On-Site Magazine

July/August 2011

www.on-sitemag.com

SPECIAL REPORT

TIER 4 IS COMING. ARE YOU READY?

THE 2011

LIFTING ISSUE

CRANES, TELEHANDLERS & AWPS

PLUS:

KEEPING TRACK OF TOOLS

IN THIS ISSUE: Wheel loader vs. tool carrier Taking safety to greater heights

PM #40069240

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Competitive financing available through Daimler Truck Financial. For the Freightliner Trucks Dealer nearest you, call 1-800-FTL-HELP. www.freightlinertrucks.com. FTL-MC-A-1052.

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Š2011, Daimler Trucks North America, LLC. All rights reserved. Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company.

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2. ca

MEET THE ALL-NEW SEVERE DUTY WORK TRUCK. Notice something different? That’s called work. Real, gritty, put-your-back-into-it, work. Which is exactly what the Severe Duty line-up was made for. These trucks are designed to easily maneuver their way out of everything from a budget crunch to the trenches of a work site. And with a chassis engineered for clear back of cab, body upfit is easy, no matter what sort of duty calls. There’s work.

And there’s SD work. Check out all the new work trucks at FreightlinerTrucks.com/WorkSmart

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PROFITABILITY

PRODUCTIVITY

Digging, hauling, dumping. Demand it all with the Detroit Diesel DD13 ® BlueTec ® engine. The high torque and power ratings of the DD13 take care of all your heavy lifting. And with BlueTec SCR emissions technology you can lower your fuel costs

Colors:

4cp

by up to 5%*. Not bad for a day’s work.

Check out how the DD13 works for your business at DetroitDiesel.com.

DDC-EMC-OTH-0068-0311. *Comparing a DD13 EPA 2010 engine with BlueTec emissions technology to a similarly spec’ed DD13 EPA 2007 with comparable engine ratings and load weights. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Detroit Diesel Corporation is registered to ISO 9001:2008. Copyright © Detroit Diesel Corporation. All rights reserved. Detroit Diesel Corporation is a Daimler company.

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 55, NO.5 July/August 2011

DEPARTMENTS 7 Comment

It’s never too late

8 16

News Industry news

Construction Stats Value of building permits, investment in non-residential construction and employment

COLUMNS 48 Software

Do more with less

SPECIAL FEATURE 18 SPECIAL REPORT

Tier 4 is coming. Will you be ready?

FEATURES 24 Telehandlers are on the rise

50

Risk

52

Funny Photo

54

Contractors and the Law

51

Index of Advertisers

What about after the project is complete?

Funny Photo contest, Calendar of events

The importance of timing

Telehandlers are being used in more applications than ever before, and in some jobs are a cost-effective alternative to other kinds of construction machinery.

30

Bigger, faster, stronger

36

Taking safety to greater heights

Have we gone as far as we should go with crane technology?

Patience, staying alert and training are key when operating an aerial work platform (AWP).

39

All decked out

43

Wheel loader vs. tool carrier

24

30

43

54

Precast deck panels help put Alberta bridge projects on the fast track.

Picking the right material handler saves time and improves productivity. But how do you know which one to choose?

July/August 2011 | On-Site

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Introducing the Case N-Series. It’s everything we know. And everything we’ve heard. You said you wanted an easier way to load up the trucks, so we gave the joystick a thumb-activated integrated auxiliary control valve for effortless single control dumping. You demanded more control over your transmission, so we created the SmartClutch™ feature that allows customized modulation.

And you asked for a stronger, more versatile hoe, so we gave the N-Series greater lift height combined with the lift capacity of an eight-ton excavator.

And the industry’s best subterranean digging performance – perfect for breaking up ground; any type, any season. Ready to learn more?

Go to caseNseries.com.

©2011 CNH America LLC. All rights reserved. Case is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC. www.casece.com

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Corinne Lynds

COMMENT

www.on-sitemag.com • Fax: 416-510-5140

Publisher | Peter Leonard (416) 510-6847 PLeonard@on-sitemag.com Editor/Editorial Director | Corinne Lynds (416) 510-6821 CLynds@on-sitemag.com Contributing Editor | James A. Barnes Art Director | Melissa Crook (416) 442-5600 x3260 MCrook@on-sitemag.com Account Manager | David Skene (416) 510-6884 DSkene@on-sitemag.com Account Manager | John Chiasson (416) 510-6791 JChiasson@on-sitemag.com Sales & Marketing Coordinator | Kim Rossiter 416-510-6794 KRossiter@bizinfogroup.ca Production Manager | Karen Samuels 416-510--5190 KSamuels@bizinfogroup.ca Circulation Manager | Selina Rahaman (416) 442-5600 x3528 SRahaman@bizinfogroup.ca Published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON M3B 2S9 BIG Magazines LP Vice-President of Canadian Publishing | Alex Papanou President of Business Information Group | Bruce Creighton SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada $81.00 per year, Outside Canada US$139.00 per year, Single Copy Canada $13.00. On-Site is published 7 times per year except for occasional combined, expanded or premium issues, which count as two subscription issues.

Privacy Notice From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374 Fax: 416-442-2191 E-mail: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail to: Privacy Officer, 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON M3B 2S9 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 40070230 On-Site receives unsolicited materials (including letters to the editor, press releases, promotional items and images) from time to time.

On-Site, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, re-publish, distribute, store and archive such unsolicited submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort.

DISCLAIMER This publication is for informational purposes only.

The content and “expert” advice presented are not intended as a substitute for informed professional engineering advice. You should not act on information contained in this publication without seeking specific advice from qualified engineering professionals.

Canadian publications Mail Sales Product Agreement 40069240 Established in 1957, On-Site is published by BIG Magazines LP a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. Inc. ISSN: 1910-118X We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

Content copyright ©2011 by BIG Magazines LP, may not be reprinted without permission.

MEMBERS OF

Canadian Association of Equipment Distributors

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It’s never too late

W

hen I was little more than 22, freshly graduated from journalism school, I had dreams of traveling the world, hitch-hiking through Europe, teaching English in Japan and working as a reporter somewhere in the backwoods of New Zealand. Then reality, that cruel mistress, sent me a wakeup call in the form of a student loan bill. A few weeks later I jumped at the chance to work as an assistant editor on a Canadian engineering magazine.

Some 14 years later, I haven’t yet checked everything off that early “to-do” list, but my work has given me the opportunity to travel, see new products and meet some very interesting people along the way.

I bet a lot of you had similar “to-do” lists back when you were still in school. Well, if you aren’t already realizing those early ambitions, it’s never too late.

Earlier this month I stumbled across an interesting website that had me reminiscing about those early travel ambitions. It’s called www.constructionjobs.ie and it is part of Specialist Job Boards Ltd., a group of niche job boards focused on the construction and energy sectors. The websites cater to construction, engineering and energy professionals who are seeking work in Ireland, UK, Middle East, Americas, Asia and New Zealand.

Visitors to the site can search construction jobs by sector, job title and location. They can post their CV in the “Jobseeker Members” section, and sign up to have relevant job posts emailed directly to them as they come up.

The quick trial search I conducted under the “Construction Management” category in the “Australia and New Zealand” region brought up eight recent job postings. They included listings for a Construction Foreman, Senior Bid Leader and Construction Manager. Some were permanent positions, and others were contract projects for jobs lasting anywhere from a few months up to a few years.

As fascinating and seemingly extensive as this website appeared at first, I soon discovered that it’s not terribly unique. There are several sites out there offering similar services, such as: construction-jobs-overseas.com; www.go4constructionjobs.com; and www.globesterjobs.com, just to name a few. Many of the big name job sites also offer international categories.

Most of us aren’t exactly college kids anymore, so picking up and moving your business to the Middle East might not go over so well with the family. That said, a three-month contract could be an exciting change of pace.

Your construction skills and knowledge are invaluable on job sites around the world. And the experience you gain while working abroad will only give you greater perspective on how we run our businesses here in Canada. We spend so much of our daily lives at work, it only makes sense to find new and potentially exciting ways to broaden our skills and experience.

So what do you think? Is it time to start packing?

Canadian Construction Association

11-08-15 12:19 PM

Industry News The Edmonton-based Habitat for Humanity affiliate will recieve $100,000 toward a one-home build to be located in Anderson Gardens.

photo: Habitat for Humanity

PCL gives $1M “hand up” to Habitat for Humanity PCL’s president and CEO Paul Douglas presented a cheque for one million dollars to Susan Green, chair of Habitat for Humanity Edmonton (HFHE). The

donation is a strong community statement as it will have a major impact on affordable housing by supporting Habitat’s mission throughout North America.

The announcement took place at PCL’s North American Headquarters in

Edmonton since the local Habitat affiliate will be the recipient of $100,000 toward a one-home build. The PCL-sponsored home will be located in Anderson Gardens, which is the largest Habitat Built Green site in Canada.

While $100,000 of PCL’s one-milliondollar donation will go towards a onehome build in Edmonton, the remainder of the donation will be distributed to other Habitat affiliates across Canada and the United States over a two-year period.

Anderson Gardens is the biggest build in HFHE’s history and the biggest Built Green Project in Canada. The project will be home to 47 families when completed.

In 2011, funds from PCL’s donation will also go to support building projects in Winnipeg, Seattle, Anchorage and Los Angeles.

New hospital project brings construction jobs to Oakville Infrastructure Ontario and Halton Healthcare Services announced Hospital Infrastructure Partners has signed a fixed-price contract to design, build, finance and maintain the new replacement Oakville Hospital.

The construction team, comprised of EllisDon Corporation, Fengate Capital Management and Carillion Canada Inc., will begin construction August 2011 with work on site services. The project is expected to be complete by summer 2015.

The hospital project is a significant economic opportunity for suppliers and contractors in Halton Region and the Greater Toronto Area. At the peak of construction, Hospital Infrastructure Partners estimates more than 1,100 workers will be on site daily.

The hospital will be designed and built to meet the Canada Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, with a goal of achieving LEED Silver certification.

The value of the contract with Hospital Infrastructure Partners is approximately $2 billion. Over the 30-year life of the contract, when adjustments for anticipated inflation are made, the contract value is $2.7 billion (nominal). The contract cost covers the design and construction of the facility, building maintenance, life-cycle repair and renewal, as well as project financing.

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On-Site | July/August 2011

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INDUSTRY NEWS Rehabilitation of the Huron Central Railway begins

Aecon awarded $64 million in highway contracts Aecon Group Inc. has been awarded three contracts valued at $64 million for highway construction work in Ontario.

Under a $29-million contract with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Aecon will upgrade the northbound lanes of Hwy 400 along a 16.2-km stretch, from Hwy 11 to Hwy 93 north of Barrie.

Work on the project includes earth grading, installing the granular base and paving the roadway, as well as electrical work and the installation of storm drains and culverts. In addition, four existing highway structures will be rehabilitated. Construction is expected to be complete by November 2013.

This award follows two other highway projects totaling $35 million awarded to Aecon for the upgrade of Highway 407 ETR near Toronto. Under these contracts, Aecon will widen the Hwy 407 median along a 10-km stretch from Hwy 401 to Trafalgar Road and add sewers, install overhead signs and raise the concrete base grade of the high mast lighting on an 18-km stretch of Hwy 407 from Hwy 400 to Hwy 404. Work on these projects has begun and is scheduled for completion by early fall of this year.

