Category Archives: Construction

What makes oneself a good heavy equipment sales person

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Like not everybody is capable of becoming a doctor or an engineer. In the same way, not everybody can become a good sales person. It is true that we all need to sell some or the other thing in our lives but that does not make us a good salesman. In a nutshell, selling is considered to be the most difficult profession and not many can succeed in making it their career. Being a good sales person needs skill, needs confidence and needs all the ingredients that will make the other person realize that you are selling the right stuff to them. In case, if you are not confident on what you are selling, then they might hesitate to buy the most beneficial thing of their life.

Selling items of less value may not be so hard but if you are given to sell heavy construction equipment then you may find yourself in a tough spot. Heavy equipment are real expensive items and it is certainly not an easy task to sell it to construction companies. Moreover, when you are trying to sell the equipment to a person who uses heavy equipment of some other brand, it is very difficult to penetrate and steer their thoughts to buy your product. They may be very loyal to their brand and may not feel comfortable to switch to some other brand. You may have to know yours as well as his products really well so that you can first make a comparison at your end and understand what extra you can offer him which he may not get from his brand. Providing discounts may not always work because people look for quality in machines. They may not want to have any discounts and will certainly not be ready to compromise on the quality of the machine.

Learn the in and out of the product:-

It is very important to know the in and out of the machine you are trying to sell. You can’t sell something that you are not sure about. While you are in the sales business, you may come across people who are experts in construction equipment and may give you a valuable suggestion about the product. Therefore, knowing about the product will give you the scope to counter them and possibly may sell the item to them.

Know your competitors well:-

Remember, you are not the only person selling heavy equipment and therefore you will have to face good number of competition from other players. It is imperative to know your competitors before you start pitching in for your product. Having no knowledge about your competitor’s product would be dangerous as it may tarnish your reputation as a salesman. People will find that you do not update yourself with the recent happenings in the world of heavy equipment.

Understand the needs of the customer:-

Please do not try to sell the customer something that he never wanted to have. You should first understand his requirement and then come up with a product. In this way, you will not only make a sale but will also earn respect for yourself.

Reach out to more people with the help of Social Media

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Social media is an amazing platform where people get to know each other. Friends with whom we have not met since ages can be found there and then can stay in touch throughout. It has made things really simple for people who live far away from their loved ones and still manage to see them, speak to them almost daily. Similarly, this platform also plays a very important role when it comes to augmenting your business plans. It will help you reach out to a good number of population at a given time and spread your message to them. For instance, if you want to talk about your business plans to your investors and to the general public at large, you can make use of this platform as well and convey your message to them. It has also been a great site for people who are looking for different business opportunities. They can get to meet people having various ideas which they can implement in their businesses and make it a success.

People who are in the business of selling and servicing of heavy equipment have a lot to gain from such social networking websites. They can advertise their plans and products on their websites but in order for others to know what they dealing with; they need a platform using which they can reach to a sizable amount of people. Social networking sites give them exactly what they need. All they have to do here is create an account with one of the site and invite all the people you know. The request of your invitation will go out on their email address and they might also latch on to the same website. Once they are also a registered member of the social networking website they can accept your invitation and become your friends on the website.

From there, they will be able to track all your activities that you make public. In case, if you want to post something that you do not want everybody to see, you mark those people whom you want should see the stuff. In this way, you can pervade your message to anyone and everyone who are there as your friend on the website. At the same time, you can ask your friends to always share the stuff you are putting up on the site so that people who are latched on to your friend’s account can also get to see your work. In this way, you can put across your message to people whom you do not know. This actually gives them the chance to add you in your network.

It has been widely observed that people who are in the business of sales and service of heavy equipment have friends who are also into the same profession or in the profession that corresponds or is co-related to your work. Therefore if you make any additional friends, it is very likely that they will also be from the same or a profession that is co-related to your line of business. This will be benefitting you as you may sell your machines to them or make some money by servicing their equipment.

