November 2001
People
Computer Simulator Training for Aggregates Equipment Comes of Age
AGC Works to Build Up! Construction Workforce
9.11.01—Impacts on the Aggregate Industry
Computer Simulator Training for Aggregates Equipment Comes of Age
Use
of simulators in a variety of industries, especially the aircraft industry,
has been long successful, saving industries countless time and expense
in training, while also enabling to train operators to handle crisis situations
that could not be effectively or safely replicated any other way.
For the past decade, Dave Haney, head of Cat Equipment Training, has worked
to make mobile equipment simulator technology a reality for the construction
and mining industries. Two factors have played in Haney’s favor.
Simulation technology has gotten more affordable as the technology has
matured, and the construction and mining industries have been using larger,
more sophisticated and often higher costing equipment, which makes the
use of a simulator increasingly attractive.
Now that the Cat training division has a simulator, Haney is anxious to
get the word out to the industry that it works—very well.
“Using equipment properly is both a bottom line issue and a human
issue,” said Haney. “The simulator allows us to train an individual
in any situation more rapidly and effectively, and do so safely and more
completely insofar as we are able to train individuals to deal with situations
they could otherwise not learn how to do.”
It wasn’t until three years ago, that Cat Training moved into developing
the use of a mobile equipment simulator.
“Most people in the simulator business were not focused on or interested
in the industries we serve,” said Haney. “But, three years ago,
Immersive Technologies Pty. Ltd. of Perth, Australia, came to us with
a simulator—a steel frame and photographer’s black cloth job
in a suitcase—and we said that it looked darn good.”
At the time, Immersive, which basically consisted of two brothers in their
30s, had been commissioned by Cat dealers in Australia to build CD-interactive
training programs covering select Cat products.
“They took that experience as a basis to use their intelligence and
ingenuity to put together a simulator,” said Haney.
With the further support of Cat, Immersive built the first working version
using Caterpillar components for the operator’s station. Haney saw
it in action at an Australian mining exposition, where, he said, “It
was the hit of the show.”
Cat Equipment Training worked with Immersive to further refine the simulator,
and Immersive sold its first unit to a coal mining operation in Borneo.
Nine months later, Caterpillar bought one for its training division.
“I had Immersive put the simulator in a container so we could move
it around on a trailer, and I focused on using it commercially,”
said Haney. “We first got it on the road for use at a Phelps Dodge
mine in Silver City, N.M., in December of last year. Since then, the activity
has ramped up significantly, and it will likely be 75 percent occupied
by the end of the year.”
While the first version of the unit simulated large Cat mine trucks, Immersive
has now modified the design to more readily be able to simulate other
models and types of equipment. Immersive now offers a base simulator and
customers add conversion kits for different equipment types. Currently,
Immersive has conversion kits for mine trucks, quarry trucks and the Caterpillar
5230 Mass Excavator. Other kits, including ones for articulated trucks
and wheel loaders are coming soon, according to Haney. He says he foresees
the simulator eventually covering all Caterpillar product offerings.
Cost of the simulator base unit ranges from $166,000 to $170,000 and conversion
kit prices vary by type, but average about $40,000.
“For $205,000, plus freight, you can have a simulator. When you consider
the cost of the real equipment, $205,000 is not terribly significant.
Though few formal studies have been done, it is likely to be a fraction
of what it costs to train individuals on real vehicles.”
So far, the aggregate industry has been impressed by the technology, but
cool to actually invest in it. Immersive Technologies has eight simulators
working in the world. Only one, the Cat unit, is being used in the United
States.
A perennial argument surrounding simulators is: just how realistic do
they have to be?
Cat has concluded that it needs to simulate reality well enough to develop
skills and represent situations where a person learns how to handle it.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that state-of-the-art, very costly
graphic imagery is necessary.
What the simulator does do is put the operator in an environment with
a 190° field of vision using screens. The lastest Series B simulator
adds a floor and ceiling screen on three sides to represent the actual
view an operator has out of the cab, and far-improved graphics, according
to Haney. All systems operate as they do on a real vehicle. The environment
can be modified in respect to the number of other vehicles in the circuit,
which includes water trucks, motor graders and even a supervisor’s
pickup trucks.
