QinetiQ, a company more commonly associated with remotely-controlled equipment used to diffuse bombs and explosives, has developed a kit that can be installed in about 15 minutes on any of 17 models of Bobcat skid-steer, all-wheel steer, or compact track loaders that are equipped with the Selectable Joystick Controls (SJC) option.

This temporarily turns the loader into a remotely operated “robot” capable of using more than 37 Bobcat-approved attachments.

Click here for further details.

UK demolition contractor Syd Bishop & Sons, famous for its “watch it come down” tagline, recently celebrated its 80th anniversary. As part of the celebrations, this vehicle (which had lain unused in the company’s yard for some 15 years) was restored.

About 25 years ago, I was told by a senior officer from within the Kent police force that one of the biggest challenges facing them when trying to recover stolen equipment was the fact that they couldn’t identify machine types. The term JCB can cover a multitude of equipment types, very few of them actually rolling off a Uttoxeter production line; and a digger can be anything from a half tonne machine you can tow behind you family car to a mining shovel that could accommodate said car in its bucket.

This is not the kind of thing the police have to deal with every day so, even a quarter of a century on, I am still happy to make allowances on this basis. But what excuse can there possibly be when one of the UK’s leading construction magazines perpetuates this ignorance?

In this article, which ironically is on the subject of plant theft, we have references to:

• A Volvo dumper truck (surely an articulated dumptruck)

• A JCB 3CX excavator (er, that’s a backhoe loader)

• And a JCB digger (that could be just about anything)

There would be outcry if, instead of using the proper name and nomenclature, Jeremy Clarkson described Ferrari’s latest offering a “a red car”. And how would you get on if you popped into your local mobile phone shop and asked for “a Nokia”.

Surely we should expect a little more accuracy and attention detail from a supposed industry magazine.

I have spent more than 25 years writing about construction, demolition, and the equipment used across these demanding sectors. And for the most part, it was like casting my carefully crafted and finely honed words and phrases to the four winds, as even the most controversial – and in some cases, idiotic – statements were greeted with a stony silence from the readership of whichever trade magazine was paying me at the time.

This, in truth, was one of the reasons for producing Demolition News in a weblog (or blog) format. One of the most gratifying things about running and contributing to this site is not checking the web statistics to see how many people looked at the previous day’s articles. Nor is it calculating the revenue secured from the advertising which, let’s face it, is not sufficient for me to retire any time soon.

No, the most gratifying thing about running this site is the dialogue that it attracts, whether it’s about an issue of the day or how stupid I look in a kilt. And as a result, I find myself writing in a totally new way. I no longer preach and rehash the wisdom of someone far more knowledgeable. Instead, I like to throw a spotlight upon a specific subject, ask a question, and see where that takes us.

So, as the headline above suggests, the question for today is: Why have US demolition contractors failed to grasp the high reach excavator concept?

Now before I sign off and leave you, our loyal readers, to suggest why the single greatest advance in recent industry history is still anathema to most US demolition contractors, let’s take a quick look at the facts.

The high reach excavator as we would understand it today has been around in Europe for something like 20 years. During that time, it has been honed, enhanced and refined, and the machines themselves have slowly got bigger and bigger.

But the growth in the size of the machines – with the current record holder standing at a previously unimaginable 90 metres – hides the true, industry-defining magnitude of the contribution made these highly specialised machines.

For one thing, their arrival and subsequent growth has served to reduce the number of demolition workers required to get “up close and personal” with the more hazardous areas of the demolition task. The machines have also benefited from huge strides in operator comfort and protection.

Together, these developments have led to a significant drop in the number of work-related incidents, accidents and fatalities on UK and European demolition sites.

And let’s not forget that, at the time of writing, high reach demolition excavators have yet to be linked directly with a single on-site fatality, despite the fact that only the UK has (so far) a set of guidance notes on the safe use of these monster machines.

In short, as these machines have gone up, so accident levels have gone down.

Now take a quick scoot through YouTube and search for the term “demolition accident” and you’ll be astounded at just how many feature a US contractor undercutting a structure with an excavator that is clearly way too small for the task. A bit like this one that we showed you yesterday, in fact.

And the story doesn’t end there. Indeed, the decline in demolition accidents and fatalities is mirrored almost perfectly in the decline in materials sent to landfill, since the arrival and almost universal adoption of high reach machines this side of the Atlantic spearheaded a move away from demolition and towards deconstruction.

The result is that UK and European sites are achieving 90%+ recycling rates with such regularity these days that we no longer talk about it. Our American counterparts, meanwhile, speak with some pride about achieving 45%!

The other bizarre thing – and you’ll have to bear with me because I am about to sail very close to the wind of racial stereotyping – is that Americans traditionally have a fascination with anything, well, big. Look at their cars, their skyscrapers, their food! And this applies in industry too. If Caterpillar took it upon themselves to build a 1,000 tonne dozer capable of leveling an entire town in a single afternoon, you just know that an American contractor is going to be the first to buy one and will probably take it with the extra counterweight option!

So before I hand this question over to you, our loyal readers, let’s recap.

Since the UK and Europe adopted high reach excavators, recycling rates have gone up and accident levels have gone down. And the only major First World nation that has failed to adopt these machines – and which still has a laughable recycling record and a lamentable safety record – is the mighty US of A.

So, after what must seem like an age, here’s that question again. Why have US demolition contractors failed to grasp the high reach excavator concept?

We look forward to reading your contributions and suggestions.

The UK Caterpillar has announced what it claims to be the biggest service and support shake up for excavator sales the industry has ever seen. Set to dramatically change and challenge the way the plant sector operates, the bold move to guarantee excavator uptime for new customer purchases from September 2008, is the first time ever a plant equipment supplier has made such a confident statement about its service and support offering.
The new ‘ Guaranteed uptime’ deal is aimed at increasing customer uptime for the Cat D-Series excavator range throughout the machines warranty period and covers the Cat 319D to Cat 329D models. As part of the deal, no matter where the location of the excavator, Finning’s nationwide support team, will assess the breakdown and either repair it within 48 hours, or credit the customers parts and service account with the fee to cover the cost of hiring a replacement machine.

Commenting on the new guaranteed uptime package, product marketing manager for Finning, Tim Ballard said:“ We are so confident with the performance of Caterpillar excavator range and our service support team, that we have taken this major step to put our money where our mouth is. We know especially with the effects of the credit crunch that, yes our customers want a great machine, but more importantly they want to make sure it is working as hard as it possibly can.”

“This is why as part of our ‘Support that works as hard as a Cat’ campaign, we have put together this package to show customers just how much we place a value on their uptime. With this new guarantee we will have an excavator back working onsite within 48 hours, beginning at the start of the working day after a breakdown call has been taken. If this is not possible, we will credit the customers parts and service account for the cost of a hired replacement, by doing this we are giving every customer an added value service that they know will save them money, time and stress.”

“With this deal we are taking the hammer to downtime and rewriting the rulebook, laying down a challenge to the rest of the industry to follow suit and support customers where they really need it, on the job and in the pocket.”

The guaranteed uptime applies to the Caterpillar range of Cat D-Series excavators including the impressive new Cat Smart20, the Cat 319D, Cat 324D, Cat 325D and Cat 329D. The guarantee applies throughout the machines warranty period, with the 48 hour period beginning at the start of the working day after a breakdown call is taken.

For more information on the new ‘Uptime Guarantee’ deal and the full Caterpillar equipment range from Finning visit www.finning.co.uk.