Caterpillar Finds Quality Dealer Service Technicians from NHRA Drag Racing

The NHRA is one of the few organizations that actually prides itself on being the largest and loudest in the business. Like the Roseanne Barr of extreme motorsports, the National Hot Rod Association, founded by Wally Parks in 1951, has been dedicated to providing millions of racing fans with the fastest, loudest and largest venues for dragster racing.

Aside from its large/loud credo, Caterpillar Inc. and its dealers are also finding that the NHRA is a great place to find skilled equipment technicians. Cat is working with David Powers Motorsports (DPM) and the NHRA to sponsor a dragster in the popular motorsport circuit during the 2008 racing season. The partnership represents an innovative approach to recruiting service technicians for Cat dealers in the United States and Canada.

“These races provide a venue for our dealers to meet one-on-one with these drag racing and engine enthusiasts who are also prospective employees,” said Bill Mayo, vice president of Caterpillar’s North American Commercial Division. “Recruiting, especially in this arena, is vital to the future growth of both Caterpillar and our dealers. We are constantly looking for creative investments like this to secure talent for Team Caterpillar.”

The proposed agreement follows a successful technician recruiting pilot program already under way with Caterpillar, some of its dealers, DPM and the NHRA. A shortage of qualified service technicians prompted the pilot program. Caterpillar and its dealers found the NHRA drag racing format offers a rich recruiting environment of highly skilled candidates with mechanical backgrounds.

“We’re thrilled Caterpillar and its network of dealers chose our team as a partner when entering the NHRA venue,” said David Powers — DPM owner. “Together, we will help Cat and its dealers find these much-needed service technicians. And, in turn, we’ll strive to carry the Cat banner into the winner’s circle time and time again.”

As part of the pilot program, DPM has already worked with the coolest Cat dealer names — Mustang Cat, Fabick Cat, Wagner Cat, Peterson Cat and Ransome Cat (our personal favorite). The dragster will next feature the Cat and MacAllister Cat logos at the upcoming U.S. nationals. The events have yielded significant leads for dealer service technician candidates.

NHRA events are attended by up to 125,000 people per event and the televised races reach more than 91 million viewers. DPM driver Rod Fuller currently leads the NHRA Top Fuel standings in his third season with the race team. Fuller raced the Wagner Cat dragster to a win at the Denver race in July.

Komatsu Splashes into Chicago's Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby

Over the last century, the rubber ducky has reached an iconic status in America’s pop culture — cute bath toy, Sesame Street song and now Chicago charity bird.

In August, Chicago actually launched 20,000 rubber duckies into the Chicago River from the Columbus Street Bridge in the second annual Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby to benefit the Special Olympics. Komatsu America Corp. was there to help launch the event.

Last year, Komatsu played a unique role in the Ducky Derby by helping to scoop up the ducks after the race (with the aid of a PC78 compact hydraulic excavator) so they could be used in future races. This year, Komatsu raised its level of participation and equipment. By teaming once again with Roland Machinery (a Midwest distributor of Komatsu equipment) Komatsu’s HM300-2, a 30-ton articulated dump truck, came onto the bridge and dumped the ducks into the river signaling the start of the race.

The Rubber Ducky Derby is an event where people sponsor rubber ducks which in turn are dumped into the Chicago River and race down stream. Each duck is “adopted” by its sponsor (for a monetary donation), with prizes awarded to the first four ducks to cross the finish line and all event proceeds benefit the Illinois Special Olympics. Komatsu America Corp. employees, distributors and customers rallied behind the cause, sponsoring more than 600 ducks.

The Special Olympics focuses on improving the lives of individuals eight years of age and older with intellectual disabilities through year-round training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports. There are more than 2,000,000 athletes participating in more than 20,000 competitions worldwide. The Special Olympics provides a vital outlet for physical fitness and competitive activity and is a means to help enhance the participants’ social and motor skills and build their confidence and personal self-esteem.

Kubota and Land Pride Announce Strategic Partnership

From their base of operations in Osaka, Japan, to their U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif., the minds behind Kubota machines are creating new alliances. The orange equipment experts just announced a new strategic pact to market Land Pride implements in North America that are performance-matched to Kubota tractors.

Those compact Kubota Ag machines first came to the United States in 1969. Filling a product void in the American marketplace, the Kubota 21-hp L200 was an overnight success. As a result, Kubota Tractor Corp. was formed in 1972 and the company introduced its first 12-hp, four-wheel drive tractor in 1974.

Fast forward to 2007 and Kubota Tractor Corp. is still concentrating on perfecting its performance in the marketplace. Kubota dealerships in the United States will soon offer performance-matched Land Pride implements to sell with Kubota tractors — particularly three-point implements such as rotary cutters, grooming mowers, rotary tillers, rear blades and more — to add quality and efficiency to Kubota loaders, backhoes and Kubota-branded attachments.

