Tag Archives: Construction Sector

Cat Mini excavators are used extensively in the construction sector

We have often seen those big heavy equipment working around the construction sites half drenched in mud making way for a solid foundation. These heavy equipment play a strong role in the making of the all the tall rises that we see around us. Be it for commercial or for residential purpose the importance of these heavy equipment can never be rules out which is why these stuffs are so expensive in the market. Lately, it has been realized that these big machines can be used in huge construction sites but what if the contractor has to work on a narrow lane or in areas where there is not much space between two structures and still he needs to do this work without causing any harm to the other structure. It is simply not possible to bring in the heavy equipment that we see to perform in such sites. This is where the need of mini heavy machines becomes instrumental.

Caterpillar is known in the heavy equipment and the construction sector for its top quality machines and high performance. They have brought in the 302.5 mini excavators which according to industry experts are the best of its kind and can pose a good competition to the rest of the heavy equipment manufacturing companies. To begin with its specification, the gross power of its engine is 23 hp with a displacement of 91.3 cu in. One must not compare the power of a mini excavator with a full-fledged one as they are two completely different variants of machine. The operating weight of the machine is 2735 kg with a fuel capacity of 41.5 liters, the hydraulic system fluid capacity is 50 liters and the hydraulic system relief valve pressure is 20594kPa. Moving into the undercarriage segment, the show size of the excavator is 300mm and it has a travel speed of 4.5 km/hour. It is considered to be the maximum that a machine of this caliber can have. The Drawbar Pull is 22 kN and the track gauge is 1150 mm.

Moving to the important segment which is the Stick of the machine, the total size of the stick is 1110mm with a maximum digging depth and maximum reach along around of 15 ft in and 14.4 ft in respectively. The maximum cutting height and loading height of the machine is 14.4 ft in and 10.2 ft in respectively. It also has a good enough vertical wall digging depth which is around 7 ft in.

Talking about the dimension of the machine, the total width of the machine to the outside of tracks is 1140 mm. The length of the tracks on ground is 1470 mm and the ground clearance is 310 mm. The height to the top of the cab is 7.5 ft in which can easily accommodate the operator and also gives him enough space to move around inside the cabin. Overall, he will not find it as a packed room with limited space to spread his legs. Construction companies find it extremely affordable to buy mini heavy equipment and CAT 302.5 mini excavator is certainly one of the best choices that they have.

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Vision and determination are facets important to achieve success in the construction domain

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If you think that having all the heavy equipment in the world can help you achieve success in the construction domain, then you perhaps need to rethink because there is something more important than a machine that is required to sustain in the construction domain and to defeat your competitors from taking away your business. You need to have a vision in your career and the determination to pursue it. If you fail to have either of them, then you and your business might come into big trouble someday or the other.

We often consider that having a sound financial backing is the most important thing after having the right set of heavy equipment but that is not the case. A person who does not know where he wants to take his business is walking in the dark and he may soon begin to face hurdles in his life and may also experience severe financial crunches which may even lead to the closure of the business. There are numerous examples where entrepreneurs who lacked focus were not able to sustain and were forced to shut their shops. Therefore, being focus should be our first priority. We often get help from institutions if we lack sound financial backing but no one can help a person who lacks vision in his career. A person with no goal can lead his business to dangerous paths and will eventually result in the demise of the business. Construction sector in particular is one of the most difficult sectors for people who lack vision.

Stay focused and always have a strategy in mind:-

Remaining focused to your job does not imply that you do not stop thinking about work but it means that you know where your business is heading. You keep a close watch on the ground realities and make sure that things go as per the plan chalked out by you. In case, if there is any deviation then that needs to be brought under control by chalking out a separate strategy that works more on the ground to keep things in your control. A business without a proper strategy is like sailing in a wrecked ship which has all the possibilities of getting drowned.

Know your project well before drawing a plan:-

You may have more than one project in hand and the requirements of both the projects may be different. You need to make sure that you know which project of yours require what. For this you need to do a thorough study of your projects and then draw a road map that takes to the completion of it.

