Tag Archives: heavy equipment

Caterpillar is strategizing to consolidate its future

It was a good year for most of the construction companies and so was for the heavy equipment companies but not all were doing well in the year 2015. Some heavy equipment companies were incurring losses for the last few years and they were thinking of downsizing their labor force. But they were not able to take the call as the overall industry was doing well. Perhaps they were looking at the global picture which seemed to be pleasant but with reference to the situation in the United States, it was a bit worrisome. Not all heavy equipment companies in the US were making profits and especially the giant ones were certainly not seeing any profits in their book of accounts. They made some profit in a couple of quarters but when it was time to check the fiscal growth, the situation looked dim.

One such giant company that is experiencing a hard time showing profits is Caterpillar. It seems that the primary reason for them incurring losses is having started lot of units in every part of the country. Now they have to employ people to run the unit and also port machines from one place to other which involve huge costs. Other than that, they have pledged to manufacture excellent quality machines for which they require to invest chunk of money on research and development work. As a result of this, the final product produced by them is a bit higher than the machines of other heavy equipment companies. Not every construction company can afford to buy CAT machines and they majorly sell them to big construction and mining houses. Therefore it is utterly futile to have so many units across the country and hence the first step that they will take to consolidate their position is to crack down the units that are not performing up to the mark.

Cat is planning to reduce its salaried workforce of around 4000 to 5000 employees till the end of 2016. This also includes the guys who are operating in the agency. It has also planned to shut down most of its units and manufacturing facilities by the end of this year and the process may even extend till 2018. It also planned to offer voluntary retirement scheme to most of its qualifying employees. “It will be sad to part ways with the employees but that is the want of the situation and in order to sustain in this market, strong steps are required to be taken” were the words of one of the CAT’s spokesperson.

Primarily, the major part of cost reduction is to be done from curbing Administrative costs. It seems the company spends a whopping amount on Administrative costs which will be cut down across states once the non-profitable units and the manufacturing facilities are closed down permanently. The company has to take the tough call in the year 2016 so that it can expect good returns in the following years to come.

Heavy equipment predicted to make good sale in 2016

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It is expected to be a great year for the construction, mining and heavy equipment industry as it is assumed that the sales figure of heavy equipment for the year 2016 will be simply splendid and the total credit goes to the way the construction and the mining industry has performed in the last year and the way it will perform in this year. Market pundits have come down with various revelations but it ultimately boils down to the fact that the construction and mining companies are all set to make solid purchase of earth moving machines. There is a huge requirement of these machines as regions like the Middle East have made heavy investments in construction and oil business. It is because of these investments that the heavy equipment manufacturing companies will have a big time opportunity to sell their machines in this market.

Barring the Middle East and other Gulf nations, if we divert our attention to the European markets, we see great prospect there. It had been a great year for the construction industry in Europe and they are only expecting it to grow from here. There seem to be absolutely no sign of any trouble in these segments and therefore it makes more sense for the heavy equipment companies to strengthen their operation there. Many companies are opening up new sites in various European countries and they all are very hopeful about their future prospects. They want to make the most out of this and they do not see a better timing than this.

A good year for the heavy equipment company also means a great year for the buyers of the machine. They buyers can expect a lot of goodies from the company or from its dealer. The most important part of a transaction for a buyer is the quality of the machine and if he gets good quality stuff at a reasonable price, he will be automatically drawn towards the product. Other than that, some buyers are choosier about their brands and they will not easily go for a brand that they have not bought something before. They prefer to be loyal to their brand and this gives an opportunity to that particular brand to sell more of its products in the market. A survey can be done by the brand to check if the consumers who have purchased its machine in the last 5 years prefer to stick to them or go to some other brand. This will give them a clear picture of the mood of the buyers.

In order to increase the sale, they can offer discounts to the buyer or can collaborate with some lending institution which will offer loans to consumers at a very lower interest rate. Consumers are always on the look of such offers and if they get one, they are for sure going to grab it. This will only help to increase the sales figure. They can bring in such innovative offers to up their sales and make this year a great one too.

