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The House of Representatives on April 30 agreed by a vote of 358-51 to a Senate amendment to H.R.1195 making technical corrections to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). 

The bill, which provides $2.45 million annually for aggregates research over the life of the legislation, would change the share split on research for aggregates, asphalt and concrete from 50-50 to 80-20, a change the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) and its transportation construction industry partners had championed since passage of SAFETEA-LU. The bill now goes to the president. NSSGA expects that the president will allow this to become law.

(Source: National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association Special Legislative Update)

Cemex and City of Santa Clarita make truce

SANTA CLARITA, Calif.—Cemex, the City of Santa Clarita and Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon have announced an agreement that will prevent mining on Soledad Canyon Road. The end could be very near for a nine-year battle to prevent Cemex from operating a sand and gravel mine on the eastern edge of Santa Clarita.

Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon has introduced federal legislation that would, if passed, cancel the mineral rights contract from the Bureau of Land Management for the Soledad Canyon Road location. The bill would also stop any future mining operations at the site, and Cemex would walk away.

In exchange Cemex would be given 5,000 acres of land in the city of Victorville.

Victorville had representatives at the conference and they are listed as an agreeing party. 

(Source: ARI, Aggregate Research Industries)

Florida Rock, Rinker get O.K. to mine The Everglades

Palm Beach County commissioners approved plans for decades of digging on 11,000 acres of mostly sugar cane that used to be the Everglades, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Despite environmental concerns, commissioners in a 4-2 vote allowed plans for South Bay Quarry 10 miles south of Belle Glade, on the east side of State Road 827, according to the newspaper’s report.

Commissioners also approved the Lake Harbor Quarry, 7,351 acres 4 miles south of Lake Okeechobee and 3 miles west of U.S. 27.

Another mining proposal, the 553-acre Bergeron mine expansion beside U.S. 27, was postponed until May 22.

(Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel, April 16, 2008. By Andy Reid)

Martin Marietta CEO made $12.5 million in 2007

Martin Marietta Materials CEO Stephen Zelnak made $12.5 million in 2007, according to the company.

The Raleigh-based construction materials company (NYSE: MLM) says Zelnak's total compensation was $12.6 million. That's up a third from 2006, according to regulatory filings.

Zelnak received a salary of $1.04 million, up from $968,000 a year earlier. His cash bonus dropped to $715,000 from $942,500.

But the value of Zelnak’s stock awards, primarily restricted stock units, jumped to $5.04 million from $3.15 million a year earlier. Martin Marietta says that's thanks to the company's three-year return for investors of 140 percent between 2005 and 2007.

Zelnak also got stock options worth $2.46 million, up from $1.85 million a year ago, and the change in the value of his retirement benefits also jumped, to $2.93 million from $2.20 million.

The boost in Zelnak’s pay came in what was, by and large, a good year for Martin Marietta shareholders. Stock in the company, which began the year at around $100, reached as high as $170 before ending the year at around $130 a share.

Shares are down 17 percent since the start of 2008, however, on sales that were weaker than expected

(Source: ARI, aggregateresearch.com)

Holcim cement plant turns 100

The Holcim Inc. cement plant in Mason City, Iowa, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. “For 100 years, Holcim’s Mason City plant has been a major cement producer, dedicated to our employees and the well being of the community,” said Eliseo Robles, plant manager. “We are honored to be a successful and responsible member of the North Iowa family.”

To celebrate 100 years, at the Aggregates Manager e-News deadline, Holcim was planning to hold an open house with guided bus tours, historical displays and refreshments from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 10, at the plant at 1840 N. Federal Ave.

Holcim is also celebrating by being a major sponsor of the North Iowa Band Festival this year.

The plant began operations in 1908 as Northwestern States Portland Cement Co. Under the leadership of multiple generations of the MacNider family, the plant pioneered the establishment of profit sharing for workers and group hospitalization benefits, according to a news release.