“Any form of error can be committed that you could possibly commit
on a real truck,” said Haney. “Also, virtually any conditions
can be simulated; we can modify rolling resistance to teach operators
how to handle slippery road conditions and skids.”
The unit can also simulate night, fog, snow, rain and varying patches
of snow or fog. It can induce mechanical failures, such as engine overheating,
high hydraulic temperatures, loss of oil pressure, brake failure, engine
fire and tire fire, among other scenarios.
Just as with teaching a pilot how to deal with mechanical failures, the
simulator allows operators to learn how to effectively deal with hazardous
situations safely and cost effectively. In the case of an engine fire,
simply turning off the engine before leaving the cab will stop the flow
of oil to the truck engine and, most likely, prevent a lot of undue damage.
How else can this type of training be safely taught?
The simulator provides a report that tracks everything the student has
done during his session. The trainer can then go back to the parts of
the session the operator needs to improve upon, showing him what he did
wrong, thus enabling him to practice proper techniques and responses.
Production efficiency is also measured by the simulator to help the operator
improve operating technique.
Terry Moushon, strategic/market development consultant for Caterpillar
Equipment Training, said he had an opportunity to spend about an hour
and a half in the simulator. Here’s his account:
“It took me about 10 minutes to get acclimated, but after that 10
minutes, I had sweaty palms and felt like I was in a truck. I backed underneath
the shovel, heard the horn, the shovel dumped the load and the active
seat shook. I saw the load coming down in the rearview mirror. After loading,
the shovel honked again, and I started to pull out.
“My first pass in, I came up on the wrong side of the shovel, and
a truck coming behind me cut me off. I turned to the instructor, because
I wasn’t familiar with it. He smiled and he told me, ‘The guy
driving that truck thinks that you don’t know what you are doing—the
guy behind him that also cut you off, knows you don’t know what you’re
doing.’ I had to wait to get back into the schedule because I approached
the shovel wrong.
“After the session, I was given a graph, which looked like an EKG,
that showed me specifically what I did wrong. For instance, I didn’t
use the retarder properly and fried the brakes. I went back then and learned
how to use the retarder properly. I learned a lot in that hour and a half.”
According to Haney, Cat Equipment Training has had probably nearly 600
operators train on the simulator. This includes Cat instructors and dealers,
and all say it effectively reproduces reality.
The simulator software tracks about 40 operator errors and grades them
on a scale of one to three—from three being the most severe error
such as blowing an engine to one being the least severe error such as
running through a stop sign.
So how does an aggregate operator get a simulator at his site?
“Simple,” said Haney, “give us a call. We’ve displayed
it at most of the major shows and forums, so most people should know about
it. I assume I will have more than one of these simulators eventually,
and dealers will also acquire them to provide value-added service to their
customers.
“We’d love to have the opportunity to get together with some
folks and work with one of their operations to show how we can help—and
that would be a matter of giving us a call.”
By Steve Van Dyke
Kevin
Norton, concrete sales representative for Anchorage Sand & Gravel, shows
a pop-up book made by fifth graders he worked with through the companyıs
school partnership program. Each pop-up illustration talked about a lesson
the children had learned about the construction industry.
While the employees of Anchorage Sand & Gravel have been participating
in school partnerships for some time, they recently entered new territory—the
classroom. Through an education curriculum offered by the Associated General
Contractors of Alaska, AS&G employees such as Kevin Norton found new
ways to educate school children about the construction industry.
Norton has worked for AS&G for the past 23 years as a ready mix driver,
a batch plant dispatcher and a concrete sales representative. But the
role of educator was a new one for him.
“At first, I was nervous entering a classroom and talking to a group
of children,” said Norton. “But the butterflies settle down
and you just talk about things you know. The children’s eyes light
up when you talk from the heart. I was surprised at the connection that
we made.”
Norton was joined by co-worker Anne Stephens, a building materials sales
representative, as a classroom instructor. Stephens taught in two fifth
grade classes at the Klatt Elementary School, and Norton taught in three
fifth-grade classes at the Kincaid Elementary School. Both schools are
in the general vicinity of AS&G’s operations in southern area
of Anchorage.