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Caterpillar D8 Dozer

It has been witnessed that construction companies have found Dozers as a very good alternative of excavators to do low grade excavating. By grade excavating, it suggests digging not too deep inside the ground. It can’t just fully replace an excavator which has the potential to go deep inside the ground and pull all the dirt out. However, when one has his excavator occupied on some other project and is left with just a dozer, he can make full use of it. Other than that, a dozer is widely used for flattening the surface of the land which is its primary function.

A flat surface is very important before you take your work any further. You can’t ask your men to begin their work on rugged uneven piece of land. You first have to ensure that the land is flattened and brought to a level where others can find it convenient to walk with their tools or else there will be an alarming rate of accidents happening which will lead to working not read to work any further. In a situation like this, it is pretty imperative that you first make use of a dozer and roll it all over the ground to make it ready to walk. This also reminds of the fact about how intensively dozers are used to construct roads. You perhaps do not make use of any other heavy equipment other than dozers. Its heavy roll has the capability to flatten the hardest rock lying on the ground. CAT D8 is one such dozer that has made its reputation as the most incredible piece of machine made by Caterpillar.

It has been fitted with an unbelievable strong engine and has a net power of 120 hp with a displacement of 644.8 cu in. The total number of gears installed in this machine is 3 and the maximum forward and reverse speed that it can take is 8.4 mph and 9.6 mph respectively. The operating weight of the machine including the driver and the fuel tank is around 26,256 lbs. The total fuel capacity of the D8 dozer is 72 gallons. This is many times better than the several dozers made by CAT’s competitors. Moreover, the engineers while making this model have taken immense care to make the cabin as comfortable as it can be. They understand how important it is to make the operator feel comfortable and therefore have ensured that all the levers are set in a zone from where he can easily reach out to them.

CAT claims that it consumes less fuel and is highly productive. People who use CAT machines have also agreed to this claim and they say that they have been able to save good deal of money on fuel. They also expect CAT to manufacture more machines that work on these lines. The D8 dozer is easily available and can be bought directly from the manufacturer or by contact the dealer of your state. Other option is to buy them online. All seems to be quite convenient options.

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Retiring from military, go into the construction domain

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People leaving the military are ideally absorbed in any other industry without much hassle. The only condition is they need to have the required expertise to do the job. So if a person who has served the military for years and now wants to lead a civilian life can get ample of opportunities and can make a bright career in any industry that he find himself to apt with his abilities. Mostly men after leaving the military join the construction industry. The reason is that they have been operating heavy equipment while they were there in the military and since they are so used to working on construction equipment that they can’t see themselves anywhere else other than this sector. At the same time, this industry really pays well to its employees. An operator can earn real god money if he is experienced and has worked on quite a number of machines.

Discipline is in their instinct:-

While serving in the military they learn one thing on a daily basis and that is being disciplined. So when a person is a disciplined, rest everything falls in place. He will understand the importance of his work and will never take anything casually. He will remain focused in his job and will have the determination to complete the job within the prescribed timeframe. A person lacking these skills becomes a burden on the company and therefore the construction companies also look for operators who have served the military so that they can give priority to their work and complete it within the given deadline.

Experience in working with more machines:-

People in the military work on different kinds of construction machines. Some of the machines are not used in the construction industry by private construction companies. It could be because the military give orders to produce customized machines that are meant to serve their specific requirements. So the men who have worked on construction machines have undoubtedly worked on the best of machines in its class and therefore have experience in handling them in rough terrain, sliding zones, mountainous region and places where ideally operators find it difficult to work with machines. Just because they are so used to working in such hazardous terrains, they become the first choice of the construction companies.

Can open their own construction company:-

A person after retiring from the military can even start his own venture in the construction domain. If he has hands-on knowledge of working with machines, he has won half the battle. Since he has retired from the military, getting loans sanctioned will not be a difficult task for him. All he needs to do is get the necessary documentation done and start the business. Clients will also have more faith on him knowing that he is an ex-military officer and will have high regards for him for having served the nation. Therefore getting work will not be much of an issue. Moreover, jobs like demolitions are somewhat easy to get. So if you have the right equipment with you and know how to operate it, you can make it big in this form of a business.