Bird Construction Inc. to acquire H.J. O’Connell

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Toronto-based Bird Construction Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of H.J. O’Connell, Limited.

The $77.5-million purchase price will be funded with approximately $33.5 million of existing working capital, $30 million through equipment financing and $15 million by way of vendor take back financing.

H.J. O’Connell has been involved in the heavy construction, civil construction and contract surface mining sectors since 1931 with operations in Newfoundland & Labrador, Northern Quebec and Manitoba. There is no geographic market sector overlap between the current operations of Bird and H.J. O’Connell. Its diversified business includes mining, energy, industrial and infrastructure construction markets, with specialization in northern and remote—site related projects.

Key members of H.J. O’Connell’s executive and management teams have agreed to remain as employees and to assist Bird in the management of H.J. O’Connell’s ongoing operations.

The acquisition is to be complete by the end of August.

Bryan Hayes, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, David Orazietti, Member of Provincial Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie and Mario Brault, president of Huron Central Railway (HCR), have marked the start of construction for the railway rehabilitation of portions of the 288km rail line from Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie, including a branch from McKerrow to Espanola.

The capital rehabilitation of the Huron Central Railway will ensure its long-term safety, efficiency and capacity by upgrading it to North-American standards. The rail line connecting Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie is a significant component of the transportation network in Northern Ontario. It provides direct freight rail access to at least 26 communities and First Nations and indirect rail access to numerous other Northeastern Ontario communities.

This investment will offer an opportunity for industrial growth and new jobs and establish the foundation for the expansion of industries and the development of new ones. Improving this rail line will also ensure long-term environmental benefits by reducing truck traffic as well as long-term safety on the existing line.

The total cost of the project is approximately $33.3 million.

The Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario will each contribute up to $15 million. The Huron Central Railway will provide the remaining funding.

Western region

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eAstern region

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www.smsequip.com July/August 2011 | On-Site

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INDUSTRY NEWS

MaRS Centre Phase 2 set for completion Fall 2013 MaRS Discovery District has announced that construction of MaRS Centre Phase 2 (www.marsdd.com/phase2) will proceed.

According to the company, the 20-storey state-of-the-art convergence centre, a substantial expansion of the facility, will enable MaRS to accelerate its role as a catalyst of innovation in the launching and growth of new science and technology businesses.

To complete the development of MaRS Centre Phase 2, MaRS is partnering with the Province of Ontario and continuing its relationship with Alexandria, a life science developer and owner.

The current MaRS Centre is at full occupancy, and cannot meet the increasing demand for space from both institutional and business tenants. MaRS Centre Phase 2, directly adjacent to the existing facility, will offer tenants co-located technologically advanced laboratory and office space; award-winning communications and information technology capabilities; access

to a large multi-function conference centre; and collaboration opportunities with other MaRS tenants and partners across Canada and around the globe.

Strongco begins construction on Orillia Branch Strongco has begun construction on a new branch in Orillia,Ont. Site work commenced this month on a 1.5-acre parcel of land in Progress Park on the outskirts of Orillia. The property is strategically located between Strongco outlets in Sudbury to the north and Mississauga to the south.

The new branch will be branded as Volvo and will carry other complementary brands in support of end user markets in the area.

“Orillia is an ideal location for a new branch in south-central Ontario to enable us to improve service to key customers and enhance our market position,” said Bob Dryburgh, president and chief executive officer. “We have a large quarry and aggregates industry customer base within a 50-mile radius of the city, particularly on the east side of Lake Simcoe.”

Strongco expects to open the new 10,500 square-foot branch in October.

Why invest the time to get to know our clients?

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it all starts with building a great relationship.

Strong relationships with over 7,000 real estate and construction clients across Canada have proven our commitment.

BDO. MORE THAN YOU THINK.

Assurance | Accounting | Tax | Advisory www.bdo.ca BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms.

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On-Site | July/August 2011

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IN BRIEF

Graham Group Ltd. was recently named a CIO 100 honouree.

Each year, the CIO 100 Awards honour 100 companies that demonstrate excellence and achievement in Information Technology. The process for choosing honourees is systematic and highly competitive. A team of 42 judges reviews applications and look for companies that are using IT in innovative ways to deliver competitive advantage to the enterprise and enable growth.

For the first time, Graham has been named to this list, due in large part to Toolbox, an in-house, integrated suite of applications tailored specifically for construction operations and project delivery.

Strongco Corporation has entered into an agreement with Ormet SpA of Italy to be the exclusive dealer for Ormet Jekko minicrane products for Canada. Jekko minicranes are compact crawler cranes equipped with outriggers that provide lifting and material handling capabilities for confined working areas.

These versatile machines have lifting capacities ranging from 1.2 to 4.0 tonnes. Applications include mechanical contracting, glass handling and installation, steel erection, HVAC and landscaping. Strongco will market and support the products through its Canadian branch network.

SNC-Lavalin is reinforcing its environmental expertise with the acquisition of MDH Engineered Solutions, an engineering consulting & research firm based in Saskatoon, Sask. In business since 1980, MDH Engineered Solutions provides geo-environmental, geotechnical, hydrogeological and environmental engineering consulting services to the mining, oil & gas, transportation, utility and government sectors. The firm has approximately 175 permanent employees working in offices in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and Esterhazy, Sask., and in Edmonton and Fort McMurray, Alta.

Mississauga, Ont.-based Ammann Canada has appointed Michael (Mike) Byron as the company’s first product support manager — North America.

Byron has represented some of the world’s top brand names in compaction rollers and light compaction equipment through a career in the equipment industry that spans more than 30 years. Well-grounded in equipment maintenance and paving applications, he also brings a sound foundation in parts and service management to his Mike Byron, Ammann’s new position.

Product Support Manager— North America.

July/August 2011 | On-Site

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INDUSTRY NEWS Construction begins on Ripley Aquarium next to CN Tower Mayor Rob Ford and Michael Chan, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, announced at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in August that construction has begun on Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. To be built at the base of the CN Tower, the aquarium will be home to more than 10,000 different species of marine animals and will include a large underwater tunnel from which visitors will be able to view the sea life.

Building an aquarium is no small challenge, according to Jim Pattison Jr., Ripley’s Orlando-based president. “The closest equivalent is a nuclear plant.

We’ve got these huge tanks, we have to quarantine and prepare the animals, we make our own salt water and recycle most of our water. It’s very complex.”

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12

City of Toronto officials and Ripley’s has been relatively tight-lipped about the financials, but industry sources have pegged the company’s contribution at about $110 million. The city, by comparison, is expected to provide roughly $10 million in tax breaks, with millions more from the provincial and possibly federal governments.

Despite being located on a relatively small plot of land, the Toronto aquarium, at about 150,000 square feet, it will be bigger than the Ripley’s aquariums in Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The new aquarium will include crowd-pleasing sharks, rays and colourful marine life, but it also plans to have a significant focus on fish of the Great Lakes and other parts of Canada.

Construction on the aquarium is expected to be complete in the summer of 2013.

On-Site | July/August 2011

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SAFETY NEWS

COR values: Ontario moves forward on safety Associations partner on program as Dean Panel delivers report

By Jim Barnes

C

onstruction safety in Ontario has had its share of the spotlight, recently. The Dean Panel on Occupational Health and Safety delivered its proposals on OHS to the Ontario government late last year. At the same time, two industry associations—the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) and Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA)— began collaborating on a Certificate of Recognition Program (COR) for Ontario contractors that is now just being launched.

Early in 2010, the Minister of Labour appointed an Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety, chaired by Tony Dean, a retired senior civil servant and a professor at the University of Toronto. The panel included health and safety experts from labour and employers, as well as academics. It was asked to recommend structural, operational and policy improvements to Ontario’s OHS system.

While its recommendations were wide-ranging and touched every aspect of the OHS system, the development of an accreditation program for the industry was seen as a priority.

The program developed by the two associations was a proactive move. “We’re in a continual period of change with respect to health and safety delivery. Once everything was sorted out, we wanted our members to have something in place, to be ready and to be proactive,” notes Michael Burke, vice president of Client Services at IHSA. IHSA was founded in January 2010, when the Construction Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO), the Electrical & Utilities Safety Association of Ontario and the Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario amalgamated.

“Having some sort of COR (Certificate of Recognition) program had long been a recommendation of CSAO,” says Burke, and IHSA’s Provincial Labour/Management Section 21 Committee included advocacy for such a program in its submission to the Dean Panel.

COR is a certification-type program that follows the National Audit Standard set out by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations. The template is used across Canada and is adapted to provincial requirements.

There was a sense of urgency in developing a program. “…

We believe it would be most helpful, and ultimately contribute to their maximum effectiveness in this sector, for the construction industry to have experience with piloting and implementing a Certificate of Recognition program right away,” noted IHSA CEO Al Beattie.

The Certification of Recognition safety program began as a pilot project in July.

OGCA, too, was eager to see movement on accreditation.

Its Safety Committee recommended changes to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Safety Group program for 2011 that would allow member firms to participate in a COR program.

The members had asked for a replacement for the Safety Group program, says David Frame, director of Government Relations. The Veterans Program in the Safety Group was closing down, and companies that wanted to cooperate on health and safety excellence were left without a program.

The collaboration with IHSA, also pursuing COR, began early in 2011, says Frame.

The development of an accreditation/certification program had been under discussion since before the Dean Panel report.

The two associations partnered on a sector-specific audit program for a workplace health and safety management system.

The resulting program was taken to the COR national body to be approved. That program is now being rolled out as a pilot project;

July/August 2011 | On-Site

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SAFETY NEWS

Dean proposals The Dean Panel proposals called for closer integration among all prevention activities, more clearly defined roles and stronger lines of accountability to a chief executive responsible for prevention.

The chief executive would report directly to the Minister of Labour and would work with the Deputy Minister of Labour and a Prevention Council to develop an integrated OHS strategy.

The panel also recommended that an implementation team and an interim Prevention Council be established as soon as possible, to work closely with labour and employer stakeholders to implement the critical, early priorities.

The panel put some priority on cost-effectiveness: it says that its recommendations can be fully funded within the current spending allocation. Further regulatory requirements should be focused on filling gaps and tackling demonstrated risks.

In summary, the panels’ specific proposals were: • Better methods of gathering and sharing information to track performance and identify current and emerging risk factors—including those in the underground economy.

• Recognition and incentives for high-performing employers and shared best practices, with a focus on the needs of smaller employers.

• More involvement from workplace parties in decisions about OHS system priorities.

• Training to improve knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of workers and supervisors.

• Rigorous training that sets minimum standards for high-risk activities, such as working at heights—with tougher penalties for non-compliance.

• Addressing the needs of vulnerable workers who may face challenges in understanding and exercising their rights and responsibilities.

• More collaboration and integration between agencies delivering health and safety services and a more flexible range of enforcement tools for inspectors.

• Extending senior management’s leadership in building a culture of health and safety and worker involvement. This includes an effective health and safety management system and Joint Health and Safety Committees and Health and Safety Representatives.

• Improved accountability for spending and results, to facilitate performance measurement and transparent reporting on progress.

14

the first training rolled out in July and continues through August and September.

