Monthly Archives: September 2017

Different departments should work in tandem

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The success of any business lies on how collectively different departments of the company are able to work. To work as a team is quite a crucial component for the success of any business and when it is about the construction industry, team work becomes all the more important. A big construction industry has a lot of things to take care of and all needs to be in sync with each other for smooth functioning of the business. If any of the department lags then it will have a hard impact on all the other departments and they will face a tough time to deal with the shortcomings of that one department. This is the reason why if at all a department lags behind or is not able to cope up due to some issues that needs to be addressed then and there so that it does not lead to any further complication.

Collective effort from Admin and payroll team is needed:-

The Admin and Payroll team of a construction company plays a big role in managing the office expenses as well as ensuring that all the employees are paid fairly and correctly at the end of every week or bi-weekly as they receive the amount. The payroll team has to be very stringent with records keeping and stuff so that they do not overpay or underpay anybody. Problems and confusions do happen in a big company and if any employee experiences such an issue then that should be cleared at the earliest. Also steps should be taken to ensure that such mistakes do not happen again. To avoid mistakes or confusions, these 2 departments have to work very closely with each other. It becomes the responsibility of the head of the departments to check that things are moving smoothly and if there has been problems check the steps taken by the team to resolve it.

Growth of construction business:-

Growth of construction business largely depends on effective communication between several departments and effective communication is possible when people from different departments know each other. For instance, the operators who are in-charge of heavy equipment should know people from the support team (heavy equipment mechanics) as they are dependent on a large scale on the support team. Simultaneously, the support team should also provide quick response to any issue that has come up in the site. Heavy equipment are bound to fall sick. The mechanics should provide their help by getting things right on the machine.

Loopholes if any should be weed out:-

Any type of loophole that a department experiences should be taken care of in the first level itself. It should not be allowed to creep any further. If there is a situation that can’t be controlled in the first level and needs involvement of guys from another level then that should be informed to them in advance. They should be aware of the situation so that they can take necessary steps and be prepared to deal with it. This kind of collaboration is required the most in a construction segment.

Collaborate with giant construction companies to get exposed to big projects

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Owner of every construction company dreams to grow and take his company to a point where it will not be a problem for him to get projects after giving proper introduction of his company. Just the name of the company should be enough for entities to give work to him. Well, if a person works hard he will definitely find his place but just working hard will not do the trick for him. He also needs to be smart enough to grab opportunities coming from all corners. He should be in a position to understand his capabilities and based on that take up as it comes on his way. As and when he becomes more experienced and develops his portfolio to an extent that he can now move to the next level. The next level is to get into collaboration with giant construction companies. There you will get the exposure to work in big construction projects and develop your company’s portfolio even further.

Big companies need small companies to work for them:-

You may have heard a giant construction company bagging a huge project and you may wonder how on earth they have so much of resources to work on such a massive construction project. Well, these guys play smart. They definitely do not have so much capital and other resources to manage such a magnificent work but they still manage to do it by collaborating with small construction companies. It would be prudent to say that they incorporate other small companies and contractors and use their resources to work on the project. These small companies are paid in phases. Once they complete a phase of work they are paid their dues and then a review is done on the quality of work. If the company finds it to be satisfactory then they continue with them or else they do away with them. At times, they also review the work during the mid of the project so that things do not go out of control and they can make some changes if the construction work looks shabby.

Keep an eye on the market and meet companies quite often:-

Small construction companies who dare to dream big should constantly keep an eye on the market and check the latest happenings in the construction world. They should be aware of any upcoming project and also keep the names of the company handy who all are vying for it. Once that is known the companies should be contacted and quotations should be given to them. Now the ball goes to their court. They will check your credentials and see if you fall fit for the job. Ensure that you meet the companies quite often so that you do not go off their minds.

Do not get disheartened if you are not given the opportunity in a mega project. You can eye for the next one for settle for something less for the time being. Take your time to develop your name in the construction sector and once companies start knowing you they will invariably give you work.

