MacAllister Rentals, Indianapolis, Ind., has added a third JLG 1850SJ Ultra Boom to its fleet.

The company already has two of the 185-ft. lifts working in the field, and is expects the third unit to be delivered shortly. MacAllister company already has enough demand to keep the third 1850SJ busy. 

Jay Swearingen, rental services division manager for MacAllister Rentals, says the newest 1850SJ will help give MacAllister added flexibility to provide customers with the right equipment for specific projects.

The JLG 1850SJ Ultra Boom is the world's largest self-propelled aerial work platform.

Point-of-Rental Systems, Inc., a software company that provides rental-management software to thousands of locations around the world, has released its new cloud-based product, CLOUD by Point-of-Rental.

While the Grand Prairie, Texas, company’s award-winning Enterprise Software uses on-premise Windows servers, CLOUD requires only a web browser to access its suite of features.

Available by monthly subscription and accessible from any internet-capable device, the new software claims the same flexibility and ease of use that Point-of-Rental software systems have touted for over 30 years. 

It offers both standard and optional features, including credit card processing, inventory management, accounting, the ability to rent products from one location and return them to another, and an online reservation system that lets customers reserve items and pay online.

Quickbooks compatible exports make integrating CLOUD with existing accounting software a breeze.

Capable of handling single or multiple stores, CLOUD is designed primarily for niche rentals such as audio-visual or adventure sports. However, even businesses outside of the rental industry are turning to CLOUD for inventory-tracking needs.

“The business industry is teeming with niche rentals that don’t need the breadth of functionality available in our Enterprise Software,” Point-of-Rental’s CEO Wayne Harris said. “Previously, we were unable to reach into those markets because the pricing model of Enterprise made it cost prohibitive. Now, CLOUD by Point-of-Rental gives them everything they need, and nothing they don’t, at a subscription price they can afford.”

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has finalized the list of speakers for its North American convention, scheduled for October 2-3 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A key industry event for the aerial and mast-climber industry, the convention is open both to
IPAF members and non-members.

This is IPAF’s first event in Canada and aims to introduce IPAF's work and mission: promoting the safe and effective use of powered access equipment.

Speakers for this year's convention include:

Cordelia Clarke Julien, director of training and safety programs for the Prevention Office of the Ontario Ministry of Labor, will discuss what all responsible parties – employers, supervisors and workers – can do to make the workplace safer and prevent illness and injury.

Brad Boehler, president of Skyjack, will examine the impact of proposed changes to the design standard for aerial work platforms (AWPs). He will explore ANSI A92.20 and its potential impact on requirements for load sensing, increased stability, increased wind rating, and control-box changes.

Other speakers in the lineup include Kevin O’Shea of Hydro Mobile, who will present about buying used mast climbing work platform (MCWP) equipment, and Bill Doucette, vice president , human resources, for NES Rentals, who will provide an overview of how rules are a key aspect of building the foundation for a safety culture.

The conference educational agenda also includes breakout sessions about AWPs and MCWPs, and a panel discussion about whether additional training should be required for people using complex machines.

The convention is sponsored by Skyjack (diamond sponsor), ReachMaster (memory stick sponsor), Genie (gold sponsor), NES Rentals (gold sponsor) and Hydro Mobile (silver sponsor).

It will take place at the Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel. A tour of the Skyjack facility will be held on the afternoon of October 1, followed by a networking event in the evening.

Skyjack will also offer various IPAF training courses in the week of September 29 to October 3 in the Toronto area: an instructor course from September 29 to October 1 at the Skyjack facility in Guelph, an AWP operator course on October 2, and an AWPs for Managers course on October 3 at the Crowne Plaza hotel. Contact Tony Groat at tony.groat@ipaf.org for training details and registration.

For more information about the IPAF North American convention, or to register, visit www.ipaf.org.

BlueLine Rental, a provider of small to medium-sized construction rental equipment, has bought JustRuss Rental Inc., a full-service equipment-rental company with three locations in Alabama. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“JustRuss is a great strategic fit for BlueLine and will expand our reach into an important part of the country,” said BlueLine Rental CEO Phil Hobson.  “JustRuss has a well-earned reputation for quality service, and we look forward to continuing to deliver on the high standards the company’s customers have come to expect.” 

BlueLine Rental, previously Volvo Rents, was acquired in January 2014 by Platinum Equity.  The BlueLine Rental brand identity was launched in February following the transition to new ownership.

BlueLine Rental serves a diverse customer base across multiple industries, including construction, oil and gas, industrial manufacturing, infrastructure, power, and metals and minerals.

In addition to a full range of backhoe loaders, compact wheel loaders, compact excavators, and compaction equipment, BlueLine rental centers carry a comprehensive line of essential equipment and tools for the construction, commercial, industrial and homeowner markets. The company focuses on daily, weekly and monthly rentals.

