May 2023 Vol. 78 No. 5
Business
Business News
BUSINESS
Aries Industries Expands Market Reach with New Multi-Location Dealer
Aries Industries strengthened its central U.S. market reach with the addition of a multi-location dealer serving four states.
Elliott Equipment Co., a family-owned municipal equipment dealer based in Davenport, Iowa, sells new and used sewer maintenance vehicles, garbage trucks and street sweepers. Opened in 1970, it operates additional locations in Grimes, Iowa; Lincoln, Neb.; and Grandview, Mo., providing advanced utility inspection and rehabilitation technology to municipalities in these three states plus Kansas.
This latest addition is the 10th new U.S. dealer and three in Canada, since 2019.
“While our footprint has expanded dramatically in recent years, it’s been a very selective and diligent process,” said Jim Kraschinsky, vice president of sales at Aries Industries. “Elliott Equipment Co. is a dealer who meets our exacting criteria to provide Aries customers in their region a great sales and service experience.”
Based in Waukesha, Wisc., and founded in 1985, Aries Industries is the industry leader in manufacturing durable video pipeline inspection and rehabilitation systems, plus data management software, to meet the toughest challenges of underground infrastructure and environmental applications.
The company’s cameras, tractors and fully integrated systems are built upon a bedrock of continuous innovation, unmatched reliability and expert customer service. UI
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Aries Industries Inc., (800) 234-7205, ariesindustries.com
J.T. Miller Opens New Location
To better serve its growing customer base, HDD supplier J.T. Miller has moved to a new location at 1200 N FM 3083 Rd E, Suite B, in Conroe, Texas.
J.T. Miller has served the HDD industry since 2008, providing drill pipe, drill bits and HDD accessories. Known for stocking a large HDD-specific inventory, the company provides same-day shipping or customer pick-up.
Also available is an assortment of mud motors, non-mag collars, wireline supplies, crossover subs, Gearench/Petol tongs, spare parts and safety supplies.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
J.T. Miller LLC, (936) 447-2929, jtmillerllc.com
Komatsu
komatsu.com
Komatsu entered an agreement to acquire GHH Group GmbH (GHH), a manufacturer of underground mining, tunnelling and special civil engineering equipment, headquartered in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
With this acquisition, Komatsu will add GHH’s factories and rebuild facilities in key markets, in addition to its robust product offerings and talented staff. The combined team will work together to expand Komatsu’s offering for underground mining equipment and increase customer access to products in new territories.
Heath Consultants
heathus.com
Heath Consultants Incorporated, the leading methane detection equipment manufacturer, developer and service provider to the natural gas industry, established a landmark agreement. It is now the exclusive distributor of New Cosmos USA, Inc.’s best-in-class DeNova Detect AMI residential methane gas alarms to natural gas utilities in the United States.
New Cosmos USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of New Cosmos Electric Co., Ltd., which has a 70-percent market share in the residential methane gas alarm market in Japan and has sold more than 70 million units worldwide.
DeNova Detect alarms are proven by third-party testing to offer the most nuisance-resistant, effective, and reliable solution to alert occupants of a potential safety hazard – well before any possibility of an incident. New Cosmos USA, Inc. has successfully deployed over 250,000 alarms in partnership with major U.S. utilities with virtually zero false alarms.
The demand is rising for residential methane gas alarms in the U.S., driven both by natural gas utilities’ desire to reduce the risk of natural gas incidents, and by safety standards on the horizon from regulatory agencies, including UL and NFPA.
Based in Houston, Heath Consultants Incorporated is a third-generation, family-owned business founded in 1933 that virtually invented what has become today’s utility related methane leak detection industry.
Heath develops, manufactures, and distributes a wide variety of sophisticated products designed to reduce harmful environmental emissions and protect life and property. It also provides methane leak detection and related services to gas utilities through its 1,600 highly trained service personnel nationwide.
Xylem
xylem.com
Xylem Inc., a leading global water technology company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Evoqua, a leader in mission-critical water treatment solutions and services, in an all-stock transaction with an implied enterprise value of approximately $7.5 billion.
As water risks rise in global importance, this transaction unites two companies with a shared focus on solving the world’s water challenges, by addressing customers’ and communities’ most critical needs. The combined company will be uniquely positioned to develop and deliver an even more comprehensive offering of innovative solutions.
A leader in North America water treatment, Evoqua complements Xylem’s distinctive portfolio of solutions with advanced water and wastewater treatment capabilities, a powerful and extensive network of service professionals and access to industrial markets with resilient, recurring revenue streams.
Evoqua’s solutions, including digitally enabled offerings, optimize and outsource mission-critical water treatment systems for customers in high-growth sectors such as life sciences, microelectronics, power and food and beverage. In addition, Evoqua is a leader in the remediation of emerging contaminants, including PFAS.
