The market for exports of U.S.-made construction machinery closed out 2010 with a gain of more than 28 percent compared to the previous year, for a total of $16.4 billion dollars’ worth of equipment sold worldwide, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
The AEM North American-based international trade group consolidates U.S. Commerce Department data with other sources into a quarterly export trends report.
“Global trade is extremely important to our industry and export sales continue to sustain many companies as we still face a fragile domestic upturn,” said AEM Senior Vice President Al Cervero. “While these numbers are positive we have to remember they follow a 2009 decline of more than 38 percent.”
“It’s important to pass the pending free-trade agreements with Colombia, Korea and Panama to help manufacturers create more U.S. jobs by selling their products to international buyers,” he added.
Export business to Europe gained 23 percent for a total $1.88 billion, and exports to Asia ...
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Construction employment either increased or remained steady in a growing number of metropolitan areas — 120 of 337 — between November 2009 and November 2010 according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said construction employment is improving slightly due in large part to temporary federal funding for stimulus and military construction.
“It is good to see the construction industry finishing the year on a relatively positive note,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But even if the industry is no longer on the brink, it is still a long way from recovering.”
Phoenix, Ariz., added more construction jobs (3,100 jobs, 4 percent) than any of the 70 metro areas to add jobs during the past year. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif., added the highest percentage (33 percent, 300 jobs). Other areas adding jobs included Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. (2,200 jobs, 3 percent); Pittsburgh, Pa. (2,100 jobs, 4 percent); Greeley, Colo. ...
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Construction employment expanded in 20 states between October and November, while the list of states with year-over-year construction job gains grew to 13 states plus the District of Columbia, the Associated General Contractors of America reported in an analysis of state employment data released Dec. 17 by the Labor Department. The new figures continue a year-long pattern of mixed results in construction employment as overall demand remains weak, association officials noted.
“It is encouraging that the number of states adding jobs year-over-year was higher in November than at any time since February 2008,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “However, the data also make clear that these gains are as spotty as they are tenuous.”
Simonson noted, for example, that California had the largest monthly increase in construction employment — adding 7,800 jobs — but also the largest 12-month drop — 36,900 jobs, or 6.4 percent. New Jersey and New York had the next-highest number of construction job g ...
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In the just-released construction equipment "business outlook" survey of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM):
Construction machinery manufacturers predict overall business in the United States to close out 2010 with 6.4-percent growth, then gain 12.7 percent in 2011 and 14.8 percent in 2012, followed by 2013 growth of 13 percent.
Canadian business overall is expected to be 8.2 percent higher in 2010 than the previous year, and record gains of 12 percent in 2011, 14.8 percent in 2012 and 12.7 percent in 2013.
Industry business to the rest of the world is anticipated to be strongest in 2010 - up by 14.7 percent - and then grow 11.8 percent in 2011, 12.5 percent in 2012 and 11.2 percent in 2013.
"While this rebound is welcome, you have to remember our industry was down 30 to 50 percent in the recession, so there is a long way to go. Although business is improving, it will take years to recover the sales losses of 2008-2009," said AEM President Dennis Slater.
"This hopeful outlook will ...
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GALLIANO, Louisiana—On June 10, 1947, Stanolind Oil & Gas Co. won an auction for the right to drill for oil on a plot seven miles off the Louisiana coast. The company built a spindly steel platform and drilled a well in shallow waters. It struck oil, and in 1950, Stanolind sold its first Louisiana sweet crude for $2.67 a barrel.
More than 60 years later, the West Cameron 45-A platform is, according to government records, the oldest functioning platform in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. One of more than 100 structures built in the 1940s and 1950s still in operation, the platform has survived seven Category 2 hurricanes and a major fire.
The platform's age may have taken a toll, however.
On Dec. 4, 2009, a severely corroded pipe connecting the structure to a high-pressure gas well gave way during routine maintenance, releasing explosive natural gas into the air. Unlike most modern platforms, this one had no remote shut-off switch. Emergency valves that should have cut off the flow of gas automatic ...