For more information about BlueLine Rental, visit www.bluelinerental.com or call 888-899-8658.

Linamar Corporation’s (TSX: LNR) Skyjack Division, Guelph, Ontario, has appointed four new regional vice presidents to help oversee its newly expanded North American sales network.

The move helps Skyjack meet growing demand for its products in the region. T

The company's previous three-region sales organization
will be replaced by four regions and the dedicated national account structure will be strengthened.

The regional vice presidents – Pat Quint, Matt Lyons, David Lillquist and vice president of national accounts Mark A. Estock – will be responsible for aligning regional sales activity with Skyjack’s strategic plan and implementing programs to further increase sales in their territories.

Quint, Lyons, and Lillquist were appointed vice president for the Eastern Sales Region, Central Sales Region, and Western Sales Region, respectively. In their new roles, they will lead a team of territory managers to provide national and independent rental houses with sales and marketing support.

Estock was appointed vice president of National Accounts and will be responsible for developing sales programs and new channels of sales and distribution as well as providing insight into Skyjack’s product development and planning programs.

Quint has nearly two decades of experience in sales management and will serve as the regional vice president of the Eastern Sales Region, which covers 14 U.S. states. Before his promotion, Quint was Skyjack’s Mid Atlantic Territory manager.

Lyons, a two-decade veteran sales professional, will serve as the regional vice president of the Central Sales Region, which covers 12 states in the Midwest. Lyons had been Skyjack’s Upper Midwest Territory Manager.

David Lillquist brings more than 27-years of sales management experience to his new role as the regional vice president of the Western Region, which includes 13 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces. Before joining Skyjack, Lillquist was the regional sales manager for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in Minneapolis, Minn.

Mark Estock, a sales and marketing practitioner with almost 20 years of experience, will serve as vice president of National Accounts for North America. Estock was previously at Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, a Greenville, N.C., based lift truck company. At Hyster-Yale, he spent 19 years in a variety of roles from director of Global and National Accounts to application design engineer. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.

Oshkosh Corp., parent company of aerial lift and telehandler manufacturer JLG, has created a sustainability website that highlights stories and videos on the corporation, its products, its employees, and its charitable efforts. The new site is sustainability.oshkoshcorp.com.

Oshkosh Corp. has also released its inaugural corporate sustainability report. The annual report highlights the company’s sustainability efforts around the globe, from reducing waste going to landfills and promoting the introduction of product safety enhancements, to improving safety and ergonomics in Oshkosh facilities and helping charitable organizations reach their goals.

“Oshkosh Corporation takes its sustainability responsibilities very seriously. We work every day to minimize our impact on the environment, keep our customers and employees safe and healthy, and give back to the communities in which we work and live,” said Charles L. Szews, Oshkosh Corp. chief executive officer. “We are excited to showcase many of the good things we’re doing around the company and around the world.”

The sustainability report is available at www.oshkoshcorp.com and on the company's sustainability website.

Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSA) is one step closer to its long-term environmental goal of developing a new, domestic, commercially-viable source of natural rubber.

BSA, a subsidiary of the world's largest tire and rubber manufacturer, Bridgestone Corporation, has opened its Biorubber Process Research Center in Mesa, Arizona.

The 10-acre research and innovation campus is the center of Bridgestone's effort to extract natural rubber from guayule, a shrub native to the southwestern United States.

At a ribbon cutting celebration, Bridgestone said it expects to have preliminary guayule rubber samples produced at the Biorubber Process Research Center within the next month. Guayule rubber has qualities almost identical to those of natural rubber harvested from hevea rubber trees, making it a potentially valuable source for tire-grade rubber in commercial applications. Currently, more than 90% of the world's natural rubber supply comes from hevea rubber trees grown in Southeast Asia.

"The opening of the Bridgestone Biorubber Process Research Center is a significant milestone in Bridgestone's journey to develop a new and domestic source of natural rubber," said Bill Niaura, director of new business development, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. "Through this innovation project and others like it, Bridgestone is positioning itself to meet the constant, anticipated growth in demand for natural rubber, while also moving closer to achieving its long-term vision of manufacturing products from raw materials that are fully renewable and sustainable by 2050."

Home to more than 30 researchers and technicians, the Biorubber Process Research Center site includes an 8,300-sq.-ft. single-story office and laboratory building; a four-platform, 3,500-sq.-ft. shrub prep building; a 5,500-sq.-ft., two-level process building for rubber extraction, co-product and solvent recycling; and a 3,100-sq.-ft. mechanical and electrical building.