In 1990 the plant was purchased by Swiss cement Group Holcim Ltd., and continued production under the name Holnam before being renamed Holcim (US) Inc. in 2001.

Throughout the years, Holcim has seen ongoing modernizations, including $5.5 million being reinvested into it this year, said Perry Buffington, human resource manager.

Today the plant has 165 employees and contributes more than $60 million to the Iowa economy, Buffington said.

Around one million metric tons of various types of cement are produced at the plant and marketed in Iowa and the surrounding states.

Some projects Holcim’s cement will be used for include 5,000 tons for the reconstruction of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, renovations of Jack Trice Stadium at Iowa State University, windmill construction in Pomeroy and the addition to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City.

Past projects include the Avenue of the Saints and Sec Taylor Stadium and Wells Fargo Arena, both in Des Moines.

(Source: ARI, aggregateresearch.com)

Caterpillar CEO Owens received $14.8 million in 2007 compensation, up 17 percent

Caterpillar Inc. CEO Jim Owens received $14.8 million in 2007 compensation, up 17 percent in a year when company profits rose 4 percent, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday by the heavy equipment maker.

Owens was paid a salary of $1.5 million, up from $1.35 million in 2006, plus a $300,000 bonus. The bulk of his compensation came in stock options and restricted stock that the Peoria, Ill.-based manufacturer valued at $8.3 million when they were granted.

The 62-year-old chairman and CEO also received $4.2 million in non-equity incentive plan compensation and $221,307 in other compensation, including $168,672 in a deferred compensation plan and $4,545 in financial counseling.

Caterpillar reported net earnings of $3.5 billion last year. Revenues totaled $45 billion, up 8 percent from 2006.

The Associated Press calculations of total pay include executives salary, bonus, incentives, perks, above-market returns on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock options and awards granted during the year.

The calculations don't include changes in the present value of pension benefits, and they often differ from the totals companies list in the summary compensation table of proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Caterpillar listed Owens' compensation as $17.1 million.

(Source: Associated Press via ARI)

Seventh fatality this year in metal/non-metal sector

On April 24, 2008, a 48 year-old industrial sand mine employee was killed. The victim was checking the roof and ribs for scaling when she was struck by a front-end loader as it backed up.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is recommending these best practices to prevent future fatalities:

Best Practices

• Before moving mobile equipment, look in the direction of travel, be certain no one is in the intended path, sound the horn to warn possible unseen persons, and wait to give them time to get to a safe location.

• Ensure all miners are trained to recognize work place hazards, specifically the limited visibility and blind areas inherent to operation of large equipment and the hazard of mobile equipment traveling near them.

• Supervisors should regularly monitor work practices, especially those of new miners, and reinforce the importance of safe work practices and take immediate action to correct unsafe conditions or work practices.

• Wear reflective clothing to ensure high visibility when necessary to walk or work in the area of moving equipment.

• Correct any defects that may affect the safe operation of self-propelled mobile equipment.

This is the seventh fatality reported in calendar year 2008 in the metal and non-metal mining industries. As of this date in 2007, there were 10 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the second Powered Haulage fatality in 2008. There was one powered haulage fatality in the same period in 2007.

(Source: Mine Safety and Health Administration)

Vulcan inducted into Alabama Road Builders Association Hall of Fame

Vulcan Materials Co. was inducted into the Alabama Road Builders Association Hall of Fame April 9. Vulcan is the first company to be recognized by the Association, which previously recognized individuals only.

The Hall of Fame, established in 2002, honors, preserves, and perpetuates the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of individuals, companies and institutions that have brought and continue to bring significant recognition to the State of Alabama in the field of transportation construction.

Nominations for induction into the Alabama Road Builders Hall of Fame are made by open call to the ARBA membership. The Hall of Fame board of directors then designates those nominees who are to be inducted in a given year.

