August 2022 Vol. 77 No. 8
New Products
New Products
Tornado Global Hydrovacs, Ditch Witch Enter $43 Million Supply Agreement
Tornado Global Hydrovacs Ltd., headquartered in Calgary, Canada, has entered into a Product Supply and Development Agreement for the co-development and supply of customized hydrovac trucks with Ditch Witch, a division of The Toro Company.
The Supply Contract contains a commitment for the delivery of several innovative, proprietary hydrovac trucks to the Purchaser that will generate estimated minimum gross revenue of $43.85 million, for Tornado, during the four-year term, from fiscal-year 2022 to fiscal year 2025.
The Supply Contract requires Tornado to co-develop a customized exclusively Ditch Witch branded hydrovac truck, including the necessary intellectual property for the design and operation of the hydrovac truck. Tornado will then supply the trucks to the Purchaser, subject to certain customary commercial terms and conditions.
“This strategic alliance brings together two strong brands with a collective purpose to better serve customers and meet future demands, including the outlook on infrastructure spending and the effect this spending will have on hydrovac demand globally,” said Brett Newton, CEO of Tornado.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tornado Global Hydrovacs Ltd., (877) 340-8141, tornadotrucks.com
Ditch Witch, (580) 336-4402, ditchwitch.com
John Deere, Wacker Neuson Enter Global Agreement on Select Excavators
John Deere announced an expanded relationship with Wacker Neuson, a leading manufacturer of compact and construction machines, for 0-9-metric-ton excavators, to include North America.
John Deere and Wacker Neuson will collaborate on the development of excavators less than 5-metric-tons, including battery electric excavators, to be manufactured by Wacker Neuson. Additionally, John Deere will have control of the design, manufacturing, and technology innovation, for 5-to-9-metric-ton models, leveraging a solid foundation from Wacker Neuson.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
John Deere, (844) 809-1508, johndeere.com
Utility Investigation School Offered in September, November
The Buried Asset Management Institute-International (BAMI-I) and ASCE’S Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI), are teaming up to conduct two sessions of the Utility Investigation School (UIS) in 2022.
The 13th edition of UIS is Sept. 19–23, in San Diego, and the 14th session is scheduled for Nov. 14–18, in Sacramento, Calif.
This course gives practitioners the knowledge and tools to provide competent utility investigations in accordance with accepted national standards (ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) 38) and to defend against claims. In addition to the classroom lectures, practical sessions will offer hands-on experience with the GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), PCL, etc.
This five-day school is taught by the foremost experts in the geophysics and subsurface utility engineering field. It is designed for:
- Engineers, surveyors, and project managers providing deliverables that include results
and depictions of utility investigations. - Consulting engineers, employees of utility companies, state DOTs and local highway agencies, regulatory agencies, local governments, etc.
- Design engineers for infrastructure projects with significant utility congestion expected.
At the end of the course, students will receive 4 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) /40 PDHs (professional development hours) and a Certificate of Completion.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tom Iseley, (404) 386-5667, diseley@purdue.edu
PPI Awards Projects of the Year
Each year the membership reviews and votes on Project of the Year for each of the five PPI divisions: Building & Construction, Drainage, Energy Piping Systems, Municipal & Industrial, and Power & Communications. Notable examples are included below.
Energy Piping Systems Division Project of the Year
At the request of Frontier Natural Gas, Performance Pipe and Dow Chemical Company collaborated and expedited the commercialization of a solid yellow, bimodal PE4710 option, DriscoPlex 8400 Series Gas Distribution Pipe. The utility used more than 50,000 feet of the new pipe in its 100-psi gas distribution system.
Municipal & Industrial Division Project of the Year
Nearly 8 miles of HDPE PE4710 pipe restored potable water supply to three Texas rural communities – Carey, Northfield and Aspermont, southeast of Amarillo – after winter storm Uri froze and snapped the lines.
The emergency efforts of several companies, including PPI, made the solution possible.
Dow Chemical donated the resin to make the pipe. Pipeline Plastics, which has several manufacturing plants in western Texas, contributed the manufacturing end. Modern Dispersions provided the carbon black, a key ingredient added to the resin, and McElroy Manufacturing, whose fusion equipment was used, provided the training for the Carey/Northfield project.
Power & Communications Division Project of the Year
For a new data center, WL Plastics, provided 165,000 feet of four-inch diameter DR 11 orange solid wall HDPE conduit that was installed by pulling 24 individual strands at the same time in 400-foot segments using horizontally directional drilling (HDD).
The HDD installation was possible due to the flexibility of the conduit, and necessary because of the many environmental barriers and a very short installation timeframe.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Plastics Pipe Institute, (469) 499-1044, plasticpipe.org
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