Be determined of your success:-

Life in the construction domain is not a bed of roses and you do not get things that easily. You will come upon lot of hindrances from various corners that you may not even expect. In this situation, it is just your determination that will help you taste success. If you are determined in achieving something then there is no stopping you.

Construction sector is not an industry for everyone to sustain

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There is a notion amongst a good number of people that if you are a part of the construction industry or if you own a construction company then you do not have to worry for the rest of your life as you are associated with a business that will always take care of all your financial needs. However, the fact is absolutely contrary to the notion and people who are linked with this kind of job indeed have a hard time to sustain and they got to thrive hard for any small project that they can manage to get.

As far as the big construction houses are concerned, they may not be worried about getting small projects but they have their own problems which may be more difficult to surpass. Since they have big projects they are involved with big clients that they can’t afford to lose and they have to complete their work come what may within the given deadline. In case, they fail to do so, it simply tarnishes their reputation as a reliable construction company. A big construction company can afford to lose anything other than their goodwill.

Should be sharp and ready to deliver at all levels:-

In order to make it big in the construction domain, you need to be very sharp and quick in taking decisions that might not give you more time. If you take time thinking, you may just lose the deal as there are many who are waiting to take projects. Therefore whenever you see an opportunity on your way try to grab it with both hands after considering if you will be able to complete it in the destines timeframe without compromising the quality of the work.

Keeping too many projects can be risky:-

Chew what you can swallow. Taking too many projects can be very dangerous to the prospect of your company and has high potential to stain the reputation of your company. You should take a moment to think if you would be able to handle more than one job at a time and if you have those competent workers who can manage to take care of multiple projects at a time. Alternatively, you should have a detailed knowledge of the existing projects which will help you to take better decisions and therefore not jeopardizing the prospect of your company.

Having a sound financial backing is important:-

While you are in the process of completing a project, you should also keep in mind that you will be requiring lot of money to take the job towards completion. If you do not have money then you may find yourself in deep trouble. Therefore while you are on with your work, also keep a note on your finances. Do not empty your treasure box as it may take time for the client to pay you back.

People who can make proper strategies and can follow it religiously are the ones who are able to sustain in this industry.

How are tower cranes put together

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Construction sector is all about heavy equipment and working with technology. You always need to make use of technology to put things straight and get your work done. In case of building high rise, it is quite a challenge for the companies and the challenges come in many ways and many forms. Setting up a tower crane is one such challenge that construction companies experience when they are dealing with tall rises. It also becomes a challenge when they do not have efficient men doing the job or people who do not know how to do it the right way. Let us first understand the utility of a tower crane and why it is so important to have them in a construction site. When you are dealing with tall buildings, it is not possible to carry stuffs like steel, concrete, tool and other building materials to that height by any human. You therefore need the work to be done using a tower crane which has the ability to pick those heavy items right up where it is needed.

Now let us understand what a tower crane is made of. The bottom of the crane is attached to a large concrete pad which is used to give adequate support to the crane. The bottom is then connected to the mast. The mast is the stuff that gives the appropriate height to the crane. Now on the top of the mast, you will find the slewing unit attached to it which helps the crane to rotate. There are many other things attached to the slewing unit such as a boom, the machinery arm and the counterweights. You have a long horizontal jib (projecting arm of a crane) on the top of the slewing unit. This part of the crane carries the load and maneuvers with the help of a trolley that runs along the jib.

We also have a shorter horizontal arm which is used to contain heavy items like large concrete counterweights. The winch motor that plays an instrumental role in lifting the weight lies in the machinery arm. Now we move to something important. In order to erect a tower crane, the crew needs to first assemble a 40-foot mast that contains a slewing gear and 2 vertical mast sections. Once that is done the next thing that needs to be assembled is the jib and the machinery section. The horizontal members and then placed on the assembled mast sections with the help of a mobile crane. Once that is done the counterweights are added. For the crane to grow, it must be done one mast section at a time. A top climber is used by the crew that fits easily between the top of the mast and the slewing unit.

