Volvo’s Reputation In Construction Machinery Segment Growing With New Products

Most people think of cars and trucks when they hear the name Volvo, but the company is also one of the larger and faster growing construction machinery suppliers in the world. Indeed, it can be compared to giant companies like Komatsu equipment, Caterpillar and Deere. Volvo’s construction equipment for sales.

That are expected to top $2 billion for the first time, versus sales of $1.9 billion and $1.2 billion. About 23 percent of those sales are generated in North America, while the largest portion of sales (about 60 percent of the total) comes from Europe.

Volvo has always had an excellent reputation in the construction machinery industry. The company is managed from its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, with production facilities in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden and the U.S. The North American operations consist of Volvo Construction Equipment North America, Inc., located in Asheville, N.C., and Euclid-Hitachi Heavy Equipment, Inc., in Guelph, Ontario, and Cleveland, Ohio. Volvo Construction Equipment is responsible for the marketing and product support of the company’s business in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Euclid-Hitachi oversees the development and manufacturing of rigid haulers produced in Canada.

Volvo was known as VME. VME was formed, through the combination of the construction equipment divisions of both Clark Equipment and AB Volvo. Clark announced its intention to sell its entire interest in VME, so Volvo management reached an agreement to purchase Clark’s 50 percent interest for $573 million as part of its strategy to concentrate on the automotive and transportation industries. The company, renamed Volvo Construction Equipment, was consolidated June 30, 1995, at which time it became a wholly owned subsidiary of AB Volvo.

Within the rigid hauler business, Volvo has a joint venture with Hitachi - Euclid-Hitachi - of which Volvo owns a 60 percent share. That venture was formed. The company also owns the German company, Zettelmeyer, which became a wholly owned subsidiary.Volvo acquired Groupe Pel-Job, a French manufacturer of mini-excavators for sale and a leading supplier of those machines in Europe.

Volvo is the world’s leading supplier of articulated haulers, and it is a major producer of rigid haulers and wheel loaders. The company also produces hydraulic excavators - a product area it is planning to revamp completely during 1997 - and mini-excavators produced by its Pel-Job subsidiary.44 percent of the articulated dump trucks manufactured in the world rolled out of Volvo factories. It’s nearest competitor, Caterpillar equipment, accounted for about 25 percent of the market.

The wheel loader product line has always been a mainstay for Volvo. Again, the company is a leader in this market, accounting for 10 percent of total industry production and sales annually. Caterpillar and Komatsu, the leaders in wheel loaders, together represent 40 percent of the world market, followed by Volvo in third position. In the North American market for wheel loaders, Volvo accounts for about 11 percent of the market.

Posted by admin on September 18th, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Finding Forklift Equipment Dealers Online

Forklift dealers can sometimes be hard to come by. Even if there is one in your area, how do you know you couldn’t find something better for a more reasonable price somewhere else? If forklift dealers are scarce in your area, you don’t have much of a choice do you? Don’t bet on it.

The Internet is a wonderful resource for finding just about anything you can think of. Well guess what? It’s a great resource for finding information about and dealers who sell  new or used forklifts too.

 

Did you know that Nissan, Toyota, and Mitsubishi make forklifts? It’s one of their specialties. Other companies like Hyster, Caterpillar, Yale, and Clark are also big names in the forklift industry, and have been around for nearly a century. Such companies are innovators in the field of material handling machinery.

Narrow aisle order pickers, fork trucks, rough terrain forklifts, shooting boom: These are just some of the different forklift types that I discovered while researching this assignment. Some are small, intended for use in stock rooms or other areas where space is an issue. Some are huge, and are capable of lifting cars out of ditches in emergency situations. You too can find out a great deal by using the Internet to research and find anything you need to know about forklifts and the equipment dealers who sell them.

Posted by admin on September 17th, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Used Heavy Construction Equipments For Sale:A Birds Eye View

Secondary sector (also known as manufacturing sector) of the economy is one of the three economic sectors, others being primary (mining, fishing) and tertiary (service industry) sectors. This sector (secondary) includes all the activities that help in creating a finished and final (usable) product. e.g. activities involving manufacturing and construction process. The prominent features include consumption of large quantum of energy and requirement of machinery to assist the conversion of raw materials into final product. This, in turn assists the growth of businesses and thereby growth of the economy.