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Buying excavators that save on fuel can be a good investment

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While setting up a construction company, the owner has to go through a lot of financial hurdles and often finds it difficult to sustain with the given resources. On top of that, when he sees that the heavy equipment he is using are consuming more fuel than he has anticipated that becomes more of a financial burden on him and he then seeks for ways and means to combat the issue. Well, once you already have equipment that consumes more fuel, there is hardly anything you can do to set that off. You either have to continue with the same equipment till it completely wears off or you can sell that machine and buy a new one that is reasonable and economical as far as fuel consumption is concerned. There are many branded companies who are producing equipment that match the overall needs of the client but they may be quite expensive. The next available option would be to go for brands who are not that expensive and yet reliable. If you have this specific requirement, then the best brand would be Komatsu. Komatsu is known for producing reliable machines that are not expensive and ideally fits the budget of every person in the construction arena.

Excavator is one such machine that is required for whatever big or small project you have on hand. Other than this, it is known for consuming more fuel as it has to exert more pressure on the engine to get the work done. However, Komatsu has recently launched PC290LC-11 long arm hydraulic excavator which is designed in such a way that it consumes less fuel at work. The cabin of the operator has also been modified to make things comfortable inside. This new model is a substitute of the older version which is PC290LC-10. The operating weight of the machine is anywhere between 66,359 to 68,122 pounds and in order to provide greater stability and power it is built on a large PC360 undercarriage. Something that is quite imperative in the machine is its long arm and the boom which is powered by Komatsu SAA6D107E-3 engine. The horsepower the engine can give is 196hp which suffice the power it needs to complete the task.

The engine is specially built to reduce emissions by integrating “Selective Catalyst Reduction” and by using “Diesel Exhaust Fluid”. An electronic control system has been included in the engine that has the potential to deal with the airflow rate, supervise the fuel injection, combustion parameters and after treatment functions. Komatsu has also installed a Variable Geometry Turbocharger and an Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve that checks and administers the temperature and air control.

Thick isolation dampers are installed under the excavator’s cabin to control vibration inside the cabin. The engineers have also redesigned the seat with high back and completely adaptable armrests. They have also installed a 7 inch monitor inside the cabin that will permit the operator to change the 6 working modes available in the machine.

Overall, this excavator has been produced keeping in mind many factors benefitting the customers.

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Regular greasing of heavy equipment can increase its longevity

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For a heavy equipment operator or for a construction company owner, heavy equipment has been an integral part of their daily life. An operator just can’t think his life without heavy equipment and probably spends more time with the machine than with his family. In a way, the machine becomes his family for the larger duration of the day and at times he finds the lifeless thing as his best pal. Heavy equipment play a very crucial role in determining the future of a construction company. If the owner keeps the machines in order, then he simply increases the longevity of the machines. However, if he does not keep them in order, he is only messing up his own business.

One of the most important parts in keeping the machine healthy is timely applying grease to it. Heavy equipment work in tough terrain and are often prone to dust particles entering inside the interiors of the machine causing friction. If the friction is too frequent, then it can cause irreparable damage to the machine. According to Stede Granger, OEM technical manager of Shell Lubricants, we cannot just limit grease as a lubricant but it works much more than that. It works as a hurdle to contamination. However, he is also of the view to check what kind of greasing your machine requires.

All the heavy equipment has own set of requirements and may not match with the other equipment. Same goes with the greasing of the equipment. One type of grease may not be suitable for all the equipment and therefore there are different types of greases available in the market. At the same time, there are also different qualities of greases available. It depends upon how much you can afford for your machine. Ideally, it is not necessary to apply the most expensive grease as it may not suit your machine. You need to know what kind of grease goes well with your equipment.

Just in case, you do not know what kind of grease you need to apply on your machine, it is better that you consult this with some expert in your place and get to know about it. You can also join a forum and get people’s opinion. You will never find yourself short of opinions as people will always come with information to help you out.  You can also find some help in the user manual that you get from the heavy equipment manufacturing company. Those manuals can be helpful to you as well. Nevertheless, it has been found that people find the descriptions given in the user manual to be kind of vague and it ultimately does not go well with the machine. It is not that they did not follow the instructions properly, but it simply does not work on their machine. The equipment’s working environment plays a pivotal role in determining what kind of grease will the machine need. You just can’t depend on one type of grease. Your machine may need different types of greases to keep working.