The center was designed by architect Louis Perry and Associates, Wadsworth, Ohio, and was built with advanced materials from Bridgestone subsidiary, Firestone Building Products, which contribute to energy efficiency.

Bridgestone will supply the Biorubber Process Research Center with biomass for rubber production from guayule grown on its 281-acre Agro Operations Research Farm in nearby Eloy, Ariz. The Agro Operations site includes two greenhouses, an equipment storage building and a main research and laboratory building.

Bridgestone employs a team of scientists at the farm who research the genetic improvement of guayule, optimizing agronomic practices for growing the crop and supplying biomass for the Biorubber Process Research Center.

Guayule rubber produced at the Biorubber Process Research Center will be sent to Bridgestone's technical centers in both Akron, Ohio, and Tokyo, Japan. At those facilities, engineers will work to optimize rubber performance within Bridgestone's product line and explore the full potential for next-generation tires.

The Crane Institute of America has installed a new Vortex crane simulator at its training facility in Sanford, Fla., and has donated its previous simulator to Alabama's division of workforce development (AIDT).

The new Vortex simulator was manufactured by CM Labs Simulations. Crane Institute uses it as a mid-point learning tool for students who have completed classroom instruction but have not yet progressed to working with a crane.

“Crane simulators provide an excellent training tool without the fear of an accident,” said Crane Institute president and CEO James Headley. “The graphics on this particular Vortex simulator are fantastic. The realism of the scenarios and visuals is second only to the real thing.”

Unlike gaming-style simulators, the Vortex simulates multi-body dynamics and has been validated against empirical and engineering data in order to provide accurate qualification of an operator’s skills.

Crane Institute has a long history of pairing assessment with training to qualify students, even before government entities began calling for third-party certification.

The Vortex simulator can measure performance skills such as pendulum control, collision avoidance, overloads, and operating near power lines.

CM Labs is creating exercises that can be used to help prepare CIC certification candidates for the practical exam.

A single versatile Vortex simulator can emulate lattice-boom, telescopic-boom, tower, and overhead cranes. “Controls are easily swapped out, enabling us to switch from one crane type to another. This fits nicely with the courses Crane Institute offers for operators of mobile, tower, and overhead cranes,” said Headley.

Replaced simulator helping workforce development

Crane Institute has donated its old simulator to AIDT, the workforce development division of the Alabama Department of Commerce. AIDT will use the simulator at its newest training center, the Alabama Workforce Training Center in Birmingham.

The training center came from a collaboration of the Birmingham Business Association, the Alabama Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, the Alabama Dept. of Education, and Alabama Community College System.

“AIDT offers first-class training. They are very conscientious and put on a good program for skills development,” said Crane Institute's  Headley. “The simulator will find a good home with AIDT.”

As Alabama’s workforce development agency, AIDT’s mission is to provide workforce training services for new and expanding industries. AIDT operates several industry-focused training centers around the state. The Birmingham center will focus on construction and manufacturing.

The simulator features a full-sized Manitowoc 2250 crane cab and is equipped with a fully functioning load-moment indicator. According to Headley, the simulator is unique in that it can switch between hand controls and foot brakes for stopping the load. Foot brakes are often used in applications like pile driving or dragline work.

“We’ve used simulators previously to teach other skills, such as robotics or welding,” said Rick Maroney, AIDT manager of robotics technology and safety. “This simulator will be used for introducing mobile crane operator skills and reinforcing mobile crane safety.” 

Maroney is one of two instructors certified through Crane Institute of America to teach mobile crane operators. Other AIDT instructors, also certified by Crane Institute, will teach overhead crane and forklift operator safety at the Birmingham Workforce Training Center. “We appreciate having Crane Institute as an industry partner,” said Maroney.

For Tim Matthews, it would seem that “good enough” is never good enough.

The maintenance group site supervisor for Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems is continually looking for more efficiency in turbine maintenance and repair.

While recently retrofitting 50 Upper Michigan towers with lightning-deterrent blade tips, Vestas crews used four new self-propelled Genie SX-180 boom lifts. Offering 180 ft. of vertical reach, the new telescopic boom lift is the largest unit Genie offers.

After a cold, wet spring had hindered production, the four SX-180 lifts played a key role in helping Matthews' crews get back on track and complete the project a bit ahead of schedule.
 

Huge presence
“As a company, we’re among the leading wind turbine manufacturers in North America in terms of installed capacity,” said Matthews. “Our company is based in Denmark, but here in the U.S. we have sales offices in Portland, Ore., and manufacturing facilities at several locations in Colorado. Part of an after-sale service we offer is a maintenance contract with the companies that purchase our turbines. That was the case with Exelon Corp. (Chicago, Ill.) which owns and operates the wind farm called Michigan Wind 2 in the part of the state we call ‘the thumb.’”

