The online tool allows customers to “build and price” their ideal electric compact excavator and wheel loader.
Sweden-based Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has created an online tool that allows customers to “build and price” their ideal electric compact excavator and wheel loader, marking the company’s latest advancements in both e-commerce and the introduction of electric construction equipment to the market.
Initially available in North America and Norway, the tool on the Volvo CE website lets users configure any of the electric compact machines in Volvo’s lineup with the features they want and see the suggested retail price.
“Construction equipment customers do a lot of research online already, and our configurator tool puts even more information at their fingertips,” says Jefferson Yin, director of new business models and commercial intelligence for Volvo CE. “We’re especially happy we can give them a price estimate because that’s something other brands aren’t doing. Customers will continue to be supported by their local Volvo CE dealer during the sales process and with ongoing support after their purchase.”
Since Volvo CE first opened pre-booking for its electric machines in 2020, customers have been able to reserve a machine online. Now, they can also configure their machine and instantly see the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, says the company.
The configurator tool will walk them through these options:
This information will go to a Volvo CE dealer in their area who will respond within 48 hours, providing more detailed pricing and offering all the support and information they typically get from a dealer, such as an opportunity to demo the machine and financing options from Volvo Financial Services.
“This is the next step in our electromobility journey and digital transformation,” Yin says. “The goals are to improve the customer experience, provide an easy understanding of our industry-leading electromobility offering and ensure a seamless sales experience.”
Starting as a pilot project in the U.S., Canada and Norway, the new touch point will serve as a test bed for future solutions that could be scaled up for other markets.
To try the electric machine configuration tool, visit www.volvoce.com/united-states/en-us/products/electric-machines.
The fire appears to be accidental and not suspicious in nature, according to officials.
A significant fire at a Recology-owned landfill in Novato, California, had firefighters working against an “oppressive heatwave” to control the blaze.
The fire started at the Sonoma Marin Landfill at about 10 p.m. Sept. 6, reports CBS News. At the time of the fire, a heat wave had driven temperatures in the area into triple digits for much of the day.
According to Novato Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Jeff Whittet, the fire appears to be accidental and not suspicious in nature. He told CBS News the Novato Fire District sent crews to battle the flames and were joined by units from Marin County Fire, Central Marin Fire and North Bay Fire.
Firefighters say the blaze was fueled by construction materials such as drywall and lumber; however, a spokesperson with the Gypsum Association, Silver Spring, Maryland, says this is likely not the case.
In an email to Waste Today, the Gypsum Association notes that gypsum drywall is “inherently non-combustible,” which is “precisely why drywall is used in 99 percent of structures today.”
“When a gypsum panel is exposed to high temperatures, it does not ignite. Instead, the surface releases steam as the chemically combined water in the core is released. Heat transmission is obstructed until this slow process, known as calcination, is complete,” the spokesperson says. “During a fire, wood or steel structural members covered with gypsum panels are protected and the fire is contained because the temperature behind the panel is significantly lower than the temperature at which steel loses strength or wood ignites.”
According to the Gypsum Association, this fire-resistant nature can be credited to the chemical composition of gypsum. Gypsum, or calcium sulfate dihydrate, is an inert compound containing 21 percent by weight chemically combined water. Both natural gypsum and synthetic gypsum share this inherent characteristic, which is leveraged to provide buildings, including homes, with passive fire resistance.
Waste Today has reached out to the Novato Fire District for more information on what may have sparked the fire.
Photos shared by the Novato Fire District on Twitter show flames burning amid the piles of debris:
Novato Fire District personnel with assistance from Marin County Fire, Central Marin Fire and North Bay Fire controlled a large debris fire at the Sonoma Marin Landfill. Smoke is visible from Highways 101 and 37. No structures were damaged and no injuries reported. ?????? pic.twitter.com/jAZgUmLEwU
As reported by CBS News, smoke and flames were visible from Highways 101 and 37. No structures were damaged, and no injuries were reported.
The “deep-seated” nature of the fire necessitated a “lot of work to tackle,” according to firefighters. CBS News last reported Sept. 7 that large water tenders were being employed to put the fire out. Bulldozers were also used to “push out” extinguished matter to be cooled and covered.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include statements from the Gypsum Association on the characteristics of gypsum drywall.
Crusher maker will emphasize electrification features at German trade fair.
Austria-based crushing and screening equipment maker Rubble Master (RM Group) is preparing to display technology at the late October BAUMA trade fair in Munich it says involves “innovations for cost-effective and efficient crushing and screening.”
The company says it has been powering its mobile processing plants with electricity for decades, and at BAUMA will feature its RM H50X hybrid-powered screen and its RM XSMART software system at its “Meet the future” exhibit.