Thus, it goes without saying that as the economy grows there is increase in development of infrastructure. Increase in construction work and thereby increase of construction equipments are the byproducts of the same. Air compressors, Dozers, Dumpers, Crawler Loaders, Forestry Equipments are a few types of equipments used for the same.

The use of crawler loader can not be undermined on most of the heavy construction sites today, performing a variety of work such as excavating, loading trucks, demolishing or backfilling. With the passage of time, its popularity has declined to a certain extent due to improvements in hydraulic excavators and also due to skills required to operate them.

The various players in the segment are Caterpillar Equipments, John Deere Equipments, Komatsu Equipments, Bobcat Equipments, Volvo Equipments, JCB Equipments to name a few.

Cost being one of the important factors, buying new or a used crawler loader is an important decision. If the equipment has been used with utmost care, than buying a used crawler can a company of a few thousand dollars. If on the other hand, the crawler is required only for a few projects renting the same could also be an option to be considered.

Internet could be an important source, to get information of used construction equipment for sale online. It is always important to go through fine print before finalizing the deal.

Is there any hidden cost associated with the same? Is deposit amount pre-requisite before a deal is finalized? If so, is the deposit amount refunded if the deal is cancelled?

Relationship with the dealer is another very important factor for used equipment. It should always be kept in mind that, sooner or later, maintenance cost would be regular feature. First hand information regarding the dealer’s service policy, for preventive maintenance and repairs is a must. Past records for handling breakdowns, providing spares until yours are fixed, bearing of transport cost in case of breakdown can not be undermined. Penalty clause, being an important feature for most of the construction work, a company can not afford to loose time due to breakdown in equipment / spares however minor they might be. Checklist for the inventory of parts from the dealer is must not to cause delay due to non availability of the same.It goes without saying that try before buy is an age old adage. A thorough test drive is a must, even if the seller seems trustworthy, and the brand is from renowned manufacturer.

Perform all the functions with the used equipment (dig, dump, lift, scrape) that the crawler is supposed to perform: a few minutes of ride around the parking space would not give proper judgment regarding the state of the equipment. esearch done beforehand would make one a smart equipment buyer and give less heartaches at a later date.

Posted by admin on September 16th, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Points to ponder before buying construction equipments

If you are in the construction business for a long time or a transporter who organizes transporting of goods it’s not possible that you can miss out on the name of john Deere.

John Deere is an established name in the manufacturing of heavy construction equipments. John Deere products are known for their distinctive green and yellow color scheme. The company’s slogan is “Nothing runs like a Deere” and has a picture of a deer as a logo, with a pun on “nothing runs like a deer.

The company is also a leading supplier of construction equipment, as well as equipment used in lawn, grounds and turf care, such as ride-on lawn mowers, string trimmers, chainsaws.

They manufacture engines used in heavy equipment and provide financial services and other related activities that support the core businesses.

These construction equipments are used sparingly by some contractors and it therefore does not serve the purpose of buying these new equipments.

The only options available are:

-To buy these equipments on lease as and when required for the project.
This option does seem practical as the machine may not be available for hire on the day which it is required in the project. You have to wait till the machinery is free from its prior commitments. This waste time and resources which would indirectly turn expensive as you are bound to pay the other recurring charge incurred in the term of your project.

-To buy used equipments available on sale.
This seems to be much more practical as buying used construction equipments on sale are cheaper compared to the new ones. Companies like John Deere also have used equipments for sale by dealers. Internet also features various equipments like used bull dozers equipment for sale with the contractors who wish to sell their machinery or dealers who deal in used equipments for sale.

These equipments are used before sale so it makes sense to check the quality of the product as they could be roughly used and not handled carefully thereby spoiling various parts. Buying such machinery could mean recurring expense on service and spares.

Get the machinery thoroughly checked by a mechanics to get the review about its working condition. This would incur a nominal charge but it is an investment in the long run.

If you visit these dealers on a regular basis, you can befriend them and they would also suggest their inputs as they are the ones who are actually looking in and out of the machine.

If you go through various opinion polls of construction equipment dealers and contractors handling these construction equipments, they unanimously speak that nothings beats the quality of Deere equipments.

Mark up these words and buy your new or used  Deere equipments for sale with a little bit of enquiry and be rest assured that your business shall flourish.