“This strategic alliance of Kubota and Land Pride brings together two companies committed to quality and user-friendly equipment in the tractor and implement industries,” explained Larry Nenneman, senior director of marketing at Kubota Tractor Corp. “Land Pride’s reputation for manufacturing quality products and outstanding service aligns with Kubota’s long-standing commitment to quality, value and innovative products. Offering the two brands at a Kubota dealership, in a one-stop location, helps make it easy for Kubota customers to make tractor and implement package purchases and find sales, service and parts for tractors and Kubota-matched implements.

Land Pride, a division of Great Plains Mfg. Inc. in Salina, Kan., has been a leader in grounds maintenance equipment throughout North America since 1986. Specializing in farm, ranch, landscape and turf-related tractor mounted implements, Land Pride products are manufactured in several locations in Kansas.

“Land Pride’s alliance with Kubota is an excellent strategic fit for our organization,” said Eric Haas, vice president of sales at Land Pride. “Land Pride has earned a reputation for standing behind its products and we believe our commitment to reliable service after the sale through outstanding dealers lends itself well to expanding sales and service through Land Pride and Kubota dealers. As always, customers who buy reliable Land Pride products can be assured that parts and service will be available when and where they need them.”

Rob-Cat: New Remote Controlled Bobcat Loader Offers Comfort, Safety and Added Coolness

While many of us fear that unmitigated equipment automation will lead to a future ruled by robots, big companies like Bobcat feel that perhaps a simple remote controlled piece of equipment could increase comfort and safety for us humans here on earth. Bobcat has perfected a Bobcat loader radio remote control system that enhances the capabilities of Bobcat skid steers and compact track loaders with selectable joystick controls, offering a simple solution for customers who want to operate their loader remotely.

Operators can start the loader engine and operate the drive, lift, tilt and auxiliary hydraulic functions from approximately 1,500 ft away with the radio remote control transmitter. The transmitter joystick controls activate the loader’s joystick controls in the ISO control pattern. The system is useable for up to 15 hours on a rechargeable battery.

In addition to being able to use the system in various climate conditions, operators can easily switch between “remote” control mode and “machine/direct” control mode. Bobcat representatives say the radio remote control system option will be attractive to customers in several markets, including military, government, construction, landscaping and agriculture. The system will be especially beneficial to the military because of a military mandate that one third of all ground vehicles must be unmanned beginning in 2015. The sentient computer intelligence of Skynet is surely next.

Oldest Working Perkins Engine Discovered in Shropshire

Shropshire sounds like a place full of heirlooms and antiquities (and maybe a few hobbits and wizards). As one of England’s most rural and sparsely populated counties (near Wales), Shropshire is dominated by its lonesome natural beauties and industry of agriculture.

So when Classic Tractor magazine held a competition called “Long-Distance Diesels,” commemorating Perkins 75th anniversary and looking for the company’s oldest diesel power plant still in use, Shropshire, England, seemed like a fitting home for a 1942 Perkins P4 Mark 1 engine.

Maurice Maiden of Shropshire is the winner of Classic Tractor’s competition to find the oldest, working Perkins engine. Maiden has owned his 1942 Perkins P4 Mark 1 engine for 25 years and it’s still working well in a Ferguson TE-20 tractor, undergoing light duties such as chain harrowing. Always fascinated by anything mechanical, Maiden, after leaving school, worked on a farm where he drove Allis-Chalmers, Marshall and Nuffield tractors. He discovered the P4 when he took a job driving a truck for a local scrap metal dealer.

Of course the actual engine was originally used in a generator for the English War Department. One day, while making a delivery, Maiden noticed the generator and decided to buy it. It languished at his home for a few years until a trip to Massey Ferguson’s Central Parts Operation in Manchester gave him the chance to find out more about the engine.

“I looked at the serial number, 20,900, and asked them when it was built,” said Maiden. “At first they said I had made some mistake; they didn’t believe I had given them the right number. But they checked again and told me it had been built on August 19, 1942.”

Equipped with this information, Maiden decided to fit the P4 into a 1949 Ferguson TE-20 tractor. He fitted a different flywheel, a hand starting system and an electric start and he made it work. The Perkins P4 was known as the Puma and delivered 83 hp at 2,400 rpm. Its design was derived from its predecessors — the four-cylinder Leopard, Lynx, Wolf, Fox and Vixen. P4s built in the 1940s were produced as part of the war effort and many were used to power generators and welding sets.

Maiden was presented with a check for £1,000 (approximately $2,000 U.S.) by Perkins marketing manager Adrian Talbot. Maiden says he intends to spend the money on engine improvements.