The lessons included the basics of construction, but the classes also
built model bridges and skyscrapers and learned about the budgeting process
for building structures. Norton and Stephens spent a couple hours a week
in classrooms for more than a month.
“Talking to fifth graders was a positive experience,” said Stephens.
“Through this statewide project, children in 60 classes in 21 different
elementary schools now have a basic understanding of the construction
industry. They can look around at the architecture of the buildings that
surround them and understand why certain materials were chosen or why
a particular design worked best.”
AS&G representatives were joined by 42 employees from 27 other companies
—all participating in the education experiences.
Building for the future
Anchorage Sand & Gravel is a subsidiary of Alaska Basic Industries—one
of the largest suppliers of aggregate, concrete, asphalt, rebar, concrete
blocks and other building materials in Alaska. The company’s mission
statement says: “It is our mission to enhance our core business activities
within Alaska and to seek new opportunities to grow.”
Since the construction company was acquired by Knife River Corporation
in 1993, ABI has certainly lived up to its mission statement. The acquisition
of Pre Cast Concrete in 2000 along with Davis Block and Clean Soils Recycling
in 1998 are visible signs of the growth occurring at Alaska Basic Industries.
Other outward signs are a new ready mix batch plant that AS&G opened
for business in north Anchorage to reduce the haul runs of mixer trucks
in the expanding construction market.
But the classroom work and the school partnerships are more subtle ways
the company continues to build for the future.
“The reason we speak to fifth graders is not by accident,” said
Norton. “Studies have shown that fifth graders have not yet made
their career choices. And, obviously, we think a career in the construction
materials industry is something that children should consider.”
Star Award
Led by Dale Morman, president of Alaska Basic Industries, and Mike Harned,
sales manager for AS&G, both companies have partnered with three elementary
schools—Oceanview, Klatt and Kincaid. The partnerships have benefited
both the company and the schools.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that our community relations efforts
have been strengthened by these school partnerships,” said Morman.
“If we make a good impression on the school children who take our
tours, they will carry our message to their parents. We want to be a part
of the community and this is one way we are doing just that.”
Harned received a Star Award on behalf of AS&G for his company’s
partnering efforts. The award says that AS&G is honored for its “best
practices” in being a good partner in the community.
Over the years, AS&G has donated employees, equipment and materials
to build signs, judge science fairs and even judge a “Teacher Cook-off.”
Harned served as judge for the cook-off. Also, AS&G donates trucks
for children from the schools to ride in local parades.
“Over the years, many groups of children have toured our various
facilities in south Anchorage,” said Harned. “The concrete block
plant and the aggregate processing facilities are favorites. We like to
give tours, but we have a couple of stipulations—they come in their
own buses, and they have to go to the bathroom before they get here as
we don’t have bathroom facilities to accommodate a bus load of children.”
An investment in the future
Finding people who want to work in the construction industry is already
a challenge faced by AS&G and other construction companies in Alaska
and elsewhere. Careers in the construction industry don’t seem to
have the glamour of other industries, such as medicine, computers and
others.
“At the fifth-grade level, we can influence young people by telling
them that every person is important,” Norton said. “Some can
design the buildings, some can build the buildings. Others can work in
the buildings. We’re all needed…and that’s an important
message to stress.”
Whether any of the fifth graders become employees of AS&G is a matter
that won’t be decided any time soon, but already Kevin Norton knows
the impact he has had one fifth grade class.
“I received a book that the students in one class made,” he
said. “Each page talked about a lesson we had studied and had a pop-up
that further showed that they were listening and understanding the information.
One of the pop-ups was a bridge, another was a skyscraper. I’m already
looking forward to getting back into the classroom with a new group of
students next year.”
Steve Van Dyke is corporate communications manager for MDU Resources Group, Inc.
AGC Works to Build Up! Construction Workforce
Attracting the best and brightest to construction careers has been a
challenge in recent years, but not a challenge that has gone unnoticed.
Several years ago, The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
began an effort to develop an educational curriculum that would outline
available opportunities to school children.
While still in development, the program—Construction Futures—is
already having an impact on children such as those taught by volunteers
from Anchorage Sand & Gravel.