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Cost cutting measure is important in construction business

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Every industry has its share of good and bad days. So when they are enjoying their good days it is crucial that they keep enough reserves for any possible decline in their business and when they encounter any fall then they should be quick to adopt cost cutting measure. It is been widely observed that companies take time to adopt cost cutting measures due to which they get themselves into deeper mess and eventually some has to wind up their businesses.

Cost cutting measures do not primarily involve sacking employees though that is considered as one of the measures but that should be the last option. By sacking employees, you will be losing resources that have been with your company for many years and who know the business well. When the tide will turn, you again have to recruit new guys and train them. You may not get back the same human resources that you had sacked once. So keep that as your last option.

Bring down unnecessary expenses:-

You got to track down the overall operating and non-operating expenses in your company and have to cut down the costs that you feel is completely unnecessary. If you check your records, you will come across a lot of such expenses that should not have been done in the first place. Since you never bother to check the records, it must have occurred but this is what you need to curtail. You need to cut down all the expenses that are either not needed or not much needed by the company. Only spend the money on important things and things that are absolutely necessary for the smooth running of the business.

Rent out or sell heavy equipment that are redundant for your business:-

If you take a day’s time and check which all heavy equipment are indeed functioning, you may be surprised to know that out of the entire lot of heavy equipment you possess, you use only half the machines for your projects. Rest of the machines are not working but you still spend a good deal of money on maintaining them. That is again costing your business. Hence, it is important that you take stock of the heavy equipment that are not in use and may remain out of use of many more months so that they can be rented out to guys who need them. In case, if the machines have gone redundant, then it is advisable that you get rid of them. In this way, you will make some money for your business.

Sack employees if you really have to:-

Well, this should be the last option in your kitty. You can do this only if you feel that this is the only step you have to save your company from getting wrapped up. However, you have to take immense care before you lay off your employees. It is important that you remove people who are not good workers and often have been a pain to the company. Check their performance sheet and then take a calculated decision. Remember, once you lose them there are not much chance to get them back.

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Construction sector is a booming one for small time contractors

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Construction industry is one of those industries that is known for making not so rich people ultra-rich. It is just that they need to know how to work in this industry keeping your discipline intact. If you are a person who is disciplined and also focused to your work, you can yield good results and the industry will always reward you for your hard work. Other than being focused, there are few more things that are quite essential when it comes to making it big in the construction sector. Particularly for small time contractors who are striving hard to make it big, they need to follow some very basic and simple rules that can help them a long way in achieving what they have desired from this sector.

Maintain a good rapport with your competitors:-

This industry is full of competition where every other guy is ready to take away your business if you hold things loosely. It becomes very difficult to maintain good relation with your competitors but you still have to do so. You never know when one of your competitor with whom you have a good relation may come with an offer for you that can give a new dimension to your business. Having a strenuous relationship never helps anywhere and especially in a sector like this, you got to be very careful before you speak anything that may deteriorate your bonding with the next person.

Knowing the industry well:-

It is often said that you should do something that you know you can do well. This is very much applicable for the construction sector. Just because this industry can reward you lot more than any other industry can does not mean that you should just jump into it without giving a second thought. If you do not much about the construction business, it is advisable that you stay out of it or get into it only after you have learned the trick of the trade. Entering the industry before that can only make things messy for you.

Have a mentor to guide you:-

It is very important to find someone who can guide you all the way through. It is never easy to be in such a dynamic industry without getting proper guidance from an expert mind. Having a mentor who can walk you through the difficult phases in your business is really worthy. You may not be able to evaluate how much your mentor’s advice will save you from any sort of miseries. It is however difficult to find such a person but you have to keep trying. Ideally, one can find such a person during his initial days of struggle. It is only during that phase of his life that you get to meet good, bad and ugly guys. You then have to check on whom can you trust the most and once you have found the person, you can rely on him for any kind of advice.