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The Kenworth Truck Company and PACCAR Financial Extended Warranty Program is now available through March 31, 2011, for U.S. customers who purchase new Kenworth Class 8 factory trucks that meet eligibility requirements.
Kenworth customers may receive a 3-year/300,000-mi. basic vehicle extended warranty by choosing PACCAR Financial to finance purchases of new Kenworth Class 8 trucks with a standard highway warranty.
“Qualifying Class 8 customers receive an additional two years and 200,000 miles of warranty coverage valued at more than $2,900 per eligible truck under this joint Kenworth and PACCAR Financial program,” said Gary Moore, Kenworth assistant general manager for marketing and sales. “The World’s Best trucks from Kenworth and competitive financing packages and services from PACCAR Financial provide customers with a cost-effective, winning combination.”
The offer is available on Kenworth trucks ordered on or after Sept. 16, 2010 and financed through PACCAR Financial no later than March 31, 2011, which ...
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Airline legroom has stretched and shrunk over the decades, but the overall trend is downward. The seat pitch — the distance between the folded tray table behind your seat and the one on the seat in front of you — was 34 inches in IATA's Economy Class in 1957, and by 1964 the average pitch in economy had grown to 36 inches, according to TravelSort. Then came airline deregulation. Economy-class seat pitch now ranges from 33 to 31 inches on most airlines, and in 2007, Spirit Airlines introduced nonreclining seats with a 28-inch pitch. The good news: The inflation-adjusted cost of flying dropped from 41 cents a mile in 1957 to 12 cents a mile in 2009.
Komatsu’s GD655-5 motorgrader is powered by a Tier III emission certified Komatsu SAA6D107E-1 engine
Komatsu America Corp.’s GD655-5 motorgrader is powered by a powerful and highly fuel-efficient, EPA Tier III emission certified Komatsu SAA6D107E-1 engine. With an increased maximum horsepower of 218 (162 kW) and an increased standard configuration weight of 35,351 lbs., (16,035 kg), the GD655-5 is entering the largest grader segment in North America.
Enhanced Performance
The completely new power train design positions the engine at the rear of the machine. This placement, along with the increased weight on the front axle, provides better control, according to the manufacturer.
Komatsu engine technology provides a three-stage 2-Mode system that produces higher power with reduced fuel consumption. This 2-Mode system allows the operator to select either an economy mode or a power mode, depending on the work application. The three-stage system offers three levels of power from gear one ...
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A new virus has struck, but this time it is attacking mobile phones instead of computers. Shanghai Daily reports that over 1 million mobile phone users in China have been affected by the new cell phone virus since September.
It is called the "zombie virus," and comes built into a fake anti-virus application that many are unwittingly downloading for protection. Instead of providing protection for the cell phone users, the application launches a malicious virus.
The zombie virus starts by sending the phones info and contact list to the hackers. With that information the hackers begin their assault on the phone and the user's contacts. The contacts begin receiving non-stop text messages which collectively have added up to $300,000 (2 million CNY) per day in texting fees to those infected.
One victim told Xinhua state news that “the payment list showed that I had sent messages to my friends at midnight and even some to other phone numbers which I didn't know.”
The source of the virus has not yet been uncovere ...
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U.S. consumers’ outlooks probably improved in November for the first time in three months after employment and incomes increased, economists said before a report today.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary sentiment index rose to 69 from a final reading of 67.7 in October, according to the median of 66 projections in a Bloomberg News survey. It would be the highest level since June.
Growing confidence raises the odds retailers from Macy’s Inc. to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will see sales climb during the holiday season, typically their biggest shopping and hiring period. The report may also be an early gauge of how the Nov. 2 election results will influence Americans’ views.
“People are not splurging, but they’re spending at a little bit faster rate than earlier in the year and that reflects employment coming back slowly,” said Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto. “We anticipate a little better holiday-shopping season this year.”
The report is scheduled for aroun ...
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