Cogent supplies specifically to businesses involved in electrical machinery that use electrical steel products, with almost 100 percent of Cogent’s products and services going toward the upkeep of motors, generators, and electrical transformers for power supplies or conversion.

The company will frequently supply transformers that go into specific electrical devices like MRI machines or various other types of transformers (pull-top, padded mount, large substation) in a countryside setting.

Company president and CEO Ron Harper is quick to point out further instances involving the unique applications that the company is a part of, such as acting as supplier for a small customer out of Quebec which had an emergency need to build power supplies for hospital beds, or for one of its American customers providing power to mobile hospitals in need.

Electrical power is Cogent’s game, and it can act as a supplier for it in myriad dynamic and versatile ways.

Harper details Cogent as being a make-to-order product business with a low level of standardization and high turnaround; as a result, Cogent places a premium value on being reliable as a supplier in terms of delivering its products and being available to clients as much as possible.

Speaking the client’s language
The company’s client focus comes through in aspects like its approach to problem solving, where Cogent employees will work together with clients on a design and product applications to get the best result. “We have more client product design engineers on our staff than most competitors combined,” Harper continues. “We can speak the language of our clients.”

The company’s clientele can always feel like they have the best materials, the most reliable delivery, and the flexibility to make changes at any time.

Harper describes the company as one that is very material-driven, an identity which exists at the other end of what he views as a directional choice within the industry.

On one hand, there are those businesses in the electrical space that lean toward a commodity-focused experience due to the industry’s very nature and the raw materials that go into supplying it.

Cogent finds itself on the other side, finding great success by integrating products and services in a more solution-oriented approach to product supply.

Harper explains that 100 percent of the company’s raw material stock is a thin-gauge electrical steel product which is finished into electrical components. However, while many people in the industry have a similar background in steel and so approach it in a similar way, the Cogent team engage differently with the product.

Engaging strategy
Their difference – and their strength – comes from working closely with clients in an advisory role, and from taking up a more strategic position than many competitors, who are used to a more transactional relationship, care to do.

Looking back on 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic presented its own challenges and opportunities for Cogent as an established name. Harper feels that the company managed the unusual situation generally quite well thanks to its large and diverse workforce, which worked hard to keep the virus out of the business and implement changes and new practices to maintain and protect the bottom line.

The company was designated an essential business from the beginning with orders and demands picking up in the pandemic’s early months as clients looked to get ahead of changes in their supply chains.

Harper admits that the first couple of months were the hardest, however, due to the uncertainty and discomfort many felt at the changes in the workplace and the world. Challenges cropped up as employees began to stay away from the office out of health concerns. The company filled the gaps with workers who had been displaced at other industries due to quarantine measures.

This, along with the constantly changing communication around the virus, its effects and its spread, fostered an industry-wide tumultuous climate. Fortunately, this company was able to gets it feet back under it in quick time and remains on steady ground to this day.

Flexible and adaptable
Harper admits that a lot of the challenges faced by Cogent, outside of the outstanding global circumstances, are not unique to the company and are handled deftly by a “flexible and adaptable team which can work in a client-focused way and is willing to put the effort in.”

Cogent’s raw materials are 100 percent steel products with steel markets going through surprising developments at the end of 2020. A shortage in materials and an increase in price means that the industry is seeing supply-and-demand constraints but with an added challenge for Cogent of significant growth occurring in the electric and hybrid vehicle markets.

Demand is constraining the supply of raw materials and it is a challenge for companies to source the materials to supply long-term and potential clients, leading to a skyrocketing in prices.

Seasonal challenges
The company also has its own share of typical seasonal challenges as well as those that are more recent and market focused.

Cogent rents two large heat-treating facilities that experience a major rise in heat during summer weather conditions, which can become a health and safety problem at times.

The company is also a large supplier to the US market of distribution transformers which typically become casualties of hurricanes and tornadoes, leading to peak demands during those seasons.

There has even been a pickup in demand recently thanks to the freezing temperatures seen in Texas in the early winter months of 2021.

Dealing with these unpredictable emergencies is nothing new to Cogent, which will typically rearrange its production around clients in need, and turn its services around in a couple of days with its usual customer-first attitude. Clients’ problems and emergencies are responsibilities the company takes on as they happen and it looks to rise to the challenge even better with the aid of its new backer.

Ownership change
Since a previous feature on Cogent Power in Business in Focus Magazine in 2019, the company has undergone an ownership change, being acquired by a large Japanese company called JFE Holdings (part of the JFE Shoji Corporation), making Cogent a part of the JVI Electrical Components Group.