“We thought, let’s offer this as a pilot program, and see how it works,” says Burke. Experience with this program will be used to refi ne the concept. Frame expects a review of the program by the end of the year. “Changes will be made,” he says. “Hopefully, it will be more widely available as a full program.”

The COR program is being delivered at the Centre for Health and Safety Innovation in Mississauga Ont.

Registration is open to all applicable IHSA member firms.

Some 21 firms registered soon after the program launched and there are many more now. “We have had a good response from the public,” says Burke.

To enter the program, a firm must be registered with a WSIB construction rate number and have a WSIB clearance certificate in good standing.

There are four elements to the mandatory training:

• Concepts of Health and Safety Management: to be taken by a senior manager and one full-time employee (half day).

• Internal Auditor Training: one full-time employee (two days).

• Health and Safety Reps Program: one full-time employee (five days).

• Principles of Effective Training: one full-time employee (three days).

The program is being delivered at the Centre for Health and Safety Innovation in Mississauga, Ont.

Jim Barnes is On-Site’s contributing editor. Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.

On-Site | July/August 2011

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CONSTRUCTION STATS A SELECTION OF DATA REFLECTING TRENDS IN THE CANADIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Total value of permits

Building permits up again in June Municipalities issued building permits worth $6.6 billion in June, up 2.1 per cent from May, when growth was 20.9 per cent. The increase in June was largely attributable to higher construction intentions for industrial and institutional buildings in Ontario and multi-family dwellings in British Columbia. The value of permits in the non-residential sector rose 3.0 per cent to $2.8 billion in June, following a 51.1 per cent increase in May. Industrial and institutional buildings in Ontario and Quebec were behind much of the advance in the non-residential sector.

$ billions 7.4 7.0 6.6 6.2 5.8 5.4 5.0 4.6 4.2 3.8 3.4 3.0 J J 2008

J

J

2009

2010

J 2011

Investment in non-residential building construction edges up

Employment thousands 17,600

Investment in commercial building construction reached $6.5 billion in the second quarter, up 0.8 per cent from the previous quarter. This was the sixth consecutive quarterly increase and reflected higher spending in the construction of office, transportation buildings, and retail and wholesale outlets in several provinces.

17,400 17,200

17,000 16,800

Investment in non-residential building construction

16,600

$ billions 12

J 2008

J 2009

J 2010

J 2011

Employment up in June Employment rose for the third consecutive month, up 28,000 in June. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.4 per cent as the number of people participating in the labour market increased. For the third consecutive month, employment in construction was little changed.

However, the number of people working in this industry has increased by 3.2 per cent (+39,000) since June 2010.

J

seasonally adjusted

11 10 9 8 7

II III IV I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV I II 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Source: Statistics Canada

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11-08-11 5:01 PM

B AT Fa

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L A I C E P S T R O P E R

Special RepORt / tieR 4

WHAT EVERY CONTRACTOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT tieR 4 The Volvo EC480D excavator is Tier 4i-certified.

By Corinne Lynds

EMISSIONS REGULATIONS SHOULD WEIGH HEAVILY IN YOUR EQUIPMENT PURCHASE DECISIONS

W

e’ve been hearing a lot about Tier 4 Interim (Tier 4i) and Tier 4 Final (Tier 4f ) emission regulations over the past year, but what does it really mean for your construction business?

Realistically, the impact on machine operators will be relatively transparent at first. There’s no pressure to run out tomorrow and replace all your equipment. The onus is on manufacturers to build new Tier 4i-compliant equipment to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions regulations. Canada will begin its transition to Tier 4i in 2012 in order to align itself with the U.S.

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At this juncture, you may be thinking: “If I don’t need to run out and buy new equipment, why should I care about these new regulations?” Don’t flip the page just yet!

This new engine technology might not be important to you today, but next year when you’re looking to buy a new machine, things are going to be different. Sticker prices are likely to be significantly higher, and the lingo surrounding the equipment itself is becoming much more complex. Acronyms such as CEGR, SCR, DEF and DPF are becoming regular industry terms. In order to make an informed buying decision, you need to understand

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what Tier 4i emissions regulations are all about, why they’re important and how they’ll change the way you operate and maintain your equipment.

a little hiStORYl The construction equipment industry has been developing emissions-related product innovations since 1996 when off-highway diesels first became subject to EPA emissions regulations.

Each successive tier change has introduced new technologies to achieve reductions in harmful exhaust emissions—particulate matter (PM) or soot and oxides of nitrogen or “NOx”, which is the primary contributor to the formation of smog.

The current Tier 3 emissions standard is transitioning to Tier 4i this year in the U.S. for engines >75 hp. The transition to Tier 4i represents the most significant reduction in emissions to date: 50 per cent reduction in NOx emissions vs. Tier 3, and 90 per cent reduction in PM emissions vs. Tier 3.

The Tier 4i emissions standard will be replaced by the Tier 4f standards starting in 2013 for engines <75 hp and phasing in for all engines <1,200 hp by 2015. Tier 4f regulations require an additional 80 per cent reduction in NOx emissions from Tier 4i. Tier 4f engines will ultimately produce “near zero” emissions levels— which means in many locations cleaner exhaust air will be coming out of the engine than what went in!

unDeRStanDing the technOlOgYl There are two main paths equipment manufacturers are taking to achieve regulatory compliance. These complex and often costly technologies are: Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (CEGR) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).

CEGR uses a valve and a control system to recirculate cooled, inert gases from the exhaust manifold back into the intake manifold, resulting in lower combustion temperatures and reduced NOx. In use on both gasoline and diesel engines for quite some time, CEGR is very effective at controlling NOx. However, when used in diesel engines to comply with Tier 4i limits, it requires a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) in the exhaust system to capture the particulates that increase due to the lower combustion temperatures.

DPF regeneration means cleaning the filter by way of burning off soot that has accumulated in the filter during operation—a process needed to ensure proper engine and machine performance.

Under normal operating conditions, regeneration will

Warning for contractors doing work in the U.S. A special operational consideration for Canadian contractors is the different implementation schedules for Tier 4i compliance in Canada and the U.S. Effective January 1, 2011, the U.S. began requiring new machines with more than 174 hp to comply with Tier 4i standards, while the Canadian government is expected to enforce Tier 4i compliance sometime in early 2012. Canadian contractors who have purchased or will purchase new Tier 3-compliant machines in Canada anytime after January 1, 2011, may be prevented from using those machines in the U.S. Likewise, U.S. contractors operating in Canada who buy new Tier 3-certified machines in Canada this year may not be permitted to use those machine in the U.S. Source: Tim O’Brien, product manager, Case Construction Equipment

occur every eight to 10 hours and take between 20 and 60 minutes.

There’s no loss of machine performance and it will not interfere with the normal operation of the machine. The operator, however, will be fully aware of the status of regeneration due to safety and service criteria through electronic monitoring.

It is this regeneration process that is critical for machine operators to understand, and the focus of most Tier 4i operator training, according to Bruce Lough, training specialist at Strongco in Mississauga, Ont. “The biggest concern that we need to educate customers about is that when a piece of equipment is going through its regeneration process, there’s an elevated temperature out of the exhaust, and the operator needs to be aware of his environment; such as if he’s at a transfer station or working on woodchips or something like that. There is a risk there.”

The regeneration process works one of two ways (it depends on how the equipment manager has set up the system). In scenario No. 1 a machine operator is happily working away and an icon lights up on their dashboard saying “it’s time to regenerate,” and if the operator deems he’s in a safe location, he can go ahead and push the button and keep on working while the equipment takes care of cleaning itself.

John Deere PSX 13.5L Tier 4i engine July/August 2011 | On-Site

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Special RepORt / tieR 4 Volvo Tier 4i engine

In scenario No. 2, some equipment manufacturers have opted to have the machine automatically begin regeneration. In this scenario the machine operator also gets a “litup” icon on his dashboard, but it is up to him to turn off the regeneration process if he’s not currently in a safe location. The process is the same in both situations, but it’s key that operators understand what is happening so they can continue operating the equipment safely.

“The question I am most often asked when doing customer training is: What happens if I don’t push the button?” says Lough. He explains: “the regeneration process is essentially a filter on the muffler that collects soot. As soot levels increase they need to be burned off so the machine doesn’t get plugged up. That burning converts the soot to ash, which stays in the muffler,” explains Lough. The EPA rules dictate that the filter has to last 4,500 machine hours before it needs replacing.

In a SCR system, on the other hand, the engine is tuned for maximum efficiency. The higher combustion temperatures reduce PM levels (less unburned fuel makes for less PM/soot) but increase NOx levels. SCR is an after-treatment-only system that creates a chemical reaction by adding diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). This transforms the NOx into nitrogen and water, which occur naturally in the atmosphere. No particulate filter is required because PM levels are low due to the higher combustion temperatures.

SCR allows for a passive system that’s separate from the main engine function and does not compromise horsepower or torque. It doesn’t interfere with engine performance, and actually improves it, because it allows the engine to breathe more freely.

Mobile Off Highway Emissions Schedule

W a k r t n G

J The above is the mobile off-highway emissions schedule for the U.S. Canadian dates will be one year later before they are aligned.

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special Report / Tier 4 Cummins Tier 4i engine

“With the SCR system the only thing that you have to maintain is the DEF fluid,” explains Gino DiBenedetto, a heavy equipment product specialist with Case Construction Equipment in PEI. “There’s a gauge inside the machine, you fill it up like you would washer fluid in your car. It’s about 2.5 tanks of fuel to one tank of DEF.”

So who’s using what?L Manufacturers are somewhat divided in the technology that they’re using to meet Tier 4i and Tier 4f requirements. In fact, some manufacturers are currently using both technologies in a variety of applications.

“We are applying the technology that achieves the lowest operating costs, depending on each model’s engineering characteristics and application requirements,” says Tim O’Brien, marketing manager at Case Construction Equipment. “Our Tier 4 technology solutions integrate each model’s engine, hydraulic and electronic systems to achieve the most efficient and powerful performance.”

Caterpillar, Cummins, Volvo Construction Equipment and Deere have been proponents of using CEGR to reach Tier 4i compliance without adopting SCR, but the companies have indicated that adding some level of SCR may be necessary to reach final Tier 4 compliance.

Equipment manufacturers have literally spent years researching and developing their equipment to design machines that will meet these stringent emissions standards without compromising power and energy efficiency at the same time. All that research hasn’t come without a price.

When the EPA developed the Tier 4 regulations, it estimated the cost increase would be one to three per cent of the total equipment price. This, for example, would mean a $13,000 piece of equipment would rise by $760 and the cost of a $235,000 piece would rise by $2,590. Caterpillar announced late last year that prices on its equipment would increase by roughly two to six per cent in order to pay for the development and production of the new emissions technologies.

This increase is in line with what other manufacturers have publicly stated. “We’ve been told it’s about a $10,000 add-on to a piece of equipment 175 horsepower and up,” says Strongco’s Lough.

Todd Howe, global generator product manager at Doosan Infracore Portable Power in Charlotte, NC, points out the increase in cost in the compressor and generator category will be much more significant. “The engine in a compressor or generator is easily the single most expensive thing in the package and

Benefits of Selective Catalytic Reduction

Benefits of Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation

•R educed fuel consumption The very efficient combustion process reduces fuel consumption.

• Simple design The inherently simple design lowers long-term maintenance expenses.

• High performance The engine can do what it does best—generate power—because SCR is an after-treatment system.