(Source: National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association)

Aggregate Industries North Central Region named “Environmental Business of the Year“

Aggregate Industries North Central Region was named “Environmental Business of the Year“ by Great River Greening, a Twin Cities-area non-profit regional leader for community-based ecological design and restoration. Aggregate Industries North Central Region, based in Eagan, Minnesota, employs approximately 750 people and was chosen to receive this award because of their commitment to the community and the environment.

This commitment is demonstrated through the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS), which enables Aggregate Industries to identify and control the environmental impact of its activities and products; improve its environmental performance continually; and implement a systematic approach to setting and achieving environmental objectives. This EMS has resulted in Aggregate Industries meeting the requirements of and receiving ISO 14001 Certification.

Aggregate Industries’ Regional President Norm Jagger said, “I am extremely proud to have accepted this award on behalf of our employees. Their collective commitment to environmental excellence and community engagement help ensure that we are viewed as responsible members of the communities in which we operate and as leaders in the aggregates and construction materials industry.”

The company also has pledged to reduce its company-wide greenhouse gas emissions through partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program and its recent partnership with Cool Climate Concrete (C3).

Ohio aggregates and minerals group to host annual conference in June

Ohio Aggregates & Industrial Minerals Association (OAIMA) has announced the 17th Annual National Minerals Education Conference in Columbus, OH, June 15-18, 2008. This conference features a wealth of information-packed educational sessions led by an impressive list of faculty and industry experts.

The NMEC provides a unique opportunity for educators and industry professionals to share experiences, generate new ideas, and provide innovative approaches to minerals and resource education. The conference will include three days of meetings, discussions, field trips and activities designed to provide practical, real world educational opportunities and materials highlighting the importance of the mineral extraction industry in Ohio and the Midwest. Three exciting and informative field trips will be offered.

Each trip will provide a “behind-the-scenes” look at the materials, operations, and facilities that manufacture the raw materials and final products that are critical to the quality of life we enjoy. In addition, attendees will visit extraordinary and innovative wildlife, recreation, and other sustainable post-mining, rehabilitated areas that will be enjoyed for generations to come.  

Teachers Requiring Financial Assistance

Scholarship opportunities are available for those teachers or educational professionals requiring financial assistance.  Call 1-800 OH ROCKS for more information.

CEUs

U to 20-1/2 hours will be verified for teacher participation in this conference. Teachers interested in obtaining CEU credits should contact their Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC) prior to any participation.  Decisions regarding the awarding of CEUs are the sole responsibility of the local LPDC.

For more information please visit our website at: www.nationalmineralseducation.org or call 1-800 OHROCKS (647-6257).

SAF-Holland predicts further strong growth, increased profitability in 2008

SAF-HOLLAND S.A., a producer and supplier of systems and components for the truck and trailer industries, has seen a solid increase in sales over the last financial year, thanks to consistently high demand in Europe.

In the 2007 financial year, consolidated sales rose by 4.5 percent to €812.5 million (2006 PF:€777.8 million). On a constant currency basis the increase is by 7.9 percent to €839.0 million. The strongest growth of 29.2 percent was achieved in the European markets.

With sales of €519.7 million, the European share of total sales rose continuously over the course of the year to 64 percent. The importance of the American market, on the other hand, continued to fall short as expected. Owing to the regulatory framework, and a slowdown in sales triggered by the property crisis in the US, sales reached €292.8 million in the period (on a constant currency basis: €319.3 million) compared to €375.6 million the previous year. SAF-HOLLAND reacted to this development by adjusting production capacities in the US and reducing personnel.

Correspondingly, the number of SAF-HOLLAND employees fell by 9.3 percent to 2,974 at the end of the year.

In order to better understand the operating result, it was adjusted for unusual influences arising from the company acquisitions as well as further transaction costs. Adjusted EBIT stood at €60.5 million and the adjusted net profit for the 2007 financial year came to €22.3 million, which meant that the results were within the announced forecasts.

For the full press release, including a breakdown of monetary figures by group, click here.