Cogent is now affiliated with a group inside a large business where electrical machinery, along with the specialized nature of Cogent’s products and services, are uniquely aligned with a new strategy.

Harper explains that, from a component side, the company has primarily provided transformer components, but with new ownership comes a capability and capacity that can enable Cogent to grow into more motor and core components.

JFE is also a critical supplier with Japanese auto manufacturers where future opportunities lie in electric- and hybrid-vehicle motor manufacturing, especially as gasoline and diesel systems change to more sustainable options.

This means that corporations like JFE will require more of the products and materials that companies like Cogent process. Harper summarizes JFE’s role: “JFE is a regional leader in Japan and has a strong strategic vision to be a bigger player as the new market emerges.”

Cogent is more than ready to be a part of the long-term vision of JFE Shoji. Harper foresees that many short-term challenges may soon crop up on the supply side of the business, but the new parent company expects growth from Cogent in the next 10 years by taking advantage of its new markets and strengthening its transformer position.

Big part of the plan
Cogent looks to continue supporting local partners moving toward electrical and hybrid vehicle solutions in that time. As Harper says of the current state of play, “Cogent is just starting down the path but will be a big part of the plan moving forward.”

The company will also continue to be part of developments in the electrical grid and will be looking into opportunities to make the grid more efficient and intelligent in how it supplies power to businesses and residences.

Cogent Power has gone through a lot of growth and challenges, but Harper recognizes that it has been built on the support, strength, and flexibility of the entire team.

“We couldn’t have gotten to where we are without a team focused on growth – a team that was a helpful contributor in getting the business to where it is,” Harper summarizes. New developments and exciting plans lie ahead for this business in the coming years.

The post New Owner, New Horizons, Same Commitment<p class="company">Cogent Power</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

“The single biggest change since 2017 is that we’re under new ownership,” says President Dennis McCann.

The venerable company was launched in 1916 as the research and development arm of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) then “spun off in the 1980s as a subsidiary consulting and testing firm. At the end of 2019, we were acquired by [Barco Investment Group]. That ended our hundred-year-plus direct connection to the PCA. We still maintain a very friendly relationship with our former owner,” he notes.

Another big change took place earlier this year when CTLGroup inaugurated a New York City office. “We have done work in New York City for many, many years but never had a physical office there,” states NYC branch Senior Architect and Manager Giulia Alimonti. She specializes in building envelope consultation, a field that can entail leak investigation, condition assessment, waterproofing issues, and building envelope exterior restoration. She has also worked on green and solar roofs, which are becoming increasingly common in New York City.

The company headquarters are still located on an eleven-acre campus with multiple buildings and ample laboratory space in Skokie. The firm has a third branch in Texas, which is being moved from Austin to Houston, and a joint venture with a lab in Qatar. CTLGroup recently closed an office in Florida but is eager to return to the Sunshine State.

The company’s engineers, architects, and scientists offer consulting, engineering, and testing services. Because of this, CTLGroup currently has ISO 9001, ISO 17025, AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), and NQA-1 (Nuclear Quality Assurance) certifications. Its labs are dedicated to materials testing of concrete, cementitious substances, industrial by-products, metals, mortar, and paints as well as microscopy and petrography – the scientific classification of rocks. A structural and transportation lab is responsible for testing rail car, track, and bridge components, among other tasks.

CTLGroup’s services cover building science, structural engineering and evaluation, materials science and engineering, concrete and cement-based materials, and laboratory work. The company’s services are provided to markets ranging from insurance and manufacturing to buildings, energy and resources, litigation, materials, rail, water resources, and transportation.

“We do a considerable amount of testing work for the railway industry. That includes both developmental tests that manufacturers and suppliers use to develop and optimize their products and testing to various railroad standards. We perform certification testing, often witnessed by an independent observer, to demonstrate that a product or component used in a railway application meets a specified performance standard,” explains Richard Kaczkowski, Vice President, Structural Engineering.

Unlike many of the company’s competitors, CTLGroup is able to provide high levels of both consulting and testing expertise. “When we do tests for the railroad industry, we can also weave in consulting support, not just taking the component or assembly, performing a standardized test and reporting the result but helping to optimize, improve, diagnose a potential failure,” he adds.

Structural health monitoring, a burgeoning specialty, can involve “adding sensors or creating ‘smart structures’ where we obtain data about the performance of a structure remotely. This includes vibration-based damage detection, acoustic emission monitoring, things of that nature,” says McCann.

The energy industry – particularly nuclear power plants and fossil fuel companies – has been a chief source of work for the firm. Company officials are well aware, however, that the energy industry is in transition.