In order to balance the counterweight, the crew has to hang a weight on the jib. Once that is done, the slewing unit is detached from the top of the mast. This results in the hydraulic ramming the top climber and pushes the slewing unit by 20 feet. This gap of 20 foot is then occupied by a 20-foot mast. This is how the height of the crane increases.

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The importance of IT team in the construction sector

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The world that we live in is driven by computers and software and most of our businesses are completely dependent on the software. If anything goes wrong with any of the software then it can take a toll on our business and therefore it is a must to ensure that the computer related things are always in place. You name any industry on this planet and you will find them associated with technology and software. So when we are so dependent on such an important stuff, it becomes our prime responsibility to ensure that they do not go wrong at any time and just in case if the systems fail to perform the way it used to then we deploy people who can take charge of the situation and rectify the problems. This is where the Information Technology (IT) guys come into picture. They are the ones who perhaps develop the software and then also provide necessary support to it so that if it develops issues at any given point in time then they can fix it and make business run as usual.

The significance of the IT team is felt in all the industry and so it can’t be ruled out that the construction industry also needs them the most. There are big construction houses that have a permanent IT team who will help resolve any issue pertaining to the software or any technological problems that has occurred in the jobsite. These guys knows the best to resolve the problems as they have either developed the software or have probably studied about it and understands the intricacies of it through which they can easily identify the issue and can therefore resolve it.

Software has caught some bug:-

We all know how a bug or virus can prove to be lethal for the software and if care is not taken to uproot the issue then the entire system may collapse. This means that if you have the gate of the jobsite connected to some software which allows it to open automatically just with the press of a button, with the attack of the bug you will not be even able to open the gate. Virus can cause severe damage to the software which in result can become completely defunct. In this scenario, you need the IT team to take care of the situation. They will work things out for you by installing some kind of anti-virus and remove the bug that has harmed the system. Moreover they will keep the software updated which means that the chance of virus hitting the software is lessened.

Computers not working:-

Construction companies have teams who have to continuously monitor the stock of materials and also need to make sure that they never go out of stock. There have been situations when for some reason or the other their computers stop working. This is again handled by the IT department. People from the team attend to such issues and try to fix the problem. They can either replace the computer if that has stopped working or will replace the software if it is a software related problem.

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Dealing with pressures in the construction sector

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We often find ourselves into some sort of pressure whenever we come across a new challenge in life. This happens because we do not know the correct way to face it and overcome it. We create the pressure by taking stress rather than thinking of countering the issue. This is what we do to mess up everything. On the contrary what needs to be done is we should try to remain as calm as we can and analyze the possibilities we have to get through the challenge. A person with a cool mind can do this but what about others. Companies have deadlines and they need to complete the task on time. Other than that there are other factors that builds up to the pressure. People not coming to work due to a calamity, frequent market ups and downs and many other factors are responsible for adding pressure in a person’s life. But he also got to deal with it and come out safe.

A construction owner at times finds himself/herself under tremendous pressure and he has valid reasons for that. He/she has to take care of many areas and need to ensure that everything is going well. Right from checking the stock of raw materials to the availability of heavy equipment, he/she needs to do it all. If at all he/she assigns people for the job he/she then needs to ensure that the guys are doing their part of job correctly because if they fail to do their job it will have an impact on the company and the boss will be answerable to his investors. So by that one can imagine the kind of pressure a construction owner has on him. Now talking about the solutions, they need to find out ways and means to tackle the pressure. They will not be able to reduce it but can definitely deal with it in such a way that the impact of the pressure lessens and its effect is low.

Assign important works to your trusted men:-

A better way to tackle pressure in the construction segment is to diversify it among the people you believe can do the job for you. You should not keep everything to you and learn to assign important responsibilities to others. This will not only take you off-pressure but will also give others an opportunity to learn to handle business. If someone from your family is interested to learn and run your business, welcome him to your business and teach him the different levels of work. It will be a great exposure for him and you also do not have the fear of losing him. Being a family, there is less chance that once he has learnt the tricks of the trade he will switch loyalties and join some other company.

