Tag Archive for 'heavy equipment'

Cat Auction Services’ Denver Auction to Include TARCO Dispersal

Published on September 7, 2010 in Industry Activities. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Cat Auction Services has announced it will hold an unreserved public auction in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, September 30. Coming on the heels of heavy construction and agricultural equipment auctions in Des Moines, Iowa, and Omaha, Neb., Cat Auction Services returns to Colorado for the first time since its successful Grand Junction auction in early 2009. The event will be held at the TARCO, Inc., headquarters at 4781 West 58th Avenue in Arvada, Colo., and will feature a broad assortment of heavy construction equipment from multiple consigners including a complete dispersal for TARCO, Inc. The auction will begin at 9 a.m. local time.

More than 200 pieces of large equipment and a broad selection of smaller items and shop equipment have been consigned to the Denver auction thus far and more items are being added daily. The event is expected to generate interest from across the United States and around the world. Potential buyers are invited to view the entire equipment list and detailed TA-1 level inspection reports online prior to the event by visiting www. catauctions.com. Real-time online bidding will be available on the day of the auction through the company’s website. Participants are encouraged to register early.

Cat Auction Services President Rick Albin said, “In this business you need to take the time to get to know the people behind the consignments. One of our strengths is that we establish close relationships with business owners and help them manage their equipment inventories. Because we’re made up of a group of Caterpillar dealer partners, we know the business inside and out. I encourage anyone who has an interest in quality equipment to come out and see what we have to offer.”

Gary Trettel, chief finanacial officer and general manager, noted that the Denver auction will include a wide range of loaders, compactors, backhoes, motor scrapers, trucks and trailers from a variety of manufacturers like Caterpillar, Volvo, Case and Komatsu.

“We invite the people of the Denver area to stop out and see how we have raised the bar in the auction industry,” said Trettel. “The video on our Leaderboard display gives our buyers — both on-site and online — the ability to see each piece of equipment in action. That, combined with our detailed inspection reports, helps them accurately gauge the value of the item and make a confident bidding decision.” The Leaderboard is Cat Auction Services’ high-impact display screen located at the front of the auction theater, and the feedback the company has received has been extraordinarily positive.

Cat Auction Services entered the heavy equipment auction arena in late 2008 and has been active across the country. Reviews from all corners have been positive, and recent auctions have drawn buyers from 49 states and nearly three dozen countries. The recent auction in Omaha generated over $6 million in sales.

By conducting auctions that provide value to both the buyers and sellers, Cat Auction Services complements and enhances the relationship between Cat dealers and their customers. Cat Auction Services was formed through a unique partnership of Cat dealers with the endorsement of Caterpillar, Inc. The addition of a proprietary auction arm to the portfolio of services available to Cat customers and others in the heavy equipment industry builds upon the company’s existing customer loyalty.

More information about the company and consigning equipment to the September auction can be found at www.catauctions.com.

Navman Introduces Integrated On- And Off-Road Fleet Tracking With Qtanium 300 GPS Tracking Device For Off-Road Construction Vehicles

Published on September 1, 2010 in Equipment & Products. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Navman Wireless today released the Qtanium 300, a GPS tracking device for all makes and models of off-road construction equipment that is designed for use with the company’s OnlineAVL2 fleet tracking and management system. Engineered and built from the ground up to operate in extreme off-road conditions, the unit’s integration with OnlineAVL2 makes Navman Wireless the largest global provider to offer on- and off-road vehicle tracking from a single interface.

The Qtanium 300 joins the company’s Qube in-vehicle GPS tracking device for on-road vehicles plus other components of the OnlineAVL2 platform that collectively help fleet managers in the construction industry track real-time vehicle usage, minimize fuel and other operating costs, and increase productivity and profits.

“Being able to see the location of both on- and off-road fleet vehicles in real time on the same map display, and access reports on the entire fleet from the same application, is far more efficient and effective than using different programs for different kinds of vehicles,” said Renaat Ver Eecke, Vice President and General Manager, Navman Wireless North America. “Dispatchers, fleet managers and executives now have all the information they need to monitor and optimize their operations in one place.”

Purpose-Built for Off-Road Equipment

The Qtanium 300 monitors the location of bulldozers, excavators, cranes and other off-road equipment via GPS and transmits the data to the OnlineAVL2 software for comprehensive vehicle tracking, reporting and management. Key features include:

  • An IP67-rated waterproof enclosure and connecting cables
  • Usability in operating temperatures of -30°C to 75°C (-22°F to 167°F)
  • Shock testing to 30G and vibration testing to 9G
  • Up to 24 hours of battery life when in full operation, with a five-month backup battery ensuring the vehicle can still be located even if a thief cuts the wires
  • Special engineering to prevent tampering with the antenna to conceal the vehicle’s GPS location
  • A motion sensor that detects movement of stationary vehicles and sends an alert to provide early notification of possible theft
  • Support for up to 100 geofences for tracking vehicle movement outside of pre-defined boundaries
  • Quad band GPRS to ensure GPS coverage regardless of location
  • A compact 8.5² x 7² x 2.5² footprint enabling the unit to be installed anywhere on the vehicle, either visibly or covertly

New Off-Road Vehicle Visibility

With the Qtanium 300 sending GPS information to OnlineAVL2, users can not only see the real-time location of both on- and off-road fleet vehicles merged on the same map to provide a complete picture of fleet deployment but also utilize new OnlineAVL2 capabilities to simplify and strengthen fleet oversight and management.

New asset-specific map icons instantly identify vehicles in user-defined categories, enabling at-a-glance differentiation of vehicle types ranging from front-end loaders and backhoes to pickup trucks and vans. In addition, the Qtanium data is used to generate new OnlineAVL2 construction-specific reports that document asset utilization, asset location, engine hours and sensor-based equipment information such as how many times a crane arm wired to the Qtanium unit by a sensor moves up or down.