“We know wind and solar are going to make up the vast majority of new energy starts in the U.S. in 2021,” states McCann, who notes that the company also still works with traditional energy companies. “We’ve seen, just in the past few years, an uptick in our work in both wind and solar. With new technologies, there’s always a learning period. We’ve had a few projects related to solar energy plants where there have been some operational challenges, where there’s not a long history of how components and structures at these plants are supposed to perform. When they run into trouble, that’s where CTLGroup comes in. We’ve helped with a variety of troubleshooting, doing root cause analysis in the solar sector,” he explains.

“On the wind side, we’ve done a little bit of work in the wind sector related to foundations for turbines of ever-increasing height. As wind farms are encroaching on other infrastructure, we get involved in how ground vibrations from say the neighboring quarry may impact the performance of the wind turbine.”

Insurance and claims adjustment-related work represents another rapidly growing sector for the firm. The company offers property loss consulting in the wake of natural or manmade disasters. Insurers will hire CTLGroup to evaluate the extent and cause of property damage and the degree to which repairs can be made.

Since early 2020, the company has had to deal with COVID, and the pandemic “had a real impact on our work,” asserts McCann, who says some projects were delayed or cancelled.

CTLGroup serves the construction and insurance industries and is considered an essential business, so it did not have to close its offices and labs. The company did, however, introduce new workplace protocols to keep its staff safe.

It “got creative with scheduling. When things started to reopen officially last June, most of us came back to the office. At headquarters, we made sure we were wearing masks, keeping socially distant, and using hand sanitizer and all those things,” he recalls.

CTLGroup also got creative when it came to promotion and marketing. In the wake of COVID, and the closure of in-person trade shows and industry events, the firm enhanced its online presence, updated its company website, and launched a successful, ongoing webinar series devoted to technical topics.

“I will say, global pandemic notwithstanding, we’ve spent the last year getting healthy – financially healthy – and making some organizational changes that I think are going to set us up for future growth,” he says.

When last profiled, CTLGroup had 110 employees. This figure has been pared back to about 80 personnel, due to retirements and consolidation, but the company is keen to return to previous staffing levels.

CTLGroup is also excitedly waiting to see if the new Biden administration in Washington, D.C. tackles public infrastructure funding. A big push for new infrastructure, backed by generous federal funds, would be a massive boon for firms such as this. While hopeful, the company keeps a realistic outlook. “We’re cautious because promises for infrastructure spending have been ongoing for as long as I’ve been practicing,” says McCann.

Should such spending be authorized by Congress, the materials division, which handles cement and concrete work, could see a flood of new projects. The materials division performs “any mass concrete consulting that may be part of that infrastructure work plus any transportation-related issues that go with concrete are going through that group,” says Boyd Clark, vice president, materials. “We recently won a couple of research and development projects with the Florida Department of Transportation and Missouri Department of Transportation.”

These transportation contracts are only some of the high-profile projects CTLGroup is currently undertaking. It continues to work with NASA, for example, providing services like consultations regarding concrete mixtures and structural health monitoring of the NASA deep space antenna network.

Deep space antennas are “NASA’s means of communicating to Mars, so, in one small way, we’re helping with the Mars Rover,” says McCann, proudly. The company is also doing projects with the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Energy.

Another new initiative has seen CTLGroup “transferring some of our knowledge in cement and concrete from the construction sector to the medical sector,” he says.

This cutting-edge work entails the use of cement in medical products. Medical work is “just one of the areas where we’re taking things that we’ve learned from our experiences in the construction industry and expanding off to other sectors.” Given this progressive approach, company officials are confident they can bring it back to previous levels of employment and beyond.

Within five years, McCann would like to see the New York office have ten to twenty staff, with branches “in South Florida and Houston. Longer-term, having a presence on the West Coast is also something CTLGroup is striving for. We want to make sure we’re getting into as many major urban areas as we can.”

The post New Office, New Outlook and New Markets<p class="company">CTLGroup</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

The company began operations in 2011 as Tom Brennan – Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer – and his business partners were looking at investing in energy storage systems, specifically those that could provide backup power for lights and appliances like refrigerators and freezers. Upon not finding the desired systems, he and his engineers got together and devised a solution. “If we can’t find it, we will build it,” he states. The team got to work designing energy storage systems on their own, officially incorporating Sol-Ark in 2013 with small, all-in-one type designs.

After three years, the company used the revenue to research and develop the 8K, its eight-kilowatt, all-in-one hybrid inverter, which became one of the company’s signature products. It has since introduced the 12K, a twelve-kilowatt version, which has been a successful addition to its system and a further boost to its sales. Brennan identifies its inverters as being at the mid-point of costs among its other services because Sol-Ark’s main emphasis is on developing affordable energy storage solutions for both families and businesses.