How to do inspection in heavy equipment auctions? Hire local heavy equipment dealers

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Heavy equipment auctions have the ability to draw in huge number of people. Right from contractors to owners of the construction company all would want to have the best from auction and this is why it is quite essential to have someone inspect the auction. The inspection is required to see that everything is carried out in a smooth manner and that nobody has any sort of complain with the auction process. The auction process is in itself a very complex and time consuming process.

 

Anything that involves a mammoth crowd who wants to have their piece of share from the items getting auctioned can become chaotic at any given point of time and therefore the necessity to have someone inspect the auction is of utter importance. Other than that it is not feasible for the organizers of an auction to maintain the crowd and they have to give that work to someone else. Similarly, it is also important to ensure that the auction is conducted fairly without the intervention of any forces that might steer the entire process to their benefit.

 

Some auctioneers are smart and they try to take people on a ride. They kind of indulge in practices that increase the price of the item which then goes for the auction. This means that the price at which the auction begins is an inflated one and anything that goes beyond that price is certainly a profit for them. An inappropriate profit for the seller but definitely not going well with the buyer as he will pay more for a construction equipment which actually does not cost the price he is paying.

 

The best way to deal with this is to hire local heavy equipment dealers who have fair degree of knowledge about heavy equipment and the price that each machine would be of. Since they are always engaged in the business of selling heavy equipment, they will be the suitable one from the lot to judge if the auction is going the right way.

 

Advice and information center:-

 

The local heavy equipment dealers can also work as an advisory to the visitors that have come for the auction. People can reach out to them and can seek suggestion on the heavy equipment that is there for auction. What ideally happens here is that the people get a fair idea of what they will be dealing with and if the item they will buy will be indeed worth their money. Other than that they will get an assurance from the expert about the exact condition of the machine. The heavy equipment dealers should be impartial body and should not display their loyalty to any party.

 

Auctioneers should place an ad to hire the dealers:-

There is no point in hiring heavy equipment dealers whom the auctioneers know and have good rapport with. They should be hiring people whom they do not know or who will be impartial to the entire process and can inspect the auction till the end without any flaw. For that, they should place an ad and then pick the dealers.

Worried that your heavy equipment may get stolen – install cameras

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It is natural for us to care for the expensive item that we possess. There is always a fear that those expensive items might get stolen if we do not take proper care to keep it in a place that we consider as safe. Therefore we take every possible measure to keep it hidden and away from the eyes of any miscreant. This is possible as far as the expensive item is small in size but what about those items that is big enough to be hidden or even if you try to hide them there is someone or the other who will get to know about it and can then make every attempt to steal it. You buy an expensive car and you may stay a bit worried that someone might steal that and therefore you keep that in your garage completely locked. But you can’t do the same for your heavy equipment which are left open in the construction site. If you have a lot of heavy equipment that are working on the construction site, it will be next to impossible to lock it in some garage. You have to think of something else to keep it safe.

Well in such a situation, the best that you can do is install cameras around the jobsite and appoint some security personnel who will keep a close watch on the screen to check if anybody is trying to be become smarter and making his way to steal either of your machines. There is a chance that the robbers may come with their faces masked and try to first break off the camera. Well, if this is what they do first the security guys sitting inside the control room will get to know about it as they will find the screen has gone blank which will suggest that someone has ended up breaking the cameras. They can then go to that direction to nab the culprits.

The price of the cameras are hardly few dollars and definitely far lesser than the price of the heavy equipment. So one should buy them without thinking twice and secure all the machines from getting stolen. You also have cameras that rotate 180 degrees which means that you do not have to install more cameras on the jobsite. If the jobsite covers few acres of land, you may have to invest a bit on cameras or else a couple of them should be fine. Either ways it will be a win-win situation for you and you can sleep without having any worries or fear of your machines getting stolen.

While hiring the security guys, you should ensure that they have some experience in guarding things. They should know how to monitor things on the switch between multiple monitors. The existence of cameras will have no importance if you have recruited incompetent workforce to guard your belongings and will eventually lose it. However, if you have the guys trained there is negligible chance for someone to have the opportunity to steal the heavy machines.

