Industry Dirt: July 2010
July 1, 2010
AEM Calls for Expansion of Export-friendly Policies
AEM President Dennis Slater and AEM Senior Vice President Al Cervero participated, along with several Wisconsin member companies, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee event.
Slater called for Congress to approve pending free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. He says China and European countries are moving ahead on agreements with the three countries, and he believes it is important to act now so U.S. manufacturers won’t get shut out of the market.
AEM is also seeking approval of a multi-year surface transportation bill; corporate tax reform to encourage exports; and visa application procedural changes to ease travel for businesses. For more information, visit www.aem.org.
AGC: Contractors Wrestle with Increasing Material Costs
Construction
contractors continue to be squeezed between rising material costs and falling
output prices, according to a new analysis conducted by the Associated General
Contractors of America (AGC).
The association found that although the producer price index rose in April for
key construction components, the amount contractors are charging for services
remains depressed.
The analysis of the producer price index shows there is increasing pressure on
contractors to raise prices. Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, says
contractors will not be able to sustain the low prices they have been
charging.
Over the past year, increases in material costs by structure type have ranged
from 3.9 percent for single-unit residential construction to 8.3 percent for
inputs to highway and street construction. For more information, visit www.agc.org.
BUSINESS NEWS
An artist’s rendering shows Roadtec’s new training center.
Topcon Positioning Systems (www.topconpositioning.com) acquired InlandGEO, headquartered in Madrid, Spain. InlandGEO will continue to distribute Topcon and Sokkia positioning products in Spain and Portugal and will serve as the headquarters for distribution and support for Topcon precision agriculture products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Vermeer Corporation launched a new multilingual website at www.vermeer.com. Visitors to the site can choose from six languages to view 360-degree walkarounds of select models, videos of products working in the field, model comparison tools and software downloads.
Carlson Software Inc. (www.carlsonsw.com) and the Lengemann Company (www.lengemann.us) reached a partnership agreement making Lengemann the exclusive distributor for Carlson’s Landfill Grade GPS Management System in Florida. Carlson Landfill Grade Management Products are designed for use with landfill compactors, dozers and for site supervisors.
Knaack LLC (www.knaack.com) celebrated its 50th anniversary at its headquarters in Crystal Lake, Ill., in May. Knaack, founded in 1960 to supply jobsite boxes, employs 285 people at its headquarters.
Hyundai Construction Equipment USA Inc. (www.hceamericas.com) changed its corporate name to Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc. to reflect the company’s expanded operations in all of the Americas.
Roadtec (www.roadtec.com) broke ground in June on a new 11,500-square-foot training center. The two-story complex is scheduled to be completed in late fall.
Thomas Palumbo, left, of the West Michigan Trade Association presents Bandit employees Casey Gross and Felipe Tamayo with the 2010 World Trader of the Year award.
The Construction Marketing Association (www.constructionmarketingassociation.org) announced the Construction Brand Internet Index (CBII), a comprehensive rating of the Internet presence of top construction brands. The rating identifies how effective a specific website domain is relative to other websites. In addition to rating top construction brands, CMA is offering a free CBII rating service to qualified construction brand websites.
Godwin Pumps’ new office is in California.
Godwin
Pumps (www.godwinpumps.com) opened a new branch in Carson, Calif.
The branch, located near major refineries, will provide rental, sales and
service support.
Dexter + Chaney launched a new website at www.dexterchaney.com, offering easy
access to information about Spectrum Construction Software’s capabilities.
PEOPLE NEWS
Caterpillar’s (www.cat.com) board of directors elected Doug Oberhelman as CEO and a member of the board, effective July 1. Oberhelman succeeds Jim Owens as CEO, while Owens will remain chairman of the board until Oct. 31, when he will retire after more than 38 years with the company. At that time, Oberhelman will replace Owens as chairman.
JCB (www.jcbna.com) named Van Clarkson as vice president of sales for the eastern region. Clarkson, the former vice president of sales for Hyster Company, will be responsible for all dealer sales in the region.
Sennebogen
(www.sennebogen-na.com) appointed John Van Ruitenbeek (commonly known as John
Van) as vice president of sales and marketing. Van was previously with Briggs
Construction Equipment.
Pengo (www.pengoattachments.com) named Robert Frost as director of business
development for Pengo. Frost will report to Dana
Scudder, vice president of sales and marketing
Comments (1)Post a Comment
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
Title: answer this post
By: loan
Posted: October 19, 2011 4:46 AM
Every body admits that men's life is not very cheap, but some people need cash for various issues and not every person gets enough money. Thus to receive good home loans and just small business loan will be good solution.