Learning heavy equipment doesn’t end for an experienced salesperson

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There is probably very little profession that is simple to do or as a matter of fact there is virtually no profession that one can find to be simple. It always gives you the scope to learn something new every day. You may come to a point where you will feel that you have probably known everything about the business you are involved in but the reality can be starker especially when it comes to the profession of being a salesperson and that too of heavy equipment. An experienced person may not find it difficult to sell heavy equipment but he may also experience a tough time during his visit with a client who knows about machines better than him. It will then be difficult for him to tackle the situation with just his ability to persuade one to buy machines. He then has to make use of the knowledge he has garnered over the years to bail him out or else the meeting will turn out to be a disaster.

The ground rule for every salesperson who is dealing with heavy equipment irrespective of him being a newbie or an experienced guy is to keep learning about machines. You have to keep yourself updated with the latest technology that comes up in the market. The upgrading of knowledge is also taken care of by the heavy equipment companies as they conduct training sessions for everyone whenever there has been a new product that is being launched in the market. So the sales guy does not have to do too much of hard work from their end. They only need to ensure that they keep on updating themselves with what is going on in the heavy equipment industry.

The heavy equipment company also expects more from a tenured guy for which they pay him dearly. They believe that the veteran will make the most sales for them as he has been in this line of business for the last many years. The high hopes that the company has from the veteran also displays the kind of confidence that the company has on the person. They will definitely want him to perform and be the best salesman in the company.

In order to come true to the hopes, he got to constantly work on learning more about the equipment. He probably had experience in selling one particular type of machine but now he is being asked to sell something else that he has not much heard of or read about. That comes as a big challenge to the veteran and this is where he has to sit with books pertaining to that machine and do his research. Browsing training videos will also help him big time. This is how he can prepare himself for the next challenge in life and prove his metal. Learning is a never ending process and when it is about a vast subject like heavy equipment, learning becomes an ocean for you. More you dive deeper, the more you will get to learn.

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Heavy equipment with modern technology will be rolled out in 2016

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Consumers are always on the look of something new, something that can simplify their task without compromising the quality of the work. This has often given companies the chance to innovate and bring something new to the world. It is exactly the same thing when it comes to heavy equipment. People are always on look of machines that are technologically advanced, simple to operate and have the potential to do things in a much simplified manner. Taking this into consideration, the companies that manufacture heavy equipment have jumped into the race of producing machines that are fitted with more gadgets and also easy to understand to put them to work.

Market analysts are of the opinion that the companies are trying to bring in those equipment that can change the very face of the construction industry. This also means that the construction companies who will own these machines will definitely have to pay lot more than what they used to for the ones that is being used now. In a nutshell, bringing in new technology will by all means be a very healthy situation for the construction industry. However, it also raises a doubt of how many guys will actually be able to afford it.

The fact that inducing modern technology in heavy equipment can go a long way and for that matter, there have been a lot of trials that were made in the last many years by different heavy equipment manufacturing companies to incorporate those technologies. This has only made the construction industry a successful business and has also led many people to join in and become a part of this business. Market experts believe that the year 2016 will be a year of integrating modern technologies while manufacturing heavy equipment and give the best to the consumers. This is why many such heavy equipment companies are hiring experienced and qualified engineers who can give the end user innovative machines.

Heavy equipment companies strongly believe that if they want to survive in this market then they have to produce things that are new and that nobody else has made it before. You just can’t steal away other’s ideas. They are not going to work long if you do so and therefore the only way to remain in a consolidated position is to make a master piece that will define your company. Companies like CAT already have their imprint in this industry but not everybody has been so successful and hence it is time that other companies also bring in machines that is built by keeping creativity into consideration.

The new mantra is producing innovative machines that have the ability to ease work for the operator, allow him to complete his work keeping safety in the forefront and also ensuring that the machine consumes less fuel. Consumption of fuel is directly related to the profits of the company and this is why it should be given lot of importance. Overall, 2016 is the year when we will see heavy equipment with the latest technology and expect it to be a great year for the entire industry.