Market your work to big companies

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In the construction sector it is all about getting new projects one after the other. The moment you are done with one project you should ensure that you have another one in hand or else your labor will be idle. Although most of the labor force comes from the union but at times you hire the cream and make them a part of your company. So you can’t afford to be out of project at any given point in time. If you are a small construction company and have always taken up small projects, it is perhaps the time that you begin to try to get work from big companies.

Big construction companies usually require small companies and contractors to work on their project. They deploy very few of their labor force at work and give contracts to other small companies. It makes sense to take up work from them. This will give you the much needed exposure that you need to grow as a company.

Create a strong profile of your work:-

Before you approach to any of a giant construction company, you need to make sure that you have a strong profile of your company to put across. These big companies do not give contracts to any lay construction company. After all it is a matter of their reputation and they will not do anything to put it at stake and hence will acquire the best resource to complete the project. Now you have to prepare your profile in such a way that by having a glimpse of it they should appreciate it and should feel proud enough to have you as a part of their institution. You will ideally go to them with a Power-point presentation where you will mention the key projects that you have completed and your role towards the completion if you were not the sole player. Also talk about the types of heavy equipment you have at your disposal or can acquire them if you come across a bigger project.

Your experience should talk about you:-

If you are a company that is into the business for the last few years then you should talk about your experience and the different types of work your company has got into. If you specialize in a particular genre of work then that should be highlighted and spread it across the board that they will not find anyone doing the same work better than you. Design a website that looks professional and speaks volume about the construction world and also about the projects that you have been associated with. These big companies need you. All they want to make sure is that you are the right guy for them and this is exactly what you also need to pass it across to them.

The project undertaken by these giant companies last long which means that you are in business for that long. By the time you are associated with one such company, try to reach out to other companies by displaying your role in the current project. It will really help you to get new work.

 

How to operate a grader

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Landscape in the construction sector has gained prominence over the years. This means the construction equipment required to do landscaping work is in much demand and also the people who know to operator it. When we talk about landscapes or leveling land, the heavy equipment that comes in our mind in the first stance is a grader. Grader plays immense role when it comes to leveling the land and making a path for the workers to move. We can imagine how crooked the paths are on a jobsite and therefore how difficult it must be for the workers to move on it. If not leveled at the right time, the soil gets hardened and then it becomes a problem to get it removed. Same is the case with creating landscapes. We have to get the work done at the right time or else the effort that we have to put to get the work done just multiplies.

To know all the functions of a grader is crucial:-

One can become an efficient operator only when he/she is aware of the various functions that are available in a grader. Jumping in inside the cabin and driving/operating the machine can be part of the basic function but if you find yourself in a difficult situation and you do not know all the functions then you are at a greater risk. The operator is expected to know all the functions in a grader and if you fail to do so then you will be jeopardizing the prospect of the project and also to a larger extent your career in the industry. If you are a trainee, it is important that you sit along with your mentor and check how he/she is operating the machine. Learn from him the functions that he uses and ask to show stuffs that are important for you to know.

Learn the signals properly:-

A grader throws lot of signals to the operator and every signal has a different meaning attached to it. If the clutches are not functioning properly then it may throw a certain type of signal or for that matter if there is some issue with the engine or parts related to the engine it will indicate through means of a signal. Now it is for you to comprehend and understand them so that you do not overlook the signal and continue your work as usual. Unable to comprehend signals can have catastrophic effect on the machine and also at times to the life of the people on the jobsite.

Do some basic checks on your own:-

Conducting certain basic checks like ensuring the brakes are in order and when applied it stops the machine from moving, the clutches, gears, levers are all in place and are working absolutely fine is very crucial. You should not have problem to stop the machine from moving when you are working on a steep land or to your amazement you find out the machine is not moving as it should as there are issues with its clutches. These should be examined well in advance.