• F amiliar technology The basic engine technology does not change dramatically from Tier 3, so service and maintenance measures remain familiar.

• No additive required There are no extra steps—nothing to add, no special measures for cold weather.

•N o special instructions CEGR requires no change in the way you operate your equipment.

• The Diesel Particulate Filter The diesel particulate filter (DPF) collects the PM and needs to be changed at regular intervals.

Diesel Exhaust Fluid • Easy to use Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank fill point is easily accessible and a warning light indicates when it needs refilling.

• Easy to find DEF will be readily available through your local dealer.

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Source: Case CE

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typically runs 35 to 50 per cent of the cost of the overall package.

We think that going to Tier 4 moves the needle on the complete machine price by 35 to 40 per cent potentially. It’s a huge thing for the industry to stomach, which is also why we have been trying very hard to get out in front of our customers and explain the technology so they won’t be surprised when this hits the market.”

Howe adds that increased efficiencies are being built into the new machines to improve productivity, but it will not be enough to off-set the significant price increase.

Market Impacts of Tier 4i Technology • Increased purchase price of new equipment.

• Operators will need training to properly use and understand regeneration strategies.

• New package designs to incorporate space for larger cooling systems, DPF systems, and potential future technologies needed for Tier 4f •D ealers will need to make bigger investments in service capabilities (technician training, service tools), to support these products

Collecting informationL Contractor knowledge of Tier 4 emissions regulations is growing steadily, and those firms that do business in the U.S. regulations are taking a much keener interest in the new technology. “As soon as you hear of these new tiers coming out as it relates to the engines, everybody runs around and is concerned about whether or not they should buy inventory now so they don’t have to deal with the unknowns,” says Kevin Dowhaniuk, equipment operations manager for PCL Construction Resources, North America. “But, if I’m not mistaken, California is the only place that has Tier 4i at the moment. So we will likely take a somewhat regional approach to the transition. We will react in areas where we need to.”

Although most small- and medium-sized contractors in Canada don’t need to be too concerned with compliance at this point, it is a real concern for larger contractors such as PCL, which has a significant fleet of equipment throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“We’ve got our service folks out in the industry to find out, implica-

NOx g/kW-hr

9.2

Tier 1/Stage 1 (1996)

6.4

Tier 2/Stage II (2001)

4.0

Tier 3/Stage IIIA (2005)

• Fleet management will become a critical issue.

Source: Doosan Infracore Portable Products

tion wise, what this means to our fleets,” says Dowhaniuk. “In our minds a Tier 4 engine is not even going to be available until 2014 in off-road equipment. So we’re still working on the Tier 3 and we’re still waiting to see what’s going on with Tier 4i.”

When those Tier 4i machines do arrive, contractors shouldn’t expect them to look, feel or operate that much differently than before. Aside from a new “regeneration” notification light on the dashboard, the equipment will look and feel like it always has. That said, even if the machine doesn’t appear outwardly different, it is still key to understand how the technology works. The most significant area of concern with the new models will surround maintenance issues and the regular regeneration of the DPF in CEGR models.

In all this “tech talk” it’s easy to lose sight of why the regulations were proposed in the first place—to clean up our environment. So, when you’re staring in dismay at the latest sticker price, keep in mind that you’re paying for a piece of equipment that will emit 90 per cent less PM and NOx than the equipment we are using today. This investment in our planet will keep all of us digging, grading and building for many generations to come.

2.0 Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB (2011) 0.4 Tier 4 Final/Stage IV (2014) 0

0.02

0.54

0.2

With files from Case Construction, Caterpillar, Cummins, Deere, Doosan Infracore Portable Power, and Volvo/ Strongco. Corinne Lynds is Editor of On-Site.

Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.

PM g/kW-hr Emmissions standards have been systematically reducing levels of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen since 1996 when the first standards went into effect.

Credit: Association of Equipment Manufacturers

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Cover Story / Financing Telehandlers

Telehandlers

are on the rise Emerging applications, versatility boost usage

by Jim Barnes

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L

ike most construction equipment, telehandler sales decreased markedly in the recession as levels of residential building in the U.S declined.

While the residential market continues to be soft, the telehandler suppliers we surveyed for this article indicated that sales are strengthening once again. Telehandlers are being used in more applications than ever before, and in some jobs are supplying a cost-effective alternative to other kinds of construction machinery.

In movement The situation on new applications is a dynamic one: “It’s all in movement—there is nothing fixed yet,” says Jonathan Ledoux, national marketing director, Manulift EMI Ltd., Varennes, QC. Growth areas for telehandler use include: • non-residential construction • condos • oil and gas developments • pipe handling • alternative energy developments, such as solar arrays and wind farms • infrastructure work including bridges • waste management • recycling • industrial applications.

Telehandlers have become a common sight in oil and gas applications. “It is the staple for moving anything around on a drilling jobsite,” says Scott Krieger, senior product manager, Telehandlers, at Genie Industries of Redmond, Wash.

Government subsidies and fast-tracking are driving growth in alternative energy projects, too. These projects tend to be large, cover a lot of ground and involve a lot of movement and a lot of material, a natural environment for telehandlers.

Telehandlers are proving popular in solar installations, notes Ledoux. “With one machine, you can do two jobs—unloading the truck and then installing the solar panels on the top of the building.”

Slewing machines, which offer a wide radius of movement, are often used in solar installations because of their versatility in lifting panels to the roof.

Although telehandlers don’t typically replace cranes, they are often used to feed cranes and keep them productive.

They are also key machines for wind farms, playing an important role in connecting material with cranes—starting with unloading the trucks. While the major components of a wind turbine are too heavy to be moved by a telehandler, they can move smaller components, like anchoring bolts and rebar.

Even though a telehandler cannot replace a crane in this application, they are used to feed cranes and keep them productive. “To the extent that you can avoid repositioning a crane and minimize its movement, you will improve its productivity,” notes Ledoux.

Telehandlers also have a role to play in bridge work. Ledoux points out that they serve well in situations where some traffic lanes must be kept open on a site, since they tend to occupy relatively little space. “When you park your machine in the middle

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Telehandlers

Telehandlers’ compact design make them ideal for jobsites where space constraints are an issue.

of the highway, you can work on both sides of the bridge,” he notes, adding that they provide versatility in being able to lift workers or heavy equipment up to bridge level. Not only are you improving productivity, he notes, “You’re improving safety on the work site.”

High capacity These jobs all have one thing in common: a need for heavy-duty machines. They are more demanding applications than residential and involve moving heavier materials and components, faster, over larger pieces of ground.

“The 6,000 to 8,000-lb. machines were the big ones, not that long ago,” says James Blower, product marketing manager at JCB North America in Pooler, Ga. In the North American market as a whole, the 10,000- to 12,000-lb. machines are considered to be the heavyweights today, he says.

“The heart and soul of the telehandler business remains in the

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eight- to 10-K range,” says Krieger. “We’re seeing some increase in the demand for larger machines, in the 12,000-lb. capacity range.

But it’s not a huge increase.”

There is a slow trend towards higher capacities. Building designs are not getting any smaller. Instead of single-family houses, apartment buildings and condos are being built. “They need something that goes higher,” says Ledoux.

The 10,000-lb. machine is becoming a standard for applications like masonry, according to Ledoux, and the appetite for even larger machines is there. “If you go over that—say up to 12,000 lb. or even more—that is a growing market, the high-lifting capacity market,” he says.

Telehandlers bring versatility to these job sites. They offer the ability to traverse the site quickly, reach over obstacles and employ a variety of attachments. They bring the Swiss-Army-knife characteristics of telehandlers to bigger and more demanding jobs.

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Telehandlers Machine size in North America is also determined by the rental market. Simple economics are pushing rental companies toward larger machines. They can keep a smaller variety of machines in stock, the machines are more versatile and durable, and they can charge them out at higher rates.

Machine substitution In some cases, telehandlers have replaced other machines, including excavators, backhoe loaders and wheel loaders, depending on the application. Cost savings come from a simplified equipment fleet, decreased scope of maintenance, lower fuel consumption and reduced training requirements.

“The telehandler, with attachments like pallet forks, buckets, or even man baskets, is a universal tool that can be used for many things,” notes Krieger.

Does that mean that telehandlers will take over the workplace? While they can give you flexibility and reach, all our experts emphasized that telehandlers have their proper place on the site.

They can handle some ground-engaging tasks on loose materials, but they won’t replace your wheel loaders. And while they can lift increasingly heavy loads to greater heights, you still need a crane.

“We are not going to tell you the telehandler should be used for loading tightly banked material into trucks. That’s not what it was designed and built for. But with loose material—with the rightsized bucket—it can be used for that purpose,” says Krieger.

Some substitutions make sense. “You see a lot of industries working with wheel loaders with forks on them. All those machines can be replaced with telehandlers. You’ll have longer reach and better visibility,” says Ledoux.

Between a telehandler and a wheel loader, you might be able to save about 55 per cent of the fuel, according to Ledoux. “That’s pretty significant, when you have a machine that runs 8, 10 or 12 hours a day,” he says. “It’s safer, you have better visibility, there is less maintenance and better longevity.”

European trends “As the European style of machine, the low-boom machine, becomes more accepted and people realize what telehandlers can actually do besides serving as forklifts, you’ll see more and more of them out there,” says Blower.

“In Europe, telehandlers seem to be used a little more widely and in more applications than they are here. In North America, the telehandler remains a pick-and-place, load-and-carry machine,” says Krieger.

European telehandlers are used somewhat more aggressively than they tend to be in North America. It is not uncommon to see them used in ground-engaging applications or even to tow trailers.

Why this different attitude?

For one thing, historically, telehandlers caught on in many applications in Europe where skid steers would have been specified in North America, requiring more flexible use.

“The telehandler, with attachments like pallet forks, buckets, or even man baskets, is a universal tool that can be used for many things.”

And though a telehandler is a relatively easy machine to operate, caution is in order. You have to keep an eye on the load chart, you have to be sensitive to the balance of the machine and you have to be aware of the terrain. “Like any other machine, a telehandler is a piece of construction equipment and people have to be well-trained, they have to be careful. People have to mind what they’re doing,” says Krieger.

The stresses need to be understood. “Bucket work puts a lot of pressure on the anchorage point of the boom. That has to be very solid. The boom extension system has to be solid, too, so there is no twisting,” says Ledoux.

“On a telehandler with forks, when you raise the boom, the forks level themselves. When you lift a bucket, you usually want to tilt it down. That creates extra stress on the hydraulic system,” notes Ledoux. The machine has to be designed for this. “Long usage for this task could wear an inappropriately designed machine out quickly,” he says.

In Europe, due to traditional job site constraints, smaller, more versatile machines are in demand.

The machines were first used in agriculture in Europe, notes Blower. “On the farm, it was often grapple work, pushing stuff around, rather than just lifting something... That’s why that style of machine in Europe came about; it came from more of a groundengaging, grapple-bucket kind of style of machine. Then it crossed over to construction. North America, it was the opposite situation,” he says. Here, the construction industry adopted the machines first for material-handling purposes.

Another factor is a higher level of ownership in Europe. The North American market is largely rental. When the user is the telehandler’s owner, he tends to be more knowledgeable about the machine and more comfortable with unconventional applications.

It’s in his best interest to keep his investment working all the time.

