February 2019 Vol. 74 No. 2
Business
Latest Industry News
Felling Trailers
felling.com
Felling Trailers Inc. conducted its sixth-annual online auction of an FT-3 drop deck utility trailer to benefit a non-profit organization.
The winning bid of $3,400 was placed by Jon Stein, owner of Centre Dairy Equipment & Supply Inc., with 100 percent of his bid benefitting Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA).
In honor of this year’s beneficiary, the FT-3 utility trailer was painted in MOCA’s signature teal color and displayed the MOCA emblem. Taskmaster Components generously donated the wheels/tires, and PPG Industries donated the custom metallic teal paint for this trailer and cause.
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam
lan-inc.com
The City of Tyler selected civil engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) to design improvements to two of its major sanitary sewer basins, 8 and 15.
A team led by LAN will select, prioritize, package, design and support construction for all improvements to these two basins, which includes 379 pipeline segments (more than 46,000 linear feet of pipeline) and almost 900 manholes.
Garver, an Arkansas-based engineering firm, will provide design support to LAN, while Adams Engineering, a local Tyler firm, will be providing consulting, construction management and inspection services.
“The City is executing a number of measures to manage, operate and maintain its wastewater collection system systematically and efficiently, and better respond to emergencies such as sanitary sewer overflows,” said Justin Reeves, P.E., LAN’s senior associate and team leader. “The improvements to these two sanitary sewer basins are a big step in that direction.”
“Two years ago, the Tyler City Council made a pledge to modernize and build anew our community’s infrastructure,” said Scott Taylor, City of Tyler managing director of utilities and public works. The benefits of this stronger, better infrastructure system will be far-reaching and long-lasting.”
The design phase will be completed in 2019. Construction on the $10 million project will be completed in December 2020.
Mueller Water
muellerwp.com
Mueller Water Products Inc., a leading manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in the transmission, distribution and measurement of water in North America, signed a definitive agreement to acquire Krausz Industries, Ltd. for $140 million in cash.
Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Krausz Industries provides a full suite of innovative and proprietary pipe couplings, grips and clamps under the HYMAX brand. These products are designed to address repair or pipe connection needs across a broad range of applications, pipe sizes and pipe materials for the global water and wastewater industries.
Once the transaction is completed, Krausz Industries will become part of Mueller Water Products’ Infrastructure segment.
The acquisition aligns with Mueller Water Products’ strategic focus on product and geographical expansion, and is complementary from product, distribution, customer and manufacturing perspectives. It also positions Mueller in the growing pipe repair market.
National Trench Safety
ntsafety.com
National Trench Safety LLC has acquired certain operating assets of Shore and Pour, based in Chinnor, England, close to London.
Maintaining NTS’ expansion plans, this marks the company’s 35th branch location and second operation in England. This growing footprint allows NTS to provide its national, regional and local market customers a fully integrated, international branch network delivering unique engineered solutions, the highest level of customer service and the most cost-effective shoring solutions in the industry.
The Chinnor operation will be managed by Patrick Flannery, NTS UK’s managing director, and a well-regarded trench safety veteran.
“Pat has been able to deftly blend some of our market leading products in the US with traditional products offered in England,” said Ron Chilton, NTS president, “to provide some real game-changing solutions for the customer base in England.”
In other news, NTS opened a new branch operation in Santa Rosa, Ca., managed by Mike Welton, a seasoned trench safety veteran, with an extensive track record of success in the local markets.
The Santa Rosa operation is the 35th branch location for National Trench Safety in the United States and England. This large footprint allows NTS to provide its national, regional and local market customers a fully integrated, network delivering the most-cost-effective shoring solutions and highest level of customer service in the industry.
Houston-based NTS specializes in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety engineering and equipment, and OSHA-compliant training classes.
GTI
gti.energy.com
GTI was selected by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Task Force on Innovation as the winner of the 2018 Innovation Award in the Natural Gas Industry category.