Operators views on new Caterpillar graders

Graders have always been the best choice amongst most of the operators who are been assigned the task to remove debris from a construction site. They see this as a difficult task only because it is hard to break down the debris that has formed a solid state by now and then load them in the truck. Also for operators who work in a dump yard where ultimately all the debris are unwanted wastages are finally dumped, they see the work to breaking down the wastages are a tough nut to crack. However, if they are given the right sort of heavy equipment then perhaps they might find some solace. Ideally, they demand for the right machine because they can’t perform to their full potential if they are given machines that are not meant to do that kind of work and most of the time they demand for Graders for this kind of job.

Some operators are quite selective with the brand of machine they will work on. No wonder these operators have loads of experience under their belt and they know what they are asking for. It has been observed that such operators demand for CAT graders as they find it to be far more reliable and easy to work with. One must understand that operators want to work on machines that provide them with ample of comfort and space.

They do not want to slog for every small thing and want the machine to take care of most of the production part. Other than comfort they also look for convenience as they believe that heavy equipment should provide the required convenience to the operators who otherwise have to go through an ordeal on the site. Removing debris and managing the dirt is quite a task and not many want to venture into it. It is perhaps the experienced ones who take up the challenge and hence their demand for a machine of their choice is absolutely justified.

The height of the machine to the top of the cabin is around 11 ft in which means that it provides ample space to the guy inside and also allows him to move freely without getting hit by other significant gadgets. The M-series gadgets of CAT graders are termed to be phenomenal by industry experts and also been rated as one of the best as compared with the rest of the series. Operators also face a hard time with the various functions in the machine. The modern day graders are equipped with state of the art features which makes grading work simple. However, CAT makers have ensured that they keep the functions as simple as they can so that the operators to get a hang of it within few hours.

Most of the features in the M-series grader are controlled with a joystick and there are few other buttons that are used to move the machine and its accessories. However, it does not take enough time of the operator to understand those levers and work his way. Overall, most of the operators have appreciated CAT graders and has kept it at the top of their demand list.

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Earthquake damage clean-up services with heavy equipment!

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Earthquakes can be disastrous and destroy a large area within just a few seconds. As the Richter scale strikes high, the consequences are so severe that it takes months or sometimes years to repair the damages and losses. However, what needs to be done almost as an emergency resort is to clean the debris and rubble that is caused by the earthquake. But, it is not the job of the humans to clean the rubble and debris manually. What helps in this task is the heavy equipment.

There are special earthquake management and clean-up heavy equipment that are used in this task. They are designed to do a number of tasks in order to manage the earthquake damages.

Removing the rubble:

Rubble of stones, concrete and bricks that are scattered everywhere on the roads from the demolished buildings as a consequence of earthquake, needs to be cleaned at once. This is very important as surviving creatures; humans might get trapped underneath the rubble.

There are excavators and loaders that help in removing the rubble. These come in different types. Some have tongs in the front that help in lifting and picking up the huge pieces of rubble, so that the task is done faster.

Sorting out the rubble:

After an earthquake, the rubble and debris that is deposited, contains different kinds of elements. These include wood, electronic devices like television sets, computer, refrigerator, air conditioners and so many such things. There are also the kitchen appliances that need to be separated. The concrete, stones and bricks need to be separated from the electronic devices. In fact, the wooden furniture, doors and window frames etc. should be separated as well.

The reason behind this is recycling. Such huge amounts of the rubble that is cleared up from the zone, cannot be dumped together anywhere. Hence, recycling is a must. There are equipment that help in sorting out the rubble.

Metal cutters:

Metal cutters are very important in the cleaning process after an earthquake, the aluminium, steel and iron sheets that are used in various structures and constructions, need to be cut in order to remove them. It might not be possible to move them as it is. The heavy equipment that helps in cutting the metal should be used in that case.

However, one thing that needs special mention here is that the heavy equipment that helps in the task of removing the debris and cleaning up the area that has been struck by an earthquake or some such other natural disaster might not be available to everyone. It is therefore important that you buy or hire them from a dealer.