Design is also a differentiator. The European machines are mostly low-boom. That facilitates ground-engaging work, heavier

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Telehandlers

Smaller, more versatile machines are ideal for projects where job site constraints are an issue.

loads and towing. “The design of the machine allows it. With some North American models, towing is inappropriate. The transmission is not designed for that,” says Ledoux.

A good example of the difference in attitude can be seen in the Manihoe telehandler/backhoe hybrid, sold in Europe but not currently available in Canada. The front end is a telehandler, coupled with a conventional backhoe on the back.

Meeting regs Meeting the new engine emissions regulations has been a primary design objective for construction machinery suppliers over the past few years. Substantial resources have been applied to this task by every telehandler supplier. This challenge led them to reevaluate their product offerings in terms of user needs.

As an array of new engine electronics was introduced to the machines, a corresponding opportunity existed to implement electronic enhancements in terms of diagnostics, telematics and so on.

Many designs had to be reconfigured somewhat to support the new technologies. “That brings the opportunity to do some other things to improve the machines in various ways,” says Krieger.

“We could see hydrostatic transmissions coming into the country. They have not been popular in North America, but they are very popular overseas,” says Krieger. However, he notes, “The main focus will continue to be ergonomics.”

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Ergonomics is important from both a safety standpoint and from an operational and service standpoint, Krieger points out.

Control placement, visibility, operator comfort, and ease of service all contribute significantly to productivity and safety.

New era Are telehandlers on the verge of evolving into a new breed of machine? That’s unlikely for the next four to five years. However, the experts we talked to were confident that telehandlers were on the rebound and that usage was growing. The recovery in construction south of the border is “definitely fragile, but it isn’t the downward spiral we’ve been experiencing for the past couple of years,” says Blower.

For customers who are happy with renting a machine to pickand-place, that technology remains widely available. For users who want to push a little harder in the interests of productivity and profitability, new models and alternatives are already on the scene.

“Each customer has his own take on what’s the right machine,” notes Blower.

Jim Barnes is On-Site’s contributing editor. Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com

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Cover Story / Cranes

Cranes

Have we gone as far as we should?

By David Godkin

B

ack at the end of World War ll when British crane manufacturer F. Taylor & Sons produced the world’s first hydraulic crane few could have imagined where developments in crane design would lead.

Today, cranes are bigger with greater capacity. They’re taller and can reach higher. With the introduction of complex on-board and remote electronics, they’re a lot smarter, too—helping contractors lift heavier loads faster and more efficiently without compromising the integrity of machine and structure or worker safety.

But bigger loads and greater complexity also place pressure on manufacturers to keep pace with their competitors, with some suggesting perhaps things are getting too big, too complicated, and that in some instances equipment that worked well 20 or 30 years ago continues to do the job today. The clearest illustration of a crane industry pressing the limits, say manufacturers, is load size and increased capacity.

“Several of the major crane manufacturers are now starting to design and build very heavy lift cranes whereas in the past, they have produced more production line cranes of lesser capacities,” says Kate Lampson director of PR and marketing for Lampson International. “Loads are becoming heavier,” agrees Doyle Bryant, Director of Product Marketing for Manitowoc Cranes “as many construction processes are evolving from a piece-by-piece process— lifting individual beams into place, for instance to…lifting an entire wall into place that was first assembled on the ground.” Everything, says Linden Comansa America’s Eddie Sidenstricker “is bigger, faster, stronger.”

“As the years have gone by customers have asked for increased capacity,” says LCA’s sales director. “Rather than a one yard bucket they’ll want a three yard bucket because that reduces the amount of time the project will take. So our tower sections, counterweights and the steel itself have become stronger and more capable of handling those weights.”

To make his point, Sidenstricker cites LCA’s 30 LC 1450 metric tonne tower crane, dwarfing the 400 tonne capacity cranes he says represented the

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industry’s heaviest tower crane capacity 10 years ago.

Like others, he believes the demand for these heavier, larger capacity cranes will continue, particularly in a weakened North American economy that is shifting away from residential and commercial construction to heavier industrial applications such as oil and gas, utilities, commodities and nuclear.

Leaping Tall Buildings in a Single Bound Etched against the urban horizon the undeniable superhero in the crane industry continues to be the

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Cover Story / Financing

Demand for larger, heavy-capacity cranes continues to grow in North America to meet demand.

location of the boom. In most cases these are limited to where they will not exceed their capacity. It has resulted in a tremendous boost in safety, and increased both the efficiency and accuracy of cranes.”

The Liebherr Group’s contribution to advanced tower technology is Litronics, providing infinite variable speed or “stepless” operation of the tower crane’s swing, trolley and hoist drives. It means a hoist, for example, can be moved from zero to maximum speed without the jarring motion that can occur when you change gears. This allows the operator to completely engage the controls and move the load up to, but not in excess, of its maximum capacity. “It won’t overload the machinery and it won’t overload the structure,” says Carbeau.

All cranes today have electronic measuring devices which measure the load, radius, wind speed and location of the boom.

tower crane. Rising as high as 750 feet and reaching deeper than ever into the bellies of high rise buildings, the tower crane has benefited recently from advances in electronic-aided design and operations. Engineers are not only designing tower cranes taller with greater reach and load capacity, says Bill Carbeau, general manager of business development for Liebherr Tower Cranes, electronics are giving crane operators a better read on a crane’s working capability.

“All cranes today have electronic measuring devices which measure the load, radius, wind speed and

Another major crane manufacturer, Linden Comansa America (LCA).

LCA has shipped more than 15,000 tower cranes from its manufacturing site in Pamplona, Spain to construction sites across five continents. LCA was also the first to develop the flat top modular tower crane that has seen its maximum capacity rise from five to 65 metric tonnes—an “amazing” feat for a flat top, says Eddie Sidenstricker. But what makes the flat top especially valuable is the ability of crews to erect several cranes at once in tight quarters.

“The flat-top design allows for multiple tower cranes to be on congested jobsites without the risk of pendant lines interfering. The modular design is safer, lowers the overall cost of erecting the crane and also allows our customers to maintain much fewer spare parts in their warehouses, because multiple tower and jib components can be used for different series cranes.”

Crawler Cranes: The Ground Warriors Kate Lampson comes by her fascination with cranes honestly. In 1978 her grandfather Neil F. Lampson set out to combine the higher load capacity of the crawler crane with the maneuverability of a mobile crane. She explains

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Cover Story / Cranes

that most counterweighted cranes can pick and drop a load within a 360 degree track; the problem is these cranes are stationery and take up a lot of room in cramped job sites. The Transi-Lift patented by her grandfather is not only “a great mousetrap” because of its much smaller footprint, it’s more mobile.

“The forward-to-backward, side-to-side movement of the two drive trains and our ability to pick and carry a load within a small confined space like a refinery allows us to stay ahead of the competition. With the Translift you can virtually pick from one area and travel with it and set it in another location on that same site.”

Much of Lampson’s business is also renting out Manitowoc crawler cranes. Manitowoc is presently in the final stages of testing and manufacturing a high- capacity crawler crane, the Model 31000 with a capacity of 2300 metric tons, featuring a patented counterweight system called the Variable Position Counterweight (VPC). The system, says marketing director Doyle Bryant hangs off the back of the crane and automatically extends as the crane needs more counterweight.

“The alternative would be a counterweight wagon, which would require extensive ground preparation in order to use. So the VPC saves significant time and money in terms of site preparation.”

Not to be outdone is Terex’s CC8800 Twin boom crawler crane, at a proven capacity of 3200 metric tonne “the highest capacity crawler crane in the world”, says Terex marketing associate Agustin Dominguez, and a real workhorse on refinery and nuclear reactor sites.

“Reactors and refineries and their components are getting larger and larger.

Today, there are only a couple of cranes that can perform the necessary lifts and one of them is the CC880 Twin...With this higher capacity crane you can

32

also minimize assembly costs by carrying and placing the reactor in one piece instead of assembling more than one piece.”

Small but Mighty Don’t let their size fool you, says Andrew Rooke, President of Manitex International. Mobile boom trucks may be smaller than tower and crawler cranes but they still pack a punch. In fact, Manitex was the first to take the capacity of the mobile boom truck crane from approximately 22 up to 50 tonnes and Rooke expects industry to take that even higher. But the Manitex 155S is not just about weight. In an effort to gain share in the utilities sector Manitex highlighted its boom truck’s reach, i.e. the ability to get line maintenance staff 209 feet into the air on a power boom with only a single jib.

“In order to reach the two hundred foot barrier, our competition must utilize a two-piece jib. That requires extra effort and the manual movement of a heavy section relative to another. As such, it is inherently less safe.

That also must be performed every time the vehicle is moved.”

Like Manitex, Altec manufactures cranes mounted onto commercial carriers such as a Peterbilt, Kenworth or Volvo. Customers choose non-specialized

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Built to perform Grove mobile telescopic cranes Grove all-terrain, rough-terrain and truck cranes are designed to be long-lasting and hard-working; executing even the most challenging lifting jobs every day with ease, precision and control.

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Cover Story / Cranes

crane carriers, says Altec Cranes market manager Matt Trefz, because they can get the after-sale servicing and support at more locations for a commercial truck than for specialized boom truck crane. The same can be said for rough-terrain and all-terrain cranes.

“Additionally, non-specialized crane carriers tend to travel at higher speeds than a specialized carrier, with arguably a little more comfort and sometimes more fuel efficiency than a specialized carrier.”

Trefz says Altec’s customers typically know what they want in a boom truck crane (e.g. boom length, lift capacity). What is sometimes overlooked, however, are the smaller things.

On most mobile cranes, for example, the operator does his ground work, climbs up into the cab to pay out the hoist, then leaves the cab to disconnect the hook from the stow point. Altec’s boom truck crane features a lower winch control at ground level so the operator can do all of his ground work, enter the cab and begin work immediately.

“The benefit of that lower winch control is that the operator avoids climbing to the ground and back to disconnect the hook after lowering the winch, during setup. We limit that slip, trip and fall hazard by 50 per cent by putting that switch at the ground.”

Bryant agrees there likely is an upper limit in capacity, but he argues increased capacity is linked to the realities out in the field. Take a very large capacity crawler crane, for example, which requires a very large amount of counterweight to operate effectively and safely.

“When you are talking several hundreds of thousands of pounds of counterweight that means crane customers have to prepare the ground with matting or other

“There seems to be a trend toward trying to build the biggest cranes in the hopes that there is a demand...”

Too Big To Succeed?

No question, says Bill Carbeau: technology in the past 10 years has improved crane design and operation “at least a hundred fold.” And most agree with him the resulting ease and simplicity of operation have been real pluses. The downside, says Kate Lampson, is a tendency for the skilled or unskilled crane operator to rely on technically advanced machinery “as opposed to their own operator skills and talent. In essence, a huge amount of trust is going into the advanced technology of equipment.”

Another concern of Lampson’s is the increasing size of cranes. “There seems to be a trend toward trying to build the biggest cranes in the hopes that there is a demand, thereby creating an oversupply of heavy lift equipment.” Doyle

34

soil engineering solutions to support that much weight without sinking into the ground. This adds time and cost to the project. Looking ahead to the future, crane manufacturers will need to think outside the typical design package in order to produce effective solutions.”

