Do not start heavy equipment workshop without adequate experience

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It is mostly advisable to not start a business that you do not know much about. You will most probably end up burning your fingers. It is quite natural for a person to not understand what is going around in his business if he understands nothing about it. So it makes no point to start something that you know nothing about or know very less. When we think about starting a business, we not only invest good sum of money into it but also our time and effort and we should make sure that we get everything back from it. So when you start a business, do it with the intention that you have to reap profits to the extent that you get back the money you have invested and also the time and efforts that you have put in. We all know how thriving the construction industry is and how profitable any business will be that is closely associated with the industry. Therefore it definitely makes sense to get into something that the construction industry requires on almost every day basis.

Owning a heavy equipment workshop means real big thing. Contractors will come to you with their heavy equipment to get them fixed and you in turn can make good money out of it. But for that, the pre-requisite is that you have sound knowledge of heavy equipment. The people who will come to you to fix their machines will want you to do the work at the earliest. They may not have time for you to take days to find the problem and then look out for a solution. They are people who probably want mechanics with excellent knowledge about machines and who can acknowledge the issue the moment they start the engine. So if you intend to open heavy equipment workshop you have to be that competent. You do not have any scope to take things for granted because if you try to do so you will start losing business. The contractors will take no time to switch workshops.

Work as a mechanic in some workshop:-

It is quite crucial for you to gain some experience as a mechanic before you end up starting a workshop of your own. Now you can gain experience by either working as a mechanic in somebody else’s workshop or try to get into heavy equipment manufacturing company as a mechanic. You also need to study on heavy equipment and pass exams to become a certified mechanic. No heavy equipment company or for that matter workshops will hire you if you do not have any such certifications. Spend some years working with them and try to learn as much as you can. Try to deal with different types of heavy equipment so that you are exposed to many machines at a time.

Become a freelancer:-

You need not have to open a workshop to fix machines. You can even work as a freelancer. So the construction companies who want a mechanic will reach out to you and you visit them at the jobsite and try to fix the equipment. In this way you do not have to shell lot of money on infrastructure that is otherwise required if you own a workshop of your own.

Adequate security for heavy equipment is of utter importance

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For any construction company irrespective of its size, it is quite crucial to take adequate steps to ensure that the heavy equipment in the construction site are safe and secure. There are enough reports that you get to hear where machines have been stolen due to inadequate security. These machines are then sold in the grey market for a lesser price and you will also find enough buyers for it. Now the security of heavy equipment is the sole responsibility of its owner and that can’t be pushed on anybody else’s shoulder.

If you are running a big unit then you have people under you who are given the responsibility to ensure that the machine or their parts are in place and no trespasser can ever manage to sneak in without taking prior approval. These measures carry a lot of weight in today’s times when there are increasing incidents of thefts happening from the construction units. At times, the burglars are able to creep in and manage to take the entire heavy equipment but most of the time they content themselves with the vital parts of the machine.

Tight security can be one of an option:-

You have to guard the construction site with enough men who will be stationed at the entrance and in the exit (if the exit is different from the entrance). At times, there are more than one entrance points and hence you must make sure that you have the guards on all the entrance and exit points so that no one can sneak in and get out easily without being checked. Their primary work will be to check each and every person and their belongings when they get inside the site and also when they move out of it. You never know if an insider is also attached to one such gang and therefore you should leave no stone unturned to ensure that your site remains theft free.

Install cameras at all important junctions:-

You need to keep a round the clock watch on the construction site and it is not possible by manning humans where there are chances that they may feel fatigued and may take a short nap. This is why it is important that you install cameras at various junctions so that it tracks every move of people that works on the site. When you are installing cameras, please make sure that they are of superior picture quality so that if there is a theft that takes place in the site, it should not give a blurry picture of the burglar. Moreover, the guards stationed in the security cabin from where they can view the pictures should be extremely active and if they see anything wrong on the site they should immediately raise an alarm.

Drones can be used:-

Flying drones can be used for this purpose as well. The only challenge is that you can’t have them flying for the entire night and therefore measures should be taken to give rest to drones at regular intervals. In a nutshell, it should be in complete control of humans.

Join an institution of repute to become competent mechanics

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The excellence of any work is highly dependent on your base knowledge. If you are strong with your basics then you will not take long to learn the tricks of the trade. It will be just matter of years for you to master everything under the sun. Hence it is very important that you should first give time to develop your basic skills before you jump to the next level. The next level will be full of complexities if you are not fine-tuned with the basics. So how do you make your base strong in the profession that you want to enter? First and foremost you have to join an institution that has the curriculum which you are looking for and want to study. All you need to ensure is the institution you are joining is a reputed one and they have a history of producing highly competent men.