The new reports add to OnlineAVL2’s extensive reporting library, which offers detailed insights into fleet, vehicle and driver performance including idling, stops, driving speed, geofence violations, maintenance needs and much more. System reports help reduce fleet downtime through proactive maintenance management based on actual engine hours, provide accurate equipment utilization history that can be used in developing job bids, improve daily cost management by accurately charging each piece of equipment, and help maximize fleet productivity and profits in a variety of other ways.

All reports are exportable in multiple formats, enabling integration into the fleet operator’s legacy software applications.

OnlineAVL2 is delivered under the Software-as-a-Service model with no major in-house software installation or maintenance required. The OnlineAVL2 application and all accompanying hardware – including the Qube on-road and Qtanium off-road GPS tracking devices, plus mobile messaging/turn-by-turn GPS navigation devices available for use with on-road vehicles – are developed and manufactured by Navman Wireless.

Volvo Construction Equipment Sells Rights To Make And Sell Clark-Michigan Based Loader, Dozer And Scraper Parts To Minnpar

Published on September 1, 2010 in Daily Dirt. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Volvo Construction Equipment North America has sold the rights to manufacture and sell service and replacement parts for all models Clark-Michigan product line to MinnPar, LLC, a subsidiary of PartsZone, LLC.

MinnPar, Minneapolis, MN,  has been a cost-effective solution to the aftermarket service parts management of non-core and discontinued product lines for OEMs since 1982.

“Clark/Michigan is a very reputed and popular brand. Our aim is to support these machines for years to come,” commented MinnPar CEO Shirish Pareek.  “Our main business is to cost-effectively manage the end-of-life service parts business for industry leading products, allowing OEM’s to focus their attention on improved performance and customer service for current and core product lines.  We provide exceptional technical and parts support to our dealers worldwide.”

“We chose to partner with MinnPar because of their proven track record for customer service,” stated Kenneth Silverman, Vice President Customer Support for Volvo Construction Equipment North America.  “Their technical and customer support expertise ensures that current or future owners of Clark-Michigan based equipment will have continued availability of genuine OEM replacement parts.”

In transitioning the service parts business to MinnPar, Volvo Construction Equipment North America also transferred all engineering drawings, parts inventories, customer and supplier lists, and transactional records.

In March of this year, MinnPar also acquired the SuperPac compaction line from Volvo.

America’s Equipment Manufacturing Industry Responds to Sluggish Economic News

Published on August 30, 2010 in Daily Dirt. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Dennis Slater, AEM President

Statement from Dennis Slater, President of Association of Equipment Manufacturers

News that the U.S. economy grew at a slower pace than expected in the second quarter of 2010 should sound an alarm to Congress. There is an urgent need for job creation in this country. While there are no easy political fixes to jolt unemployment numbers or the GDP, our leaders need to acknowledge the reality that national policies to keep manufacturing strong in this country are inadequate and have failed to create the certainty that manufacturers need to invest and hire.

Congress needs to immediately pass a new transportation bill that addresses urgently needed safety, rebuilding and modernization issues across the nation. Now is the time to build and repair America’s roads and bridges for the good of the country. Infrastructure investment is a proven economic engine with staying power – not only does it drive growth, it creates lasting benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 30,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure. And a modernized infrastructure system will give America the competitive edge in the global economy while improving the lives of Americans for generations to come.

Stimulus money is nearing an end, state and local budgets continue to shrink, and with a slowing recovery, the prospects for a sustained rebound in sales and employment are weakening.

Over the past 10 years, manufacturing in the U.S. has shed 5.5 million jobs. Unemployment in the manufacturing sector remains higher than the national average. There has been some recovery of lost jobs, but the rebound is much slower than it should be.

Infrastructure investment is the most effective action we can take to change this picture. We need a new national manufacturing policy that creates American jobs and rebuilds America’s infrastructure.

Flint Equipment To Carry Atlas Copco Compressors, Generators, Attachments And Tools

Published on August 26, 2010 in Daily Dirt, Dixie Contractor and Western Builder. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Flint Equipment Company, headquartered in Albany, Georgia, is now the Atlas Copco Construction Equipment Distributor for the State of Georgia.  Flint Equipment will represent the full ACCE line including portable air compressors, portable generators, hydraulic attachments and handheld tools.

“We have carried Atlas Copco hammers in the past and thought they were a good product. We wanted to continue what we offered from Atlas Copco,” said Todd Smith, Operations Manager at the Atlanta and Adairsville Flint Equipment Company locations.

Mike Shannon, Area Sales Manager for Atlas Copco Construction Equipment, commented that adding Flint Equipment to the distributor network “presents great opportunities for both Atlas Copco and Flint Equipment.  Flint Equipment’s broad footprint across Georgia and the surrounding areas, along with their experienced construction equipment sales teams and product support organizations, are a great fit with Atlas Copco’s objectives of growth through strong distribution.”

Shannon said, “I’m thrilled to have Flint Equipment on board. They’re a superior dealer and I’ve been enjoying working with them.” Shannon added that Flint’s success as a John Deere engine supplier over a six-state area, along with their extensive agricultural and forestry equipment distribution network, speaks well to its reputation for quality sales and service.

Flint Equipment personnel are in the process of receiving training on Atlas Copco systems and products to ensure that their customers receive the highest quality representation and product support for the Atlas Copco equipment lines represented.

Flint Equipment Company started out small as a tractor sales and service location in 1932. It grew to the heavy construction business, where it has had a presence for more than 40 years as a full-service dealer of new and used construction, forestry, utility, compaction and mining equipment. It now has 17 offices in three states with nearly 300 employees.