The Michigan Wind 2 contract called for Vestas to install lightning-deterrent copper tips on the blades of each of the 50 turbines operating at the 90-MW capacity site. Even at their lowest, the turbine tips are more than 155 ft. off the ground, so access to the work area is, at best, challenging. Though they’d done this type of work countless times in the past, when considering the pending work, Matthews felt it was time to look into a better means for accessing the blade tips.
 

Newer, bigger, better
Matthews’ motivation to seek an alternative was partially based on information he had been receiving from  Chad House, sales rep from the  Midland branch of Titan Equipment.  Ongoing discussions between the two had been centering on the new Genie SX-180 boom, which was just about ready to ship when the contract at Michigan Wind 2 was finalized.

“The timing couldn’t have been better for us,” says Matthews.  “We had already been looking into using a Genie Super Boom on a previous project, but things didn’t quite pan out.  The fact that these were coming available just as we were starting up was a good sign. Vestas is constantly looking for more efficient and cost-effective ways to do the job out here and these lifts, by nature of their much shorter setup time, looked to be a great solution for us.”

Matthews particularly liked the fact that the new booms offered 180 ft. of reach, about 25 ft. more than needed to do the retrofits.

“It’s nice to have that additional reach in reserve,” he says.  “It allows us room to maneuver the boom into the best possible position, rather than being constrained by a boom whose reach has been maxed out." Matthews added that the extra 25 ft. of reach gave Vestas additional opportunities, like looking further up each blade for lightning damage or leading-edge erosion.

Safety first
While the height may seem daunting to the untrained, Vestas’ procedure was fairly simple. First, workers used controllers in the tower to move the rotor until the target blade pointed downward. They  then set a service brake to lock it in place. Locking pins ensured that the blade and rotor stayed still.

“There is a pretty intense lock-out procedure in place anytime we are accessing these blades,” says Matthews. “Once we have it in position and secured, though, we simply boom up to the blade, remove the existing lightning receptor, and, using a combination of bolts and an adhesive, affix the new copper tip to the blade."

The biggest challenge thus far has been dealing with weather. Matthews said that although the adhesive that secures the new tips is extremely sensitive to temperature and humidity, his crew has managed to keep production up.

SX-180 features that proved particularly beneficial in the turbine project included the 8’ X 3’ work platform, which was ideal for two men and the retrofitting equipment, a chassis width that expands from 8’2” for shipping to 16’6” for working stability, and a 10-ft. jib that rotates 60° horizontally and 135° vertically.

“My crews report that having that kind of movement on the jib has been a real asset on this project,” said Matthews. “They’ve been able to access specific work areas much easier than in the past. As a result, production rates have been very favorable for us: depending on weather, we were generally completing three blades in two days.”

Respect for the dealer
Matthews says they’ve tapped alternative methods for turbine maintenance and repair in the past, but have found the Genie SX-180 booms to be ideal from both a performance and operational cost standpoint.

“We’ve used a couple different options, including one which involves a suspended  platform,” he said. “That works but, because of the rigging involved, can be a four- or five-man operation, versus only two or three with the lifts."

Matthews said he's also subcontracted to companies that provide truck-mounted aerial lifts. "While those are effective, they come with their own set of challenges such as scheduling and equipment optimization. When we contract to a company like that, we commit to a pre-set time frame and if, for some reason, there is downtime in the project, we are still paying for their time while the machines sit idle. And if they have other commitments after our contract is up, they are gone and production is halted until they are available again — and they are often solidly booked. It can be a headache.”

By comparison, working through Titan Equipment, Matthews and his 24-person crew rents the self-propelled boom lifts, gets fully trained on operation and safety, and begins work. As a result, Matthews reports seeing a reduction in overhead and standby costs.

According to Matthews, the relationship with Titan has been solid.

“Titan has been just outstanding before and throughout this project,” he said. Even though the Vestas crew has had to work some weekends to make up for weather delays, "Titan has always been there to accommodate our needs."

Vestas’ crews at Michigan Wind 2 kicked the retrofit project off in early May and, despite an abnormally cold spring and rising humidities throughout summer, completed all 50 towers by mid-July.

“There’s no doubt having the luxury of those lifts helped us in that regard. On larger projects like this, hands-down I’d say that’s the way to go.”

More than 40 people from around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, and the United States, recently took part in Terex Utilities’ 36^th annual Hands On Training seminar at the company’s facilities in Watertown, S.D.

Participants in the 3-day event gained valuable training on the proper operation and application of Terex digger derricks, aerial devices, and auger drills.

The event rotated attendees from customers and distributors through six outdoor training stations. At each station, participants operated the equipment and performed actual jobs under supervision from Terex trainers.

