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WATCH // CASE PARTNERSHIP AIMED AT BUILDING BRIDGE BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOLERS, CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Case Construction Equipment has unveiled a new educational partnership designed to attract young people to work in the construction industry. According to recent figures, the industry is short about 546,000 workers.

Case is teaming up with nonprofit Crew Collaborative to sponsor and help build 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.”

MONICA ZIEGLER PROMOTED TO SUNBELT EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER

Sunbelt Rentals promoted Monica Ziegler to executive vice president and chief people officer, where she will serve on the executive committee and lead efforts to advance the strategy and culture of the organization.

“The greatest way to support our team members is to invest in them,” said Sunbelt Rentals CEO Brendan Horgan. “Monica’s efforts have already proven to be invaluable to our organization, and with her vision, we will further our peoplefirst strategy.” https://rnt.news/lr4shy https://rnt.news/dlveh8

Since 2021, Ziegler has been the vice president of talent and development for Sunbelt Rentals. In this position, she was instrumental in continuing the path to progression for employees by enhancing succession planning and leadership development. Prior to joining the organization, Ziegler held several leadership roles at a large automotive parts company.

Those interested in potentially mentoring high schoolers about the construction industry can find more information and sign up for updates at CrewCollab. org/Framework.

Ipaf Releases New Guidance On Avoiding Contact With Power Lines

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) released new guidance outlining key principles and ways to reduce risks when using mobile elevating work platforms in the vicinity of power lines, with the aim of helping to reduce electrocution.

“By analyzing data from the past 10 years of accident reporting via IPAF’s portal, it’s evident that incidents involving electrocutions and electric shocks have notably increased since 2015. One standout statistic is that reported incidents of electrocution are nearly always fatal,” said Brian Parker, IPAF head of safety and technical. “Working in the vicinity of energized power lines can expose workers to health and safety risks including death by electrocution or electric shock. If a MEWP or its occupants contact energized power lines, it can cause instant death, electric shock or other injuries caused directly or indirectly by electricity. Equally serious can be the effect of electricity arcing from the power line to a MEWP and its occupants.”

The new guidance document is entitled Safe Use of MEWPs in the Vicinity of Power Lines https://rnt.news/puw8v7

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT MARKET OUTLOOK: CHALLENGES PERSIST, BUT LONG-TERM HOPES REMAIN HIGH

The equipment manufacturing industry is still recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly three years after its onset.

With in mind, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) regularly surveys its members regarding their thoughts on various economic trends and how they are affecting their efforts to do business. In the latest survey, most respondents stated that they are still experiencing supply chain issues, with many saying that conditions continue to worsen.

Here are some of the driving forces and key points from AEM’s Q1 webinar on what equipment manufacturers in the construction industry will be facing for the remainder of this year, according to presenter Danny Richards, lead economist, construction, at Global Data.

■ Global construction output growth slowed in 2022 and is to remain sluggish in 2023.

■ Investment in infrastructure, as well as in energy and utilities, will be driving forces for growth.

■ The industry is optimistic as it tracks $3.6 billion in projects across multiple sectors.

■ The decline in construction output is expected to slow in 2023.

https://rnt.news/2hzsoy

TAX ALERT: BONUS DEPRECIATION IS BEING PHASED OUT IN 2023

One of the more robust tax incentives over the past several years has been Bonus Depreciation. The popular tax deduction begins a phase-out in 2023. This tax provision allowed companies to accelerate depreciation on purchased equipment to the year it was purchased and write the amount off on their taxes. This made it especially useful to construction companies who make large-ticket capital equipment purchases.

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 expanded Bonus Depreciation to 100 percent of an item’s purchase price, and it has been at that level since. This means a company could depreciate and write off the entire cost of purchases in the year they were acquired. This had a marked effect on lowering the tax obligations of companies who purchased equipment. However, written into that 2017 Act was a planned phase-out, which begins in 2023. Since minimizing taxes is high on any company’s wish list, those entities that relied on Bonus Depreciation to lower their taxes should be aware of the changes.

https://rnt.news/fqoo03

Ryder System To Expand Lease And Rental Fleet With Brightdrop Evs

Ryder System, a company offering supply chain, dedicated transportation and fleet management solutions, will introduce 4,000 BrightDrop Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 electric vans to its lease and rental fleet through 2025, with the first 200 to be ordered this year.

The announcement underscores the company’s ongoing efforts to meet demand across the transportation and logistics industries for commercial electric vehicles (EVs). The expanded offering will enable Ryder customers to test and broaden their EV footprint, support the driver experience and accelerate their sustainability initiatives.

The Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 electric vans feature a range of up to 250 miles on a full charge and can support a payload of about 2,000 to 3,400 pounds. With Zevo 600’s cargo capacity of more than 600 cubic feet and Zevo 400’s cargo capacity of more than 400 cubic feet, BrightDrop’s electric vans feature an electric powertrain with ample cargo space. Ryder plans to deploy model year 2023 Zevo 600 electric vans in its rental fleet in California, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and New York City later this year. The new 2024 Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 models for lease and rental customers are expected to be available as early as summer 2023 and into the first quarter of 2024.

https://rnt.news/eb4fgh

BY SARAH WEBB, EDITOR