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Newbie should remain open to advice

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When you are new to something, you should better be open to learn anything and everything that comes your way. This means that you should be ready to take advices from people. Well, this does not imply that you should be following them irrespective you find them to be right or wrong. Being a part of the construction industry, you will come across many people who will give you advice on many things. Out of them some may work and many will not. However, listening to them will cost you nothing and therefore keep your ears open. The only exception is when you hear someone speaking things that do not make any sense to you; you should try and avoid such men. There are many legal hassles that one has to go through when they kick start their construction business for which you need to know the right person to approach. Let say you need help of a good attorney but you do not know any. This is when you reach out to people who can help you find a good attorney who will advise you on legal matters.

Not all advice come free. Like in above example where you are required to take some legal advices from an attorney. The attorney will for sure charge you fees for his services and that will not be free. Now what needs to be noted is how worthy is the attorney to you. If you see that his advice works for you, then you can continue to stick with him or else you got to look for someone else.

One of the most crucial departments where you require regular advice from people is buying or renting of heavy equipment. Since being new to the industry, you often require help of guys who are a bit tenured and who understand the criticality of this industry. Right from acquiring a project to determining the number of workers you need for the work, you need a person to guide you throughout. Picking up the right set of heavy equipment is quite important. You may not know accurately which machine can be used for what purpose. You may know that an excavator can be used for excavating work but you may not know that changing its accessories will allow it to do much more than just excavating. This is perhaps where you need expert advices so that you can make the right selection.

Taking the right move in the construction industry is also important because any wrong step can lead you to a lot of hassles. For instance, you can’t construct anything on a land that has lien on it. There are many legal hiccups that you may have to encounter. Also where the title is not clear and you step into build something there. There are chances that on one fine morning you may get a notice from a title holder. Therefore before you take up any new work, you again need to take advice from people so that you do not end up into troubled waters.

Preventable accident heavy equipment safety

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Safety has always been a big concern in any construction jobsite. Even though people take utmost caution and follow all the necessary safety procedures, accidents happen. Some companies have even called upon experts who have done detailed study in jobsite related accidents and they have to say that it is sometimes mere ignorance on the part of the employees that they are so engrossed with their work following which they forget to follow certain procedure and the accident occurs. At times it is also due to lack of communication.

For instance, when heavy equipment is supposed to work at a site and everybody needs to clear off the area while the machine is working, it has been seen that many workers just do not know about it beforehand and they continue with their work. It is only when they get to know from other workmen that they move away from the area. The experts say that they need to be communicated about the evacuation before the machine is moved into the area and not after the workers see it inside the zone they are working in.

Make announcement that is loud and clear:-

In order to ensure that your heavy equipment does not pose any risk to the employees nor does it become a victim of any accident, it is necessary that an announcement is made on the jobsite informing all that the machine will be working for “X” number of hours and till that time, workers will not work in that area. In this way, you can prevent any accident from happening. You can make use of big speakers to make announcements so that it gets into the ears of everybody and nobody wanders near to the site.

Ensure that the brakes are in order:-

Make it a general practice every time before you start your day. Start the heavy equipment and move it a bit. Go to and from and apply brakes while it is in motion. In this way, you will ensure if the brakes are in order. It has often been witnessed that an accident has occurred as the operator was not able to stop the machine even though he applied brakes with all his might. Please understand that heavy equipment go under arduous work and there is a possibility that some function will just desist to work. Therefore checking if everything is in place should be your first task before you begin with the day.

Regular maintenance of the machine:-

Regular maintenance of the heavy equipment is of utmost importance. You never know for what reason the machine might stop working or if some functions of the machine fail to work, it can lead to serious problem. For instance, if an excavator while excavating earth pulls the dirt out and while loading in on a truck, something goes wrong and it just throws everything out on the ground where people are working, it can lead to injuries. Maintaining a machine means treating the equipment completely and if there is any sort of issue then weeding it out completely should be a priority.

New Caterpillar Excavators

New advanced excavators are the need of the hour as the construction industry needs is in dire need of such machines that has the capability of excavating earth in just few hours. The existing ones which most of the companies have are also competent enough to do the same work but the only difference is that they consume lot of fuel and the productivity is not that high as compared to the fuel consumption. This clearly indicates that the construction companies are not making enough profits which they could make if they have excavators that consumes less fuel and is more productive.