Whether an attendee’s job is behind a desk or working around energized power lines, each of this year’s participants learned the most effective ways to complete jobsite tasks while also gaining an understanding of best practices, work methods, and safety procedures.

In addition, the trainers demonstrated other operations and procedures not covered by the six stations, including pole removal techniques, lifting with a multi-part winch line, and proper equipment set-up.

The event also included education about work concepts, such as Terex's Work Zone Capacity standard for specifying digger derricks, and information about new products like Terex interchangeable-head augers.

Tentative dates for the 2015 Hands On Training and NCCCO training are August 17-19.

More information will be available in the future at www.terex.com/utilities/en/service-support/training/index.

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) has released its September 2014 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI).

Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future, as reported by key executives from the $827-billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 60.2, an increase from the August index of 58.9. 

When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Valerie Hayes Jester, president of Brandywine Capital Associates, Inc., said, “We are experiencing stronger demand than in the past several months, which bodes well for a strong fourth quarter.  There is still concern for yield erosion, but we look forward to concluding the year on a positive trend.”

September 2014 survey results:

The overall MCI-EFI is 60.2, an increase from the August index of 58.9.

When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 36.4% of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, up from 18.2% in August.  60.6% of respondents believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, down from 78.8% in August.  3% believe business conditions will worsen, unchanged from the previous month.

Some 30.3% of survey respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures (capex) will increase over the next four months, up from 21.2% in August.  66.7% believe demand will “remain the same” during the same four-month time period, down from 75.8% the previous month.  3% believe demand will decline, unchanged from August.

The survey shows that 15.2% of executives expect more access to capital to fund equipment acquisitions over the next four months, unchanged from August.  84.8% of survey respondents indicate they expect the “same” access to capital to fund business, and none expects “less” access to capital, both also unchanged from the previous month.

When asked, 30.3% of the executives reported they expect to hire more employees over the next four months, a decrease from 33.3% in August.  60.6% expect no change in headcount over the next four months, up from 57.6% last month.  9.1% expect fewer employees, unchanged from August.

The survey shows 6.1% of the leadership evaluates the current U.S. economy as “excellent,” unchanged from last month.  87.9% of the leadership evaluates the current U.S. economy as “fair,” and 6.1% rate it as “poor,” both also unchanged from August.

Of the survey respondents, 27.3% believe that U.S. economic conditions will get “better” over the next six months, a decrease from 30.3% who believed so in August.  66.7% of survey respondents indicate they believe the U.S. economy will “stay the same” over the next six months, unchanged from August.  6.1% believe economic conditions in the U.S. will worsen over the next six months, up from 3% who believed so last month.

In September, 15.2% of respondents indicate they believe their company will increase spending on business development activities during the next six months, a decrease from 21.2% in August.  84.8% believe there will be “no change” in business development spending, an increase from 78.8% last month.  None believe there will be a decrease in spending, unchanged from last month.

September 2014 executive comments

Captive, Small Ticket

“Equipment replacement and cloud financing should drive demand.  The regulatory environment will increase burdens on lending/leasing activities.” -- Anthony Pacchiano, Vice President and General Manager, ADP Commercial Leasing

Bank, small ticket

“While the consumer and commercial sectors are still suffering a hangover from the great recession, even after five years, the aversion to debt will slowly succumb to the need to upgrade and replace equipment.” -- Paul Menzel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Financial Pacific Leasing

Bank, Middle Ticket

“As we approach the fourth quarter I am hopeful an improving economy collides with our typical seasonal upswing in new business activity. If this occurs our industry will finish the year with very strong results and a positive outlook for 2015.”  -- Thomas Jaschik, President, BB&T Equipment Finance

Bank, Middle Ticket

“Businesses are beginning to invest in new equipment to increase capacity, not just to replace aging equipment.  For the past two years the majority of purchases were replacement, not expansion. The recovery continues to be slow.” -- Elaine Temple, President, BancorpSouth Equipment Finance

Why an MCI-EFI?

Confidence in the U.S. economy and the capital markets is a critical driver to the equipment finance industry. Throughout history, when confidence increases, consumers and businesses are more apt to acquire more consumer goods, equipment and durables, and invest at prevailing prices. When confidence decreases, spending and risk-taking tend to fall. Investors are said to be confident when the news about the future is good and stock prices are rising.

Who participates?

The respondents are comprised of a wide cross section of industry executives, including large-ticket, middle-market and small-ticket banks, independents and captive equipment finance companies. The MCI-EFI uses the same pool of 50 organization leaders to respond monthly to ensure the survey’s integrity. Since the same organizations provide the data from month to month, the results constitute a consistent barometer of the industry's confidence.

How is the MCI-EFI designed?