“As part of the RM NEXT philosophy, the RM Group is consistently supporting electrification and offers all of its crushers and screens as hybrid versions as a matter of principle,” the firm says. The machines can also be operated fully via electric power.
“A special focus is on combining machines to form crushing and screening trains so they can be operated together, the firm continues, adding, “This means, for example, that the crusher can also power the screen.”
In addition to electrification, RM Group says it is focusing on digitalization to give customers a full overview of their machines as they operate. The RM XSMART app has been designed so machine operators can network with their machines either using an app on their mobile devices or by using a web browser. “Fleet management, condition monitoring, end-to-end reporting, and troubleshooting support make everyday life much easier and, at the same time, increase productivity,” RM Group says of the app.
By networking the machines with each other, in a networked crushing and screening train, the machines can communicate with each other so they can adjust their output to sync with the upstream and downstream units, “or react to an event such as one of the machines in the train switching off,” according to the manufacturer.
More information on the RM Group’s product line can be found here.
The Superfund National Priorities List includes the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding five sites to the Superfund National Priorities List. It is also proposing to add another two where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risk.
"All people in this country, no matter the color of their skin, their ZIP code or income, deserve to live in communities free from harmful pollutants and contaminated lands,” says EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “By adding sites to the Superfund National Priorities List, we are accelerating cleanups and working to ensure that more people living near the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination have the health and environmental protections they deserve.”
The Superfund National Priorities List includes the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at nonfederal sites included on the Superfund National Priorities List are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup. Cleanup at federal facilities is funded by the lead federal agency responsible for the site.
The EPA says thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills and processing plants to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law will accelerate the EPA’s work to help communities clean these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes.
The EPA is adding the following sites to the Superfund National Priorities List:
Lower Hackensack River, Bergen and Hudson counties, New Jersey;
Brillo Landfill, Victory, New York;
Ochoa Fertilizer Co., Guánica, Puerto Rico;
Georgetown North Groundwater, Georgetown, Delaware; and
Highway 3 PCE, Le Mars, Iowa
The EPA is proposing to add the following sites to the Superfund National Priorities List:
East Basin Road Groundwater, New Castle, Delaware; and
PCE Carriage Cleaners, Bellevue, Nebraska
The agency says it is also withdrawing a previously proposed site, the East 10th Street site in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, following its determination that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will continue to investigate and clean the site under its state cleanup authority.
The EPA proposes sites to the Superfund National Priorities List based on a scientific determination of risks to people and the environment, consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. Before it adds a site to the Superfund National Priorities List, a site must meet EPA’s requirements and proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. The agency will add the site to the Superfund National Priorities List if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.
Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The EPA says the program has helped reduce birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites. Research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.
As a result, communities are using previously blighted properties for a wide range of purposes, including retail businesses, office space, public parks, residences, warehouses and solar power generation. As of 2021, EPA has collected economic data on 650 Superfund sites. At these sites, 10,230 businesses are operating, 246,000 people employed, an estimated $18.6 billion in income earned by employees and $65.8 billion in sales generated by businesses.
For information about Superfund and the Superfund National Priorities List, click here.
The Finland company says Global Physical Asset Management’s inspection technology will complement Metso Outotec’s grinding products.
Metso Outotec, Helsinki, Finland, has completed the acquisition of Global Physical Asset Management, a technology provider based in Three Lakes, Wisconsin.
The value of the acquisition has not been disclosed. It will have no material impact on Metso Outotec’s financials, says the company.
Global Physical Asset Management’s innovative technologies and digital inspection method are patented and complementary to Metso Outotec’s service offering for grinding. This acquisition will bring more value to customers and support them in achieving reliable plant performance. The acquired technology enables 60 percent faster gear inspections with greater accuracy when compared to the use of conventional methods.
“I am very pleased about this important step toward our strategic target to become the preferred services provider in our industry,” Metso Outotec Services President Sami Takaluoma says. “The unique technology and digital inspection method fit excellently with our services strategy and grinding offering and will also bring potential to further develop our inspection capabilities for our crushing solutions. I warmly welcome our new colleagues to the Metso Outotec team.”
Metso Outotec has experience from designing, manufacturing and supplying over 8,000 grinding mills globally, including the manufacturing and supply for some of the largest semi-autogenous and autogenous mills in the world. With the acquisition of Global Physical Asset Management, Metso Outotec can leverage the strength of its extensive installed base and field service network and increase its capabilities to serve the third-party installed base.
“We are excited that we are now a part of a truly international company,” Global Physical Asset Management co-founders Tom and Jason Shumka say. “As Global Physical Asset Management joins Metso Outotec, its solutions will become available for customers globally.”
The value of the acquisition is not disclosed. It will have no material impact on Metso Outotec’s financials.
Related articles: Metso Outotec acquires Tesab Engineering | Metso Outotec invests in India