“This initiative is designed to inform and educate our youngsters,
their parents and teachers about the exciting and rewarding opportunities
available within the construction industry,” said Stephen Sandherr,
AGC executive vice president and chief executive officer.
Goals of the program are to:
- Restore professional pride for the construction industry.
- Captivate students’ imaginations with a look at their future.
- Demonstrate how the industry contributes to students’ quality of life.
- Create a positive lasting impression.
- Provide a better understanding of the construction industry.
Through a partnership with Scholastic, Inc., the nation’s leading
educational publisher, AGC completed the first phase of the program in
1998. Entitled Build Up!, the program was developed around national educational
standards and contains a teacher’s guide with hands-on activities
supporting existing math, science and language arts objectives. While
Build Up! focuses on fifth graders, the program will eventually be expanded
to reach middle school and high school students as well.
The Build Up! tool kit is comprised of a yellow, plastic toolbox that
contains activities designed to educate children about the construction
industry, while also emphasizing the industry’s positive impact on
the environment, improvement of the quality of life and the importance
of construction site safety for children.
The program itself includes a teacher questionnaire, a four-color poster
that shows a city under construction, a bridge-building video, take-home
materials, a teacher supplement with activity suggestions, construction
materials for classroom projects and eight copies of the book “Up
Goes the Skyscraper” by Gail Gibbons.
Classroom reviews have been favorable: “The Build Up! curriculum
was very well received by the students,” said Sara Miller, a fifth
grader teacher in Washington, D.C., who piloted the program during the
1997-98 school year. “The activities were motivational and presented
practical and meaningful applications of the math and science skills taught
in a classroom. Build Up! brings a whole new perspective to the learning
process.”
For more information on the program, contact the AGC at 333 John Carlyle
St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call (703) 548-3118.
9.11.01—Impacts on the Aggregate Industry
Graniterock Donations
Watsonville, Calif.—In addition to annual financial support for
local community support agencies each fall, Graniterock People have responded
to the national need by making additional contributions to the United
Way September 11th Fund. Graniterock People and the company have donated
over $20,000 to the fund. The United Way and The New York Community Trust
established the September 11th Fund to help the New York community and
families who fell victim in the recent tragedy.
Alien Workers rights
Washington, D.C.—Due to the events of Sept. 11, alien workers with
visas are no longer guaranteed entry into the Untied States. The Connecticut
Construction Industries Association (CCIA) reported that the U.S. Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS) has the authority to deny admission at
the port of entry to any applicant who is inadmissible under the Immigration
and Naturalization Act. Also, the INS may determine the period for which
the bearer of a temporary work visa is authorized to remain in the United
States. At the port of entry, INS officials issue a Form I-94 (Record
of Arrival-Departure) which notes the length of stay permitted. The decision
to grant or deny a request for extension of stay is made solely by the
INS. For more information, visit INS Online at http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/services/tempbenefits/TempWorker.htm.
Cleanup may take a Year
New York (AP)—New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said it could take
a year to finish the cleanup at the World Trade Center, citing the difficulty
in removing tons of debris from the massive grave.
“The amount of time they need to remove and clear the site will range
anywhere from nine months to one year,” said Giuliani.
It will take that long, he said, because of the complexity in removing
structures “that have been driven into the ground” once surface
debris is carted away.
“Some people say six months. Some people say eight months. Some people
say years,” said Anthony Novello, vice president of Nacirema Construction,
one of many crews working to clear the site. “It’s just a long
damn job.”
At press time, debris was being removed from the 16-acre site. Inside
the site is a one-acre crater that is six stories deep, packed with rubble.
An estimated 1.2 million tons of steel and building materials need to
be cleared away.
“If you stare at the debris and think of all the people buried there,
it will get to you,” said Peter Russo, 55, a carpenter from Old Bridge,
N.J., who was aiding in the cleanup effort. “I have to look at it
as a job, that the cleanup and rebuilding needs to be done.”
Tons of steel and concrete cover the blocks where the 100-story towers
once stood. Despite the delicate search for victims, crews have begun
assembling giant cranes capable of lifting hundreds of tons. Volunteer
crews have been replaced by paid crews of about 1,000, each working a
12-hour shift.