The survey consists of seven questions and an area for comments, asking the respondents’ opinions about the following:

1.            Current business conditions

2.            Expected product demand over the next four months

3.            Access to capital over the next four months

4.            Future employment conditions

5.            Evaluation of the current U.S. economy

6.            U.S. economic conditions over the next six months

7.            Business development spending expectations

8.            Open-ended question for comment

How may I access the MCI-EFI?

Survey results are posted on the Foundation website, http://www.leasefoundation.org/research/mci/, included in the Foundation Forecast newsletter and included in press releases.

The ALL Family of Companies has hired Hutton Strader for the newly created position of business development specialist.

The multifaceted position will focus on high-priority account management, which includes overseeing the company’s national accounts program.

He will also be responsible for technical sales support across North America, and will help product managers evaluate the fleet and assess new products. Strader will bridge sales and marketing functions, approaching both with a unique strategy that combines problem solving and problem avoidance.

Strader, who holds a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech), will be able to draw from his years of experience as an engineer to further improve the lift analysis capabilities within the ALL Family of Companies – continuing to emphasize safety, efficiency, and up-time.

Strader joins ALL Erection & Crane Rental Corp. from Liebherr Cranes Inc., where he was national accounts manager for more than five years. In that position Strader came to learn more about the ALL Family. “I took a comprehensive approach to national accounts and came to understand how the company operated, seeing the 37-branch ALL Family as one entity,” recalled Strader. “I work from the top down and from the bottom up; I know that everyone in the organization has something important to share.”

“Hutton was an essential part of our past successes with Liebherr, and we saw synergies in forging a closer partnership,” said Michael Liptak, president of ALL. “As an engineer, Hutton has an analytical way of looking at cranes, lift sites, and their interaction. But more so, he takes an engineering approach to business problems, bringing about solutions in a logical fashion.”

Point-of-Rental® Systems, Inc., a software maker that develops rental-management systems, has been named to Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 5000” list of America's fastest growing private companies.

“Our growth is a reflection of customer satisfaction,” said Point-of-Rental’s CEO Wayne Harris. “That’s what I am the most proud of.”

Headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas, Point-of-Rental Systems got its start in 1983 providing UNIX-based rental management software. After the development of a Windows-based product in 2001, the company began experiencing significant growth. In recent years, growth has increased exponentially as the company’s best-selling Enterprise software hit record numbers of system installations.

The winner of multiple awards for innovation in the rental industry, Point-of-Rental constantly adds new features to its software, which Harris says is key to staying at the forefront of technology.

The company's recently released web-based product, CLOUD by Point-of-Rental, requires only a web browser and can be used from any internet-capable device.

Harris also alluded to the newest product currently in development, which will provide software to large rental corporations that use Microsoft SQL Servers. “As a company, we are poised for even greater growth,” Harris said. “It’s an exciting place to be.”

Lifting Gear Hire (LGH), Bridgeview, Ill., has opened a new warehouse in Carlstadt, N.J.

LGH’s 18^th location, the new warehouse provides faster equipment rental turn-around for customers in New York and New Jersey.

Located at 350 Gotham Parkway, Carlstadt, N.J., is encloses more than 20,000 sq. ft. and  will have an expansive selection of equipment ready for rental.

Founded in 1990, Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) is the United States’ largest single organization devoted exclusively to providing lifting and moving equipment for rent and sale. Its range of products includes hoisting, pulling, jacking, rigging, material handling, and safety equipment.

Two recent Ritchie Bros. auctions in Texas and Quebec totaled more than $76 million in sales.

Thousands of registered bidders from 67 countries participated at the two unreserved public equipment auctions conducted by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in Montreal, Quebec and Fort Worth, Texas earlier this week.

Ritchie Bros. (www.rbauction.com), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, sold CA$40+ million (US$36+ million) of equipment in Montreal, attracting more than 5,000 bidders from 52 countries at its auction held September 24-25, 2014.

The company's two-day equipment auction held at the same time in Fort Worth, Texas, generated US$40+ million (CA$44+ million) in gross auction proceeds, and attracted close to 3,300 bidders from 56 countries. 

The auction in Montreal broke site records for largest number of sellers (750+) and largest number of items ever sold (nearly 4,200).

"The results of this week's auction are very encouraging in all industry sectors," said Jessy Cantin, regional sales manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "The focus for equipment buyers in Montreal during September is preparation for the winter, so we saw particularly strong results in snow removal gear and heavy construction equipment."

Auctioned equipment included wheel loaders, motor graders, crawler snow blowers, and utility tractors.

The Fort Worth auction featured more than 3,000 heavy equipment items, including a selection of oilfield, construction, and transportation equipment.