After a challenging first year, the company has enjoyed 300 percent growth annually for the past six years, securing both national and international awards. When the company would show up to trade shows in its early years, it would be shrugged off by others in the industry due to its lack of experience but Brennan knew what he wanted the company to accomplish, and today, Sol-Ark is generally regarded as the top competitor of other companies in the industry, a point of pride and a marker of respect for both Brennan and the company.

The firm has also expanded beyond the inverter part of its services (due to the generally high cost of batteries and installations) into including load management and assisting its battery partners with both products and pricing, adding to its already considerable reputation.

The business has two kinds of customers: the professional solo installer who wants simplicity, good support, and hardware reliability; and the end customer who just wants things to work as advertised and is not interested in the minutiae of how the product works, only in its efficiency and cost.

From the beginning, the aim of the company was not to make a cheap and profitable product but one that is good by its standards first and relaying that value to its customers. “We set the standards in the hybrid inverter market,” for efficiency, transfer time, inverter output Brennan says, noting that the company is, “working on other solutions to bring costs down for other parts of the solution.” A decade later, the company still stands behind both its products and its customers.

Sol-Ark is adamant in treating its customers like neighbors in its mission to bring affordable power resilience. The company fields calls from customers, installers, and distributors while helping design systems to be the most affordable. “We really care about our customers’ results because we put ourselves in their shoes,” Brennan says, citing the five-star reviews on energy marketplace website EnergySage as proof that this attitude is working.

Sol-Ark is a veteran-owned business with over half of the company owned by those who have served in the military, a practice that Brennan feels adds to its customer-first focus. He extols these workers, relating that their attitude has been extraordinary throughout the past ten years. The company was started by veterans and exists because of the efforts of veterans and reservists as engineers or in the production line. It values its employees, followed by customers, products, and profits; as a result, it experiences low turnover and high-quality service.

Brennan regards the solar energy industry as being on a positive track since more people are interested in resilient power sources that will stand up to the forces of nature like those experienced in hurricane-vulnerable areas during the rainy season. There has been a large shift in the solar storage industry as utility companies eliminate or reduce dependence on coal and ‘peaker’ plants – the plants that run only when there is a high, or peak, demand – identifying these as depreciating assets in the energy industry.

Today, utilities and states throughout America are willing to rent energy storage systems up to sixty times a year when peak power is needed, through an idea called ‘virtual power plants.’ These systems combine energy from various distributed energy resources. Renting energy storage systems can be very lucrative for companies like Sol-Ark. Brennan reveals that such a contract, for the rental of a battery and inverter, can net up to $2,000 annually which will pay for the system itself in under a decade.

In 2011, in an event that was similar to the recent weather-related blackouts in Texas, the temperature got so cold that natural gas flows from Houston to Dallas froze, leading to electric motor failure on the gas lines and, in turn, causing rolling outages. By the time the gas got to the area, there was not enough pressure in it for many of the standby generators to function; however, solar storage systems and battery inverters, which charge directly from the grid, were in better shape, demonstrating the usefulness and reliability of Sol-Ark’s technology.

Thankfully, the company was not greatly affected by COVID-19 and pivoted into dealing with fleet management and remote monitoring to allow it to debug and solve its customer’s issues remotely so that no worker has ever had to travel to a customer site to fix an issue. As well, because it dedicated much of its revenue in its first few years to ensure it remained debt-free, to this day, it has yet to encounter any long-lasting financial difficulties.

The biggest ongoing challenge for the company is in dealing with outgrowing its facilities. “We grew so fast that we couldn’t move,” Brennan says, adding that the company has spread over five buildings within the same area, putting some stress onto office staff members who must put up with a noisy and at-times cluttered work environment due to this.

Sol-Ark’s primary goal going into 2021 is moving into its new 75,000-square-foot building that aims to house every part of the company from offices and production to order fulfillment. The company also will be moving its manufacturing from China to Texas and releasing five products this calendar year. While most competitors within the industry release new products on a three-to-four-year cycle, Sol-Ark averages a release every two to three years, a pattern that the company will continue beyond 2021. “We’re a small company that punches above our weight class,” Brennan concludes. “Our goal is to help innovate.”

The post Bringing Innovation and Affordable Solutions to the Solar Energy Market<p class="company">Sol-Ark </p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

Great care is taken on the maintenance and upkeep of tools, machinery and equipment to promote the longevity and optimal functioning of these capital investments. To keep them working at their best, they are regularly taken offline for scheduled service and care.

So why should the same care not be taken with human resources – to ensure the health, wellbeing, and so, productivity of employees? And where does the responsibility lie? With the employer, surely? Or not?