For his part, Andrew Rooke thinks “problems need appropriate solutions.” Your ROI on any new machine must include the original cost, ongoing operating cost, training, safety, speed and efficiency. Get that formula right, come up with alternative solutions and technologies, he says, and you’ll be the manufacturer other companies yearn to do business with.

David Godkin is a B.C.-based freelance writer.

Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.

On-Site | July/August 2011

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Cover Story / Financing

Taking safety to greater heights

By Kim Laudrum

Patience and attention critical when operating AWPs

36

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AWPs

“A

void hazards.”

That’s the most important advice Luke Webber, product safety engineer at Terex, has for contractors operating aerial work platforms (AWP), also known as elevating work platforms (EWP).

“It’s actually quite easy to accomplish this by using good safe work practices in a common sense way,” says Webber.

Webber advises: • Only use the right machine for the application.

• Only allow trained and authorized personnel to operate the equipment selected.

• Always wear proper personal fall protection equipment (PFPE) when required.

• Always read, understand and obey the operators’ manual, including performing a complete pre-operation inspection and function test.

• Always inspect the workplace for hazards just before moving the machine into the workplace. Continuously monitor the workplace for changes that could create new hazards.

“Be patient and do what you’re supposed to do. Don’t be in a hurry to get the job done faster if it means compromising safety.”

—Fred Broughton

Training Before a worker can operate an aerial work platform, they must have received proper training. Most AWP manufacturers offer training through their dealer networks. Equipment rental companies often offer such programs as well. Safety Training Canada provides a halfday or full-day course in AWP operating training. Check with the training program provider to see if the courses can be offered at your workplace. www.safetytrainingcanada.ca

Scissor-type units must be used on level, stable surfaces only, as a slight imbalance will be amplified when the machine is raised.

Rough-terrain units are built to handle rigorous environments, have wider wheel bases, and pneumatic tires. They are usually powered by internal combustion engines.

Self-propelled boom-supported platforms are normally fitted with undercarriages suited to rough terrain. These come in telescopic or articulating arms or both. They can reach well beyond the wheel base—up to 45 metres and beyond.

Non-self propelled or push-around units are designed for smooth, level, or hard surfaces or on-slab conditions. These can fold up to pass through a standard door and so can be transported by pick-up truck. Some of these devices have a capacity of less than 500 lb. and are not recommended for construction.

Selecting the right machine for the job is paramount.

Don’t: “There are so many different AWP designs—scissors, booms, manually-propelled or trailer-mounted—for a wide range of applications that it’s difficult to generalize what operations can be applied to all AWP’s,” notes Webber.

However, at a minimum the operator needs to understand how to use the equipment safely to avoid hazards, including: electrocution, tip-over, fall, collisions and crushing.

The two main types of aerial work platforms most commonly used by contractors are self-propelled boom and scissor lift.

“Some people call the self-propelled boom the snorkel because it has the long arm that extends with a basket. It’s articulating. It can turn right around in a circle and take you any place you want to go,” explains Fort Erie, Ont.-based construction safety consultant Fred Broughton. “Whereas the scissor lift just goes straight up or straight down.”

Both types of AWPs come in on-slab models for use on smooth hard surfaces such as concrete or pavement, and rough terrain models for use on firm level surfaces such as graded and compacted soil or gravel.

• Use an on-slab machine on rough terrain.

• Use a unit undersized with respect to height, reach, and lifting capacity.

• Lift large materials that overhang the platform.

• Use a scissor-lift where the reach of a boom-type machine is needed.

• Extend the platform with planks, ladders, or other devices because the machine can’t reach the required height.

Do: • Ensure the machine has sufficient lifting capacity, reach and height to meet the task.

• Examine the surface conditions to determine what type of machine to use.

• Determine what equipment to use to meet any space restrictions.

• Ask what kind of mobility will be needed to complete the task.

• Assess what obstructions there might be at the site that could restrict accessibility.

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• Employ only properly trained workers on site to operate the equipment.

• Use electrically powered machinery indoors where ventilation is an issue.

The operator should also be aware of any other operational considerations based on worksite, local, federal rules, standards and regulations as it applies to the machine and their work.

In Canada, regulations covering safe operation of EWPs vary somewhat from province to province, but not a lot, says Broughton.

In Ontario the construction regulation (Ontario Regulation 213/91) includes the following requirements: • Elevating work platforms must be engineered and tested to meet the relevant standard for that equipment. Standards include CSA B354, which covers non-self-propelled and self-propelled elevating work platforms, as well as boomtype EWPs. • The devices must be checked each day before use by a trained worker.

• The owner or inspector must keep a log of all inspections, tests, repairs, modifications, and maintenance.

• The log must be kept up to date and include names of the people who performed inspections and other work.

• A maintenance and inspection tag must be attached near the operator’s station and include the date of the last maintenance and inspection and the name and signature of the person who performed the work.

• Workers must be given verbal and written instruction before using the platform for the first time. Instruction must include items to be checked daily before use.

• All workers on the platform must wear a full-body harness or a safety belt attached to the platform while it is being moved.

Broughton believes this last point is crucial to ensure operator

38

safety. In fact, if workers operating at a height over six feet at his sites do not wear proper gear, they are fired on the spot.

Often elevating work platforms are rented from equipment suppliers. So, it’s important to know who is responsible for what.

The equipment owner or supplier is responsible for ensuring the machine is in good working order and maintained that way, that it complies with regulations, meets CSA Standards, and includes the correct load rating.

The employer and supervisor must ensure the operator is competent and that all workers involved in the project wear appropriate personal protective gear, and have been properly trained on each class of equipment to be used. The employer must also ensure the machine has the correct load rating for the job, that the equipment is properly maintained and all maintenance work is logged. The manufacturer’s operating manual must also be kept on site.

The worker or operator of the equipment must receive adequate training to be considered competent and can only operate the equipment once sufficient training is completed. The worker is expected to operate the machine in a safe manner as described in the company’s health and safety policies and according to the manufacturer’s safety rules. The operator must inspect the equipment and perform function tests each day before use. Any defects must be reported to the supervisor.

To stay safe on the job when using AWPs, Broughton offers these last tips: “Make sure everyone is paying attention all the time. Be patient and do what you’re supposed to do. Don’t be in a hurry to get the job done faster, if it means compromising safety.”

Kim Laudrum is a Toronto-based freelance writer and editor.

Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.

On-Site | July/August 2011

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COnCrete

Photos by: Aaron Parker

ALL DECKED OUT PRECAST DECK PANELS HELP PUT BRIDGE PROJECTS ON THE FAST TRACK

by godfrey budd

P

recast bridge deck panels are being used to help fast track construction on Edmonton’s massive interchange project at Anthony Henday Drive and Stony Plain Road.

Although a design/build/procurement process that was specially developed for the ring road project is being credited with helping to speed things up, the precast panels that are being installed on the $170-million project’s seven bridge structures are also making a difference.

“If we used cast-in-place, we would have needed more time, as it would have been more dependent on the weather,” says Aamer Shakoor, a senior construction engineer with Alberta Transporta-

tion. “The timeline could have been an extra year or more. This is a fast-track project and we need to have it completed by October 14.”

The project replaces the current intersections, which include traffic lights at (westbound) Stony Plain Road and at (eastbound) 100 Avenue. The traffic lights, which have been in place at these intersections on Anthony Henday Drive since 1990, are a source of major bottlenecks during rush hour.

Construction on the project began in the spring of 2009, and includes the repaving and widening of three lanes in both directions of 5.6 kilometres of Anthony Henday Drive, repaving of about two kilometres of both 100 Avenue and Stony Plain Road, along with

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Concrete

the seven new bridge structures—all while continuing to accommodate traffic flows.

Intersections at other locations along the ring road, including Callingwood, Lessard and Cameron Heights, are also expected to be free of traffic lights by the October deadline. These intersections are all being converted to free-flow interchanges, but, on these, all the bridge deck sections used cast-in-place concrete, Shakoor says.

Favoured in the United States Although precast bridge deck panels have rarely been used in Alberta, they are used often in the United States, especially for bridge repair and rehabilitation projects. “They minimize traffic disruption, which can be minimized even further by doing much of the work at night,” Shakoor says.

Precast deck panels were also used for upgrades on the Whistler Highway shortly before the Vancouver Winter Olympics. More recently, they have been used for interchanges around the Port Mann Bridge. “Precast deck panels are often used in B.C.,” says Jay Manton, construction manager for the Kiewit Management Co. and PCL Construction Management Inc. joint venture.

There are two main ways to build with precast bridge deck panels.

One, sometimes called total precast, is to use fairly thick panels with plenty of structural heft, typically with asphalt paving on top,

40

and a waterproof membrane between the precast panels and the asphalt.

The other involves using thinner panels in conjunction with a cast-in-place poured concrete overlay. The bridge deck panels used on the Anthony Henday/Stony Plain Road interchange bridges are of the latter type. They measure three metres by 2.5 metres by 90 millimetres, Manton says.

“Although the geometry and deck slopes for drainage can be complicated, a full precast system could potentially deliver more efficiency and durability.”

For this project, he says, the cast-in-place concrete is poured to a thickness of 200 to 250 millimetres onto the precast panels. Next, the waterproof membrane is applied, and the deck is then paved with about 80-millimetres’ depth of asphalt.

Both systems have the advantage of reduced dependency on good weather, reduced site time, work hazards and numbers of

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infrastructure

deck slopes for drainage can be complicated, a full precast system could potentially deliver more efficiency and durability.”

He says that Lafarge’s Ductal, which has a super-high strengthto-weight ratio, could likely be used successfully for re-decking steel bridges. “It would avoid a huge amount of extra dead weight,” he says.

The total precast approach was used recently for Dunvegan Bridge, which spans the Peace River in northern Alberta. “It had been a very old cast-in-place with a crown in the middle. When precast was used to refurbish the bridge, the precast was joined in the middle, with a crown in the middle,” says Bill LeBlanc, a senior engineer with Armtec Ltd., which provided the precast panels for the Anthony Henday/Stony Plain Road interchange.

workers on site, and, perhaps most important of all, no need for extensive bridge formwork structures.

Lafarge manufactured the precast concrete girders for the project.

“The slabs or bridge deck panels can be seen as primarily a stay-in-place forming system,” says Don Zakariasen, director of marketing at Lafarge Canada Inc. “Although the geometry and

A lot of potential A total precast bridge deck panel system was also used at a Glenmore Trail interchange in Calgary. “The precast panels were a full nine inches in thickness, and spanned the width of the bridge, about 40 or 50 feet. There’s a lot of potential in future for total precast,” says LeBlanc, who adds, “A total precast approach can get the job done faster.”

The method with thin bridge deck panels and a cast-in-place concrete overlay that is being used on the Stony Plain Road interchange does not come entirely without risk. One of the benefits of using the method, it is hoped, is that Alberta Transportation will have a chance to assess how well the system performs under Alberta’s climate conditions, Shakoor says.

One concern about using cast-in-place concrete above the precast deck panels is the risk of cracks reflecting through the cast-inplace above joints between precast panels. “It could lead to water and salt getting into the cast-in-place that’s been reinforced with steel,” LeBlanc says.