This recognition was based on the breakaway disconnect/shut-off fitting to enhance gas system safety that GTI developed, with funding from Operations Technology Development (OTD). It is a cost-effective option to protect aboveground meter set assemblies (MSAs) against damage from outside forces such as vehicular damage or snow and ice falling from building roofs.
NARUC is a non-profit organization comprised of governmental agencies engaged in the regulation of telecommunications, energy, and water utilities and carriers throughout the United States. Its Task Force on Innovation was established to help track, adapt and be resilient to new trends and opportunities that bring diverse technologies to utility regulation. The Innovation Awards reflect NARUC’s commitment to promoting the exchange of knowledge and recognizing innovative utility solutions to regulatory issues.
GTI also unveiled its new website, which focuses on better serving diverse audiences with improved functionality and robust content, and introduces GTI’s domain name change to www.gti.energy. Providing visitors greater understanding of GTI’s business mix, the website rebranding reflects its solid foundation in natural gas delivery and utilization, with expanded capabilities in energy efficiency, renewables, hydrogen and energy conversion.
GTI is a leading research, development and training organization that has been addressing the nation's energy and environmental challenges by developing technology- based solutions for consumers, industry and government for more than 75 years.
Vermeer Southeast
vermeersoutheast.com
Vermeer Southeast is now 100-percent employee-owned, through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The dealership’s leadership will remain under the direction of former owners Kris Den Besten, Todd VerSteeg and Jim Dees.
“For more than 50 years Vermeer Southeast employees have shown their commitment to serving and caring for our customers,” said Den Besten. “We are excited to take this step forward in establishing the ESOP structure, which will benefit our employees who work hard every day to take care of our customers.”
Research shows that an employee ownership structure creates a positive work environment as employees all work towards a common goal. In the upcoming months, Vermeer Southeast employees will learn more about the new ESOP structure.
Vermeer Southeast is a full-service dealer of Vermeer industrial equipment across Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Established in 1967, the dealership has 10 locations in the region with more than 180 team members dedicated to sales, parts and service supporting customers in the tree care, landscape, wood waste, organic recycling and underground utility construction industries.
Volvo Construction Equipment
volvoce.com
Hoffman Equipment expanded its retail territory in the Northeast United States. The Piscataway, N.J.- based dealer purchased Penn-Jersey Machinery Malvese Equipment’s assets in three locations (in New Jersey and Pennsylvania) to start selling Volvo Construction Equipment products for the first time.
Working in the construction, transportation and equipment industries since 1919, Hoff man has a strong presence in the Northeast markets. The company is known for its excellent service and customer support.
“Hoffman is a great example of the distribution partner that our customers want to deal with,” said Stephen Roy, president of Volvo CE Americas. “It has built strong relationships with its customers and knows the specific needs and preferences of the region very well.”
Doosan
doosaninfracore.com
Doosan Infracore North America, LLC, a leading manufacturer of heavy construction equipment, opened a new 100,000-square-foot parts distribution center, serving its dealers and customers in the United States and Canada.
Strategically located next to its Suwanee, Ga., headquarters, the new parts distribution center allows Doosan Infracore North America to provide both dealers and customers with better service options, deeper inventory and faster parts delivery.
“We can significantly reduce shipping costs and we can provide less than two-day delivery on a majority of our genuine Doosan parts delivered from our dedicated warehouse,” said Edward Song, CEO, Doosan Infracore North America.
The facility is designed for Doosan parts distribution and shipping, managed by DHL Supply Chain – the Americas’ leader in contract logistics. It houses approximately 40,000 stock keeping units (SKUs), the majority of Doosan parts, that can be shipped to service Doosan construction equipment throughout the United States and Canada.
Only some low-volume parts need to come from Doosan manufacturing facilities around the globe. DHL Supply Chain will provide outbound less than load (LTL) transportation to Doosan equipment dealers located in the United States and Canada.