Countless studies prove that healthy employees are productive employees, and also safer and happier. Investing in employee health, safety, and wellbeing is actually good for the bottom line, as several levels of costs are saved by lower health insurance costs, as well as lower rates of absenteeism or “presenteeism”.

Absenteeism and presenteeism are both significant problems across workplaces in every sector and industry. The former, which means the employee is not at work, usually requires employers to make efforts to cover the shift, retrain employees or hire additional employees if it is a regular occurrence.

Presenteeism describes an employee who shows up to work and performs at a reduced level of productivity, the reason for which is usually valid. Be it fatigue, illness, stress, concern for themselves or a loved one, or when money is tight or jobs are on the line, employees will still show up despite not being at their best, but this is often at the employer’s cost.

In the October 2013 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a study measured rates of absenteeism and presenteeism in operations where a health promotion program existed. The results compared the performance of those who participated in the program and achieved their program goals with those who did not participate, and used the results to assess the impact of higher levels of wellness on productivity.

Research shows that where there are health promotion programs in place at an organization-wide level the effects can be amazing. In the above example, wellness coaches were made available via telephone to help employees identify health problems or risks. In those who participated, rates of absenteeism and presenteeism dropped, as did associated medical insurance costs.

The results showed that lost work time was reduced to 10.3 hours per year, which amounted to a saving of $350 per participating employee annually. Further to savings, efficiencies were achieved, as those who participated and reached their health goals experienced a 0.5 percent gain in productive time.

The organizational approach
Company-wide health and wellness initiatives are great because they incentivize changes and provide a system of accountability. Employees can collectively set, and work to achieve, realistic goals with the support and encouragement of their employer and their peers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in general, healthier employees are more productive and are less likely to call in sick or be required to use vacation time to recover from illness.

This is an especially important consideration because reducing stress is one aspect – and an important one – of better overall health. Vacation time is a significant contributor to stress reduction, as it is meant as a break from the demands of work. But it is hard to recharge properly when you are using vacation to address another stressor, like illness. This isn’t an issue where employers offer paid sick time, or sick-leave programs.

Companies that support workplace health and wellness have a greater percentage of workers at work every day, ready to do their best. They also benefit from improved goodwill toward the company from employees as a result of feeling cared for and valued. Increased care on the part of the employer leads to a more successful employee culture and a more motivated workforce.

As part of improving the workplace culture, there are environmental changes that can be made to ensure optimal comfort and productivity. Break times are important, but so too are the spaces where breaks are enjoyed. Complimentary beverages and snacks, comfortable furniture and ideal temperatures are all great starting points when creating an environment where employees can thrive.

One of the best examples of workplace initiatives with positive implications for health and productivity is a smoking cessation program. Less nicotine dependence can mean that workers are more active and attentive on the job, with less disruption and fewer breaks as a result. However, this does require a personal commitment to change from the worker and a genuine willingness to do so.

Owning your safety
While it is up to the employer to ensure that the individual has the resources and support to be safe and successful, it is the responsibility of the individual to show up at the job site prepared, meaning that they bring a positive and alert awareness to the requirements of the job. Even the smallest, seemingly irrelevant actions, done a little better, can have a surprising impact on job safety. Like, for instance, engaging correct posture.

Correct posture prevents injuries and promotes greater self-awareness. Improved self-awareness brings awareness of one’s surroundings and it has been shown that the result is usually cleaner and more organized workspaces with fewer risks like tripping hazards, for instance. More care is likely to be taken ensuring safety.

Self-aware employees also ensure they are wearing the proper clothing and footwear for the job. Most employees provide the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), but a prepared employee is also a safer employee, so it is best to show up ready to work safely.

There are countless things individuals can do to improve their own health and wellbeing that can also have far-reaching impacts on their coworkers and the workplace. Lifestyle changes are extremely impactful on a person’s productivity and safety, as well as the health and wellbeing of their family.

Positive individual health outcomes usually inspire changes at home as well, as families often become healthier together. Things like better nutrition, more sleep and exercise are good practices for everyone. This also contributes to reduced rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, as it improves the overall health of the family and reduces sick days and time spent caring for others.

Healthy worker, safer worker
Healthy workers can more clearly identify risks and are more apt to take responsibility for their own role in the health and safety of others. One of the most common safety issues on job sites across industries and sectors, is fall prevention.

Some of the best ways to prevent falls and protect yourself when working with heights go beyond safety protocols. Things like ensuring adequate sleep, healthy blood sugar levels and adequate hydration to prevent dizziness are great starting points for viable fall-prevention strategies.

