Month: July 2021

Bosch, the company you know from their power tools and laser measurement technology, is getting into the digital jobsite management business with Bosch Digital Services. Announced at the 2021 World of Concrete, the company’s RefinemySite and Bluehound aim to improve communication, coordination, planning and productivity on construction jobsites by documenting and communicating information such as lean construction workflows.  To help contractors take advantage of lean construction, RefinemySite digitizes components of the last planner system to create and share visual information in real time onsite or with employees working remotely. The last planner system is a production planning and control process in the lean construction methodology designed to produce predictable workflows and rapid learning in the planning, design, construction and commissioning of projects. Lost or misplaced tools can be a big drag on time and efficiency. To help solve that problem, Bosch Bluehound uses Bluetooth tags and a cloud-based platform to gather data on tagged equipment with minimal manual intervention. The digital asset management tags give you asset location history, operational status, deliveries, maintenance records and documentation. This information is then readily accessible

A 107-year-old bridge – called one of New York state’s most unusual bridges – has been reopened after a two-year closure for renovations. The lift bridge in Fairport over the Erie Canal closed in September 2019. The New York State Department of Transportation undertook a $16.8 million project to replace the bridge deck and upgrade the bridge’s lift mechanisms and control tower. The funding also included the nearby Spenceport canal bridge, which has also reopened. The bridge on Fairport’s Main Street was named “one of the most unusual bridges in New York State” in a 1976 study by the Landmark Society of Western New York. The bridge was completed in 1914 at a cost of $75,000. The 139-foot bowstring truss bridge was designed with an irregular 10-sided design with no square corners on its deck. No two angles on the bridge are the same. Because of restraints engineers had to deal with, one side of the bridge is steeper than the other. The deck has a 4% slope. It also crosses the canal at a 32-degree angle. The west truss, instead

For the past 10 years, Ram has continued to refine its 1500 Limited pickup, combining strong, utilitarian features with the finer points of luxury that were typically reserved for a sedan. To help celebrate that 10-year run, Ram announced recently its new 2022 Ram 1500 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition. “The new 2022 Ram 1500 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition celebrates 10 years of luxury pickup truck leadership, featuring the ultimate combination of capability, luxury and refinement,” said Mike Koval Jr., Ram Brand CEO at parent company Stellantis. “Ram 1500 Limited buyers have enjoyed the highest quality materials for a decade now and the Limited 10th Anniversary Edition is the latest example of how Ram delivers the most luxurious pickups in the industry.” [Related: 2021 Ram TRX is a smooth, versatile slayer on- and off-road] Layered in premium materials, the 2022 Ram 1500 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition features unique technology, materials and storage solutions. Real wood, metal and leather elements converge to deliver a level of luxury that’s elevated the brand over the past decade. RamRam 1500 Limited 10th Anniversary models are distinguished by an available

When it comes time to paint the roadway, INDCO has a new mixer on the market for blending traffic paints for painting stripes and markings on roadways and parking lots. The BGTC series gear-drive IBC bracket-mount mixers are available with air, electric, and variable-speed electric operation from ¾ to 2 horsepower. Units include shaft, folding impellers that can fit through 6-inch tote openings, and expandable mounting bracket. All models feature 90-degree, right-angle gear reducers. The mixers can also be used for heavier bodied primers and other coatings, including those with high solids content, and reflective glass beads.  Models come in totally enclosed fan cooled, totally enclosed non-ventilated, and explosion-proof models. Lifting eyes and forklift channels are available options for installing and removing the mixers.  Did you miss our previous article… https://www.neiloganconstruction.com/?p=98 David Snowwww.neiloganconstruction.com

Most changes to current excavators appear relatively small. But the net effect of those many changes has resulted in a crop of dramatically improved models. The changes have also expanded the tasks excavators are now doing. “We are long past the day when there was just a bucket on the end of a stick,” says Jonathan Tolomeo, Komatsu excavator product manager. “Excavators have become toolcarriers.” That versatility is further increased by the tiltrotator, a device that is catching on in the U.S. Experts we talked to say the attachment, which enables 360-degree rotation and side-to-side tilt, speeds up production. Justin Steger, Deere solutions marketing manager for site development and underground, adds that tiltrotators also increase efficiency in confined spaces and can save 15% to 30% in time across all applications. “They offer the same appeal as do zero- and reduced-tailswing machines, but at the other end of the excavator,” Steger says. “And there’s no need to decouple the bucket to reverse it for tricky digging situations.” Here’s a closer look at what’s new with excavators: Wide-ranging improvements Luke Hill, excavator