The heavy equipment and the construction industry are short of people who are good mechanics. Heavy equipment is a highly complex subject and it requires years of dedication and devotion for one to learn many things about different kind of machines. It is quite understood that a student will not be able to learn everything in the institution. He learns about machines while he is at work and masters it slowly while he gets to work more and more. However, in this entire process the most important part is how well he knows the basic of machines. Because as long as you are not clear with the foundation level you will keep having some or the other problems understanding what you are doing. This is where the role of an institution becomes pivotal.

The institution has to enroll the basics of different kinds of machines in its curriculum so that students who want to become mechanics should know something about all the machines. A grader is different from an excavator in many ways and may have different types of problems. So knowing a bit about grader as well as an excavator is crucial. Once you become a mechanic, you will be a mechanic of all the heavy equipment that we know about. You can’t say that you have only learnt to repair a dozer and are completely ignorant of any other machine. No company will want someone who specializes in just one machine and does not even know a thing about other heavy equipment. They will want the mechanics hired by them to know almost everything. So you got to start learning it right from the beginning.

You do not have to do a thorough research on the best institution available in your city. Almost all institutions that teach heavy equipment are good. You only have to check their rankings and see if they have campus interviews. Institutions that arrange campus interviews should be preferred but one should not only aim to get enrolled in such institutions. Campus interviews will help you get a job easily but this does not mean that other institutions that do not arrange campus interviews are poor in terms of standard. At the end of the day any institution that molds you into a competent mechanic should be given utmost preference.

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How to kick start construction business with low investment

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Investment is an important requirement for starting off any business. You may have the skill and the experience needed to start a business but if you do not have required sum of money then it becomes quite difficult to get into any kind of business. You can definitely borrower money from some lender but you got to have at least some portion of money with you to give it a kick start. As long as you have an office and have completed few projects you will not even find any investor who can help you by lending money. Not would like to invest their money on a person who just have skill and experience but no money to become an entrepreneur. This is why you should start saving some money from the day you dream of starting a business so that you can bring into effect your business plans with the small amount you have saved.

People who have thought of starting a construction business can definitely begin with low investment. All they need to have is an idea that they can execute and some skills and experience to run the business. It is recommended that people who have belonged to this industry and have been a part of it for a good period of time should think of getting into the construction business and guys who have never been a part of it and want to begin this venture should first join a construction company, study how things work there and only when they are completely confident they should start the business. Newbie can end up losing all their money as their lack of experience can prove to be very costly to them.

Start taking small projects:-

Big projects definitely have more money but for a new construction company that does not have enough investment to fund a big project should not go for it. They should rather focus on smaller projects and gather experience of running this business. Small projects have the capability of making more money for you and in this process try to develop your assets as well as create your company’s portfolio. These small steps that you take will prove to be quite helpful to you in the long run. Once you have your company portfolio, you can spread it across to people in your circle so that they can give you more work. In this fashion, you can keep yourself busy with work, earn money and also increase the size of the company by making a very low investment.

Take heavy equipment on rent:-

Heavy equipment are a necessity and also an expensive commodity. Buying a construction machine will cost you thousands of dollars and therefore you have to look into an alternative that will save your money and also meet your requirement. What you can do is take heavy equipment on rent once you have a project in hand and return it once you are done. You only have to pay the rental which should not burn a hole in your pocket.

Best heavy equipment salesman knows customer’s needs

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Salesmen are generally of two types. The first is the one who sells his/her products without even knowing if the customer really needs them. The do not bother much to know how essential the commodity is for them. They just try to create a need of product in the lives of the customers and sell the stuff. The other type of salesman believes in doing a bit of extra work and tries to know what the customer really wants. He/she spends more time with their client and asks him/her questions that are relevant for their sale. This type of salesman often try to get his act right by trying to know as much as possible about the business of the customer and the effectiveness of the product to him in his life and he then pitches the product accordingly. For him the features of the product are secondary. He/she first tries to analyze the reason why the customer would buy the product in the first place.

Giving big sales talk can often help you achieve your sales targets but that can’t go for long. At one point your sales talk will not help and eventually you will be forced to do one of the two things. You either have to give up your profession or start working like the type 2 salesmen. When it comes to selling heavy equipment to construction companies or to contractors, it is quite difficult task to do so by merely using sales talk. As long as you do not understand the business of the construction company, it will always be a problem to meet your sales target.