Take failures as lessons and don’t punish yourself:-

Construction business owners find it difficult to accept failures. They should understand that failures are a part of their profession but it also gives them some lessons to learn and they should accept those lessons positively. Rather than getting depressed or punishing themselves by working for more hours, they should retrospect and focus on new opportunities without committing the old mistakes.

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Role of heavy equipment on the construction sector

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One who is a part of the construction domain clearly understands the importance of heavy equipment in this domain as well as to his business. This is perhaps the reason why many big construction companies are procuring state of the art machines for their big projects. Since they understand that the only way to get the work done faster is through the introduction of highly advanced heavy equipment that they want to have the best in their arsenal. Heavy equipment to a construction industry is what a heart or a brain is to a human being. He just can’t survive without these important organs. In the same way, it is almost unimaginable for the construction industry to move an inch of progress without the involvement and participation of heavy equipment.

We would be speaking in brief about the utilization of some heavy equipment which is most commonly seen in any jobsite.

Excavators:-

No big construction project can be completed without the participation of excavators. In order to begin the construction, one has to excavate the earth to build solid foundations. This is only possible with the help of this machine. It usually digs the earth with the help of the boom that is attached to its axle in the front. It has a cabin to the rear where the operator sits and manages his affair. This may seem to be a very common machine but has a lot of importance in the overall industry which is why heavy equipment companies are always in the process of designing hi-tech excavators that will sell as hot cakes.

Wheel Loader:-

A wheel loader is the machine that is extensively used to ferry debris from one place to another. When it comes to ferrying debris, other heavy equipment can also be utilized. However, they all have their limitations expect a wheel loader. They can carry huge pile of dirt, rocks and other debris which in many ways is not possible for other machines to perform. They are also extensively used for mining and road construction works.

Bulldozers:-

You have a permanent structure that you want to bring down you will not find anything better than a dozer. It has the capability to bring down a very solid structure into rubbles. They can also work as an alternative for excavators as the attachment can be changed and so does the work of the dozer.

Rollers:-

Rollers also form an important part of the construction industry. It is crucial to have good roads for better connectivity and also for the prosperity of the country’s economy. It is good roads that become part of better transportation of essential commodities. The pain of a bad road can’t be understood better than the driver of a truck whose spine aches while he drives every mile on it. The rollers play a significant role to smooth the road and make driving better.

There are many more machines that plays an instrumental role when it comes to making the future of the construction sector.

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Having a clear vision will augment your growth in the construction sector

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The simple formula of a successful career is to stay focused with your work and the determination to remain focused comes from where you want to see yourself in the next few years. Your vision for yourself and for your company matters the most when you are in the mode of accelerating. Many big companies all around the world have stated their visions for others to know what they want to be. Similarly, you should also have a vision in life when it comes to your business and work hard every day to achieve it or at least come a bit near to get it. It certainly helps you to grow your business and keeps you little aggressive while taking business decisions. You may analyze your risks well before taking the final call but a person without any vision for his business might always fear to take risks however calculated it might be.

Speaking about the construction domain, the sector particularly respects and rewards those who have an aim in their life and who want to do something big. Expansion of business is one of them. Constructing tall buildings or building something phenomenal is the need of the construction sector. There are many who are a part of this business but they have small dreams and never try to do anything big. They are content with what they are doing. They may experience hardship particularly when the overall industry is going through a bad phase. However the ones who have moved with a vision for their business will surpass the bad phase. They are also the ones who take control of the situation and never let things go out of their hands. So it is people who are visionaries are able to stay afloat and why is why you will see so many big construction companies are in this business for the last many years. Some even exist for centuries if not less.

What keeps you standing in difficult times is nothing but your will to survive. Others simply give it up when they see turbulent times coming their way. The difference in the attitude of standing firm and giving up is what defines the vision of an individual and overall the vision of the company. Moreover, the one with a vision will want to reach at a point and once they are there, they do their ground work for their next journey. This means that there is eventually no stopping for them. They continue their travel as long as they feel they can go and then they pass on the responsibility to someone they feel share the same vision that they do. So ultimately it is all about where one wants to see the company to go and how dedicated he is to achieve what he wants to.