Irish building materials company CRH  is seen as the frontrunner to buy Xella, the building materials company being sold by closely-held German conglomerate Haniel for up to 2.5 billion euros (3.89 billion).

Dublin-based CRH is the only trade bidder on the list of those invited to make second-round offers at the end of May, said sources familiar with the matter on Wednesday.

The five firms invited to make second-round offers are: CRH, PAI, Cinven, BC Partners and a bid fronted by Permira, said the sources. All parties declined to comment.

CRH, unlike most cement companies, which are focusing on cutting non-core operations, produces calcium silicate, gypsum and basic lime and would face less regulatory hurdles than rivals like Weinerberger.

Xella, which employed more than 7,000 people at the end of 2006, is active in markets ranging from raw materials such as lime and limestone to dry lining systems like gypsum fibreboards, and building materials such as aerated concrete.

It also has a natural edge over the other bidders, which are all buyout firms, the sources said.

(Source: Reuters)

Holcim says not bidding for Malaysian cement-maker

Swiss cement-maker Holcim Ltd  is not in talks to buy Malaysian cement manufacturer Tasek Corp Bhd, Tasek said.

A Malaysian newspaper had reported that Holcim would make a bid for Tasek.

Tasek has annual production capacity of 2.3 million tons of cement and Holcim currently makes about 1.2 million tons a year in Malaysia, according to the Web sites of both firms.

(Source: Reuters.com)

Lafarge sells stake in Titan joint venture in Egypt for 330 million euros

French cement company Lafarge has sold its 50 percent stake in an Egyptian joint venture to its partner Titan Cement of Greece for 330 million euros, Lafarge said.

The joint venture, Lafarge-Titan was created in 1999 and operates two cement plants with combined annual capacity of 3.1 million tons.

On an analyst conference call, Titan management said that the enterprise had turnover of 127 million euros for 2007, EBITDA of 62 million euros, and net profits of 34 million euros.

Titan said the move consolidates their presence in an important emerging market.

(Source: Thomson Financial News Limited)

Cemex looks to sell assets in Austria, Hungary, U.K.

Cement producer Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. has announced that it is exploring the sale of selected assets, including operations in Austria, Hungary, and some building products in Great Britain.

Cemex has mandated Morgan Stanley as its financial advisor in connection with the sales process in Austria and Hungary and Citigroup for the UK sales process.

Cemex said in a statement that the proceeds from the potential assets sale would be used for debt reduction.

The company's Austrian operations consist of 26 aggregate plants and 39 ready-mix plants. These assets generated revenues of around USD 274 million in 2007.

The Hungarian assets are comprised of 5 aggregate plants, 31 ready-mix plants and 5 paving stone plants. 2007 revenues from these assets were cc. USD 84 million.

The U.K. assets include the floors, roof tiles, and the rail products businesses, which generated combined sales of about $ 98 million last year.

Better Digging

How one Texas gravel company used Volvo’s excavator bucket to solve a problem and ramp up productivity.

by Joe Hanneman

Brian Etchison had one problem with the excavator buckets being run at RE Janes Gravel Co. in Merkel, Texas. None of them could stand up to the abrasive conditions at Janes’ sand and gravel mine. “Every bucket we’ve had we destroyed,” says Etchison, vice president at RE Janes Gravel Co. “Just because of the nature of what we’re doing.” So when Volvo approached Etchison with its new bucket, he was ready to put it to the test.

“Our material is really abrasive,” Etchison says. “It’s fairly hard breakout. I can take you to several buckets that we’ve had on different excavators. We’ll actually break them. We sometimes will break a lip completely off the bottom of a bucket. We’ve split them up the middle.”

Janes Gravel uses a Volvo EC460B excavator in what is essentially a strip mining operation about 30 miles west of Abilene. The material is hard, densely packed sand and gravel, mixed with conglomerate and clay. The excavator loads 80-ton belly-dump haulers, which take the material for nearby processing and eventual use in ready mix concrete. “It’s definitely not an easy environment for a machine to dig,” Etchison said.