The combination also unlocks compelling new growth opportunities and is expected to deliver run-rate cost synergies of $140 million within three years, driven by scale efficiencies in procurement, network optimization and corporate costs. In addition, the transaction allows Xylem to maintain its strong balance sheet, which provides the combined company with significant strategic flexibility and optionality.
RINA
rina.org
RINA, the inspection, certification and engineering consultancy, has acquired the entire share capital of Patrick Engineering Ltd. The Chicago-based engineering consultancy company.
With a turnover of approximately 82 million dollars and 340 employees in 19 offices, mainly in the U.S. Northeast, Patrick Engineering will be fully integrated into RINA Consulting, the subsidiary of the RINA Group operating in the engineering sector.
The acquisition is aligned with RINA’s strategy to grow both organically and via acquisitions and further strengthens its geographic footprint. Also adding competencies across the group, it positions the group to better support international and local clients in large overseas projects.
Founded in 1979, Patrick Engineering, which will remain as a brand part of the RINA Group, has a strong local presence, high-quality service portfolio, and respected technical capabilities.
“Patrick Engineering’s prominent position in the US energy, infrastructure and transportation sectors, combined with RINA’s strong multi-sectorial expertise, particularly in sustainability and energy transition, presents an ideal opportunity to make a significant contribution to projects facilitated by the current bipartisan US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said Ugo Salerno, chairman and CEO at RINA.
Felling Trailers
felling.com
Felling Trailers Inc., a national leader in industrial and commercial trailers, was awarded a cooperative Sourcewell purchasing contract in the Trailers category.
Sourcewell is a self-sustaining government organization helping government, education, and nonprofit agencies with access to cooperative purchasing solutions. For close to a decade, Felling Trailers has held a Sourcewell contract. The company received its first Sourcewell awarded contract in 2014 in the Heavy Equipment Trailers category.
As a prior Sourcewell contract holder, Felling Trailers, Inc. will continue to provide innovative transportation solutions for each Sourcewell participating agency. Felling Trailers has an extensive dealer network that spans the nation providing Sourcewell users access to contract pricing no matter their location. Felling’s Trailer Experts will work to provide agencies with the right transport solution to fit their entity’s needs.
Felling Trailers is a family-owned and operated full-line trailer manufacturer located in Central Minnesota. Since 1974, it has grown from a small shop to a factory and office complex covering more than 349,000 square feet. The company’s pride and differentiation is its customized trailer division.
Critica
criticiainfra.com
ClockSpring|NRI, a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners, unveiled a new corporate brand name and logo: Critica Infrastructure.
Critical infrastructure assets, the arteries and systems that keep global economies thriving, are increasingly operating beyond their original design life. Critica Infrastructure solutions, including associated engineering support and training services, are trusted by asset owners, engineers, and operators to extend the life of assets through our proven, engineered composites, insertion valves, geopolymer materials, and fiber-reinforced polymer solutions.
“With new infrastructure assets increasingly difficult to get permitted and constructed, our solutions are essential to keep aging infrastructure functioning. Critica Infrastructure solutions help ensure critical infrastructure assets will continue to operate safely into the future for the communities and businesses they support,” said Frank Firsching, CEO.
Based in Houston, Critica Infrastructure is shaping the future of critical infrastructure through highly engineered and proven composites, insertion valves, geopolymer materials, and fiber-reinforced polymers, and associated engineering support and training services.
Caterpillar
cat.com
The new Cat SIS2GO App puts maintenance, troubleshooting and repair information at the fingertips of Caterpillar equipment owners.
Two levels of access are available from SIS2GO: Operation and Maintenance Manuals (OMM), Parts manuals, and the ability to identify, verify and seamlessly place orders for Cat parts from independent Cat dealers.
An affordable monthly or annual subscription gives access to comprehensive service manual information. The subscription provides troubleshooting guides, step-by-step repair procedures, recommended tooling to complete the repair, hydraulic and electrical schematics, and much more.
The mobile companion to SIS2.0, the new SIS2GO App is available on Windows, iOS and Android platforms. Optimized for mobile devices, it offers a simple, intuitive and efficient user interface to access parts and service manual information, even on the most remote job site.
CASE
casece.com
Construction and farm equipment heavyweight Titan Machinery has strengthened and unified the positions of CASE Construction Equipment throughout the upper Midwest and western United States, with the acquisition of Pioneer Farm Equipment Co.
The deal includes five Pioneer locations throughout Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, American Falls and Rupert.
The move represents a strengthening of CASE Construction Equipment sales, parts, service and support throughout the entire network of Titan Machinery, which now spans even further into the western United States from its current stronghold in the upper Midwest.