Another action that can be taken to improve personal health and safety is to avoid intoxication from drugs or alcohol and monitor the use of drugs that may have side effects that impair your ability to work safely. Quite a few commonly available medications also induce drowsiness or dizziness, so you will want to be free of them if you’re working with heavy machinery or at any height.

It’s imperative to keep mobile telephone and technology use at a minimum when working to reduce distractions and ensure full attention is being paid. Instead of worrying about your phone, be sure to use sun protection, including headwear and a lotion with a reasonable sun protection factor (SPF) if you’re working outside. Once again, hydration is key.

When someone is at their best, they are nimbler, sharper and more aware. Workers should regularly have their vision and hearing checked to guarantee that they are able to identify risks on the job site and are able to do their job to its fullest. If not, there are glasses and hearing aids that can assist and will make worksites safer for everyone.

Some of the best ways to stay safe are to ask questions if uncertain, never take shortcuts, take breaks if needed, be a team player and avoid risks at all costs. That means any risks to personal health and wellbeing, as these are never in the best interest of the employee, the worksite or the company’s bottom line.

Safety is a personal responsibility as much as it is an organizational one. Everyone has a role to play in worker health and safety, and it starts with you.

It is up to regulatory bodies to establish standards, and it is up to the employer to establish procedures and provide resources, but it is the responsibility of the worker to abide by them and remain compliant – so making everyone a little, or even a lot, safer.

The post Taking Ownership of Health and Safety<p class="company">How Personal Wellbeing has an Organizational Impact</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

Sadly passing away in 2006, Dennis M. Peed left a legacy that lives on in his company.

With locations in Temecula, California and Las Vegas, Nevada, the business remains solidly in family hands. David Peed, the youngest son of the founder, having learned the ropes from his dad and mother Carolyn back in the day, is today company President.

Carolyn, who played a vital role in the company’s success from day one, still handles accounting, while David’s son Dylan, representing the third generation in the business, started working at the company recently.

Going green
Peed Equipment Co.’s selection of equipment is impressive.

With a highly trained staff of 110, Peed can answer all and any questions with its fleet, which includes Tier 3- and Tier 4-powered CAT 657/E G scrapers, CAT 992G/K wheel loaders, CAT 6015B excavators, and CAT 777F/G haul trucks, along with motor graders, water trucks, crawler dozers, wheel dozers, and compactors. Depending on the model, some equipment is available with GPS.

“We focus on heavy construction and mining,” says Operations Manager Ken Rudenski, “and the average machine cost is between $1 million and $2 million dollars. We have the best machines with the best uptime, which translates into more production and cost savings.”

Acknowledging the global need to reduce carbon emissions, Peed Equipment made the voluntary decision several years ago to go green to benefit the environment.

Switching from diesel-powered engines to Cat’s ACERT (Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology), the new engines are more efficient, cleaner fuel burning, and produce less noise than their traditional counterparts.

By converting 100 percent of its diesel engines to ACERT, the company’s fleet has a lower cost per hour, better performance, improved fuel savings, and is Tier 3 and Tier 4 compliant in California.

“We were one of the very first companies to start re-powering our machines back when California started to introduce their government help programs,” says Rudenski, who has handled all of Peed’s daily operations and project contracts for the past five years.

“And ever since, we have been one of the top leaders and still are at the front of that march with one of the largest – if not already the largest – fleet of Tier 4 Final 657 scrapers. We currently have over 20 Tier 4 Final CAT 657 scrapers, and are constantly working on the next one as well as some of our other equipment like the CAT 777F haul trucks where half of our fleet of 30 trucks is already up to Tier 4 compliance.”

Continuing to expand, Peed Equipment invested in additional new 775G and 777G haul trucks and support to add to its mining fleet.

Adding a new office in Las Vegas to help with its growing out-of-state business, the company can go anywhere to meet customer needs, including all over the United States, Canada, and even down into Mexico. And along with new buying new machinery, the company has made some recent personnel changes to help serve its customers and crews better. This includes promoting Tony Albitre to equipment supervisor. With years of experience leading the company’s field technicians, Albitre’s knowledge of the industry is unsurpassed.

Rentals, maintenance, and more
Competitive pricing, decades of combined experience, and outstanding customer service are just a few of the reasons customers keep coming back to Peed Equipment for their heavy equipment rentals.

With the company already supplying scrapers, loaders, excavators, haul trucks and other machinery to clients working on coal mines, natural gas power plants, dams, highways, landfills, and other projects, there is literally no job too big or too small for Peed.

To complement its heavy equipment rentals, the company also supplies mechanical staff and job trailers on-site, “with the abilities to build Cat and non-Cat hoses (and spare parts / components) to ensure maximum availability and production on your project,” according to its website.

