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HUSQVARNA Next Generation Battery Power Cutter
Husqvarna Construction Launches Its Next Generation Battery Power Cutter
With K1 PACE, Husqvarna takes a big step forward and offers customers a high power battery cutter that can handle the heavy duty jobs. This is the first product to be launched on the company’s new battery system, PACE.
“What we are presenting today is a breakthrough in the market for power cutters. We are extremely proud to introduce a high power battery cutter that fully supports the transition to low-carbon economy the construction industry needs,” said Mattias Holmdahl, global product manager power cutters at Husqvarna Construction.
With more than 60 years of experience as a power cutter manufacturer and with a leading position in handheld cutters, Husqvarna Construction has the expertise it takes to lead the development from petrol to battery powered equipment, the company said.
With K1 PACE, customers can expect power and performance equivalent to petrol-powered cutters with all the additional benefits battery powered equipment brings to both operators and the environment.
“We see an increasing number of construction companies striving for carbon-neutral workplaces and as a leading supplier we feel a responsibility to contribute, together with our partners and customers, towards greater sustainability.” The PACE battery system can be utilized for more machines as the batterypowered family expands. In addition to the power cutters and battery system, diamond blades in 12 and 14 in. have been optimized for battery operation. The machine also is equipped with X-Halt brake function capable of stopping the rotation of a blade in a fraction of a second for enhanced safety, according to the company. “We know what it takes to do the high demanding jobs done, and we do not compromise on quality and safety. With K1 PACE, customers get a high-performance battery power cutter that provides zero direct emissions. They can expect lower vibrations, smoother cutting and that the machine’s low weight and optimal center of gravity help reduce the strain on their body,” said Holmdahl.
K1 PACE will be demonstrated by Husqvarna Construction and the sales start will take place in stages during the second half of the year, starting in the Nordic countries. More technical data will be released at the start of sales.
For more information, visit www.husqvarnacp.com.
The machine is equipped with X-Halt brake function capable of stopping the rotation of a blade in a fraction of a second for enhanced safety. Husqvarna K1 PACE is the start of a growing family of products in the new PACE battery system.
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LABOR from page 1
In a labor report, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) noted that BLS statistics put worker numbers at 225,000 below the pre-pandemic peak of February 2020.
Nonresidential construction employment shrank by 21,800 in May and was 260,000 below the February 2020 level, reported AGCchief economist Ken Simonson.
“A total of 642,000 former construction workers were unemployedin May, a sharp decline from May 2020 but the second-highest May level since 2014,” he wrote.
The industry’s unemployment rate in May was 6.7 percent, compared to 12.7 percent in May 2020.
For total construction, hourly earnings in April averaged $32.59, 8 percent more than the average for the nonfarm private sector.
But over the past two years this premium shrank by 2.2 percentage points from 10.2 percent in April 2019.
This implies that “the financial attractiveness of construction may be diminishing as other sectors that are expanding faster raise pay to attract more workers,” said Simonson.
The premium diminished the most for employees of heavy and civil engineering construction firms (minus 4.5 points, from 16 percent above the private-sector average in April 2019 to 11.5 percent in April 2021).
Residential building firms (from an 8.8 percent premium to 6 percent), specialty trade contractors (6.1 percent to 5 percent), and nonresidential building firms (25.4 percent to 24.5 percent) followed.
Citing BLS data, the AGC reported there were 357,000 job openings in construction, seasonally adjusted, at the end of April.
Hires in April totaled 335,000 or 4.5 of the employment total for the month. “Apart from the pandemic-depressed 3.1 percent rate in 2020, the rate was the lowest for April in the 21-year history of the series,” said Simonson.
The job openings rate (4.6 percent) was the second-highest total for any month since the series began in December 2000, he added.
Recruiting Headaches
Recruiting construction workers can be more expensive than keeping them on the job.
“Many young employees know little about the industry,” said Blair Chenault, CEO of construction software provider Flashtract.