“The team at Titan Machinery exemplifies the new and reloaded energy of CASE Construction Equipment throughout North America, and delivers an unwavering commitment to innovation, ingenuity, operator-first solutions and support that will serve as a major boost to the construction industry throughout the region,” said Terry Dolan, vice president —
North America, CASE Construction Equipment.
Lubbock-based Associated Supply Company, Inc. (ASCO), a leading CASE Construction Equipment dealer, expanded its territory, by acquiring Oklahoma City-based OCT Equipment, Inc (OCT) with locations in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Clinton.
The acquisition strengthens ASCO’s position as an equipment leader in key industries, including construction, agriculture, and material handling, as well as expands upon its market leadership in growth areas such as rental.
ASCO now operates 27 locations in the State of Texas, Eastern New Mexico and Oklahoma.
ASCE
asce.org
ASCE’s Manual of Practice, Manhole Inspection and Rehabilitation, Third Edition, MOP 92, provides a valuable update to reflect current and complete inspection, as well as grading protocol that offers logical step-by-step guidance for maintaining and improving the longevity of manhole systems.
Keys areas updated include:
- New chapter on wall thickness design for full-depth manhole rehabilitation
- Information on standardization and NASSCO’s certification programs
- Expanded content on various manhole rehabilitation methods and technologies
- New section detailing the importance of proper manhole inspection and rehabilitation
MOP 92 is a valuable trenchless technology resource, assisting agencies in the proper identification of inventory and asset management, assessment and condition of manhole structures, decision-making regarding rehabilitation materials and methods, as well as providing key quality control measures when specifying the use of rehabilitation materials and technologies for manholes.
This is a collaborative work by the Manhole Inspection and Rehabilitation Task Committee of the Pipelines Infrastructure Committee of the Pipeline Division of the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute of ASCE, in partnership with the Manhole Rehabilitation Committee of NASSCO.
CRC Evans
crcevans.com
CRC Evans has united four market-leading organizations – Pipeline Technique, CRC-Evans Pipeline International, Pipeline Induction Heat and Global Project Services – under the CRC Evans brand, accelerating the company’s ambition to be the world’s leading welding and coating services provider for the energy and wider infrastructure sectors.
Founded in 1933, CRC Evans has a strong heritage of onshore and offshore oil and gas pipeline construction, manufacturing and technology development and a name that has earned the trust of customers around the world. The CRCE acronym connects past and future into a dynamic and modern identity that will allow the group to expand its core delivery of welding and coating services across four key sectors: oil and gas, renewable energies, infrastructure and nuclear.
“The energy and infrastructure industries are evolving, and we are evolving with them. The creation of CRC Evans helps to position our growing suite of services more accurately, indicating our evolution within these sectors,” said Frederic Castrec, CEO.
Yanmar
yanmarce.com
Yanmar Compact Equipment and ASV have officially joined forces under the Yanmar Compact Equipment North America (YCENA) name.
“The alignment of the two brands allows us to focus on expansion, new products, and overall strategic growth in North America while finding new ways to serve our customers,” said Tate Johnson, president of YCENA.
Yanmar CE and ASV have operated as YCENA from a commercial standpoint since July 2020. The alignment as a single, legal entity allows for a better, more capable, and dedicated compact equipment entity focused on leadership in the North American compact equipment market.
It also allows a wider range of compact equipment long-term, offers a single way for compact equipment dealers to do business with YCENA and strengthens the global Yanmar Compact Equipment team.
The Yanmar CE and ASV brands will remain distinct under YCENA, with each retaining its product lines and dealer networks. Currently, Yanmar Compact Equipment offers mini excavators, compact wheel loaders and tracked carriers with a focus on commercial construction, residential construction, utility and rental applications. ASV offers compact track loaders and skid steers popular in the landscaping and forestry markets.
YCENA was also chosen as a recipient of the 2022 Governor’s International Trade Award, in the Large Company category. This prestigious award honors companies that have made foreign direct investments in Minnesota with a continued likelihood of growth.
Applicants for the Award are judged on a variety of criteria, including significant advancement in exports to foreign markets, as well as exceptional economic contributions through investments in the state of Minnesota. From there, the state reviews each submission and selects the top companies.
The award stems from Yanmar CE NA’s upcoming 32,000-square-foot expansion project in Grand Rapids, Minn. Breaking ground in Spring 2023, the new building will feature site improvements, assembly layout adjustments and optimized factory material flow. Completion is expected in Spring 2024.
Volvo
volvoce.com
The SEK 65 million (around $6.3 million) investment from Volvo Group will allow the Aryika factory in Sweden – specializing in the production of medium and large wheel loaders – to expand its facilities and allow for the phased introduction of new electric wheel loaders.
An approximately 1,500-square-meter new building will allow the facility to free up areas inside its assembly factory for building electric wheel loaders. While it has not yet been announced which models will begin their electric transformation and exactly when, production of both electric wheel loaders and more traditional wheel loaders fitted with combustion engines will continue for now on the same production line.