So after losing two buckets to the extreme conditions, Etchison was all ears when approached about a new 3.6-cubic-yard bucket by Walter Reeves, attachments manager for Volvo Construction Equipment. “When he was telling me about this bucket before it arrived,” Etchison said, “he was drawing it on a napkin for me and showing me. He said, ‘You’re going to have better success with this shape.’ And it is a better shape.”

A new shape, a new approach

With a low profile and curved shape, Volvo’s new buckets have optimized cutting edges, heavy fabrication and self-sharpening teeth. The design of the bucket floor makes it easy for material to flow into and fill the bucket with no air gaps. Anti-abrasive side cutters and lip plating give the buckets exceptional wearability.

“These are made to load easy and dump easy,” Reeves said. “This penetrates nice and easy. The material just flows right out of the bucket. It improves your cycle times.”

With the new Volvo bucket installed on the EC460B excavator, the company adopted a new approach to digging. Instead of using the excavator’s breakout power to extract the material, the operator uses the teeth to penetrate, then pulls the bucket nearly flat toward the excavator. Material marches into the bucket without the boiling that can cause air pockets and incomplete fills. As the bucket comes up out of the hole, it cradles the material without requiring extreme curl of the bucket. Less curl means less machine wear and quicker dumps.

“The shape is the main thing that protects the linkage,” Etchison said, “because the material enters the bucket more easily than a deeper, taller bucket. In the past I thought a narrower bucket that was deeper and taller would have less surface area to cut the material and would not have a negative impact on the linkage. But the wider more shallow, more curved shape of this bucket, I think it’s a better design for this.”

With a deeper, taller bucket, material is more likely to stick, causing the operator to bang the bucket in its full open position in order to dislodge the material.

The Volvo bucket makes penetration, then is pulled into the material and fills smoothly. After filling, the bucket cradles the material and is ready for dumping.

Working in extreme conditions

RE Janes Gravel Co. is one of the largest suppliers of sand and gravel in Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) lists the company in its national directory of the principal suppliers of sand and gravel. While the company operates three mining operations in Texas, it is the Merkel facility that has the most extreme digging conditions.

“It’s very densely packed sand and gravel. Its a fairly dirty deposit, so it’s got a lot of clay in it,” Etchison said. “There’s some conglomerate. As far as abrasiveness, in the pits we have throughout the company, we go through a lot of scraper teeth and things like that just getting down to the deposit. When you get down to the material you can process, it’s very abrasive. You go through teeth very quickly.”

The Volvo EC460B operates at least 10 hours per day loading the haulers and also maintaining the pit. Etchison says the excavator’s primary function at Janes Gravel is loading the trucks that bring the material to the plant. “The excavator’s a useful tool to be used in other places for repair days,” he says. “It might dig a ditch or two, but its primary function is in hard digging. It is the central machine to the operation, so Janes Gravel cannot afford downtime from damaged buckets.”

Etchison notes that on the Volvo bucket, there is a wear plate that’s actually a part of the bucket that acts as “a kind of a shoulder down the sides. “Where a lot of other buckets are put together right there at that corner, and all that is is stick weld,” he says. “Once you get to that weld it’s going to crack apart. Volvo’s just seems to be a better design in that position. I think it’s a good bucket, [and] overall it’s performing well.”

This article was written by Joe Hanneman, which Volvo Construction Equipment commissioned him to write.

Volvo’s new line of excavator buckets includes general purpose models for soft to medium materials, heavy-duty versions for gravel or clay, rock buckets for sharp, fractured materials, ditch-cleaning buckets, and extra performance (XP) buckets with a unique curved floor and self-filling design.

The QP2H is the newest Multiquip 2-inch pump. It replaces the QP2H, offering improved performance with more flow and head. It can pump up to 158 gallons per minute with a maximum head of 115 feet.