In a blog on his company’s website, Chenault wrote that long-term workers have been the backbone of the industry.
“As these workers reach retirement age in droves, younger workers aren’t stepping in to fill the available positions.” Younger workers believe the construction industry is unstable, he said.
Another big reason: The encouragement to seek higher education equals discouragement from manual jobs like construction.
Plus, construction comes with safety hazards that make proper training a vital part of the industry, he wrote.
Pell grants to cover college vocational programs, childcare for parents in training and basic computer skills are suggestions to make construction careers more attractive.
Presidential Pains In the Classroom
Staffing shortfalls differ among industries. Those sectors growing the fastest are likely to have the most difficulties, according to the article.
Geographically, some regions will suffer more severe labor shortages than others.
Hechinger noted that Omaha, Neb., companies can’t find enough plumbers, electricians and mechanics,and the region’s colleges can’t keep up with the demand for skilled trades workers.
Traditionally, community colleges have braced the nation’s workforce and more than 40 percent of undergraduate students, are enrolled in them.
Many have chosen vocational fields responsible for keeping the country’s infrastructure running.
But the biggest challenge is affording qualified instructors and cutting-edge equipment.
The White House’s plan to alleviate supply-chain disruptions could create other burdens.
While boosting labor numbers and training, the proposal would increase the cost of doing construction business, believes the AGC.
Association officials want the Biden administration to address rising materials costs and growing labor shortages.
Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s CEO, said Biden’s supply-chain program “would limit the ability of workers and employers to fill needed construction positions.”
He believes that imposing mandated hiring percentages, inflexible labor agreements and artificially high pay rates will cut the number of firms and workers available for infrastructure and other construction programs.
The president could provide immediate relief from soaring lumber, steel and aluminum prices by removing tariffs and quotas, he said.
“Unfortunately, the president’s recommendations ignore that quickand effective approach,” Sandherr said.
AGC also wants an end to unemployment insurance supplements they believe are encouraging qualified workers to stay off the job.
“Washington’s tariffs are making materials more expensive whileits unemployment supplements are making workers more hesitant to return to payrolls,” said Sandherr.
And national nonprofit newsroom The Hechinger Report noted that Biden’s ambitious infrastructure plan runs up against a potential construction labor shortage.
It attributes the shortage to “a years-long failure to train the kinds of workers needed to do it.”
Biden’s plan would beef up U.S. highways, bridges, water facilities, power plants and the country’s electrical grid.
The industry’s ongoing struggle with labor shortages will make it tough to catch up to the demand created by the national infrastructure push.
One, it takes months, and sometimes years, to train a trades worker to be proficient at his or her profession. Two, the “silver tsunami” of retirees among the construction labor pool has the industry worried about filling jobs.
The Brookings Institution estimates about 10 percent, or about 1.5 million people, will leave their infrastructure jobs every year over the next decade, noted Hechinger.
Solutions to Stay Afloat
Baywork, a San Francisco area coalition of water agencies, has created apprenticeship programs to get students that experience while they’re in school, reported Hechinger. “Utility managers believe this approach will solve some staffing problems.” Some agencies in the area have agreed to hold community college classes at their plants. It cuts down on students’ commute times and provides practical experience. Construction work comes with safety hazards that Oakland’s Dublin San Ramon make proper training critical. Training long-term employees is well worth the cost and time, but new employees can be unpredictable. Services District is offering plant tours and job fairs to boost interest in water jobs. “We have to market these jobs and make sure high-school kids who are smart consider it,” said Levi Fuller, district wastewater operations superintendent. Gender and diversity, as well, plague construction sectors. Brookings found that more than 82 percent of power plant workers are white. And, 82 percent of infrastructure workers are men. “A more diverse workforce would help fill jobs, but it will take broader steps to complete the slew of infrastructure projects proposed by the administration,” wrote Hechinger. A “few relatively easy fixes” the article lists include allowing Pell grants to pay for short-term college vocational programs.
see LABOR page 72