Perkins Engines is celebrating 75 years of being at the forefront of engine manufacturing. Frank Perkins and Charles Chapman were two men with little money but a big idea. Perkins was enterprising, imaginative and an aggressive salesman, while Chapman was an engineering genius who dodged the spotlight. Today, the company is one of the largest manufacturers of small engines in the world.

Nonresidential Jobs Climb Despite Overall Slide, Says AGC

Ken Simonson is one of the industry’s best market swamis. As the Associated General Contractors of America’s (AGC’s) chief economist, Simonson is constantly surveying the construction market’s top minds to track every trend. And being the nation’s largest and oldest construction trade association (established in 1918 after a request by President Woodrow Wilson), AGC is informed by the most experienced contractors, manufacturers and construction professionals in the United States.

In his latest Data Digest E-newsletter, Simonson sees nonresidential construction jobs climbing despite an overall slide in the market. According to the Data Digest, non-farm payroll employment in August fell by 4,000 jobs, seasonally adjusted, the first drop in four years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in September. Employment gains reported earlier for June and July were revised down. Nevertheless, the 12-month gain in employment, 180,000 or 1.3 percent, was close to earlier periods.

Deputy BLS Commissioner Philip Rones commented: “Construction employment continued to trend down over the month [-22,000], with most of the decline among residential specialty trade contractors. Construction employment peaked last September; since then, 96,000 jobs have been lost.”

Yet the report was full of good signs for nonresidential construction. The nonresidential building, specialty trades and heavy and civil engineering construction combined added jobs, both for the month and for the 12-month period (+ 65,000 or 1.5 percent). Moreover, that gain may understate the actual growth in nonresidential employment. Although residential building and specialty trade employment fell by a reported 155,000 or 4.5 percent over 12 months, it is likely the actual drop was closer to the roughly 16 percent decrease that has occurred in residential spending over that span. Such a change would imply that up to 400,000 “residential” specialty trade contractors are actually doing nonresidential work now, even though their companies still list their industry as residential. Architectural and engineering services employment, which typically leads to construction activity, increased for the 31st straight month and was up 2.9 percent over 12 months, doubling the rate of overall job growth. Average hourly earnings for construction rose 0.4 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, and 4.5 percent over 12 months, compared with a 3.9 percent increase for all private non-supervisory or production workers, suggesting that contractors are still bidding up wages to attract workers. The unemployment rate in construction (not seasonally adjusted) fell from 5.9 percent in August 2006 to August 2007, while holding steady overall (at 4.6 percent).

Other less complete, but recent information sources also suggest nonresidential construction is holding up well. The value of nonresidential construction from January through August 2007 climbed 19 percent year-to-date (YTD) from the same months of 2006, according to Reed Construction Data, based on its proprietary database. Nonresidential building construction was up 20 percent and heavy engineering 16 percent. Both figures were a bit less robust than the preliminary January-July YTD gains reported last month, but still reflected increases in most major components.

On September 5, the Federal Reserve released its latest “Beige Book” summary of informal soundings of business conditions taken by the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, which are referenced by their headquarter cities. The Fed reported: “Commercial real estate and construction markets were generally stable to expanding across the Districts. Philadelphia, Minneapolis and San Francisco indicated continued expansion in nonresidential construction and commercial real estate.

Dallas described the level of nonresidential activity as high, and St. Louis said commercial construction remained strong. New York, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago and Kansas City indicated commercial construction and real estate markets were steady or stable. Vacancy rates are reported to be low or declining in most Districts and rents are rising modestly in many. Boston, New York, Richmond, Chicago, Kansas City and Dallas noted some tightening of credit in the commercial real estate market.”

Polaris RANGER RZR Wins Vegas to Reno Race

Deep in the Mojave Desert, vision quests are an age-old tradition — whether it’s a shaman ceremony around Joshua Trees or a dream trip to the glitz of Las Vegas. For the all-terrain specialists of Polaris, the vision quest was to conquer the high desert with its latest Baja-styled UTV buggy (sans the peyote and slot machines).

Using the Polaris RANGER RZR, the Jagged X team was the only side-by-side vehicle to finish the indomitable Desert’s Series Vegas to Reno Race. The race is the longest off-road race in the United States, encompassing 567 miles. Defeating the desert’s punishing 105-degree temperatures, deep silt, rocks and rutted Nevada moonscape, the RANGER RZR out-ran and out-lasted ten other starters. The RZR was built and piloted by Jagged X and finished the race in just over 21 hours.