Posted by admin on September 15th, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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5 Ways to Make Money with a Used Bobcat

For more than 40 years, the Bobcat Company has been a well known name in heavy equipment for construction and farming purposes. When the term Bobcat is mentioned, it can either refer to a machine known as a skid loader or a compact excavator. These pieces of heavy equipment are actually versatile, with various attachments for different purposes, and added to the fact that they are compact, means they can be transported easily from site to site.

Operators of machinery like skidsteer loaders, or Bobcats, are required to be trained and certified by authorities on heavy equipment, such as the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS).

When it comes to purchasing equipment such as Bobcats, it pays to find great deals from sellers. These days, you can easily find resources that sell second hand Bobcats, which can be restored for use in farming, construction, or as part of a home business. For those who know how to maximize the Bobcat, purchasing a used one can be a worthwhile investment.

Once you have your very own used Bobcat, what are can you do with it? Of course, for those business minded folks, there are lots of ways you can earn from the equipment. Here are some five ways to make money with a used Bobcat.

1. Skid steer loaders and compact excavators are perfect for rent in construction sites, especially small building projects. If someone in your neighborhood is remodeling, a Bobcat can be a good piece to have on hand, especially for moving materials.

2. You can also advertise your private company’s services to clients who need one-day digging projects, such as for gardening, pool construction, and others.

3. Since the skid steer loader can be fitted with an asphalt planer, you can also rent out your used Bobcat for road development projects, or for quick road repair tasks in your area.

4. The skid steer loader may also be fitted with a fork, such that it operates like a fork lift. Perfect for warehouses, deliveries, and wholesale shops that have palletized items.

5. For more heavy duty construction projects, your Bobcat compact excavator can have the breaker attachment or the auger, for digging holes efficiently and quickly.

As you plan to make money with the used Bobcat you purchased, you can charge a rental fee along with the fee for the equipment operator.

Posted by admin on September 11th, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Machinery- a Perspective Market in China

The construction equipment industry has a major bearing on China’s manufacturing industry.China’s machinery industry accounted for 17.0% and 10.6% respectively of national sales and exports. Rapid economic development in China has led to a corresponding increase in industrial machinery. Almost all leading international players have formed joint ventures in China including John-Deere, Daewoo, Hitachi, Parker, Sanyo, ABB, Emerson, Siemens and Volvo.

Chinese machine builders are also enhancing their international participation through larger exports as well as a higher degree of internationalization.In the near future, China will be an important player in the global industrial machinery marketplace.

Representative Machinery

1. Agriculture Machinery
Today China’s agriculture is a new era of historical development. In a long period of time from now on, expanding operating scope, industrialized management, sustainable development, and scientific and technical innovation in agriculture shall be the four tendencies and driving forces. The development and adjustment of economic construction in agriculture requires higher level and larger scope of mechanization.

2. Construction Machinery
Construction machinery is the largest customer of hydraulic products, which makes up about more than 40% of the total market volume of hydraulic products. The percentage shall further increase in the future. China is in an extensive developing and constructing period, thus the demand of construction machinery in the coming several decades will up, and China will be the largest market in the world.

3. Machine Tools
Along with the progress of manufacturing technique, China’s demands for high precision, high-efficiency CNC machines, is getting more and more. Now, in China there are about 3 million machine tools in use, and it is expected that about 4 million units machine tools will be in use.

4. Plastic Machinery
The demand for plastic products will increase remarkably to cater for the development in the fields of agriculture, automobile, electronics, light, foodstuff, packaging and construction industries and the improved living standard of the people as well. At present, the total output value of plastic in China has come to the forefront of the world, but the annual plastic consumption per capita is only 14.5 kg, less than the 20 kg world average annual consumption per capita and far from the 50 kg to 100 kg annual consumption per capita in developed countries.

5. Harbor Terminal Facilities
In order to meet the demand of domestic construction and enlarged export and import trade, task for building coastal port and inland port is very heavy, a great number of ship loaders, car dumpers, stacking machines and container cargo handling equipment will be additionally provided or updated.

6. Environmental Protection Equipment
In order to keep the development of economy, society and environment well coordinated, and make the ecological damages and environmental pollution well controlled, environmental quality and comprehensive utilization of resources are raised further, state will add the investment for ecological preservation and environmental protection. China is putting emphasis on developing: urban sewage and solid wastes disposal and comprehensive utilization equipment, urban and industrial noise control equipment and atmospheric pollution control equipment.