Bently Staad Pro Tutorial For Free. Master the industry-leading structural analysis and design tool used by Civil & Structural Engineers. The post Learn Bentley STAAD Pro Tutorial For Free on Udemy appeared first on ConstructionPlacements. Did you miss our previous article… https://www.neiloganconstruction.com/?p=85 David Snowwww.neiloganconstruction.com

A Colorado contractor has been sentenced to 10 months in jail after one of his workers died in a trench collapse in 2018. Bryan D. Johnson, president of residential and commercial general contractor ContractOne of Avon, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of reckless endangerment and one count of third degree assault. His sentence, handed down July 15, also includes three years of probation, up to $25,000 in restitution to the worker’s family, donations to local charities and safety training. He also has to participate in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workers Memorial Day Ceremony and allow the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to inspect his worksites without an administrative warrant. He also must not commit any future serious or willful OSHA violations. Rosario “Chayo” Martínez, 50, was working in an 8-foot-deep trench June 14, 2018, attaching a copper water pipe to a main line when the trench collapsed and buried him, according to OSHA. Martinez’s son was also working on the site and helped to dig his father out. Martinez died later at the hospital. The trench

Trail King’s new live-bottom trailer is flashy on the outside, rugged on the inside with lots of features that make maintenance easier to boot. Inside the eye-catching aluminum or stainless-steel trailer sides and front wall are hopper walls with long-lasting 4-millimeter thick AR450 wear plate in the rear half, with full length wear plates available as an option. A heavy-duty, 4-inch pitch roller chain and frictionless drive system make quick work of discharge, unloading the full trailer in one revolution or less. Round cross members attach to cast steel mounts on the side walls to reduce material build up. The simplified rear tailgate offers corrosion-resistant aluminum lift cylinders and an auto flip-up option. The air and electrical lines are mounted on the exterior with aluminum or stainless-steel covers for simplified maintenance. The exterior front bearing assembly is easy to get to, and the chain oiler and brushes are located at the front idler for better oil distribution and accessibility. Likewise, the bolt-on upper coupler/kingpin and front fenders make maintenance faster and easier. The new Trail King live-bottom trailers are also

Panasonic continues its year of Toughbook introductions, this time with an eye toward users who not only want the option of a keyboard but also future-proof technology. A keyboard is only the first of the options on the G2 fully rugged 2-in-1 detachable tablet. There are several add-ons expansion packs or what Panasonic calls xPaks that give the unit functions such as a serial port, thermal camera, barcode reader and a quick-release SSD hard drive. Owners can add this functionality in three modular expansion areas whenever needed since the xPaks are user installed and removed. The Panasonic Toughbook G2 can be operated solely in tablet form or be paired with a keyboard.Panasonic“No other table has this modular expansion pack approach,” Anthony Mungiello, Toughbook senior product manager, tells Equipment World. “You can get a total of 36 combinations between the three expansion areas. This gives people flexibility, helps future proof the G2, and they can add any of these xPaks at any time.” Contractors can also share xPaks among several users. The G2’s 10.1-inch display is available with Windows 10 Pro;

Construction employment in June remained below the pre-pandemic levels of February 2020 in 39 states, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. New York and Wyoming suffered the worst losses, while Utah and Idaho added the most construction jobs. New York, Vermont and Iowa had the biggest declines in June. Georgia and Kentucky were the top gainers. AGC officials put the blame on supply chain shortages and rising material prices, which are undermining demand for new projects and impacting construction firms’ ability to hire workers. “The construction industry is a long way from full recovery in most states, in spite of a hot homebuilding market in many areas,” said Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist. “Soaring materials costs, long production times for key items and delayed deliveries are causing owners to postpone projects.” 16 months into pandemic From February 2020 to June 2021, New York shed the most construction jobs (54,300 jobs or 13.3%) followed by Texas (54,100 jobs, 6.9%) and California (36,500 jobs, 4%). Wyoming recorded the largest percentage loss (15.3%, 3,500 jobs), followed by Louisiana