It is not at all necessary that what you have assumed will turn out to be correct. Many a times, the most experienced guy in the industry does mistakes in estimating how the market will react in the next few months. Future is unrealistic and it may be utmost difficult for anybody to predict things precisely. We can follow the past trends but based on those trends deciding the future trend is not possible. Playing a bigger bet just by predicting the future is just not advisable and definitely not advisable when you are running a construction business. But that does not mean that you will stop estimating things and will desist from laying strategies.

When you are in the construction industry, you take into consideration advices from all corners. Right from market experts to your fellow workers, any suggestions coming from whatever side can be sheer effective. Therefore, you should keep your ears open to their advices but take rational decision and should not just go just by their words. Give your thoughts to the entire version as it is important to know what others think about the construction market.

Just in case, if you were doing well in your business and all of a sudden you experience stagnancy, then it is a matter of worry. You should act immediately or else the stagnancy has the potency to eat away your business and you might end up losing everything that you have. What becomes important for you do is review your plans and check what is not going as per the plan and if at all you need to bring any kind of changes, be flexible enough to adopt and adapt to the changes.

Stagnancy in the construction business can be due to several reasons. Rise in fuel price can also affect your business in a larger way. You also got to keep a close watch on the client relationship. Many a times, it has been seen that you stop getting business from clients as they have got hooked with some new construction company. A fall in the quality of work can be one of the reasons behind the change of business. It is very crucial that you do a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and check all the possible reasons that could have led to the stagnancy in your business and once you have found the problem, waste no time in uprooting the issue once and for all.

Related articles across the web

Caterpillar Boots

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

When you are working on heavy equipment, you have to make sure that you have all the necessary accessories that you will be require to complete your day’s work without getting drained completely. The work of an operator can be very tiresome as they have to move the machine by remaining extremely cautious and this work can really take a toll out of anybody. You can be an expert in operating heavy equipment but an expert knows the importance of accessories when he is operating the equipment. It will be indeed very difficult for him to complete his entire day’s task without the use of his accessories and to the construction industry can’t afford to pile up work. It may cost the construction company dearly. Therefore, the owner also gives detailed attention to the fact that all his employees wear adequate accessories and complete the day’s task.

One of the most important stuff is wearing tough sturdy boots. The utility of wearing of boots is just not limited to the operators but can be used by other workers as well. The construction workers also have to go through a great deal and may find it extremely vulnerable if they are not provided the right sort of boots to wear and work especially during the summer. The most recommended boots are of Caterpillar as they have everything that a person working in a construction site can think about.

Caterpillar boots use the license of Wolverine Worldwide to produce boots and they are particularly known for manufacturing quality boots. They understand the needs of their customers and produce the boots taking into consideration their needs. It is not that Caterpillar is the only company that is into production of safety footwear. There are many companies who are involved in this business. However, it is Cat boots that gets the preference above all of the others.

The intrinsic features of CAT boots are that they have good grips at the bottom that will prevent slips and avoid accidents. High traction materials are used that checks the risk from slipping. It is also installed with a ladder grip technology that provides good hold to the ground especially when the user is climbing up or getting down a ladder. It has been witnessed that majority of the accidents happen when people slips off the ladder while climbing up or while they were getting down.

Caterpillar is also known for producing boots that are oil resistant. It means that those boots will not slip even if they come in direct contact with oil. Not only that, they are also not heavy weighted item. The user will not feel the weight at all and will always feel comfortable wearing the boots. In order to buy the boots, one can directly place an order with Caterpillar by calling up their office or making an internet booking. He can pay for it online and expect the boots to be delivered at his place in the next few days. In case if there is any issue with the order, they can call up the customer service of Cat and can get the issue sorted.

Related articles across the web

Service Manuals of different heavy equipment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

When we buy a new gadget, we ideally depend on the instruction book that comes along with it. It is quite obvious that we may not understand much about the new product as long as we do not go through the user manual and if we try to do anything funny with the stuff, we may completely lose it. It then becomes a pain to connect to the mechanic and get it fixed. People who have gone through the ordeal of calling a mechanic to fix things may know what sort of pain that is. Therefore it is highly recommended that one should go through the service manual and read all the instructions very carefully so that they do not make a blunder while using the product.

Now envisage that you have bought expensive heavy equipment for the completion of a project and you are quite alien when it comes to using these big machines. In this case, you are not left with many options. You can either surf the net to know how the machine works but that is not going to be very helpful or you can check it out with someone who has been using this kind of heavy equipment and knows how to get it to work. Just in case, if you are not so fortunate and you do not know any person who knows to operate the equipment then you have only one alternative left and that is to read the service manual and try to get things working.

Service manual of different equipment producing companies will be different:-

Every other machine has its own unique way of working and though a model of a company will have some similarities with the other models, yet it is not completely the same. Therefore there are different service manuals available with every model. For instance, buyers who possess a couple of excavators with different models will have a bit of dissimilarities between them. This is why the company provides different service manuals for both the machines. The user is expected to read the service manual before it starts working with it. Just because he has a previous model and he knows how to work on that machine does not prove that the new model will not have anything new. If he fails to go through the service manual, he may do something untoward and things may go for a toss.

Read the manual before you perform an action:-

It is prudent to go through the manual once before you carry out any action on the machine. Right from cleaning the machine to starting it, it will not take hours for you to read something useful but you may save yourself from committing a bigger mistake. The service manual comes with pictures as well as instructions on how one should be using the product. You may refer the index to check the page where you will get the information you are looking for and once you find it you are on your way to learning things on your own.

 

Related articles across the web

What are Tub Grinders? What use can we make of it?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Tub Grinders are ideally heavy equipment that are used to ferry woods from the forest and also debris from one place to another. They are mainly used in forest areas to carry huge piles of wood and transport them. This was the main use of Tub Grinder a decade ago. However, now things have changed a lot and the Tub Grinder is not only used to ferry waste wood or debris from the landsite. These days Tub Grinder has become multifaceted equipment which is not only expected to remove the waste wood and debris from the landsite but also undertake wood recycling operations. These days many construction companies see this equipment as a necessity. They want something that can quickly remove the debris from the site and simultaneously recycle logging slash from the construction location. They found Tub Grinder to be the most apt equipment.

Variety of Tub Grinders:-

When there is a demand in the market for something of this potential, heavy equipment manufacturing companies have all started producing machines that is user friendly, consumes less fuel and more efficient and also that offers enough safety for the operator.  Heavy equipment companies have come up with several Tub Grinders that offer almost everything to the user. They are of different sizes and horse power and are devised to do things like clearing the debris in comparatively less time than their predecessors, bark and brush and contain innovative methods and green waste applications. The price of the Tub Grinder also varies depending upon the size of the equipment, the horsepower and the features involved in it.

From where can one buy it?:-

Tub Grinders can be bought from a number of places. For people who have been using this equipment can look for online stores from where they can get a good deal. They can even buy used equipment for a cheaper price. However, for people who would be using this equipment for the first time, it is recommended that they first try to know more about this machine from people who have been using it for long and then approach an online store.

They also have the option of dealing directly with the manufacturing company. These companies have their outlets in almost every state and buying from them will not do any harm. They will understand your need and then suggest the equipment. Most companies are manufacturing easy to use Tub Grinders which means that a person with absolutely no knowledge about operating the machine can still operate it after taking few initial lessons. Other than this, they can also expect good deals coming out from them.

Hiring an operator:-

Construction companies should hire competent Tub Grinder operators who have descent number of experience under their belt. Having experienced people in a company is always prolific to the organization. They will know well how to operate the machine under various conditions. Alternatively, they can also give tips to keep the machine in order.