“Working with DHL Supply Chain allows us to reduce our order cycle times to ensure our customers are receiving critical replacement parts quickly and efficiently,” said Clay Caldwell, Doosan director of parts and supply chain. “We’re excited to work with a partner that not only understands our business and markets but has the capabilities to provide strategic warehousing options and seamless transportation integration.”
Geospatial Corporation
geospatialcorporation.com
Geospatial Corporation has completed multiple projects in New York City that provide engineers and utilities in the metropolitan area with accurate maps of buried pipelines and conduits under busy streets and deep waterways like the East River and Harlem River.
These maps allow the engineers installing new cables to more accurately calculate the geometry and bending radius along multiple runs of buried pipelines and conduits, regardless of the material of the line. The acquired data is critical to allowing engineers to calculate the pulling force necessary for new installations without damaging the cable.
“New fiber and exotic cables with higher capacity are being installed to meet future power and data requirements for Smart Cities and IOT,” said Mark Smith, Geospatial founder and CEO. “The data that we supply is critical to effectively bring our aging infrastructure to modern standards, and necessary for accurate and safe installations.”
Pittsburgh-based Geospatial Corporation uses integrated technologies to determine the accurate location and position of underground pipelines, conduits and other underground infrastructure, and create accurate, 3D digital maps and models.
FOSA
fiberopticsensing.org
Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA), a trade association dedicated to fiber optic sensing, elected five board members, as well as its officer slate for 2019, at the organization’s Annual Meeting, December 2018.
Newly elected to the Board are Joseph Herridge, Corning, and Dave Cunningham, Network Integrity Systems.
Mike Hines, OFS; Kent Wardley, Fotech Solutions; and JJ Williams, OptaSense, were reelected to two-year terms, with Williams serving as chair, Hines as vice chair and Herridge as treasurer.
“In our second year of operation,” noted outgoing Chairman Hines, “FOSA added significantly to our working groups, rolled out numerous educational tools, generated 10 new webinars, and made real progress with respect to policy around the use of distributed fiber optic sensing for improved safety in the rail and pipeline sectors. FOSA continues to press ahead by providing real value for its members and the public at large.”
Incoming Chairman Williams credited much of the progress to the Hines’ “great vision and energy,” and “the contagious spirit of collaboration he brings to his work.”
Since its April 2017 founding, in Washington, DC, FOSA hosted scores of webinars, videos and technical papers.
North American Pipe
napcopipe.com
North American Pipe Corporation and Royal Pipe and Fittings are now joined under one brand, NAPCO.
“With a single brand,we are better positioned to solve our customers’ business challenges with systems solutions that encompass a broad range of piping and fittings,” said Andre Battistin, vice president of North American Pipe.
This branding is supported with the launch of a redesigned website, www.napcopipe.com, offering visitors detailed insights into NAPCO’s customer-focused specialty solutions. It also features its pipe and fittings product offerings, including ground-breaking innovations like Certa-Lok CLIC, which enables 40-plus-percent faster installation of water well casing, and the Certa-Set agricultural irrigation system.
“The new website has been designed with the customer in mind. It provides a user-friendly experience with intuitive navigation and functionality,” said Battistin, offering “quick and easy access to key technical information and tools.”
NAPCO, a Westlake company, is a leading polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe manufacturer in North America servicing municipal water and sewer, residential plumbing, water well, agricultural irrigation, turf, electrical and mining, and other unique markets.
Hydra-Flex hydraflexinc.com Hydra-Flex Inc., manufacturer of innovative fluid-handling products, launched a newly redesigned website, www.hydrafl exinc.com. The redesign includes enhancements to navigation, cutting-edge mobile functionality, and security. Visitors to the site may now navigate to product information and listings based on their specific industry Mobile responsiveness enhances the user experience on multiple platforms, and an updated cookie and privacy policy increases security and website functionality. Visitors to the website can also sign up for company newsletters to see more information on a regular basis. “We are excited about the redesign and the robust information it provides for customers, investors, partners, and media to better understand Hydra-Flex’s world-class technology and products,” stated Erin Bollig, senior marketing communications coordinator
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