Dig This...Construction Industry Tidbits
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DIAMONDS = BIGTIME SCRAP
At the Namdeb Diamond Corporation mines in Namibia, equipment can never leave a jobsite after entering. The rule prevent diamonds from being smuggled out aboard machinery. After decades of mining, the scrapyards full of dozers, excavators, pickups and other equipment have grown so large that they can literally be seen from space. Namdeb has hired contractor SA Metals of Cape Town, South Africa, to clean up the mess in an expected threeyear project. SA is using Cat 330DL hydraulic excavators fitted with boom-mounted S340 shears to process the old machines before recycling the various metals.
D7E ENGINEER RECOGNIZED
Michael Betz has been selected as one of Engineering News-Record's "Top 25 Newsmakers of the Year" for his work leading the Caterpillar team that developed the new D7E, the first electric drive track-type tractor in the industry. The D7E's revolutionary electric drive system offers a 10 to 30 percent decrease in fuel consumption with 25 percent more material moved per gallon of fuel. The nearly 10-year project resulted in roughly 100 patents and other recognitions, including the United States EPA's Clean Air Excellence Award. The first D7E was shipped in December 2009. "While I am receiving this recognition, I do so on behalf of the entire D7E team. It was a collaborative effort from the concept phase through production, Betz says. His career has in" cluded numerous patent awards for innovative designs.
ILLEGAL WITHDRAWALS
Police in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic have been investigating unusual ATM machine thefts. In several cases, construction equipment stolen from jobsites has been used to tear ATMs from banks and other buildings.
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