“The RZR continues to show its awesome combination of power, performance and reliability whether on the trail or the track,” said Craig Scanlon, product line sales manager for the Polaris Side-by-Side Division. “Polaris could not be more proud of the passion, preparation and dedication of our partners at Jagged X. We would like to thank them for helping us reach this milestone in RANGER RZR racing history.”

Jagged X’s four-person team included Brandon Schueler, Justin Schueler, Bill Schueler and Blake Van De Loo. This win rockets the Jagged X Team into a leadership position of the Best in the Desert Racing Series. The team was sponsored by Jagged X, Polaris, Cart Wheelin magazine, CR Designs, Mountain States Contracting, Vision X Lighting, OMF Performance, Jet Trim Seats, DJ Safety, C.E.M. and MTAh.

“This finish brings credibility to the UTV class and proves the Polaris RZR as a great off-road performance machine,” said Bill Schueler, owner of Jagged X. “Jagged X is proud to represent Polaris and would like to thank all who helped with our racing program. Desert racing is one of the most demanding motorsports on both equipment and drivers. We are proud of our crew and can’t wait for the next race.”

Meyer Products Acquires Magnum Spreaders

Meyer Products LLC, a leading manufacturer of commercial snowplows, has acquired Magnum Spreaders, a subsidiary of Imperial Electric in Akron, Ohio. Magnum is one of the top salt and sand spreader lines in the snow and ice management industry. The acquisition includes the entire inventory of Magnum Spreaders’ poly tailgate spreaders, and the rights to the Magnum brand and tooling.

“The acquisition of Magnum Spreaders helps round out Meyer’s full line of quality spreaders,” said Meyer president Andrew Outcalt. “These tailgate spreaders add depth to our lineup and allow us to compete for popular applications we didn’t have covered before.”

Meyer plans to keep the Magnum brand alive by continuing to sell the brand to Magnum’s current truck equipment distributors. For Meyer truck equipment distributors, it will rename the Magnum brand to Meyer Blaster and will sell four models of salt or salt and sand Meyer Blasters. Imperial Electric will continue as a supplier of the motors for both the Magnum and Blaster brands.

“We are very excited to see the growth of the Magnum Salt and Sand Spreader,” said Douglas Saltsman, business development manager for Imperial. “It is the most powerful spreader in its class and Meyer is the perfect home for it. Knowing Meyer’s skill in marketing and strength in distribution, we expect to see Magnum become a prominent brand in the snow and ice market.”

500,000th Tractor Celebrated at New Holland Plant

We’re not sure how you say half a million in Italian, but the word magnifico came to mind when New Holland recently reached its impressive milestone of the 500,000th tractor manufactured at its Jesi plant in Italy, which produces utility and specialty tractors for 86 markets around the world.

“Half-a-million tractors rolling off the production line since tractor assembly began in 1986 is quite an achievement,” said Simon Thornton, New Holland vice president global marketing. “Jesi has a vast amount of expertise in tractor production. Today, the plant can build tractors to 6,500 distinct specifications providing a choice for New Holland customers.”

The 500,000th Jesi tractor is a TL90A purchased by livestock farmer Jean-Joel Vabre, who raises beef cattle in the Aveyron region of France.

“New Holland has a reputation for building high-quality tractors and I am proud to own a little piece of their history,” said Jean-Joel, who visited the Jesi plant on May 18 for a special ceremony to receive his new tractor from Carlo Lambro.

For the North American market, the Jesi manufacturing facility produces the TL-A and TN-A Series utility tractors, New Holland’s new TDD Lean & Mean line of economy tractors and the specialty tractor line that includes the TDD high-clearance model, and TK-A, TN-V and TN-F vineyard and orchard tractors.

Employing more than 900 people and producing 16 different ranges of tractors between 50 hp and 100 hp, the Jesi plant exemplifies New Holland’s approach to providing quality machines that meet the customer’s exact requirements. A rigorous quality program randomly selects two percent of each day’s production to undergo a full quality audit, in addition to the quality production testing every model receives.

New Holland has seen its investment in quality and product choice reap rewards, with the brand reporting a strong performance in the first quarter of the year, with global sales of its tractors increasing by 10 percent, as well as achieving record sales in North America during March.

“New Holland is a worldwide brand, and the investments we have made in improved service, support and product quality has benefits for all our customers,” said Simon. “Quality, reliability and productivity are the core values on which we have developed the widest range of products in the industry, and this is recognized by farmers and contractors in every sphere of farming.”

New Holland is a world leader in agricultural, utility and construction equipment. New Holland sells and services an innovative and diverse line of agricultural and utility equipment, including a full line of tractors as well as hay and forage equipment, harvesting, crop production and material handling equipment. Sales, parts and service are provided to customers by New Holland dealers throughout the United States and Canada. There are more than 1,100 New Holland dealerships located throughout North America.