Palfinger releases quarterly report

The Palfinger Group continued to pursue its growth strategy in the first quarter 2008 and once again reported a record quarter both in terms of revenues and earnings. Sales revenue rose by 28.7 percent, from $252.41 million in the first quarter 2007 to $324.69 million.

“Our record revenues and earnings underscore Palfinger’s strong market position as reflected by our crane business in Europe and the high capacity utilization in production. Currently the economic environment is very mixed, which is to say that some of our markets are declining while other markets, especially Eastern Europe, South America, and Asia, show great potential,” said CEO Wolfgang Anzengruber. “All in all we are still satisfied with the demand situation even though the economic climate is no longer as overheated as in previous quarters.”

Delivery times were reduced in the first quarter 2008 and now correspond to those of large trucks on which the Palfinger products are mounted. This was made possible both by the capacity expansion in the course of the ongoing investment program and the market developments.

At the beginning of the year Palfinger adjusted most of its sales prices to material prices, which continued to rise. Given the high number of orders on hand, this increase in prices will, however, have a delayed impact on results. In the period under review results were also influenced by the transfer of all tail lift activities to MBB. By the middle of the year 2008 the PALGATE product division will be fully merged into MBB and the capacities released will be used for expansion in the field of crane assembly.

Sunbelt Rentals launches new website 

Sunbelt Rentals launched a new website recently.

“Sunbelt has once again raised the bar,” said John Stadick, vice president of information technology.  “We believe the functionality of our new web site is unlike any other in our industry.  We now offer the most comprehensive suite of online tools that will allow our customers to easily manage their account throughout the complete rental lifecycle.”

The website’s (www.sunbeltrentals.com) new features include a dynamic equipment search, the ability to make equipment reservations, request equipment pick-up or a service call, and manage and maintain job sites.  Customers may also review and reprint open invoices, pay invoices online, save, schedule and print custom reports, and manage all their equipment on rent.  In addition to leading functionality, the web site also features a modern design and simplified navigation.

“We are excited to offer our customers a new tool that ultimately helps them manage their rental activity,” said Brendan Horgan, chief operating officer.  “With our web site, customers can view detailed information on job sites and equipment.  They can even see the weather.”

Economist cites nonresidential leap but warns of higher costs, spending shortfalls

Nonresidential construction spending rose an impressive 1.3 percent in March and 12 percent compared to March 2007," Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said recently. Simonson was commenting on the March construction spending figures released by the Census Bureau on May 1. "The housing slump buried this news by dragging total spending down by 1.1 percent for the month and 3.4 percent for the year. Yet nearly every category of nonresidential spending continued to exceed year-ago levels."

"In addition, estimates for nonresidential spending in January and February were each revised up, suggesting that gross domestic product (GDP) may have grown a little more in the first quarter than the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said yesterday," Simonson added. BEA reported that real (net of inflation) GDP grew 0.6 percent, the same as in the fourth quarter of 2007.

"Both private and public nonresidential construction are still growing, although public spending is losing speed," Simonson said. "Private nonresidential spending was up 15 percent from March 2007, whereas public spending grew 7.2 percent.

"I expect a further slowdown in public spending as revenues flatten out or even shrink for highways, schools and other public projects," Simonson predicted. "On the private side, I expect ongoing vigor in spending on power, energy, communications, hospital, higher education and military base realignment-related projects to offset a likely retreat by office and retail construction.

"The biggest challenge for all nonresidential construction is runaway materials costs," Simonson warned. "Yesterday, a steel supplier told customers the price of rebar was rising another $100 overnight, compounding increases of 40 to 70 percent earlier this year. The retail price of diesel fuel is now almost 50 percent higher than a year ago. Copper is close to its all-time high set in May 2006, and near-record prices for oil and natural gas may push up asphalt and plastics prices.

"It is essential that public budget-setting and contracting agencies recognize that construction costs have been rising at more than double the rate of consumer prices and seem sure to keep doing so," Simonson concluded.

"With regard to highway construction, Congress must act immediately to prevent a huge drop in spending that will begin five months from today unless the Highway Trust Fund is replenished by the start of fiscal 2009."

Haulotte Group going green

In the context of a real awareness of environmental issues and the tightening of the legislation, Haulotte Group is taking steps to control and reduce its environmental impact and is integrating its environmental approach into its global management system.

Respect of the environment
Launched in 1999, the emissions regulation plan applying to both on and off-road vehicles marked a critical new phase on Jan. 1, 2008. Since that date, new engines manufactured in Europe must comply with the Tier 3/Stage III: by 2011, emissions will have to be reduced by 90 percent.