And depending on client and project needs, Peed Equipment’s options include providing skilled operators.

In the event of mechanical issues, Peed maintains a huge inventory of parts, ensuring timely, reliable repairs for customers, and as little downtime as possible. Peed maintains a supply of larger pieces such as engines and transmissions along with rebuilt components, enabling the company to swap out items if needed.

Safety first
At Peed Equipment, safety remains high on the list.

Employees are not only skilled in their particular discipline, but most have received MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) and OHSA 10 (Occupation Safety & Health Administration) training, which is delivered by authorized OSHA Outreach Trainers.

Through strict protocols and a crusading belief that accidents can be eliminated, the company keeps improving its safety record with every job.

“Safety is always our first priority,” says Rudenski. “You must think and plan before any task. Everything we deal with here daily is heavy and on a large scale, so doing something too quickly or getting complacent can get you into trouble real quick.

“All of our mechanics and a large percentage of our operators are MSHA and OSHA trained and get retrained at least once a year, with supplemental training throughout the year as tasks change or there are updates.” Safety never sleeps, and Peed Equipment strives to ensure that all employees are protected.

Substantial projects
This year alone, Peed Equipment has tackled several big works, requiring the use of a pair of 657E scrapers in Arizona; mining for gold with a 6015B hydraulic excavator; and a Cat 390F LME excavator working on some newly blasted white calcium carbonate.

The company is seeing an increase in sectors including construction and mining. With soaring gold prices likely to go up 11.5 percent this year alone to $1,974 US an ounce, Peed Equipment expects continued growth on mining sites across the United States.

Busy with new projects every day, Peed is working in Southern and Northern California, throughout Nevada and the Reno area, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Florida, and South Carolina right now.

For the company, they are all exciting jobs ranging in scale from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of cubic yards being moved. With a reputation for quality machinery and service, Peed looks forward to expanding its operations in the coming years.

“We have the best equipment backed by the best service,” says Rudenski. “Peed Equipment is a small company with a big fleet, and we take pride in our machines and the work we do. With the highest production numbers and lowest equipment downtime we let our reputation speak for itself. We are very grateful for our long-term loyal customers, and are always looking to work with new ones so give us a call any time.”

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Adopting new technologies that make mining more efficient, less costly and more profitable, many sites are using robots instead of humans deep underground to explore tunnels and analyze mineral deposits. In both surface and underground mines, more companies are also investing in Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Unlike their diesel-fuelled counterparts, BEVs don’t produce dangerous carbon monoxide emissions, reducing the need for ventilation, and have fewer moving parts, resulting in lower direct maintenance costs.

As these and other modern innovations increase profitability through greater efficiencies, they’re also making mining much safer than it used to be. Known for decades as one of the most dangerous professions – along with logging, deep sea fishing, and bush-piloting small planes to remote areas – mining brings comparatively extreme workplace risks to its workers, both above ground and far below.

Some mining disasters have happy endings. But unlike the triumphant 2010 rescue, after 69 days, of 33 workers trapped in a Chilean mine, most mine accidents end in tragedy.

One of the most recent, the underground explosion and collapse at Hushan gold mine in China’s Shandong Province, saw 22 miners trapped and struggling for their lives 600 meters below. It took two weeks to bring the 11 survivors to the surface.

This was preceded by last September’s incident at the Songzao coal mine in Southwest China when a conveyor belt caught fire, creating dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide. Only one miner survived out of 17.

Focus on safety pays off
Although their reputation for danger goes back centuries, mining sites continue to see their safety improving thanks to the industry, governments, associations, and forward-thinking companies.

Organizations such as The Mining Association of Canada, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in the United States, and groups across the European Union regularly issue updated health and safety reports, protocols, and guidelines.

Across Canada, provinces and territories, and bodies such as Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development also actively promote alerts, checklists, reports, and publications on boosting safety, from how to work on ice covers to safe mining in pits and quarries.

While it is estimated that 15,000 men and women die every year in mining disasters, according to several sources including TheWorldCounts.Com, the number of mine-related fatalities is dropping in many countries.

According to the U.S. Department of Labour, there were 24 mining fatalities in America in 2019, and 29 deaths in 2020. Despite the increase, 2020 marked the sixth consecutive year mining-related fatalities were below 30 in the history of MSHA, founded in 1977.

“The low number of mining deaths last year demonstrates that mine operators have become more proactive in eliminating safety hazards,” David G. Zatezalo, assistant secretary for mine safety and health, says in a media release. “But I believe we can do even better.”

According to Zatezalo, a “disproportionate number” of deaths involved contractors, and electrocution accidents. For the previous period 2017 to 2018, about half of all mining fatalities resulted from vehicle-on-vehicle collisions (including not using seat belts), and accidents involving conveyor belts.