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Boost your learning skills on heavy equipment with the help of training videos

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Learning is a continuous process and when it comes to learning heavy equipment you will find your entire life is too short to learn everything about this subject. There are so many types of heavy equipment available in the market and though every other equipment has some or the other similarities but the their mode of function and utilities are way different and which is why one needs to learn how to use them, how to keep them safe and what can be done to lengthen the life of the machine. Now there are several books available that talks in length about these subjects but if you go to read them all, you may find it too boring especially if you are the kind of guy who does not like to read much.

Well there are lots of people who like to learn things but somehow are not into the process of reading. They can’t spend their entire day reading a book trying to learn a thing about an equipment as they may have a business to take care of. So people who are indeed busy throughout the day and if they want to just learn a particular thing, going through the entire book searching for the stuff they need to know can become quite problematic. In such a situation, they can always refer to training videos on heavy equipment on the internet. In this way, they do not have to spend a lot of their time going through the book. All they need to do is just latch to the net and enter the put some keywords to search the video.

Training videos are one of the most phenomenal ways to learn things quickly. Simultaneously, one does not have to spend a good deal of time searching for what he wants to know in a book as that can be more time consuming. Though reading books can exponentially increase your knowledge pertaining to a particular subject. However, learning about heavy equipment needs a lot of practical approach to it and one may find it difficult to analyze what the diagrams are saying. On the contrary if he takes help of a training video, he may not take long to understand the stuff, how complex it may be.

Number of heavy equipment training videos is available on internet. YouTube may only have thousands of videos. The only challenge that you may encounter is to search the relevant topic. Since there are so many videos available, you may have a hard time pulling out the right one for you. Therefore, entering the correct keywords is very important. Once you key in the keywords, it will throw across all the videos in several pages. You may check the first few pages and should find the topic of your interest.

Students who are learning about heavy equipment in institutes can also make good use of these training videos. They can’t always go for a site visit to check how the machines work but they can easily do it on their laptop with just a click of a button.

2016 will be the year of heavy equipment

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Since heavy equipment industry and the construction industry are so closely interconnected with each other that they have an ever lasting impact on each other. For instance, if the construction industry is not doing well, the impact will definitely reflect on the heavy equipment industry as well. Heavy equipment companies will find it hard to sell their machines in the market as there will be no buyers for them. If the buyers are also having a hard time to deal with any crisis that comes up in the construction sector, they are most evidently not going for any more purchases of machines and will wait for the market to resurrect. Till that time, heavy equipment companies will be out of business.

However, things are better off and the year 2015 was indeed a good one for both the industries. The construction sector was at its peak and so was the heavy equipment industry. It was believed that no other sector was able to generate employment as much as the construction sector and they had given big orders to produce earth moving machines. Moreover, with the advent of Paris summit that was held last year, it was urged to many such heavy equipment producing companies to concentrate of manufacturing machines that emit less carbon. The goal is to reduce carbon footprint so that we can all make this world a livable place and are not tormented by natural calamities.

After this summit, government of various countries have asked these companies to focus on producing green machines and are simultaneously also trying to prepare a market for it. Governments are ready to waive some taxes if the construction companies are willing to go green and reduce carbon footprint. This will be a big step towards having a clean environment and may also garner support from people within the industry. Once the government of all countries issues law that will state companies using green heavy equipment will save on tax for the next few years there will be an increase in the sale of eco-friendly machines. Big construction houses will no longer want to work on the traditional machines and will demand for green machines.

This will give the opportunity for the heavy equipment manufacturing companies to design machines that emit less carbon. It is therefore believed that the year 2016 is an instrumental year for both the construction and the heavy equipment industry. This year will possibly see a change in the nature of machines and the earth moving companies will have to work hard to keep up to the demand of the construction industry. Since this will be the beginning, the heavy equipment companies have to ensure that the machines they produce should be of ace quality as there are high chances that due to shift in technology they might end up messing the overall product. They have to make sure that the goodwill that they have created and maintained should not be tarnished by the change in technology.