Posted by admin on September 8th, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Heavy Equipment Operator Earnings

A heavy equipment operator works with heavy machinery like front-end loaders, cranes, compact equipment, backhoes, excavators, track hoes, bulldozers, forklifts, graders, powered shovels, sweepers, graders, rollers, trenchers, power shovels, solid waste collection vehicle and similar equipment.

There are excellent job opportunities in this field, since the need for such workers is going to increase because despite certain mitigating factors, like improving technology, which would reduce the need for manpower, there would still be a demand-supply gap on account of the increasing population and business growth. Infrastructure needs are expected to increase at a rapid pace. This will require roads, schools, hospitals and offices to be constructed. In order to cater to this growth, more and more equipment will be required, needing the services of specially trained operators. According to the current trend, this demand is going to grow rapidly and the many skilled people in this field will either retire or leave the field in favor of other occupations.

Most heavy equipment operators are engaged in the construction industry. The construction of railroads, bridges, buildings and highways requires heavy construction equipment. Along with the need for personnel in the private industries, there are employment opportunities in the state and local governments also. The earnings for a heavy equipment operator vary according to the type of equipment that he operates and the industry that he is employed in.

On the basis of the type of heavy eauipment they operate, heavy equipment operators are categorized as: (a) Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, (b) paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators and© pile driver operators.

For the last category of heavy equipment operators, the pile driver operators, the median hourly earnings were $21.29. Some earned between $15.50 and $30.23. Ten percent earned more than $34.04, while ten percent earned less than $11.78.

If the operator is employed in a metropolitan area, the earnings are definitely higher. The place and kind of work are the factors that determine the amount of remuneration.

Posted by admin on September 3rd, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Some Points To Look For When Selling or Buying Heavy Equipment Online

Have some used heavy construction equipment on your lot that’s just sitting there and taking up space? Maybe you bought a crane, a heavy loader, or a heavy tractor for one unique construction project but don’t easily see your company using the used machinery again. That used heavy construction equipment cost your company hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of dollars and now it’s just eating up space on your lot that could be used for the heavy construction equipment you more frequently use.

Looking to buy used heavy equipment because you know that gently used construction equipment can work just as well as new machinery but also save your company thousands of dollars? Maybe you need a piece of construction equipment like a used dump truck or a used skid steer for a couple of projects only and you’d even consider renting the used heavy equipment if you could find a good deal.

There are plenty of used heavy construction equipment classifieds Web sites online that can be just the forum you’re looking for to sell or buy used heavy equipment.However, before you decide to buy used heavy equipment or sell your used machinery at the first site you find, take a look at the Web site’s guidelines to decide if you’re really selecting the best used heavy equipment classifieds Web site:

1.Does the used machinery classifieds Web site charge buyers or sellers for any transactions? Some used construction equipment classifieds Web sites will be more welcoming to people selling expensive equipment but then will turn around and charge the seller an extra 10% “administrative fee” for used machinery selling for under $5000.

2.Does the used heavy equipment classifieds Web site charge the buyers a fee? Although sellers get more of the raw end of the deal since they stand to profit from use of the classifieds Web site, some sites even charge the buyers a fee to make purchases online through their site.

3.Does the used machinery classifieds Web site require buyers to place a deposit upfront? It can be difficult to get back your deposit if you change your mind or the picture looks better than the used heavy construction equipment in person.

4.Does the used heavy equipment classifieds Web site offer used machinery for rent? Sometimes, as a person who chooses to buy used heavy equipment, you make the decision to buy used rather than new because you only plan to use the machinery for one or two jobs.

5.Does the used construction equipment classifieds Web site offer Want Ads? In other words, if you as a buyer can’t find the used trucks, the used excavator, or the used skid steer for which you’re looking, does the used machinery classifieds site let you post a description of the used construction equipment you have in mind along with your price range and let the potential sellers come to you with their offers?

When you’re looking to sell or buy used heavy equipment, you’re looking to save money. Many used machinery classifieds Web sites defeat that purpose by charging you fees and not giving you the best buying and selling options to help you sell or buy the used heavy equipment you need to get off of your lot or into your fleet. Be a smart used construction equipment buyer or seller and do your research before you spend more money than you really must!