Every other construction company may have different requirements of heavy equipment and it quite essential to know these requirements first before you pitch the products to them. It may be possible that they do not need another machine but are looking for some kind of ancillary. In this situation no amount of sales talk will convince the customer from buying an additional machine. You have to sell them what they need and in this case they need an ancillary.

Most of the time, it has been observed that construction companies are confused with what they need. To put it in simple words, they are confused about upgrading their existing fleet of heavy equipment. Some people in the company may be of the opinion to upgrade the old machines by buying new ones while others may feel that doing such an activity will cost the company dearly. This is where the role of the salesman comes into picture. The salesman should conduct a thorough study of the customer’s business needs and check if he really needs to uplift his existing fleet. Here, the salesman has to know what kind of heavy equipment are needed by the company to carry on with its activities. He/she should guide them in the right way and not think about augmenting his sales figure just because he/she has an opportunity to do so. His/her efforts will be appreciated by the company and may be referred to others as well. This in turn will eventually turn him into the best salesman.

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Switching construction companies can cost you dearly

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When we are young we are often advised by our elders to stick to a job for as long as we can and try to make a career in that line of business. People who skip hop and jump lose their consistency and always end up achieving nothing and becoming jack of all trade but master of none. When you are young it is actually difficult to select the kind of job that you will like. Every work has some sort of challenges in it but the crux of the matter is the way you deal with them and take lessons from them. Just because you experience some difficulties in one line of business which is why you decide to try something else it might take you nowhere. The work that you do should ignite a sense of passion within you. If you do not find that passion from the work, then perhaps it is not the one for you and then you should try taking up something else.

People who want to get into the construction sector just because it is a rewarding industry should also understand that just being rewarding can’t be the only reason for you to be satisfied with your job. No doubt that it will give you immense opportunities to earn lot of money but there will come a time when you will just not want to continue with it if at all you never liked doing the work in the first place. When it is about the construction sector, it is all about passion that matters the most.

You learn things as and when you grow up in this business. However, it is also crucial to understand that if you switch companies too often then it may not give a good picture to the current company that you have recently joined. They will check your knowledge which you tend to learn from your experience but they also give due credence to the fact that how loyal you were to your existing company.

Do not leave companies just for hike in your salary:-

When you join a new company you are offered a better package but this should not be the only reason for you to switch jobs. This can be one of the reasons but there should be many other strong reasons that should work as the guiding force towards taking the decision to change jobs. If you continue to change jobs after working in one company for less than 4 years it displays your passion towards your work. You have a lot to learn in the construction business and you can do that only if you stick to one company for years.

Opportunities are given to tenured guys:-

If you stay in a company for long you start knowing men who has the power and the authority to give you the opportunity to take up new challenges. When you take up challenges in your work you tend to learn new things. This is how you shape your career in the industry. After having proven yourself if you do not see the company giving you any growth, it then becomes a legible reason to hunt for a bigger company

Heavy equipment mechanic is a good career option

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Ideally one should get into a job that he likes to do and not do because the job can give him good earning opportunities. That should never be the intention of a person to take up a job. If he does so then he will soon see the point of saturation and will not want to work in that stream anymore. He has wasted all his years doing something that he never wanted to do in the first place. So a person needs to be wise enough to select his career and even if the occupation that he likes to do does not fetch good money, he should get into it. Competent people are never put of work for a long time and they never run out of money as well. Becoming heavy equipment mechanic is a good career option as long as you like the profession and you feel that it can give you job satisfaction. It definitely has good earning avenues as you can work for a construction company or can be a freelancer or can do both at the same time. It is all up to you and the way you want to do things.

Heavy equipment mechanics are given high respect as others understand what they are dealing with. A person who understands the construction industry also understands how complex machines can be and people who have taken the responsibility to fix those complex machines they are nothing less than simply outstanding. They know that the mechanics do an incredible job with heavy equipment when it is about fixing them up. So what takes to become an able and competent heavy equipment mechanic? Well the answer is simple but the journey is difficult.

Firstly the aspirant needs to get enrolled in a reputed institute from where he can learn the basics of heavy equipment. Basics are quite important to know for a mechanic because it is from here that he will lay the foundation of becoming a competent mechanic. For the next couple of years he need to go through books and also take practical lessons whenever the students are taken to visit a workshop. Try to learn as many things as you can. Take help of training videos. It is quite an effective tool and will bring out the best in you.

