Caterpillar has announced a stimulus package to help recession-hit customers.

At a time when equipment fleet operators across the world are facing economic and regulatory challenges, Caterpillar Inc. and its global dealer network has unveiled a “stimulus package” designed to help owners work through equipment-related concerns.

Whether those concerns are do-it-yourself maintenance, affordable fleet expansion, financing, operator training or contract maintenance/repair options, the overall goal of the stimulus package is to help preserve the integrity of the machine-owner’s business.

Caterpillar recently has added on-demand videos available through the Cat website and offering maintenance tips for do-it-yourself cost savings. Live online information also is available now through the Parts-and-Service discussion forum. In addition to those new services, Caterpillar and Cat dealers have packaged proven product support and financial services to help customers in most aspects of machine acquisition, operation and maintenance.

Full details of the stimulus package can be found here:

Take some ill-advised excavation, stir in a tower block, add water and…

William Sinclair, managing director of Safedem, explosive demolition expert and 2nd vice president of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors has just forwarded to us a set of photos that show what happens when you combine some over-zealous Chinese groundworkers, a torrential downpour, and a tower block.

According to the accompanying English- language captions, an underground garage was being dug on the south side of the building, to a depth of 4.6 meters. The excavated material was being piled up on the north side, to a height of 10 meters. However, the building experienced uneven lateral pressure from south and north. This resulted in a lateral pressure of 3,000 tonnes, which was greater than the pilings could tolerate, and the building toppled over in the southerly direction.

Here’s the result:

A kind offer from Active Workwear has just spiced things up in our Demolition City contest.

Last week, Demolition News was at its busiest ever, but not because of any Pulitzer-prize winning writing or tabloid-style expose. No. The reason for all the excitement and comment was a simple online game called Demolition City that allows players to act out their wildest explosives engineering fantasies, imploding a series of ever-more-complex structures using a predetermined number of explosive charges.

Well, we thought that was probably exciting enough. And judging by the number of comments we received both here and over on Twitter (www.twitter.com/demolitionnews), we were probably right.

However, those very nice people over at Active Workwear, purveyors of fine work and safety wear for the more discerning customer, have just spiced things up by offering a free pair of site safety boots to the person achieving the highest score by 31 July 2009.

Details of how to play the FREE game can be found by clicking here. Alternatively, you can read the Active Workwear blog by clicking here to find out more about their very generous offer.

Buckingham Group’s preparatory works are underway at Fontwell Park racecourse.

The £6.5m project for Client Northern Racing, will create an architecturally prominent three-storey building with twelve private hospitality boxes, a glass fronted hospitality restaurant for 250 people and a multi-purpose hall on the ground floor with new catering and betting facilities. An external terrace area provides a mixture of seating/standing capacity for around 1,200 people.

Early enabling operations currently underway require the construction of a temporary race control tower and the careful relocation of a stone/timber domed folly. Buckingham’s in-house demolition team will then undertake asbestos removal and demolition of the former 1920’s grandstand building.
As well as offering state of the art facilities on race days, the Premier Grandstand has been designed for weddings, banqueting, conferences and exhibitions. Race meetings will continue to take place during the construction period. The new Grandstand is scheduled to open for the Ladies Evening race meeting in August 2010.

Paul Wheeler, Buckingham Group Chairman said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this prestigious project and look forward to working closely with our client to deliver an exceptional viewing and hospitality facility. This latest successful tender further enhances our portfolio of recently secured contracts in the South of England adding to projects such as the £67m Community Stadium at Brighton, the £16m East Kent Re-Signalling Contract for Network Rail, and a £12m Regional Distribution Centre, now approaching completion for the Food Services Company 3663 in Paddock Wood. We still have plenty of capacity, and remain committed to continued growth in all of our Sectors, including Sports and Leisure

Video showing the demolition of a high school building in Lorain, Ohio.

The beginning of the end of Lorain High began yesterday with the demolition of a gym built the year President John F. Kennedy was killed. By December, the entire 1,800 m2-plus school, which started in a four-room building where the first diplomas were awarded to three graduates in 1879, will be gone.

Read the full story here or simply watch the video, below.