The dealers always have these types of heavy equipment available. You can also choose the used equipment as they are available for an affordable price, regardless to mention the heavy equipment is not cheap. But of course, if you are a service company that offers earthquake or storm damage clean-up services, owning the heavy equipment is a must. It will help you to provide fast services, which is a must in these cases.

 

Renting a backhoe loader

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If you have an asset which you are not using and that can be rented should be let-out without giving much thought. The reason is if you just keep the asset with you and do not use it, with the passage of time it will wear out. This means that you do not gain anything from it and you are slowly losing out on an asset. This makes absolutely no sense. In the construction business there are many small construction companies as well as contractors who are in hunt of heavy equipment and are ready to give a good rental price if they get something worthy. So for instance, if you own a machine and you do not see any use of it in your business for the next many years then it just does not make any sense to keep it with you. You end up paying a good price to maintain the machine which you will not use for many years.

Backhoe loader is one such heavy equipment that is known for its sheer quality and high class performance. Therefore renting a backhoe loader can always assure you good returns. All that you need to ensure is that you keep the loader in good state. Keep the machine well maintained till the time it is there with you and you have put it to some use. Also before you list the machine for rent, make sure that it is up and running. Try to take some help of a mechanic. He can fix the loader if at all it has any issues. Moreover, you should paint the machine and make it look new. We all want to acquire new things in our lives. So what if the next guy will own it for few months, it will still prefer to take it once it is painted and it looks new.

Use online platforms:-

Listing the backhoe loader on an online platform is perhaps one of the best options you can use. There are number of websites that deals with selling and renting machinery online. Right from an air condition to a car, you can find everything online. You have to first become a member of one such website. Take some pictures of the loader and post it on the website. Give a brief description of the machine like since how long you hold the machine, if it has gone through any minor or major accidents or have you recently changed any of its parts and things thereon. This information will be handy for the viewer and will help them to decide if they should go for your stuff.

Do not quote a high price for an old loader:-

You should be very careful while you quote the price of the backhoe loader. If at all the machine is old and has been repaired several times, you should quote a lesser price for the item. The taker should not feel cheated or else it can lead to further complications. It will be a waste of time to get into such unwanted situations.

Expert opinions matters a lot when it comes to safety of heavy equipment

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When you are dealing with an important thing that can make or break your business, you should depend on the advices of the experts. When it comes to heavy equipment, you got to be all the more cautious while dealing with it. Heavy equipment are highly expensive items and you need to be double sure before you do anything that you have not tried afore. It is always advisable that you take the opinions of an expert for everything that you are not sure of. The real problem is how we know a person is an expert in the field of heavy equipment. We can’t really determine that but there are few things that we can follow.

Take advice from experienced people:-

People who are dealing with heavy equipment for the last many years will be in a position to understand your issue and may give you a valuable suggestion. They may have seen several instances and have found a way to get pass through those issues. These experiences of theirs really counts and it will be prudent to put your queries to them. In case, if they do not know the answer, they will at least not misguide you by giving incorrect details. On the other hand, they will check about the particular scenario from someone else and then will get back to you. Alternatively, if you have a mentor in the construction industry or a person who is an expert mechanic can also come handy.

Post your question on the net:-

This is another option you can avail to get your answer on heavy equipment. Here you will get multiple suggestions and opinions of people belonging to this industry for years. All you have to do is put your question on your site (if you have one) and then wait for people to comment on it. You can also ask people to register on your site so that they can often come to your site and give their say on a new topic. In case you do not have your website, you can become a member on someone else’s website and post your question there. The effect will be the same. People who know about the subject will speak on it and shall also provide a link of a website for you to go through. This will save your time to browse the net and search for the topic of your interest. You directly can go to the site and get your queries answered.

Operators can be a big help:-

In case you are having an issue with your equipment and you do not know whom to reach for help, you can take help from the operator of your machine. Operators are the one who work all the time on your machine and therefore can offer you a piece of their mind. Simultaneously, one should also upgrade his knowledge on heavy equipment if they have to regularly deal with it. Nevertheless, an expert opinion always matter in keeping the heavy equipment hearty and healthy.