"This week's auction in Texas saw strong pricing across all categories, particularly for specialized transportation equipment," said Adam Kawulok, regional sales manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "Utility trucks were predominantly on high demand on day two of the auction along with bucket trucks and boom trucks."

The Ritchie Bros. auction calendar currently features more than 95 unreserved public auctions around the world, including the Company's next unreserved public auctions in Montreal, Quebec and in Fort Worth, Texas, both scheduled for December 3 - 4, 2014. Visit www.rbauction.com for a complete list of upcoming auctions.

Kenway Engineering Inc., Fairmont, Minn., has introduced a flameless HVAC unit for off-road construction equipment.

Kenway says its 9067 Series is a completely re-engineered and redesigned operating system that offers more power, greater reliability, and lower cost of operation than the industry has ever seen before from a flameless HVAC unit.

Designed for off-road construction equipment at jobsites that restrict or prohibit heaters running on propane or diesel fuel, the Kenway 9067 Series can be installed as a split-unit system or as a self-contained model about the size of a small window air-conditioner. As a self-contained unit, Kenway 9067 Series installation requires a rectangular opening in the cab wall, four hose connections and a single electrical hookup.

Flameless means hydraulic

Kenneth Detloff, co-owner of Kenway Engineering, said, “People in this industry have been looking for a better solution than what’s been available. More jobsites are requiring flameless solutions, and flameless means hydraulic. We have the solution. It’s available right now.”

Detloff said that in addition to its reliable performance, the Kenway HVAC unit also offers low cost of ownership. “Our system does not require tanks of propane or diesel fuel and there is no hydraulic oil reservoir or filter in our system to maintain, which eliminates those regularly scheduled service steps.”

Rey Carlson, Kenway’s chief engineer, said the Kenway heat system has carefully designed hydraulic circuits that protect the pump, valves, and seals from damage caused by oil breakdown and pressure and flow fluctuations. “The hydraulic power we use is only used to heat the cab, so our system has no thermal impact on the crane’s oil reservoir.” 

Since the Kenway 9067 Series does not rely on engine heat to run an antifreeze/coolant-based HVAC system, the unit works just as well with cooler-running EPA Tier 4 engines as it does with earlier engines.

Detloff said, “One customer told me his Tier 4 engines were only putting out about 100° F at the engine, and only 66° at the heater fitting. You’ll never heat a crane cab in northern Canada with those coolant temperatures. On the other hand, our hydraulic units can output 27,000 BTU per hour at idle. The hydraulic oil in our heat circuit can go as high as 205°. Canadian crane operators in the dead of winter actually turn our heater down.”

Adaptable, efficient, smart

The system is highly adaptable for a wide variety of heavy equipment. Kenway Engineering can design units to suit any OEM interior cab scheme, and the compact size of the hydraulic drive unit can fit just about anywhere.

Carlson designed the system and its key components. Addressing crane cabs specifically, Carlson said: “All other crane HVAC systems suffer from thermodynamic inefficiencies. The compressor might be hidden deep in the engine compartment, while the evaporator and heater core are in the cab. The distance requires multiple hoses and connections, and a hydraulic swivel to transfer the engine coolant and refrigerant from the chassis to the cab. The result is pressure and flow losses and temperature changes.”

In addition to thermodynamic inefficiencies, other HVAC systems present another complication. Carlson said, “These fluids are not compatible with the hydraulic swivels so they need to be specially designed to handle them.  Service and maintenance is harder and more expensive with these systems. Every additional connection and swivel seal represents a potential leak point and a service and repair item.”

The design of the new system eliminates these concerns, Carlson said. “Self-contained or split system, everything is right there.”

The Kenway 9067 Series system is a 6th generation design, Carlson said. “It is by far the smartest. We have installed it in ‘series’ with other machine functions – for instance, the swing function – so it has to share the machine’s hydraulic resources. The system also uses sensors, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and in-house developed programs.  But the machine operator hardly notices our system running at all.”

The unit can be configured to any customer’s unique requirements, Carlson said. “Since each application has its own challenges and requirements, a PLC may not be necessary. Or we can add automatic temperature control (ATC) and controller input/output diagnostics. We work with each customer to come up with the best solution to meet that customer’s specific needs and to keep the end user happy.”

Ideal as OEM

Kenway Engineering is a vertically integrated, high tech manufacturing facility. All parts and components are made on site, from hydraulic hoses to laser-cut frame and housing components. Detloff said, “Fabricating and assembling so much of our product in house allows us to be reactive to the customers’ changing needs and maintain an average on-time delivery record better than 95 percent. This helps to keep our customers’ assembly lines up and running.”

Kenway’s own engineering department will work with any manufacturer to create an OEM design perfectly matched to its branded interior cab scheme, from custom painting in Kenway’s state-of-the-art finishing center down to the selection of matching control panel switch orientation, style, labeling and icons.