Large, versatile crushers

Exhibiting at this year’s ConExpo-Con/Agg for the first time, Kleemann introduced two large, versatile mobile processing plants to the North American market. The impactor-based MOBIREX MR 130-Z is a closed circuit machine with a fully independent two-deck prescreen before the primary impact crusher box. Material is dropped onto a feeder, scalped over the independent pre-screen, and through an onboard screen after the crusher, where oversize is recirculated back into the crusher. Kleemann says it is two machines in one: a crusher, and a screen box.

Also debuting was the MOBICAST MC 120-Z, featuring a 48- by 32-inch jaw crusher. It has an independent double-deck pre-screen with a feeder under the crusher. The complete machine weighs 72.5 tons.

Maximum screen area

McCloskey International says its new R155 High Energy Screener provides the industry’s first true 16- by 5-foot screen box, with a full 155 square feet of screening area. The vibratory screener pairs its upper 16-foot, 5-inch screen with a lower screen deck measuring 15 feet, 5 inches. The units has a 125-horsepower engine, an extra large top-mounted hopper (said to be 30 percent larger than competing units), and a high energy screenbox which can run with a high-powered vibratory stroke of up to 10 mm at 950 rpm, or 6 mm at 1,130 rpm.

For more new products for the industry, check out the RollOuts section
in each month’s print edition of Aggregates Manager.
 

Sandvik Mining and Construction has reached an agreement with Husqvarna Construction Products Sweden AB to divest its construction division to the company, according to a report from ARI (Aggregate Research Industries).

Sandvik Mining and Construction joins former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, his wife, Rosalynn, thousands of volunteers from around the world and partner families to support Habitat for Humanity’s 25th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project on the Gulf Coast. 

The five-day event, May 11-16, 2008 will serve to construct and rehabilitate 60 houses and frame up to 48 more in the host cities of Biloxi, Gulfport and Pascagoula, Miss.

In addition to building in Biloxi and Pascagoula, the Carters will work on houses and visit build sites in New Orleans and Covington, La., Bay St. Louis, Miss., and Mobile, Ala., to help raise awareness of the ongoing recovery efforts taking place in along the Gulf Coast.  Houses also will be built and repaired by volunteers in several communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama as part of the event.  In total, more than 250 houses will be built or rehabilitated by the end of the year as part of Habitat for Humanity’s 2008 Carter Work Project.

To help build the homes, Sandvik will send 10 employee volunteers to Biloxi. The employees come from several Sandvik operations in the United States and Canada, including its Atlanta headquarters; Lively, Ontario; Kaysville, Utah; and Elko, Nev. The 10 volunteers representing Sandvik were chosen by random drawing from the substantial number of employees who offered to participate in the event.

Steve McClellan, vice president of commercial tire systems for Goodyear said the company is moving more of its process controls online, and a new, more relevant Web site is also an addition to this move.

Because specifying tires can “make or break” a fleet’s cost structure, the new site features a dealer locator and simplified search function to find Goodyear tires by application, wheel position and size, McClellan says.

Bridgestone Firestone Off Road Tire Company (BFOR), a division of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC, has received a supplier quality excellence award from Caterpillar Inc.  Caterpillar bestows this honor annually on those of its suppliers deemed to be meeting the highest standards of quality for Caterpillar components.

For its dedication to high standards, BFOR was awarded the 2007 “Supplier Quality Excellence” award.  Shawn Rasey, vice president, BFOR, and Greg Halford, BFOR’s Bloomington Plant Manager, accepted the award on behalf of BFOR during a recognition ceremony held Tuesday, April 15, in Bloomington, Ill.

In Neponset, Ill., a privately held Martin Engineering is completing a new corporate research center focused on improving the handling of bulk materials in heavy industries, like coal-fired power generation, mining, sand & gravel and aggregate production, pulp and paper, and cement manufacturing.