For motor vehicles manufacturers and for the Haulotte Group, this legislation constitutes an opportunity to improve the performance and reliability of engines.

The Engineering Department and Prototypes Department are also very active in the improvement process. The stricter the standards become, the more significant the changes to machines, especially those equipped with engines above 37 kW. By 2014, the Tier 4 / Stage IV will impose for both on and off-road vehicles, a reduction of 95 percent of exhaust emissions bringing that ratio down almost to zero.

In order to prepare for this next stage, the Haulotte teams and their partners are already working on the development of devices and processes adapted to more environmentally friendly machines: particle filters, advanced cooling systems, electronic fuel injection, better quality and ultra-low sulphur fuel.

Taking an environmental approach daily
Haulotte extends its environmental approach beyond its products to its manufacturing sites. In the group's five European manufacturing plants, measures have been taken which illustrate a commitment to the environment. In the design of buildings, a better insulation is used in the roofs and there is an increase in the number of translucent surfaces increasing natural light and decreasing the electricity and energy consumption.

Internal processing waste is pushed to the maximum: recycling waste, hydrocarbons separators, sewage treatment facilities. Finally, the company pays special attention to the products present in its plants, and to the way they are used: for several years, lead-containing paint has not been used, and dry extract paintings are favored allowing a significant decrease of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and on several sites powder paints are used which have zero VOC emissions.

Hydraulic oil is distributed using pipelines in order to reduce storage areas and the number of stored barrels. And to reaffirm its commitment to control the impact of its activities on the environment, the Haulotte is working towards obtaining the ISO 14001 certification. This standard is attributed to companies actively integrating the environmental approach into their global management system.

A new way of thinking about the company's business to protect the planet.

25-year-old wire rope still going strong

Engineers at Yale Rope Technologies recently retrieved a 2-inch-diameter piece of Yale Uniline that had spent at least 25 years in the field.  Tests by an independent lab proved that the line had retained 100 percent of its original 164,000-pound breaking strength after more than a quarter century of service life.

"We have long known that Uniline is tough as nails, as well as being an efficient way to use fiber," said Dick Hildebrand, VP sales for Yale Cordage. "Now we have the proof. Although its load history is sketchy, this 25-year-old piece of line still looks pretty good, with some fading and scuffing. We re-spliced the line and sent it to a lab for testing, and were delighted when the results came back indicating the line had retained all of its original load rating."

Yale acquired Uniline when it purchased formerly New Jersey-based Wall Rope in 2007, and established Yale Rope Technologies, a division of Yale Cordage.

JLG promotes Alton to VP and GM for Caterpillar Alliance Group

JLG Industries, Inc., an Oshkosh Corp. company and a manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telescopic material handlers, announced the promotion of Rick Alton to the position of vice president and general manager for JLG’s Caterpillar Alliance Group (CAG). Craig Paylor, president of JLG, made the announcement.

“During his tenure with JLG, (Alton) has consistently demonstrated strong business acumen and strategic thinking,” Paylor said. “(Alton) has worked with our partners at Caterpillar since the inception of our alliance to build CAT-branded telehandlers in 2006. He has an exceptional commitment to quality and understands the importance of continuing to support Caterpillar and its dealers worldwide.”

Alton will be responsible for the continued growth and expansion of the Caterpillar Alliance Group and will continue to build on the successful global alliance with Caterpillar. Alton will continue to develop the global high performance team and implement the business strategies related to the CAG.

Alton began his career with JLG in 1996 as a product specialist. Since then, he has held a variety of positions including account manager, regional sales manager, and global sales and product support vice president for the CAG.

Hertz acquires All Reach

Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. announced that Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. (HERC) acquired All Reach, LLC. Headquartered in Connecticut, the company serves clients throughout Connecticut; Westchester County, NY; Rhode Island and Western Massachusetts.
“Hertz has been actively seeking new growth opportunities for its equipment rental business,” said Hertz chairman and CEO, Mark P. Frissora. “With the All Reach Acquisition, we are able to further strengthen HERC's presence in the Northeast while enhancing its product offering to customers throughout the region.”

Founded in 1999, All Reach specializes in renting aerial equipment and forklifts to customers on a regional basis and is recognized for providing top customer service in the lift equipment rental market. The acquired business had revenues of approximately $7 million in the year ended Dec. 31, 2007. The acquisition was made for an undisclosed sum and will be integrated into HERC's operations.