Reg Ball, senior project manager for AECOM Canada Ltd., is philosophical about the lack of literature on how well the precast deck panel system will hold up over time in Edmonton’s harsh climate. Noting that precast deck panel systems have a relatively short history—only 10 to 15 years—in the warmer United States, he says: “Whenever you use innovative techniques, you’re extending the boundary. You have a good idea how well it will perform, but you don’t know for sure.”

Article was originally published in our sister-publication Alberta Construction.

Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com

July/August 2011 | On-Site

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RAISE THE BAR

AS HIGH AS YOU WANT.

The comfortable, well-designed cab in the Doosan® wheel loader is packed with comfort features you can see, hear and feel. A wide-open view of the work area. Tinted glass. Low noise levels. Air suspension seat and ergonomic controls in line with your natural movements. That’s enough to put anyone in a good mood. Of course, performance and productivity is key, and your Doosan loader delivers the digging power and torque to penetrate hard materials.

Superior lift height and lift capacity increase efficiency. Operators can see and feel the difference. Doosan Delivers.

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PICKING THE RIGHT MATERIAL HANDLER SAVES TIME AND IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY

WHEEL LOADERS VS. TOOL CARRIERS

BY DOUG ZOERB

M

oving materials around a rough, muddy jobsite is a daily challenge for many contractors. Pallets come in on trucks and must be unloaded as quickly and eďŹ&#x192;ciently as possible in order to get drivers on their way. Pipe and other odd-shaped items need to be moved from storage areas to work areas. Material handling delays can slow an entire project and may result in crews and other equipment waiting around for materials to be delivered.

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A telescopic tool carrier can lift and place loads on a multi-story building.

loader, the situation is no different. So before you begin your next project, spend some time thinking about your material handling needs.

Will you be primarily digging, moving and loading granular materials such as sand, gravel and crushed stone? Or, will the machine you acquire be used mostly to unload, load and move pallets of material such as brick, block, precast concrete or even rolls of sod?

What are your other needs? Does your project involve moving large amounts of piping or other odd-shaped materials? Will you be using a grapple or a clamp to handle any of these materials?

And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget about visibility. How important will it be for the operator to see the load and the area in which he (or she) is placing it? Does he (or she) need a clear view of the pallet forks when unloading trucks?

If you are digging into piles and loading trucks more than 50 per cent of the time, then a standard wheel loader with a Z-bar linkage system is probably your best choice.

Adding a tool carrier to your equipment fleet is one way to improve your ability to unload, load and move palletized supplies, piping and other materials. A tool carrier is a specialized type of wheel loader that uses parallel-lift linkage system instead of the Z-bar linkage system found on standard wheel loaders. While tool carriers and a wheel loaders are fairly interchangeable, a tool carrier does have some distinct advantages when it comes to material handling.

Of course, as with every equipment acquisition decision, evaluating and understanding the nature of the work to be done is the primary factor in deciding which machine will do the best job.

When it comes to choosing a tool carrier versus a standard wheel

44

Once you have considered all aspects of the project, attempt to quantify the time spent on each activity in order to make a decision.

If you are digging into piles and loading trucks more than 50 per cent of the time, then a standard wheel loader with a Z-bar linkage system is probably your best choice. The Z-bar linkage on a wheel loader generally provides more power and reach for digging and loading high-sided trucks.

On the other hand, if you are loading and unloading pallets and moving them around the jobsite 60 to 70 per cent of the time, then a tool carrier is just the thing.

The design of the parallel-lift linkage system on a tool carrier provides additional visibility to the work area. The operator can easily see the pallet forks, the load and the truck bed or work area where the pallet is being placed.

Pros and cons Tool carriers are generally specific, factory-built versions of wheel loaders. While the same model may be available in both a wheel

On-Site | July/August 2011

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Tool Carrier

loader and a tool carrier version, it is not generally feasible to convert a wheel loader to a tool carrier or vice versa once it leaves the factory.

The in-line, parallel-lift linkage used on most tool carriers provides the operator with great visibility down the centre of the lift arms. By contrast, the Z-bar linkage on a wheel loader places the hydraulic cylinder directly in the centre of the operator’s field of vision.

The Volvo L120G wheel loader with forks is a good example of how the equipment is used for material handling.

Nearly 90 per cent of all tool carriers are ordered with optional quick couplers, which make it easy to change work tools.

The Z-bar linkage on a standard wheel loader has some advantages, however. One of them is greater bucket breakout force due to the mechanical advantage provided by the Z-configuration of the wheel loader’s hydraulic cylinder and links. The Z-bar design also has fewer moving parts to maintain compared with the parallellift linkage system.

However, specifications for reach and lifting height on tool carriers are nearly equal to those of wheel loaders, and durability of the tool carrier lift arms are much improved over past designs. As a result, tool carrier configurations are now approaching standard wheel loaders in terms of all-around performance.

In addition, when the operator picks the work tool off the ground with the tool carrier’s parallel-lift linkage system, it rises flat rather than rolling back as it would on a wheel loader. This time-saving feature is extremely helpful when loading or unloading pallets or anything else that you want to keep level.

Operating trends Tool carriers typically fall into the 125- to 200-horsepower range. Along with road building, typical applications include utility construction and pipe laying, metal and scrap recycling and landscaping.

Nearly 90 per cent of all tool carriers are ordered with optional

46

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TOOl carrier

quick couplers, which make it easy to change work tools. Another “must have” option is a load isolation system, which dampens the up-and-down movement of the load while traversing rough, rutted jobsites. A load isolation system makes operation much more comfortable and less fatiguing for the operator.

While auxiliary hydraulics were common on tool carriers in the past, today they are ordered no more frequently than on a standard wheel loader. Pallet forks and general purpose buckets head the list of most popular tool carrier work tools.

TeleScOPic TOOl carrierS A third option that is growing in popularity is the telescopic tool carrier. Designed for contractors who need to lift and place materials above ground level, the telescopic tool carrier offers excellent maneuverability, extended reach and the ability to handle a variety of attachments.

These versatile machines can not only pick and carry loads, but can also reach up and over obstacles and place loads atop a multi-story building or other structure. Telescopic tool carriers generally have telescoping two- or three-section booms similar to a hydraulic crane.

In addition to pallet forks, telescoping tool carriers can also be fitted with buckets, clamps, grapples and even lifting jibs. In many cases, the same attachments that are available for large skid-steer and compact track loaders can be used on telescoping tool carriers. Most offer three steering modes (all-wheel, front-only, and crab) that make them ideal for navigating congested jobsites.

This article was written by Doug Zoerb, marketing manager at Two Rivers Marketing on behalf of Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment America West Fargo, N.D. Send comment to editor@ on-sitemag.com

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SOFTWARE

By Jacob Stoller

Do more with less M

ost people have experienced the frustration of searching for an urgently needed tool, or finding a required tool in a nonfunctional state. With a project on the line, the consequences— delays, idle work crews, unexpected costs—greatly outweigh the aggravation.

As economic conditions force construction companies to do more with fewer resources, managing assets to ensure timely availability and efficient use has become a key to profitability. For many companies, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software is playing an essential role in such efforts.

EAM technology, often provided in conjunction with computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), is fairly straightforward—databases store various pieces of information pertaining to an asset, such as purchase price and date, location, current job assignment and, in the case of a vehicle or a complex machine, specifics pertaining to service scheduling, wear on parts, fuel efficiency and other areas. When this data is collected consistently, companies gain a high level of visibility around their assets from both availability and cost perspectives.

The challenge for contractors is that the assets are mobile, and may be associated with a number of projects. “You’ve got a ton of expensive equipment sitting around a construction site, so how do we protect it, how do we keep track of it?” says David Berger P.Eng. of Toronto Western Management Consultants.

The good news is that it is getting easier to achieve this. EAM software has matured in the past decade, meaning proven technology and a highly competitive market for software vendors—a situation where customers receive excellent value.

integration, you’re freeing up more resources for what the company is in business to do, which is to build things,” says Funderburk.

This also helps management get a high level view. “Integration is really about making data transparent across the organization,” says Steve McGough, chief operating officer of Houston-based HCSS, which provides software to the construction industry.

Specialization: Software companies focused on the construction industry now offer features that make it easier to associate an asset with project planning, scheduling, job costing and maintenance. This might make it easier, for example, to bid projects more accurately based on real equipment costs.

Mobile devices: With mobile versions readily available, EAM software can be used in the field. This means timely access to information on job sites, and better reporting.

Maintenance: EAM also reduces the cost of operating a large or complex piece of equipment by improving the scheduling of maintenance and repairs. “If something comes into the workshop because it’s broken down, you want to know immediately what other plant maintenance we might be doing on that vehicle,” explains Grahame Done, global marketing director at software vendor Infor.

Another area is predictive maintenance that not only improves the efficiency of maintenance, but prevents downtime. The software could detect, an uncharacteristic drop in oil pressure on a hauling truck, which may warn of an impending shutdown.

Automatic equipment location: Barcodes and RFID tags make it easier to quickly capture the location of a device into a database. For larger pieces of mobile equipment, GPS tracking devices are seeing a growing use.

Software trends New developments have made the technology more attractive: Implementation: As with many other areas of IT, software as a service (SaaS) is transforming the way EAM is implemented.

Rather than buying hardware and software and then implementing and supporting it, companies can rent the technology on a monthly basis and access it through a web browser. “We’ve really eliminated the necessity for an IT support group,” says Jeff Funderburk, director of sales at ToolWatch, a Denver-based provider of asset management software.

Integration: In the past, aspects of asset management were handled separately, and companies had separate databases for calibration, lifecycle management, job costing and maintenance.

Today, software companies have gotten much better at allowing data to flow between these applications, saving time and effort. “With

Making it happen Although the IT side of implementation has been all but eliminated with SaaS, processes have to be changed in order to achieve the benefits, and this takes careful planning. “Too many people go straight to, ‘show me how to click through the software,’” says McGough. “In reality, that’s usually the easy part.”

He recommends companies look carefully at their existing asset management processes, and identify where the software will make desired improvements. “A good plan is always going to involve the people in the trenches, getting them involved in the decisionmaking process.” Focusing on how the software will make their jobs easier and less stressful is a good place to start.

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Jacob Stoller is a principal of Toronto-based consultancy Stoller Strategies. Contact editor@on-sitemag.com.

On-Site | July/August 2011

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August 2011

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11-08-11 2:29 PM

RISK

By David Bowcott

What about after the project is complete?

S

o much attention is focused on risks that manifest during the construction phase of a project that we often lose sight of the risk issues that can manifest post substantial completion. With the connection between design-build and operations inching closer then ever in some of the new delivery models, more attention is being paid to risks that arise due to improper practices in the design-build stage of the project. Integrity of the asset over its life is what all owners and financiers are looking for and that is the reason more and more deals seem to be delivered using lifecycle (or asset management) project delivery models. If the asset operates as expected post substantial completion then the equity and debt make their returns and everyone is happy.

So, from an insurance standpoint, what are the policies that come into play post substantial completion and how do they interact to give the project necessary indemnification to keep the financial model of the asset in tact? Well, several of the policies procured prior to construction beginning have tail coverage and what each policy intends to cover should be well known to all project participants. Let’s look at the key policies that might come into play in the event of a post substantial completion loss: 1. General Liability (contractor’s practice policy and/or project specific wrap-up general liability)—General liability insurance, whether practice or project specific provides potential coverage for liabilities arising from bodily injury or property damage suffered by third parties for projects that the contractor has completed. The wrap-up general liability coverage in the post completion phase is called Completed Operations (Comp Ops) coverage. This coverage is often for 24 months after project completion but can be purchased for periods beyond five years. Of note, it is not intended to provide coverage for the specific faulty workmanship of the contractor and the specific faulty design issues that may have caused the third party claims.