Asking questions is an important feature that a mechanic should possess during his learning days. You will have lot of confusions which means lot of questions and you need to put them forth to your professor. Once you are out of the institution, get enrolled with one such workshop and spend as much time as you can to learn things. Every other heavy equipment can come up with unique problem and you need to know how to fix them. Common issues can be dealt easily. It is the unique ones that pose challenge to you. You also got to be creative while fixing problems. Not all issues can be fixed in an orthodox manner. Most of the times you got to really think hard to get a solution. Once you have that ability to think hard and think the right way you are on the way of becoming a good mechanic.

Safety Equipment at Construction Sites

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The construction sector has been growing proportionally with the increase in the rate of commercial construction. New opportunities seem to presenting themselves every day in this sector. Hence, one cannot question the fact that being associated in this field is a profitable venture. However, this can present a number of hazardous situations as well and this is perhaps the reason why the use of safety gadgets in the construction sites has been increasing steadily.

Possible Hazards at Construction Sites

Working at construction sites can be seen as being one of the most hazardous occupations on the block. Construction workers frequently suffer from a variety of injuries that might leave an impact of varying degrees on their lives. Potential hazards at construction sites include-

  • Collapse in the scaffolding and trenches
  • Injury caused by electric shocks and arc blasts
  • Injury can also be caused by suffering falls from great heights.
  • Injury caused by repeatedly straining already injured areas or injuries caused by repetitive motion.
  • Injury caused due to the failure in using proper protection equipments at construction sites.

All the above have been known to cause injuries at construction sites globally. Often, these hazards occur due to failure in proper training of the construction workers and poor supervision at construction sites. Hence, it is important to educate workers on the correct ways and means of accomplishing their job as well as on the safety measures that they could adopt while being on field.

Safety Equipment at Construction Sites

Among the many ways in which the safety of the construction workers can be enhanced, the use of protective equipments is perhaps the best known way.

  • For eye and face protection- Activities such as cutting, welding, nailing and the like are common at construction sites and can lead to foreign objects getting in the eye. Hence, it is important wear protective eye glasses and face shields when dealing with such hazardous situations.
  • For Head protection- There always remains the possibility of objects toppling over form great height and injuring the heads of the construction workers. It is, therefore, important to wear protective equipments such a s a hard hat in order to safeguard oneself against injury by falling objects or accidental collision with electrical objects.
  • For Foot protection- Needless to say, a construction site is always full of objects that is not exactly safe for the feet. It is, therefore, important to protect the feet from being injured by wearing slip and puncture resistant shoes and boots.
  • For Hand protection- It is also important to protect the hands from getting injured by wearing the appropriate protective gloves during work. For instance, workers need to wear welding gloves while welding, insulated gloves while handling electrical equipments. Rubber gloves for concrete work and the like.
  • For Hearing protection- Construction sites are always accompanied by a varying degree of noise, some of which can be hazardous for the auditory faculty of the worker. It is, therefore, important to make use of protective equipments such as, ear plugs or earmuffs when dealing with work that involves a lot of noise.

Occupational fatalities have been increasing at an alarming rate with the increase in the rate of construction work all over the globe. Construction workers are known to suffer from fatal injuries and even death during their course of work. Hence, the use of protective equipments while working at construction sites is of utmost importance.

 

Make the best choice by buying Volvo trucks

Volvo Truck Corporation is the huge performer in trucking industry ranking as the second largest heavy duty truck brand name in the world. Since they started operating in 1927, Volvo trucks have always been the favourite choice with the buyers. Due to their vast experience and knowledge in manufacturing mid-sized and heavy duty trucks, Volvo has been considered very reliable by the commercial users. Globally, Volvo trucks are sold and serviced in more than 140 countries.

 

The reason for such a great demand is that Volvo has been the best in terms of innovation and commitment to quality, safety and environmental care. Volvo manufactures trucks using top quality material since these trucks are designed to handle the harsh road conditions. They provide safe cabins for drivers and are forefront users of alternate fuel options.

 

The main features that make Volvo trucks the best for the buyers are as follows:

1.Safety:

Safety is main motto and has been Volvo’s guiding principle while manufacturing products. It is offered in two main ways as; Passive safety means safety engineered inside and outside the truck and Active Safety technology which has ability to avoid accidents or decrease their severity.