“Expanding HERC's aerial business is in line with our overall strategy to continue growth and diversification of our business,” said Gerry Plescia, president, Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. “The All Reach acquisition will reinforce HERC's position in the aerial equipment rental business and will help the Company service customers throughout the Northeast Corridor.”

Skyjack purchases Volvo’s material handling business

Skyjack Inc., a Linamar Co., has finalized its purchase agreement and acquired Volvo’s Material handling equipment business based in Shippensburg, PA.

Early in March, Linamar announced it had an interest in acquiring Volvo’s material handling equipment business by entering into discussions relating to the purchase of selected assets of Volvo’s Material Handling Equipment (MHE) Business purchase agreement.

Skyjack’s interest in the Volvo Material Handling Equipment business complements the acquisition of Carelift Equipment completed in August of 2007. This acquisition would further expand Skyjack’s telehandler product offering, add a rough terrain straight mast forklift product and provide additional manufacturing capacity to further the company’s growth potential.

“We are very pleased to see the acquisition come to completion,” said Ken McDougall, president, Skyjack, Inc. “Over the next several months Skyjack will continue to work closely with the existing dealer networks with a commitment from Volvo to assist us during the transition period.

“We will be moving the assets from their current location in Shippensburg to a yet to be determined site in rapid fashion, in order to bring production online in as timely a manner as possible.

Construction costs soar due to rising fuel prices

“Red-hot steel prices, combined with record diesel fuel costs, are making construction unaffordable,” Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said recently. Simonson was commenting on the producer price indexes (PPIs) for March reported today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

“The PPI for inputs to construction industries—materials used in all types of construction plus items consumed by contractors, such as diesel fuel—soared 2.1 percent in March alone,” Simonson said. “That jump was propelled by a staggering 24-percent increase in diesel fuel costs and a 5.5-percent rise in prices for steel mill products.

“Unfortunately, there is worse to come,” Simonson said. “Steel suppliers have been burning up the fax wires announcing huge price increases and canceling previous quotes. And the Energy Information Administration reported last night that the average price of highway diesel crossed the $4 per gallon mark in all regions for the first time, with a 10-cent increase in the national average just in the past week, to $4.05 per gallon. These figures won't show up in the producer price index until next month, but contractors are paying them now.

“Public agencies as well as private owners need to adjust to these realities,” Simonson noted. “Too many of them are still assuming construction costs are rising no faster than the consumer price index (CPI), when in fact the PPI for construction inputs has gone up 6.5 percent in the past 12 months and 34 percent since steel prices first surged in December 2003. That is more than double the run-up in the CPI.

“Diesel prices are now more than 60 cents a gallon higher than the $3.44 average price for gasoline,” Simonson said. “This puts a triple burden on contractors, who use diesel to power off-road equipment and construction trucks and also pay a fuel surcharge on the thousands of deliveries and backhauls at a large job site.

“As the highway paving season gets under way, asphalt prices also are poised to take off,” Simonson concluded. “Asphalt at the refinery cost 13 percent more in March than a year ago. But many states and the federal government are running low on highway funds because motorists and truckers have been driving less. It is imperative that Congress pass additional funding in the next few months to keep highway construction funds flowing and not choke off funds with an ill-advised moratorium.”

Genie announces global expansion plan

As part of a plan to expand globally, Genie Industries, a manufacturer of aerial work platforms and part of Terex Corp.’s aerial work platforms (AWP) segment, has selected a new manufacturing site in China. This announcement follows recent news that Terex AWP has begun manufacturing Genie branded scissor lifts in Coventry, England, along with aerial booms and telehandlers in Perugia, Italy.

“In 2007, a large percentage of our sales came from outside of North America,” said Tim Ford, president, Terex AWP. “Our markets around the world are growing and we want to provide them with world class products, designed and produced locally, to their local specifications. Manufacturing globally will shorten lead times for all customers, as the addition of this new plant will also free up some of our current capacity to support customers in other regions of the world more effectively.”

Genie chose a business park in Changzhou, China, a few hours northwest of Shanghai to build its production facility, and will break ground in the second quarter of this year. Initial production will focus on preparing a line of personnel lifts, but over time a full range of aerial work platform products is expected to be produced from the facility. In addition to Genie products, the park in Changzhou was chosen for its ability to be enlarged as part of a future Terex Corp. manufacturing campus.

Konecranes introduces crane reliability survey

Konecranes, Inc., a manufacturer of overhead lifting equipment, offers an in-depth and customized study and comprehensive report for process cranes of all makes and models. The Crane Reliability Survey (CRS) is conducted by a team of trained and experienced specialists using the most advanced technology. The results provide customers with the insights needed to achieve the highest lifecycle value for key lifting equipment.