2. Professional Liability (design firm’s practice policy and project specific professional liability)—Coverage for design defects causing third party damage can be found under the professional liability coverage available to the project. Under the project specific professional liability policy the coverage afforded after project completion is known as the Extended Reporting Period (ERP). This coverage is often for a period of 24 months from project completion but can be purchased for periods that are much longer. Once again it is not intended to cover faulty workmanship, nor is it intended to cover risks otherwise covered under the general liability coverage associated

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with the project (resultant damage).

3. Surety Bonds—Both the prime contractor and subcontractors may provide performance bonds that guarantee the underlying contract they have entered into. If the contract has a warranty period and the contractor not warrantying the work has a term of default, then the surety bond should provide coverage for such events. Remember, the traditional surety bond is triggered by a default occurring and the surety acknowledging a default has occurred. Often the default in post completion phase is associated with faulty workmanship and thus the performance bond may provide the owner or lenders coverage for faulty workmanship, whereas the above referenced policies specifically exclude such coverage.

4. Subcontractor Default Insurance—Much like a surety bond, this policy provides coverage for warranty work guaranteed through the subcontract, provided the subcontract is properly enrolled. Once again, default is the trigger of the policy, however, the default under subcontractor default insurance does not have to be acknowledged by the insurer to respond (thus carrying a degree of certainty of response that may be of interest to owners and lenders).

5. Inherent Defect Insurance—This coverage incepts at project completion and will cover virtually all defects associated in the operations phase. A key underwriting requirement of this policy requires a third-party monitor the contract execution to ensure the build is being done in compliance with the design.

If the insurer feels the build has not been done in compliance with design they have the right not to incept the coverage at project completion. If they do incept coverage, however, it can provide owners and lenders a greater degree of certainty around the assets operations. This coverage can be purchased for periods of 10 years and in some cases longer.

The above policies are typically the focal risk transfer solutions that are used to manage risk in the operations phase of a project. Knowing how each policy works, how each policy is claimed upon, and the duration of each policy’s coverage, are vital pieces of information any owner, lender or contractor should be aware of once the project has been completed. The more you know, the quicker an unforeseen event can be rectified, sparing the project unexpected deviations from its original financial model.

David Bowcott is senior vice-president, national director of large/strategic accounts, AON Reed Stenhouse Inc. Send comments to editor@on-sitemag.com.

On-Site | July/August 2011

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ADVERTISERS’ INDEX & WEBSITES ADRIAN STEEL www.adriansteel.com ........................................................................................ 12

FREIGHTLINER www.FreightlinerTrucks.com ........................................................................... 2,3

BDO www.bdo.ca ........................................................................................................... 6

GREENBUILD 2011 www.greenbuildexpo.org .................................................................................. 55

CANADA HOUSE 2011 www.cagbc.org ................................................................................................... 35

KUBOTA CE www.kubota.ca ................................................................................................... 15

CASE www.caseNseries.com ....................................................................................... 6

MACK CANADA www.mackcanada.com ..................................................................................... 45

CATERPILLAR www.CatAllDay.com/articulatedtrucks www.DriveCat.com ....................................................................................... 17, 56

MANITOWOC www.manitowoc.com/cranesdealer ............................................................... 33

CHEVROLET www.chevrolet.ca .............................................................................................. 29 DETROIT DIESEL www.detroitdiesel.com........................................................................................ 4 DOOSAN www.DoosanEquipment.com/raise ................................................................. 53 ENERPAC www.Precision-SURELOCK.com ...................................................................... 47

SMS EQUIPMENT www.smsequip.com ............................................................................................. 9 VIEWPOINT CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE www.viewpointcs.com ...................................................................................... 11 WAJAX www.wajax.ca ..................................................................................................... 42 WEBER MT www.webermt.us ................................................................................................ 12 WORLD OF CONCRETE www.worldofconcrete.com .............................................................................. 21

THE ADVERTISERS’ INDEX IS PROVIDED AS A FREE SERVICE TO OUR ADVERTISERS.

Now you can follow On-Site on Twitter @OnSiteMag to get the latest industry news, reports and links pertaining to Canada’s construction market.

GET MORENE NEWS ON-LSIITE WITH ON July/August 2011 | On-Site

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11-08-18 3:09 PM

FUNNY PHOTO SEND YOUR FUNNY PHOTO CAPTIONS to us and if we think you’re the funniest, you will be the winner of a limited-edition die-cast model of a Mack Truck.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS September 27, 2011.

SEND YOUR ENTRY TO: snail mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 fax: (416) 510-5140. e-mail: editor@on-sitemag.com

Funny photo winner to haul home truck You could win a fully detailed, die-cast model of a Mack truck for your winning Funny Photo entry! The model has numerous moving parts, accessories and authentic graphics.

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THIS MONTH’s winner is: Guy Bourdeau, Quebec

CALENDAR August 21 to 24: 2011 Annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference The AMO Annual Conference is a gathering of municipal government officials and each year offers a program theme related to current and emerging issues. A wide range of sessions provide delegates with the opportunity to learn and network to then take back to their respective communities new ideas and solutions. www.amo.on.ca September 25 and 26: Construction Industry Leaders Forum—Stimulating Excellence Organized by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), this event will host panel and roundtable discussions and include a keynote speech by Robert Herjavec, a recognized leader from CBC’s Dragon’s Den. www.cca-acc.com September 24 and 25: CCA Fall Board Meeting Hosted by the Canadian Construction Association, it will be held at the Hilton Hotel, Quebec, QC. www.cca-acc.com October 3 and 4: Water and Land Management Summit To be hosted at the TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary, this event will look at urban and rural watershed challenges, sustainable water management in oil sands, land use planning for the future and more. www.insightinfo.com/landandwater October 4 to 7: GreenBuild 2011 To be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, this event allows attendees to meet with green building colleagues, network with leading industry professionals and learn from international representatives from around the world. www.greenbuildexpo.org

Got a Funny Photo? Send it in so our readers can exercise their senses of humour!

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On-Site | July/August 2011

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11-08-18 3:17 PM

CAN AN EXCAVATOR LIVE FOREVER? The closer it gets, the better your return on investment, so the formula’s simple: get the best equipment you can, right up front, and service it properly — keep it working for as long as possible.

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toll-free: 877-469-2529 www.wajax.ca

11-08-18 3:17 PM

CONTRACTORS & THE LAW

By Chris Eagles and Brad Woods

The importance of timing I

n a previous column, we discussed the issue of material noncompliances in procurement responses. To briefly summarize, a material non-compliance results when there is a failure to respond to, or comply with, an important or mandatory requirement of the procurement process, and will generally result in the materially non-compliant bid being deemed incapable of acceptance.

One procurement requirement, which will almost always be treated as mandatory is the obligation to submit bids on time.

While this requirement may appear straight forward, there are at least a few cases in Canada that have had to consider what constitutes timely submission of a bid.

In Smith Bros. and Wilson (B.C.) Ltd. vs. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, a 1997 decision of the B.C. Supreme Court, a bidder submitted its bid at 11:01 a.m. in response to a tender that included a deadline of 11:00 a.m.

The owner initially decided that the bid was late, then decided to consider the bid, and finally, after receiving a protest from a compliant bidder, concluded that the bid was late and would not be considered. As a result, the “late” bidder brought an action against the owner and argued that its bid ought to be accepted.

The procurement documents did not specify which clock would be determinative for the purpose of the deadline, but instead specified only “local time.” The court found that, if no clock is specified as being authoritative, the clock of the party receiving the bid will generally govern. However, absent express language to the contrary, the time on that clock would not prevail where it is inaccurate. In this case, the court concluded, on the basis of expert evidence, that the clock in use by the owner was running fast, such that while the bid was stamped 11:01 a.m., it was actually received after 11:00 a.m., but before 11:01 a.m.

Given that the procurement documents specified an 11:00 a.m. deadline, the court had to consider whether 11:00 a.m. meant 11:00.00 a.m. or any time before 11:01 a.m. After reviewing the terms of the procurement documents, the court concluded that 11:00 a.m. is a point in time, meaning that a bid delivered between 11:00 a.m. and 11:01 a.m. was late and therefore materially non-compliant.

By way of contrast, in Bradscot (MCL) Ltd. vs. Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic School Board, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the trial judge’s decision that where the procurement documents

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specified a closing time of 1:00 p.m., bids received prior to 1:01 p.m. should be considered to have been received on-time. In upholding the trial court’s decision, the Court of Appeal noted that neither of the interpretations given to the closing time requirements in the Smith Bros. and Bradscot decisions was incorrect as there is no “…one “right” interpretation of the words “at,” “only until” or “not later than” in the instructions to tenderers.” As a result of the potential for uncertainty as to the applicable closing time, owners should consider stipulating the closing time in their procurement documents as being either, 11:00.00 or 11:00.59, and where possible, bidders should endeavour not to wait until the literal last minute to submit their bids.

In NAC Constructors Ltd. vs. Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission, the Alberta Court of Appeal had to consider whether the relevant privilege clause permitted the owner to accept a bid that was non-compliant by virtue of having been submitted late. After considering the language of the applicable procurement documents, the court concluded the privilege clause did not permit the owner to accept a late bid, as a right to accept late bids was not specified.

Another potential source of closing time uncertainty is created by daylight savings time. In some cases, in an effort to denote the applicable time zone, closing times are stated as being in standard time, (i.e. E.S.T. or P.S.T.) without accounting for the application of daylight savings time. In most of Canada, during the months of March to November, 2:00 p.m. standard time would actually be 3:00 p.m. daylight time. Though it is likely that this would only lead to a bid being submitted an hour early, any confusion can be eliminated by simply stipulating the closing time as being “local time” at the required place of bid delivery.

While the timing issues described in this article may appear trivial, uncertainties as to procurement closing time requirements do result in disputes and have produced a number of reported court decisions. Accordingly, they serve as another reminder of the importance of clear bid instructions.

This column is provided for general information only and may not be relied upon as legal advice. Send comments editor@on-sitemag.com.

On-Site | July/August 2011

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GREENBUILDEXPO.ORG TORONTO OCT. 4–7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011 celebrates what's NEXT for green building.

The world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, Greenbuild is where the world’s innovators and pioneers will lead the way into what’s next – for the green building movement, for the new green economy and for our global community. Learn more at greenbuildexpo.org.

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11-08-10 5:09 PM

HERE TO WORK. HERE TO WIN. Win a Cat® truCk Contest LaunChes auGust 1

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scan this Qr code and enter to win the new Cat truck. no purchase necessary. must be legal resident of 50 u.s. (+D.C.) or Canada (excluding Quebec), 25 years or older, with valid commercial drivers license. must use vocational truck at work. subject to full official rules, available at www.DriveCat.com.

Void where prohibited. prize consists of choice of one yellow Ct660 Dump truck or one yellow Ct660 heavy hauler. truck in photo for illustrative purposes only. hauled equipment not included. ©2011 Caterpillar | All Rights Reserved CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow” and the “Power Edge” trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.

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