The new Martin Engineering Center for Bulk Materials Handling Innovation — CFI, for short — is a $5 million facility with the goals of improving bulk materials handling through collaboration, innovation, and education.

CFI is housed in a new 22,600-square-foot (2,100 square meter) building at Martin Engineering’s world headquarters campus in Neponset, Ill. Part pure-science research laboratory, and part industrial product development center, CFI will collaborate with partners including corporations, industry associations, and universities for practical research to solve the common problems in the handling of bulk materials, problems that have plagued these industries for years.

The Swedish-based Sandvik group, one of the world's largest engineering equipment producers, plans to expand its manufacturing production bases on the Chinese mainland this year to tap the nation's mining and construction boom.

Sandvik China is set to build three new factories in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, to enhance its production capacity, Svante Lindholm, president of Sandvik China Holding Co, tells China Business Weekly.

The three factories, operated by the company's three business sectors: Sandvik Mining & Construction, Walter, and Sandvik Hard Materials, will respectively produce cemented carbide tools for mining equipment; design and produce cutting tools and special tools; and produce cemented carbide wear parts.

The factories will start construction in October, the company says.

In addition, the company also plans to expand its production lines for mining equipment crushers in Jiading of Shanghai this year.

(Source: China Daily)

John Deere Construction & Forestry has a new video on its Web site as part of the company’s integrated campaign for skid-steer users that involves head-to-head contests between Deere and competitor machines.

The latest competition features a forward/reverse slalom, which highlights the John Deere 328 skid steer’s unprecedented visibility from the cab and the smoothness and maneuverability afforded by new Electro-Hydraulic joystick controls – now available on all Deere large-frame skid steers.

Go to www.skidsteersmackdown.com and click on “The Battles” to view the video.

Launched in April, “Skidsteersmackdown.com” is a first-of-its-kind web site that features compelling skid steer vs. skid steer action captured on video before a live audience, a discussion forum, buying information and more.

The site’s interactive components allow users to pick the Deere machines they’d like to see compared to other units. The videos – showing tasks with measurable results – can then be rated, commented on, and shared with friends and colleagues. New battles will be posted monthly.

Dr. Suzette M. Kimball has been named associate director for geology of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the scientific agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Kimball is the first woman to hold the position.

Kimball has been director of the USGS’s Eastern Region since 2004. In her new position she will provide executive leadership of USGS geologic investigations on the past, present and future conditions of the Earth’s environment, hazards and resources. She will assume her new duties May 5.

Specifically, Kimball will be responsible for basic earth science programs, including monitoring of worldwide earthquake hazards, geologic mapping of land and seafloor resources, and the study of volcano and landslide hazards.

Point2 Technologies Inc., which develops and markets Web-based software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries, announced the promotion of Zach Scott to chief technology officer (CTO), effective April 11, 2008.

As CTO, Scott will play a key leadership role, working closely with the Point2 management team to drive continued innovation and development of Point2’s technology strategy and vision. He continues to assume the lead of Point2’s technology development, across the company’s business divisions, as well as responsibility for aligning the company’s technology infrastructure to support strategic growth and expansion plans.

Scott brings to the new post 13 years of technology and software development experience, including 10 years as a senior level technical consultant. During his career, Scott built and led cutting-edge teams at a number of high profile organizations including CGI Group Inc. and, AudeSi, later acquired by Wind River Systems where Scott led development of the company’s world class web based managed network switching software today used in most Cisco and Nortel switches and routers.

Scott is also co-founder of two technology companies including Calgary-based Cambrian House, where he last was Chief Technology Officer and member of the company’s Board of Directors.

Texas Industries Inc. (TXI), producer cement, concrete, and other building materials with operations in six states, has named Ken Allen vice president of finance and chief financial officer, effective Aug. 1.

Allen replaces Richard M. Fowler, who will retire after 35 years with the Dallas-based company.

Allen joined Texas Industries in 1985 and has held a number of financial positions. After serving as TXI's treasurer for eight years, he was appointed to a vice president position in 1999.