Keeping the needs of the construction companies into consideration, Caterpillar has come up with various models of new machines that are known to be highly productive and more reliable that all its previous models. They are also more technologically sound and gives more comfort to the person operating the machine. Simultaneously, the newer models of excavators can sustain rough weather conditions like working for hours in the hot summer or in the monsoon where the land is muddy and have high chances of dirt making its way into the interiors of the machine and during the chilled winters where the excavators is used to plough the snow out of the roads.

Caterpillar has produced many new excavators, some big in size and some are the smaller ones. The small excavators also popularly known as mini excavators are widely used by big construction companies. They find these machines to be very economical, user friendly and more reliable. At the same time, it can be used in sites where big excavators find it difficult to enter. These small machines due to its small size can easily enter small sites and does the work with equal effect as compared to the bigger ones. Caterpillar is concentrating to develop more of these mini excavators as it found this machine to be the blue eyed candy boy amongst construction companies and therefore they are focusing on making it more technologically advanced.

Though these mini excavators can’t completely replace the bigger ones as they have their own importance in the construction industry, it is just that they are easy to maneuver and can access sites which are not possible for the larger version of excavators. If we speak about the maintenance of these machines, they are not at all complex and can be done in a day. Servicing is however equally important in lengthening the life of the equipment. One has to ensure that he needs to service the machine at regular intervals as and when it is advised to him by the mechanic or mentioned in the service manual. Delays are understandable but it should not be a prolonged one.

The mini excavators are also quite affordable as it is normally within the budget of every owner of a construction company. They ideally do not have to take a loan to procure that machine and even if they do go for a loan, it can be cleared off in no time.

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Caterpillar D5 Dozer

Removing of debris, moving of dirt from one place to another and things like these are better done by few set of machines and a dozer falls completely in this zone. This means that a dozer is a far more beneficial machine when it comes to doing stuffs that not many machines are capable of doing. More to it, the price of a dozer is also pretty less. This makes it a machine that all can afford to buy and make complete use of it in almost all of their projects. It also works as a very good alternative for excavators which are used to dig just few feet and not deep inside the ground. A dozer can’t completely become an alternative of an excavator as it is meant for a different purpose but can be used at times when an excavator is not immediately available. This also makes it a multipurpose machine.

One company that takes pride in making top quality dozers is Caterpillar. It seems that they are one of the pioneers in manufacturing dozers as it all happened in the year 1925 that they produced their first dozer. Since then they are into manufacturing several types of heavy equipment. However, they still specialize in producing dozers. Talking a bit about the D5 dozer, it has been installed with a 105 hp engine and has a displacement of 640.7 cu in. The total number of forward and reverse gears that is available with the machine is 3 and the maximum forward and backward speed it can travel is 6.3 mph and 7.6 mph respectively. The total height of the machine that also includes its blade is 15”1’ long. Going by the standard blade, the width of it is 10 feet and 3 inches.

It has 6 tracks rollers on each its side and it looks like little wheels that help the track shoe to move. Moving into the operating weight of the D5 dozer, the weight of the machine including the tank full of gas and the average weight of the driver is around 25,794 lb. The total fuel capacity in the dozer is up to 65 gallons.

Once can certainly go through the specification mentioned here to decide if the D5 model of dozer is the one he is looking for in his upcoming project or if he needs something else. However, this is perhaps one of the most inexpensive models available with CAT. Though CAT has been given an impression of selling high priced heavy equipment which to a certain extent is untrue. However, this piece of metal is nowhere falling close to the expensive stuffs that CAT deals with. Having said this, the ones that people find as expensive are machines that are quite technologically advanced and therefore are slightly over priced than the conventional ones. The CAT D5 dozers can be easily purchased from the manufacturer or from their authorized dealers. You also have the option to buy them online as they are available on all the major online stores that deals with heavy equipment.