Kenway Engineering custom designs and engineers OEM and aftermarket mobile air conditioning and heating systems for off-road construction, drilling, mining and agriculture heavy equipment. Operations at Kenway Engineering’s vertically integrated high-tech manufacturing facility are ISO9001 certified and lean oriented, ensuring rapid customer response and on-time delivery. For more information about how Kenway Engineering’s product development and manufacturing team can develop high-quality solutions that integrate seamlessly in your equipment and manufacturing processes, call (507) 238-9051 or visit the company website at http://kenwayengineering.com/ .

JCB has officially opened its newest North American parts distribution center in Aurora, IL. The Chicago-area facility will serve as JCB’s main parts distribution center in North America, joining the company’s three other parts warehouses in Savannah, GA; Fontana, CA, and Ontario, Canada.

“This new facility more than doubles our previous North American warehouse capacity, making it possible for us to stock more parts inventory in North America than ever before,” said Chris Giorgianni, vice president of parts and services for JCB North America. “Furthermore, by establishing our main parts distribution center in Chicago’s centralized location, we’ve been able to reduce transit times to our dealers. That means our North American customers will be able to more quickly get the parts they need to stay up and running.”

The Chicago facility will serve as the main parts distribution hub and provide the breadth and depth of inventory needed to service our customers.  This new facility will service a large portion of the Midwestern United States, the Northeast and South Central United States.  JCB’s North American Headquarters in Savannah and its parts distribution center in Fontana, CA will continue to provide primary parts support to the Southeastern, Western U.S. and Mexico respectively, with the Chicago warehouse providing backorder support as needed and the Ontario, Canada facility continuing to serve its Canadian dealers and customers.

“The opening of this new parts distribution center is a significant investment in servicing our North American customer base.” said Arjun Mirdha, president and CEO for JCB North America. “JCB has now expanded from one parts distribution center to four locations. With the opening of the Chicago facility, and the recent doubling of our Canadian facility, we’ve doubled our total parts warehouse capacity and continue to expand our reach throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This new main parts distribution center, and likewise, our recent investment in several new field-based service support personnel, will allow us to better support our growing dealer network, national account partners and customers throughout North America.”

Parker Hannifin, a global leader in motion and control technologies, has introduced its GlobalCore series: five hydraulic hoses and two fittings that significantly reduce engineering and service complexity by providing the first comprehensive product family across the most commonly used constant working pressure classes.

Designed to meet the most common working pressures in industry, GlobalCore is built and tested to the ISO 18752 specification. With GlobalCore hoses tested to twice the ISO 18752 standard, high performance in rugged environments and high-impulse applications is ensured.

“GlobalCore is a unified system that delivers hoses built on the ISO 18752 specification, which was developed on how hoses are specified and used by customers – by pressure range and not by construction,” said Doug Gilbert, marketing manager, Parker Hose Products Division. “GlobalCore expands our range of ISO 18752 hoses and provides options for the most critical sizes and pressure ranges: 3,000-psi to 6,000-psi in sizes four through 32.”

Parker’s GlobalCore hoses are manufactured in the major regions of the world – North America, Europe and Asia – thereby supporting the equipment they serve regardless of where it was originally manufactured, or where it is today.

“The GlobalCore system is simple. With only five hoses, OEM and MRO customers alike will enjoy selecting the right hose based on working pressure. Selecting the fitting is even simpler – the 43 Series or 77 Series, depending on the hose and working pressure selected,” Gilbert said.

Parker’s design enables its hose to be half the bend radius of conventional hose, which makes installation and routing much easier. GlobalCore is compatible with Parker’s Parkrimp family of crimpers and features no-skive, premium abrasion-resistant covers, providing users with less downtime and longer intervals between replacements.

NES Rentals announces its strategic fleet utilization reached an all-time high of 76% for the third quarter of 2014 along with a record weekly high of 77%. 

Andy Studdert, chairman and CEO, said: "This is a significant achievement for NES Rentals and reflects on the tremendous job our sales and operational employees are doing for our customers.  It is even more impressive when you consider our fleet is 7% larger than it was in the third quarter of 2013." 

Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company has set up shop in New York in an effort to provide financial support to the U.S. construction, transportation, and information technology sectors. The staff or 25 professionals will also assist U.S.-based customers of its parent companies, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Sumitomo Corporation.

SMFL is dedicated to providing high-value-added services while promoting growth and development in partnership with its customers. SMFL supports the global sales strategies of manufacturers and dealers. With offices in New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Dublin, and London, SMFL is uniquely positioned to support partners in the fastest growing markets in the world.

The new business is located on Park Avenue in New York City, and it has a branch office in San Mateo, Calif.