 

2.Variety:

They have different truck models to serve different purposes such as

Volvo VNM Series: The specialist on short routes

Volvo VNL Series: Premium with a purpose

Volvo VNX Series: Built from the strongest components

Volvo VHD Series: Serious off-highway capability

Volvo VAH Series: Premium features, purpose built

 

3.Fuel efficiency:

Volvo makes use of engines with appropriate torques for fuel efficiency. This helps to save money and protect the environment. According to one’s purpose different models of engines are offered to customers in form of

Volvo D11:Maximum Efficiency, Minimum Weight

Volvo D13:Balanced Efficiency & Performance

Cummins ISX 15:Efficient Power—Big Block Architecture

 

4.Space, features, comfort:

Since a comfortable driver is a productive driver hence the cabin is designed with driver in mind. It generally has solid chassis, smooth riding air suspension and precise automotive like handling. A well insulted cab provided with good visibility, adjustable and supportive seats and a dashboard to keep all controls within easy reach.

Besides most truck models are equipped with most advanced automated transmission with digital intelligence called the I-Shift. This consists of latest hardware and software to control brakes and enable smooth shifting on any kind of road. Overall I-shift leads to efficient use of fuel, reduces fuel expenses and maintenance costs.

 

5.Use of Latest technology to guide the road ahead:

To avoid delays, it is necessary to keep trucks on road. Hence, innovative transport solutions in form of Volvo Truck Uptime Services is offered. It is unique suite of products and services to give control over operations in form of Remote diagnostics, ASSIST and Volvo Action which guide driver and reduce the truck’s downtime.

 

Till date, Volvo trucks have been consistently awarded as the best trucks. Volvo designs and manufactures trucks of highest quality with safety features, hence buying Volvo trucks is highly recommended to the potential buyers.

 

Construction Telehandlers work seamlessly in rugged construction sites

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Telehandlers are frequently used lifting machines, typically mounted on mobile chassis and equipped with a telescopic boom that provides different lifting heights depending on the requirement. Telehandlers are generally applied where normal forklifts cannot work. The opening end of a telehandler is mostly fitted with a with a pallet fork for lifting and transferring materials from ground to a height or from one place to another on a construction site. Some customized models of telehandlers may be designed to lift buckets or other similar attachments to carry liquid or semi-liquid materials.

Types of telehandlers

In the construction industry, “Rough Terrain Forklifts” are commonly called telehandlers. In fact, telehandlers are just one type of rough terrain forklifts. There are total three types of telehandlers are found:

  • General telehandlers – These are the telehandlers that are commonly used in any construction site that can comfortably move from one place to another and have a vast utility in lifting weights to a height. A high-reach telehandler can lift a weight up to a height of 50-56 ft. They can carry 5500-12000 lb. to that height. These days, many other attributes are added with a high-reach telehandler to increase its utility, like steering wheels that can tilt, roomy cab design for increasing operator’s efficiency, single joystick for multiple functions, all-wheel steering, etc. These telehandlers are used in adverse environments where construction works are going on.
  • Rotating telehandlers –These telehandlers are as efficient as general telehandlers but with an additional benefit that these telehandlers can rotate 360 degrees with lifted weight. That means a rotating telehandler can cover a wide area from a single position. This particular feature of rotating telehandler helps to work seamlessly where space is short or where too much movement is not possible. Some rotating telehandlers contain two joysticks instead of one. The second one controls the rotation only. Most models are available with stabilizers that ensure safe movement of the rotator from one side to another when the telehandler is fully loaded.
  • Straight mast forklifts – Apparently, they look like lift trucks but they are actually a different kind of telehandler with having features of a rotating telehandler and forklift. These machineries are mostly used in construction sites for loading and unloading building materials. Their standard lifting capacity varies from 5000 lb. to 35000lb and lifting capacity just like a general telehandler. Straight mast forklifts are available in two-wheel and four-wheel carriage.

Telehandler attachments

Telehandler attachments are also important and selected as per the work specifications. The standard carriages pallet forks, rotating carriages, etc. are available with the range of 48-72 inch length. Besides, heavy duty multipurpose buckets, grapple buckets, and truss boom are also used depending on the requirements.

Telehandler tires

Tires are one of the most vital parts in telehandlers. As the machine need to work in a rugged construction environment and used to lift and shift heavyweights, rim sizes, thread depths, widths, and diameters of the tires vary according to the average weight lifting capacities of the machines. Both pneumatic tires and polyurethane tires are used in telehandlers.

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