Though construction industry is a rewarding business but it only rewards people who have the mettle to perform and have also kept an aim in their life.

Learn to save when generating profits in the construction sector

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It seems that we humans are programmed in such a way that we tend to spend a lot when we have enough funds with us and try to save when we are short of capital. Experts believe that it is grossly incorrect and we should be acting otherwise. Our savings should start when we have lot of funds at our disposal. These funds can be used when we are running short and can be a very useful resource to sustain till the bad phase is over. But since we have the habit of spending and at many times over-spending on not too important things we are not able to strive through difficult times. This is the reason why many people belonging to different industries wind up their businesses in the times of recession. If we analyze the recession period, it does not last more than few months. It is just that we do not have enough capital resources that we get the reason to blame recession for the debacle of our business.

When the economy is hit by depression and then recession, the industry that is affected the most by it is the construction business. Many small time construction houses and also some big houses are swayed out of business. One of the primary reasons why they could not deal with the hard times is that they have to pay their dues to the financial institutions from which they have borrowed huge sum of capital to fuel their growth without even foreseeing the future market conditions.

Since they have too much to pay back and they do not have many projects in hand, they tend to suffer huge losses. On the contrary, the companies that do not have any dues to pay are able to strive during that time. As a matter of fact many small construction companies and contractors were able to carry on their businesses by cutting costs but they did not have to wind up their shops.

This is perhaps a good lesson for all those who get into the mode of spending more whenever they earn huge profits. They should rather save more for the difficult times. They can allocate an amount for contingency purpose and keep adding money to that account. They should keep growing the amount in that account so that whenever they need to take any major business decision that requires money, they have a sizeable amount in their kitty that they can look at. In this way, they also reduce their dependency on financial institutions that are ready to lend you money at high interest rates. It makes no point in borrowing money at high interest rates. On the contrary, if you can manage to earn some interest by investing in liquid risk-free ventures, it can be highly beneficial for you as well as for the growth of the company.

Eventually, it is the habit that you inculcate in yourself. You have to instill the habit to save money and invest it rather than spending on not so important things.

 

 

 

 

Construction sector is a booming one for small time contractors

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Construction industry is one of those industries that is known for making not so rich people ultra-rich. It is just that they need to know how to work in this industry keeping your discipline intact. If you are a person who is disciplined and also focused to your work, you can yield good results and the industry will always reward you for your hard work. Other than being focused, there are few more things that are quite essential when it comes to making it big in the construction sector. Particularly for small time contractors who are striving hard to make it big, they need to follow some very basic and simple rules that can help them a long way in achieving what they have desired from this sector.

Maintain a good rapport with your competitors:-

This industry is full of competition where every other guy is ready to take away your business if you hold things loosely. It becomes very difficult to maintain good relation with your competitors but you still have to do so. You never know when one of your competitor with whom you have a good relation may come with an offer for you that can give a new dimension to your business. Having a strenuous relationship never helps anywhere and especially in a sector like this, you got to be very careful before you speak anything that may deteriorate your bonding with the next person.

Knowing the industry well:-

It is often said that you should do something that you know you can do well. This is very much applicable for the construction sector. Just because this industry can reward you lot more than any other industry can does not mean that you should just jump into it without giving a second thought. If you do not much about the construction business, it is advisable that you stay out of it or get into it only after you have learned the trick of the trade. Entering the industry before that can only make things messy for you.

Have a mentor to guide you:-

It is very important to find someone who can guide you all the way through. It is never easy to be in such a dynamic industry without getting proper guidance from an expert mind. Having a mentor who can walk you through the difficult phases in your business is really worthy. You may not be able to evaluate how much your mentor’s advice will save you from any sort of miseries. It is however difficult to find such a person but you have to keep trying. Ideally, one can find such a person during his initial days of struggle. It is only during that phase of his life that you get to meet good, bad and ugly guys. You then have to check on whom can you trust the most and once you have found the person, you can rely on him for any kind of advice.

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