Posted by admin on September 2nd, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Heavy Equipments – a Need For Every Construction Business

Heavy equipments also known as Engineering vehicles construction equipment, earth movers, heavy equipment or just plain equipment, are machines, specifically designed to execute civil engineering and construction engineering tasks.Many heavy machinery and light machinery are required for a construction business. They are a crucial part for running a construction business. Heavy machinery consists of cranes, loaders, excavator etc.

Each member of heavy construction equipment plays an important role in the project. For   example, as far as groundwork is concerned, heavy rollers are used. Heavy rollers set up the project and then find the base. They are then used to raise and drag tons of stones and iron from one place to another.

A skid loader is a small loader utilizing four wheels with hydraulic drive that directs power to either, or both, sides of the vehicle. Loaders are mainly used for uploading materials into trucks, laying pipe, clearing rubble, removing snow and digging. A loader is not the most efficient machine for digging as it cannot dig below the level of its wheels, like a backhoe can In construction worksites loaders are also used to transport building materials - such as bricks, pipe, metal bars, and digging tools - over short distances. Hence skip loader is an important equipment and can be purchased on sale from various dealers.

Cranes:

A crane is a tower equipped with pulleys and cables for lowering and lifting materials. The cranes used in construction industry are sometimes temporary structures. There are many types of cranes from the all terrain hydraulic crane, to the boom truck. A boom truck is a piece of construction equipment that can be used to haul the material as well as move the crane about while hydraulic cranes tend to need a trailer and then roll off to be placed on the ground. These types of cranes can  rotate up to  360 degrees being expensive in nature  buying used cranes could be an profitable bet.

Daewoo equipments are pioneer in construction equipment, lift trucks, skid steer loaders & mini-excavators.

Doosan Heavy Industries & Machinery Ltd. purchased the controlling interest of Daewoo Heavy Industries & Machinery Ltd. in Seoul, Korea, and the name of the entity was changed to Doosan Infracore America Corporation.

They are in a diversified business of Construction Equipment  with six overseas  subsidiaries and 336 dealers worldwide, manufacturing 30,000 excavators, wheel loaders and  skid steer loaders annually, and   the world’s fourth largest manufacturer of mid-large crawler  excavators.

Posted by admin on September 1st, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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Excavator- Commonly Used Heavy Machinery

Excavators are heavy machinery used in civil engineering and surface mining. An excavator, also called a 360-degree excavator or digger, sometimes abbreviated simply to a 360, is an engineering vehicle consisting of a backhoe and cab mounted on a pivot atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. The term excavator is sometimes used as a general term for any piece of digging equipment.

Excavators are used in many roles:

1- Digging of trenches, holes, foundations
2- Demolition
3- General grading/landscaping
4- Heavy lift, e.g. lifting and placing of pipes
5- Mining, especially, but not only open-pit mining

Varieties of Excavators:

Excavators come in a wide variety of sizes. The smaller ones are called a mini-excavator or compact excavator. One manufacturer’s largest model weighs 84,980 kg (187,360 lb) and has a maximum bucket size of 4.5 m³ (5.9 yd³).Often the bucket can be replaced with other tools like a breaker, a grapple or an auger. Excavators are usually employed together with loaders and bulldozers. Most smaller excavators have a small backfill (or dozer-) blade. It’s a horizontal bulldozer like blade attached to the undercarriage and is used for pushing removed material back into a hole.

Examples of Excavators:

1- Compact excavator

A compact hydraulic excavator is a tracked or wheeled vehicle with an approximate operating weight of 6 metric tons (13,228 lbs). It generally includes a standard backfill blade and features independent boom swing. The compact hydraulic excavator is also referred to as a mini excavator.The compact hydraulic excavator is somewhat unique from other construction equipment in that all movement and functions of the machine are accomplished through the transfer of hydraulic fluid.

2- Dragline excavator

Dragline excavation systems are heavy construction equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. In civil engineering the smaller types are used for road and port construction. The larger types are used in strip-mining operations to extract coal and these are amongst the largest mobile equipment.

3- Bucket-wheel excavator

Bucket-wheel excavators are heavy equipment used in surface mining and civil engineering. The excavation component itself is a large rotating wheel mounted on an arm or boom. On the outer edge of the wheel is a series of scoops or buckets. As the wheel turns, the buckets remove soil or rock from the target area and carry it around to the backside of the wheel, where it falls onto a conveyor, which carries it up the arm toward the main body of the excavator.

Posted by admin on August 29th, 2008 filed in Construction Equipment
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