During a CRS, the Konecranes team studies equipment documentation, interviews crane users, and uses advanced diagnostic tools to penetrate deep into equipment. The CRS can uncover problems that are undetectable by standard regulatory inspections and will give customers peace of mind. If problems are detected, the customer can address them in advance to prevent injuries from occurring. Employees will appreciate the investment in their safety.

The CRS can also help to improve crane performance and reliability by providing a guide for repairs, upgrades, and modernizations. Knowing what repairs, if any, are needed allows customers to plan ahead and create long-term maintenance plans, which ensures maximum productivity and uptime over the lifecycle of key equipment. Preventive maintenance measures can help extend the service life of equipment and decrease the total cost of ownership.

Wolffkran announces partnership, new electric tower crane

European crane manufacturer Wolffkran announced a strategic partnership with Caelli Group recently. In the course of the partnership, Caelli acquired three models of the Wolff 355 B electric luffing crane.

NCCCO test dates and locations set

CCO examinations are offered on demand at sites nationwide. Following is a list of the “open” written test sites. If you represent an employer or an organization, you can find out how to establish your site as an official NCCCO test site by downloading the test site coordinator handbooks for the written exam and the practical exam on the NCCCO website.

04/20/2008
Location: Disputanta, VA
Coordinator: D.S. Kemp
Phone: 757-461-4505
Email Address: dkemp@iuoe147.org

04/23/2008
Location: Glendale, CA
Coordinator: Pat Strohmeyer
Phone: 209-946-2616
Email Address: pat@reevestrucking.com

04/24/2008
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Coordinator: Howard Kaplan
Phone: 602-278-6281
Email Address: hkaplan@swirusa1.com

04/25/2008
Location: Hightstown, NJ
Coordinator: Sahara Creager
Phone: 610-321-2679
Email Address: screager@totalequipmenttraining.com

04/25/2008
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Coordinator: Sue Hughes
Phone: 909-468-3602
Email Address: shosts@ostsinc.com

JLG announces appointments, promotions

JLG Industries, Inc., an Oshkosh Corp. company and a manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telescopic material handlers, appointed Frank Cholewicki to the position of vice president – Americas finance. In his new role, Cholewicki is responsible for finance practices and fiscal reporting for the Americas. He also has global financial responsibility for the Caterpillar Alliance Group and government business. Jeffrey Bird, senior vice president of finance for JLG made the announcement.

“Frank brings a broad range of finance experience to JLG, and has experience with North, Central and South America. We’re pleased to add Frank to the JLG management team, and trust he will be a valuable contributor as we continue to grow as an organization,” said Jeffrey Bird.

Cholewicki earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina.

JLG also announced several key promotions to enhance its global leadership. Craig Paylor, president of JLG announced that Tim Morris, Wayne Lawson and Andrew Satterley will each expand their responsibilities with JLG.

“Each of these individuals has exhibited superior leadership qualities, strong business acumen and is strongly focused on enhancing JLG’s value for our customers, regardless of where they are in the world. They are key members of our global, high-performance management team and have been instrumental in JLG’s growth into a global company,” Paylor said.

Morris has been promoted to the position of vice president, market development and sales for the Americas. In this new position, Morris’ role is expanded to include all of North and South America. His responsibilities include the development and implementation of JLG’s strategic business plan for the Americas and further development of the integrated Americas team. Morris has been with JLG for 15 years, during which time he has held leadership positions with increasing responsibility. He began his career with JLG in customer sales, and has held positions in government sales, district sales and service management. Most recently Morris was vice president, market development, sales and service for North America.

As announced in October 2007, Lawson, vice president, sales and customer support for EAME, has assumed overall responsibility for the development and implementation of JLG’s market development and sales strategies in the Europe, Africa and Middle Eastern markets. In addition to his responsibilities of providing leadership and direction for JLG’s European sales and service operations, Lawson will also assume responsibility for the European aftermarket parts sales business segment. Since joining JLG in 2001, Lawson has been instrumental in the continued growth and development of JLG’s European business. As the vice president of sales and customer support, his role has expanded from the European region to include all of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Lawson has 25 years of experience in the aerial work platform industry.

Satterley has been promoted to managing director for Australia and New Zealand. Satterley will continue to lead the market development, sales and service business in Australia and New Zealand. His additional responsibilities include the continual assessment of markets, and the development and implementation of strategic business plans. Satterley joined JLG in April 2007 and has 24 years of experience in the lift industry. He has held positions as general manager for sales and marketing and general manager for rentals for the Asia-Pacific region.

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