Fowler began his career at TXI in 1972. In 1984, he went to work with Chaparral Steel, a TXI affiliate, for three years before returning to the company.

Texas Industries produces cement, concrete and other building materials and has operations in six states.

The Board of Directors of Dressta Ltd. has announced the promotion of Bob Olson to president of Dressta North America. In his new role, Olson will be responsible for all company operations in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

He succeeds Tom McGonigle, a long time industry veteran who has led Dressta North America from its inception in 2001.

McGonigle retired on March 31.

Olson joined Dressta in 2006 and most recently served as the vice president of sales and marketing for the company. he has been instrumental in achieving the company’s distribution growth objectives.

Olson is an industry veteran with 34 years of experience in sales, marketing and distributor development functions. He has previously held management positions in each of these areas with several major equipment manufacturers.

The Industrial Minerals Association – North America (IMA-NA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) have announced the companies and mining operations that will receive their joint safety recognition awards.  IMA-NA President Mark Ellis and MSHA Acting Assistant Secretary Richard Stickler presented the awards at the IMA-NA’s Spring Meeting here. The two classes of awards recognize different levels of safety performance.

The IMA-NA Safety Achievement Award recognizes the best reportable injury rate for an individual IMA-NA member company by size category for the preceding calendar year, in this case 2007. The award criteria evaluate a company’s safety performance at all of its U.S. facilities and non-U.S. mining sites in North America.

This year’s winners include the following:

Rio Tinto Minerals
Centennial, Colorado
Large Category (700,000 or more employee hours)
(2,147,428 hours)

Badger Mining Corporation
Berlin, Wisconsin
Medium Category (Fewer than 700,000 but more than 100,000 employee hours)
(216,639 hours)

Manley Brothers, Inc.
Troy Grove, Illinois
Small Category (Fewer than 100,000 employee hours)
(59,973 hours)

Five additional Small Category companies tied the winning zero reportable injury rate, but had fewer employee hours.  They each received Safety Achievement Certificates in recognition of their outstanding safety performance.  These companies include the following:

A.F. Gelhar Co., Inc.
Fairwater, Wisconsin
Small Category (Fewer than 100,000 employee hours)
(37,476 hours)

Sand Products Corporation
Detroit, Michigan
Small Category (Fewer than 100,000 employee hours)
(35,874 hours)

WHIBCO, Inc.
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Small Category (Fewer than 100,000 employee hours)
(33,546 hours)

C.E.D. Process Minerals, Inc.
Akron, Ohio
Small Category (Fewer than 100,000 employee hours)
(26,290 hours)

George W. Bryant Core Sands, Inc.
McConnellsville, New York
Small Category (Fewer than 100,000 employee hours)
(14,068 hours)

IMA-NA and MSHA also jointly recognized 6 individual IMA-NA-member U.S. mining operations for working 200,000 continuous employee hours without a single reportable employee injury.  This year’s honorees include:

First-Time Honorees

M-I SWACO
Greybull Mining Operation
Greybull, Wyoming
(216,080 hours)

Rio Tinto Minerals
Three Forks Mill
Three Forks, Montana
(264,675 hours)

U.S. Silica Company
Mapleton Depot Plant
Mapleton, Pennsylvania
(264,628 hours)

Repeat Honorees

Imerys Clays, Inc. (A Division of Imerys) (2005)
Pigments for Paper North America
Sandersville Calcine Plant
Sandersville, Georgia
(334,277 hours)

Rio Tinto Minerals (2005 & 2006)
Boron Operations
Boron, California
(434,621 hours)

Unimin Corporation (2003 & 2005)
Schoolhouse Quartz Plant
Spruce Pine, North Carolina
(264,761 hours)

Compiled by Tina Grady Barbaccia, Aggregates Manager Senior Editor.
To contact Tina about the newsletter content, send e-mail to e-news@aggman.com or call (630) 364-2306.

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