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GROUNDBREAKING NEWSWinds of ChangeVermeer Machines that Capture the Slip StreamOur ancestors once harnessed the power of wind. The sails oftheir ships carried them to distant lands and fueled progression.Today, utility companies are once again looking to the skies, ratherthan the earth, to bring power to the people, and Vermeer Corp. ishelping to capture the wind. The manufacturer of underground installationequipment has introduced a series of underground productsto aid in the installation of wind-energy transmission lines.“The interest in wind energy and installation of wind-energy farmshas grown dramatically in the past five years,” said Mark Cooper,director of specialty excavation for Vermeer. “Vermeer has followedthis market closely and worked closely with those involved to developspecialty equipment that enhances the installation efficiencyof wind-energy transmission lines.”One challenge to installing wind-energy transmission lines isthe multiple passes required using traditional excavation methods.Vermeer designed the CL80 cable layer attachment to sort, configureand feed three cables, one ground wire, one conduit with fiberoptic cable and one tracer tape. The attachment also places andsecures the cables in the specified configuration in the trench — allin one pass.A series of rollers guide the cables over the machine then feedthem into a cable box where they are sorted in the appropriate configuration.On descent into the trench, the cables then begin toalign in triangular formation, becoming more tightly knit on approach.The ground wire, conduit and tracer tape are placed on topof the triangular formation as specified.“The CL80 attachment eliminates the need for one machineto dig the trench and then another to come back and lay and securethe cable,” said Cooper. “A contractor can complete the cabletrenching and installation process with just one machine, savingtime. The CL80 attaches to the Vermeer COMMANDER line ofEfficiency is the name of the energy game. So why cut atrench and then lay cable when you can do both at once?track tractors equipped with either a trencher boom or bucketwheelattachment.”In most cases wind energy farms are positioned in areas tocapture the largest volume of wind, which may be some distancefrom the existing grid. In these cases, contractors and developersare looking for an efficient way to install these transmission lines.Enter the bucket wheel attachment from Vermeer.The Vermeer bucket-wheel attachment is ideal for the proficientinstallation of cross-country transmission lines in soft soils. The attachmentis designed to work with the Vermeer T655 Commander3 tractor. It features a series of buckets, which rotate in a circularmotion, removing more dirt from the trench than a standard trencherattachment. The bucket-wheel attachment has a cutting widthof 22, 24 or 28 in., depending on the size of buckets used.“Vermeer has worked closely with the wind-energy industry,listening to their needs and we’ve created solutions to help easethe installation of wind-energy transmission lines,” said Cooper.“Contractors who own a track trencher may find the wind-energymarket as another opportunity for increased utilization of theirequipment just by adding other attachments.”GM drops the Medium-duty truck market likea rock in hopes of strengthening the companythrough these tough times.Done Its DutyGM Halts Production of Medium-duty TrucksIt’s been a long, hard road for General Motors (GM). With the companyrunning on fumes, GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early June andhas now announced that it will be closing up its medium-duty trucks shop.Production of the Chevy Kodiak and GMC Topkick medium duty trucks willcease by July 31.For the past four years, GM has been attempting to locate a buyer for itsmedium-duty truck business. Although it had several interested parties, GMwas not be able to come up with a viable arrangement that would be in thebest interests of both companies. Unfortunately, that has lead GM to get outof the medium-duty truck business.“We will be honoring all warranties on our medium-duty truck products and,of course, will maintain an adequate supply of spare parts for the foreseeable future,”said Jim Hopson, Manager of Pontiac Communications. “We are currentlyworking out all of the details regarding servicing the vehicles after the end of2010, but customer’s first point of contact should still be their dealer.”Few details were provided by GM, as the company prepares to liquidate itsmedium-duty assets over the next 18 months.10 Utility Contractor | July 2009
GROUNDBREAKING NEWSBeaming Up with BorgDemo Fleet Management SoftwareNew technology can be complicated and expensive.On the other hand, it can save time and moneyif implemented correctly. Being out on the jobsitedoesn’t give you much time to shop around andstudy up on the latest techno offerings. For thosewho have heard about the machine-tracking, costsavingfeatures of fleet management systems, butwere too wary of the cost, BorgSolutions, a leadingprovider of fleet management solutions, is offeringa free version of its flagship fleet management softwareBorgFleet – BorgFleet Starter Edition.The edition allows customers to manage the maintenanceand repair schedules of their fleet, as well asplan their fleet resources from a simple to use Webbasedplatform. Previously, BorgSolutions had offeredonly commercial licenses of its Web-based software.The new Free Starter Edition, created for userswith less than 20 units, will offer features includingasset management, work order management, employeemanagement, maintenance scheduling, supplieradministration and reports. As an added benefit,this edition will provide basic GPS support, onlinesupport services and automatic software updates,among other features.“After six successful years of providing the fleetindustry with our maintenance management solutions,we decided to offer a free edition to allowsmall fleet owners and managers the opportunityto realize the cost-savings benefits from our powerfulWeb-based software and help them streamlinetheir operations,” said Christophe Borg, Presidentand CEO, BorgSolutions Inc. “During these harsheconomic times, we believe any help we can offerour industry will not only have an immediate benefitto our country as a whole, but will also benefitBorgSolutions in the long term.”The Free Starter Edition can be used by both commercialand government fleet owners/managerswithout any licensing fees. It is intended primarilyfor single users of small commercial fleets with lessthan 20 units. The users of the free Starter Editionare required to provide accurate business informationand to abide by the users license.To sign up for the Starter Edition, go to www.borgsolutions.com.July 2009 | Utility Contractor 11
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Page 8 and 9: GROUNDBREAKING NEWSNew CWC ReportSu
Page 12: GROUNDBREAKING NEWSPassing the Torc
Page 15 and 16: any NUCA members would knowRon from
Page 17 and 18: “Two basic themes have dominated
Page 19 and 20: 100,001 to 300,000Man-hoursDeKalb P
Page 21 and 22: 1-million-plusMan-hoursJ.F. Ahern C
Page 23 and 24: Honda GeneratorThe Honda EU6500is i
Page 25 and 26: Wacker Neuson Light TowerWacker Neu
Page 27 and 28: Trench Shoring Manufacturers Rememb
Page 29 and 30: ida Underground, 40-ft interlocking
Page 31 and 32: INSIDE WASHINGTONing the $787 billi
Page 33 and 34: SAFETY MANAGEMENTthe observations a
Page 35 and 36: NUCA NEWSNUCA Government Relations
Page 38: NUCA NEWS2009 NUCA Safety Directors
Page 41 and 42: THE PIPELINEInterested in seeing YO
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