In another sustainability initiative, the Aryika factory reduced its internal climate footprint by 350 tons of CO2, despite actually increasing production last year, due to a variety of emission reduction efforts.
It is not only a milestone in the plant’s almost 140-year history, but a significant moment for Volvo CE and its determination to be completely fossil free by 2040. It is also a pioneering step forward in its ambition for 35 percent of its machines sold to be electric by 2030.
CNH Industrial
cnhindustrial.com
CNH Industrial signed an industrial cooperation agreement with Tobroco-Giant, a Netherlands-based construction equipment manufacturer that specializes in the development and manufacturing of compact construction equipment.
Per the agreement, Tobroco-Giant’s compact and sub-compact wheel loaders will be distributed under CNH Industrial’s CASE Construction Equipment and New Holland Construction brands in North America. These units bolster the strong existing lineup of compact wheel loaders that our brands currently produce and distribute.
The initial line-up provides compact and sub-compact wheel loader models ranging from 1 to 5 tons of operating weight, with various lift profile configurations. The range also includes CNH Industrial’s first electric sub-compact wheel loader, extending the commitment to providing customers with alternative power solutions that improve their overall efficiency and sustainability.
These new models are expected to be commercially available via the CASE and New Holland Construction dealer network in the second half of this year.
CNH Industrial is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of “Breaking New Ground,” which centers on innovation, sustainability and productivity, the company provides strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands.
Globally, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture supply 360-degree agriculture applications, from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them, and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive.
Stantec
stantec.com
Following a competitive tender process, Stantec, a global leader in sustainable engineering and design, has been appointed as a strategic technical partner by Northumbrian Water for Asset Management Plan (AMP) 8 period. Officially beginning in April 2025, AMP8 is the upcoming five-year investment cycle for water companies in England and Wales.
Stantec will provide a range of technical enabling, solution delivery, and design services to support Northumbrian Water in achieving its vision to be the leading provider of sustainable water and wastewater services. The partnership will influence capital investment in both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects and programs for the Northumbrian Water, Essex, & Suffolk water operating areas.
For more than 30 years, Stantec has worked alongside Northumbrian Water, which provides water and sewerage services to just under 4.4 million people. The company is currently a partner on its AMP7 Technical Consultancy Framework.
The AMP8 strategic partnership will run for four years, starting April 1, 2023, with an option to extend for an additional four years. Stantec will work with Northumbrian Water’s other technical, commercial, and construction partners as part of the wider AMP8 delivery team.
Throughout the AMP8 period, Stantec will use its local expertise and global presence to support Northumbrian Water in realizing its efficiency, net-zero carbon and nature-based solution ambitions, while working within its regulatory obligations and meeting its social value goals.
CASE
casece.com
CASE Construction Equipment is teaming up with nonprofit Crew Collaborative to sponsor and help build from the ground-up an all-new career counseling and mentoring program for high school students interested in the construction industry trades: FrameWork.
“At CASE, we are customer-led in all we do,” said Terry Dolan, vice president, CASE Construction Equipment, North America. “It’s no secret that our industry has faced labor shortage issues over the past several years, and we can’t think of a better way to support our customers than to help identify enthusiastic students who will make incredible contributions to the construction industry.”
Crew Collaborative has already joined CASE in soliciting stories of how mentors have changed the lives of those in the construction industry and what paths industry veterans would recommend to best begin a career in the trades. Also, names are being gathered of those interested in potentially serving as mentors to interested high school students.
Cherne Industries
cherneind.com
Twin Cities Business (TCB) magazine recently honored Cherne Industries with a 2023 Manufacturing Excellence Award for growth and innovation.
Part of the Oatey Co. family of companies, Cherne Industries is the industry-leading manufacturer of test plugs and testing equipment for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal piping systems.
The TCB award recognizes excellence in manufacturing related to product design and engineering, manufacturing processes, business operations, human capital, logistics and supply-chain management, local manufacturing, and/or product or niche uniqueness.
“The six companies TCB is recognizing with the 2023 Manufacturing Excellence Awards demonstrate why Minnesota’s manufacturing sector remains vibrant, nimble, and innovative,” wrote Contributing Correspondent Gene Rebeck.
“Our editorial team was extremely impressed with Cherne’s growth and advances,” says Allison Kaplan, Editor-in-Chief of Twin Cities Business.
In March 2021, Cherne completed an historic move of its headquarters and manufacturing operations — its first in more than 60 years — to a newly constructed, 130,000-square-foot facility located in Shakopee, MN, 25 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis.
The new facility features best-in-class robotic and automation manufacturing technology that ensures state-of-the-art safety, durability, and performance. It also includes an R & D laboratory for product testing, extensive customer training facilities, and an in-house machine shop.
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