General

UK Caterpillar dealer launches new training programme designed to reduce fuel consumption. UK Caterpillar dealer has today unveiled its industry first ‘Eco-Drive’ training programme, focused on delivering significant fuel cost savings of up to 10 – 15% to plant and equipment users across the UK. Open to all operators of excavators, wheel loaders, off-highway and…Read moreRead more

Video shows last moments of the Pomeroy-Mason bridge as it’s dropped into the Ohio River. It has taken us all day to find an embeddable video of the Pomeroy-Mason bridge implosion that took place earlier today; but it was worth the wait, if only for the reaction of the crowd in the foreground when the…Read moreRead more

Caterpillar has announced its first loss in 17 years. UK trade magazine is reporting that US construction equipment giant Caterpillar has posted its first loss in 17 years with first quarter figures showing a £76.8 million loss compared to a £632 million profit in the same period last year. Read the full story here. A…Read moreRead more

A new online initiative encourages re-use of construction “waste”. BuilderScrap is an exciting new initiative for the construction trade. Designed by builders for builders, the online business offers an alternative to landfill for the millions of tonnes of unused new supplies and good quality second hand materials which are thrown away each year. This is…Read moreRead more

US contractor Nuprecon brought its wrecking ball out of retirement to tackle a unique project. Nuprecon recently used old-school technology to bring down an old-school building at Paradise on Mount Rainier National Park. Instead of remote-controlled robots or excavators equipped with processing shears, the Snoqualmie-based contractor resorted to a wrecking ball to take out part…Read moreRead more

The April 2009 edition of Professional Demolition International is out now. Open publication – Free publishing – More pdi

UK legislation on empty property is bad news for almost everyone EXCEPT the demolition industry. The UK Government’s Empty Property Rates (EPR) legislation has resigned England and Wales to a continued boom bust commercial property cycle; delivering property shortage and stifling regeneration and investment, an industry survey has revealed. Published today, the Empty Property Rates…Read moreRead more

A Scottish demolition contractor has purchased a gold JCB as an anti-recession talisman. Scottish demolition contractor Alan Beattie is proving he has the Midas touch when it comes to beating the recession by buying a £50,000 JCB and having it painted gold. Alan, who has been in business for 40 years and has the honorary…Read moreRead more

Unexploded ordnance discovered in imploded building. Demolition crews responsible for the destruction of Building 82 in Charleston, West Virginia in the US left unexploded ordnance behind after they imploded the building on March 28. The South Charleston landmark, the former headquarters for Union Carbide, was blown up in a public ceremony to pave the way…Read moreRead more

New figures from the US suggest that less than half of arisings are recycled. Just a few days ago, we reported on the fact that a UK contractor had almost achieved a 100% rate of materials recycling on a project in Scotland. Compare that to the latest statistics from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…Read moreRead more