Modern heavy equipment are the need of the hour in the construction business

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The construction business has always been a competitive zone and it has been observed that more and more people are getting into this industry making the competition all the more difficult. With new competitors in the market who are ready to take bigger risk, the one with more experience are having a tough time dealing with the fact that there is an urgent requirement of sophisticated heavy equipment to sustain in the competitive environment. There is only thing that can keep you above from the rest and that is technologically advanced machines. Your machines should be capable of doing work that others take days to complete and if you possess such machines then you have more chances of getting big projects that has huge profit margins. At the end of the day, it is all about the quality of work that you give to your clients that will decide the existence of your company.

Follow the best brands in the market:-

Technologically advanced machines are manufactured by many heavy equipment companies. However, the difference lies in the quality of those machines. Not every machine manufactured by different set of companies will deliver in the same manner. Some will last long enduring the same wear and tear and others will give away sooner. So you have to decide which one will be yours. Often the heavy equipment manufactured by the top brands lasts longer than their counterparts and therefore that should be your first choice. You can then do your own research and nail the one that suits your requirements. However, it is critical that you go for the top brands and not with companies that does not have significant name in the heavy equipment industry. Other than that, you can expect decent resale money if you sell machine of branded companies but can’t expect the same from a non-branded one.

Though expensive but worth the price:-

The technologically advanced machines are quite expensive given the ease and comfort it provides to the user. It is agreed that such machines are not affordable to everyone but at the same time also not beyond the reach of people who seriously want to upgrade their arsenal. The user will undoubtedly find it to be expensive but at the same time they will also feel that it is absolutely worth the price. If it is an absolutely out of budget case, one can opt for the smaller version of such machines. They will not cost much and also will be within the reach of many. It can act as a substitute for the larger version.

Real comfort for the operators:-

It is the operators who go through the pain of operating the machine. They have to take immense care when they are working with equipment that is not much advanced. Any mistake from their end can result in a big casualty. They will always appreciate if they are given machines that are simple to operate and does not need too much of their attention. They call them intelligent machines and they need such machines for work.

What does LGP (low ground pressure) stand for?

Heavy equipment are very heavy and can cause serious damage to the ground if they do not have proper low ground pressure. This is a subject that many people using heavy equipment may not be aware of. It is only because that this subject doesn’t affect their work in any way. However, people who have studied heavy equipment as their subject may know how important low ground pressure is to keep the ground away from much pressure from the heavy equipment. The equipment if do not possess low ground pressure can significantly damage the soil which can be dangerous especially for farmers because they will then slowly and steadily lose the quality of the soil. It may be also possible that the soil may become infertile. Therefore, it becomes very important to reduce the ground pressure from heavy equipment and the keep the quality of the soil intact.

What can be done to reduce the ground pressure from heavy equipment? Well, one of the most important parts that can be done to reduce the ground pressure is replacing the steel tracks with hard plastic tracks. That will significantly bring down the pressure to a larger extent thereby keeping the quality of the soil undamaged. There are few companies that produce such plastic plates that can be used as ground tracks for heavy equipment. Nylatrack plates are one such plate produced by “Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products” that comparatively brings down the weight of the machine. It is said that they are 80% less weighty that the steel plates thus exerting less pressure on the ground. Similarly, there are many more such plastic plates manufacturing companies that play a mighty role in today’s modern engineering and also keeping the ground pressure low.

Another benefit of using plastic tracks is they can easily work on soft grounds which is difficult for heavy equipment with steel plates to do. They can also work on pavements which again may not be so simple for heavy equipment with steel tracks. Exerting low ground pressure will have almost no side effects on the ground. Other than replacing the steel plates with plastic plates, there is one more way to lower the ground pressure. Just by reducing the noise, one can also reduce the ground pressure. The equipment vibrations are soaked up by the plastic plates which only happen if the tracks are flexible in nature. By installing plastic tracks, the tracks of the machine become quite flexible which in turn absorb the vibration coming out of the tracks and thus the noise of the undercarriage goes silent. This means that there is less stress on the drive chain that happens predominantly because the plastic track plates absorb the bending force.

The plastic track plates manufactured by companies are immune to oils and seawater which makes it a machine that can work in extreme conditions. Since it has plastic plates, it is very unlikely that the soil will stick with the plates. This will prevent any sort of damage to the ground.