COVID-19 and mining
When the World Health Organization (WHO) first reported a strange, pneumonia-like illness in Wuhan, China on January 9, 2020, there were only 59 known cases of what they believed to be a new coronavirus.

Just a few weeks later, the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus was diagnosed in Washington State in a person who had recently returned from Wuhan. On January 31, over 200 deaths and almost 10,000 cases later – the WHO declared the virus a public health emergency.

Nearly a year and a half after it first appeared, COVID-19 has spread to every corner of the Earth. No industry has been spared, including mining, which often sees workers operating in unavoidably close proximity.

So mining companies have been compelled to add yet more layers to their existing safety protocols. Mine workers – already performing some of the most demanding jobs on or under the earth – for the sake of their health and even lives, need to maintain a distance of about six feet from one another, wear masks and other personal protective equipment, wash hands frequently with hand sanitizer, and stay home if coughing, feeling chilled or nauseated, having breathing difficulties, or showing other signs of infection.

Especially challenging for miners is avoiding tight proximity in poorly ventilated spaces where sharing airborne particles is almost inevitable. And to further prevent spread, employers are advised to stagger shifts, break times, and lunches, and hold any meetings outdoors or in large spaces where physical distancing is possible.

Adding yet another layer to the complexity of day-to-day mining operations, the pandemic reinforces the fact that preventing COVID-19 from spreading – along with other safety measures – is everyone’s responsibility.

While the potential risks are many, some of the biggest threats to workers below ground remain mine collapse and cave-ins, fire, explosions, floods, insufficient ventilation and toxic gases like methane, and the extreme temperatures found at depth in mines.

Above and below ground, miners face hazards including injuries and death from blasting and flying rock debris, pulmonary damage from dust, hearing loss from excessive noise, trips and falls, and muscle injuries, especially to the back, from lifting heavy equipment. By remaining vigilant, identifying, and reporting these and other hazards, mine sites can be much safer.

Importance of PPE
On mine sites, safety experts serve a valuable function, and are a constant reminder that watching out for other workers is everyone’s responsibility. Even with technology to make work safer, mining is still a dangerous occupation requiring workers to never let their guard down.

One of the most valuable tools to reduce risk on mine sites is professional training of both new and existing team members through refresher courses. While safety training has always been important, it is even more essential with COVID-19 as a factor. And just as important as paying attention to surroundings is using the right equipment for the job.

It may surprise some that protective equipment frequently comes with an expiration date. Although this may not exactly appear as a ‘best before’ date, PPE like hard hats and helmets are stamped with the date of manufacture. Some companies say they should be replaced every five years as a general guideline, but that varies considerably. Factors such as weather conditions and exposure to chemicals and sunlight will speed up deterioration of plastics. As for the interior suspension of helmets, this should be replaced no longer than 12 months after the helmet is first used.

And then, there is the issue of choosing and using the correct type of PPE, such as gloves. ‘Good’ often isn’t enough, since some gloves protect against scrapes and abrasions, while others are padded and made from extremely durable, cut-resistant synthetic materials.

Mine workers can pose less of a risk to themselves, and others, through the proper use of machinery and PPE, the safe operation of which requires extensive training and respect for tools.

In skilled hands, a pneumatic underground rock drill weighing about 88 pounds (40 kilograms) is an invaluable piece of percussive equipment for breaking and entering rock. Powerful and loud, these drills require operators to wear hearing protection, safety glasses, face protection, helmets, appropriate clothing and foot protection, and more.

As useful as face shields, earmuffs, and work gloves are, they are only effective when worn properly. It is not uncommon for workers in loud areas to remove ear protection to hear one another speak, which can cause hearing loss. Likewise, taking gloves off even for a moment can result in catastrophic hand injuries when working around jagged rock, gasoline and harsh chemicals.

Safety and accountability
When accidents happen, it is critical they are reported. This is unfortunately not always the case, as Ansell, an Australian manufacturer of protective gloves for industrial and medical markets, found when they released their Hand Safety Report in 2017. Surveying 381 respondents, including individuals from the mining sector, the report found almost half of managers likely under-reported the number of work-related hand injuries.

According to the study, key factors for this included the injured worker being forced to take time off work, and the issue of extended rehabilitation. There is no doubt, however, that poor workplace choices like that can have bad long term consequences for safety, all the worse for being easily avoidable.

Like construction and other occupations where workers are in close contact with one another in the presence of powerful tools and massive equipment, mining is a challenging job. Despite the risks, paying attention, raising questions, and properly using PPE remain the most valuable tools to prevent injuries and save lives.

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