It is the fastest-growing online community in the world and it counts people as diverse as US President Barack Obama, John Cleese and Stephen Fry among its most loyal fans. But to many people, Twitter is merely the sound a cartoon bird makes.

But not for much longer. Following some widespread public exposure, not least on the recent Friday Night with Jonathan Ross show in the UK, Twitter is building an increasingly broad audience who don’t just want news and views; they want INSTANT news and views!

Existing Twitter users among you will be pleased to know that demolitionnews is already using Twitter (www.twitter.com/demolitionnews) and will be using the service to provide rapid fire updates from a number of forthcoming industry events.

Those that haven’t yet enjoyed the Twitter experience can sign up free-of-charge at www.twitter.com. Once you have signed up, you can merely search for other users that you wish to follow (we would strongly recommend twitter.com/stephenfry for entertainment value and www.twitter.com/cnplus and www.twitter.com/contractjournal for wider industry news.

Furthermore, one of our sponsors – Dig A Crusher – has just joined and we’d love to hear about any other demolition or demolition equipment-related users that we should be following.

As ever, please use the comments tab below to make any comments or suggestions.

Happy Twittering!

Kent-based waste management and recycling operator Pinden Limited, a division of “watch it come down” demolition specialist Syd Bishop & Sons, has taken delivery of four new Volvo trucks: two FH-480 tractor units and two FL-280 skiploaders. These vehicles are the latest elements of a fleet replacement programme that saw 26 trucks delivered during 2008 and resulted in an almost 100% Volvo fleet inside three years.

“We’re running around 40 Volvo’s now,” says Paul Elcombe, Transport Manager for the Dartford-based company. “Volvo offered the best package; it’s a name we feel happy with, and we get strong local support with good facilities from MC Truck & Bus.”

Reliability is a particularly welcome Volvo trait, according to Paul; “Yes, other trucks drive reliably, but Volvo is another thing. They’re more solid, more dependable – looking at my monitor now, I can see there’s not a single truck in the workshop. And that reduced downtime means, in turn, that we can offer a more efficient and reliable service to our customers.”

Engineers in Charlotte in the US have had their demolition efforts hampered by an unstable bridge that was to be used to haul construction and demolition waste away from the site.

Full details, and a brief news video can be found here.

Research by KHL Group, publisher of International Construction and D&Ri magazines, shows that global fiscal stimulus could add US$ 355 billion per year to the world’s construction output in 2009 and 2010. This is equivalent to an additional 7% on top of the world’s current annual construction output of about US$ 5 trillion, and equates to more than the annual construction output of Germany, the fourth biggest market in the world.

Chris Sleight, editor of International Construciton magazine said, “The potential boost to the global construction industry from fiscal stimulus packages over the next two years could be enormous. US$ 355 billion is greater than the GDP of many medium-sized countries, and in terms of construction it is greater than the size of the German market – the fourth biggest market in the world.”

He continued, “The key now is for the spending pledges to translate into real on-the-ground activity. Governments need to make sure their planning and tendering processes are as stream-lined as possible and that there are no bureaucratic obstacles in the way of these plans being effective.”

The total additional spending to shore-up economic growth in 20 major economies is set to exceed US$ 1.9 trillion, of which US$ 795 billion has been ear-marked for construction. Most of this will be spent in 2009 and 2010, however schemes such as Brazil’s housing-focussed package will be longer term.

Of all the major economies, China’s extra investment in construction will be the most over the next two years, with US$ 450 billion of its US$ 585 billion stimulus package earmarked for infrastructure. That investment of US$ 225 billion per year for two years is equivalent to an extra +40% boost to China’s US$ 540 billion per year construction output.

Details of the US stimulus package are yet to be finalised, but current indications are that US$ 120 billion out of the total of US$ 800 billion will be invested in transport and energy infrastructure.

In Europe, Germany has unveiled a EUR 50 billion (US$ 65 billion) stimulus package, of which some €EUR 18 billion (US$ 23.4 billion) will be invested in infrastructure.Meanwhile France has announced it will invest €EUR 10.5 billion (US$ 14 billion) in infrastructure and public works and Spain’s stimulus package includes EUR 11 billion (US$ 14.5 billion) for similar schemes.

Elsewhere in the world, smaller developing economies are also planning to spend extra on construction during the economic downturn. These include Chile, which has allocated an extra US$ 700 million to public works this year and Indonesia, where a stimulus package is also planned.

Besides funds earmarked for construction, many other countries have less specific stimulus packages on the table for this year which are expected to provide a major boost to the industry. Mexico for example plans to invest US$ 54 billion to see it through the global downturn this year, and most of the spending is expected to go on infrastructure.

The UK’s respected Daily Telegraph today published the latest in an ongoing series of articles that speculate that supposedly well-meaning recycling activities may, in fact, be contributing to global warming.

However, the Government backed Waste Resources Action Programme has responded quickly, refuting these claims in a hurriedly assembled press release from CEO Dr Liz Goodwin.

I will be the first to admit that I was more than a little surprised at yesterday’s announcement that Terex was to create dedicated “centres of excellence” for crushing and screening. Don’t get me wrong; I am all for the concept of excellence, it just seemed strange that Terex was putting such a positive spin on an industry that is teetering on the bring of an economic precipice.

Today’s announcement that Powerscreen is to cut another 90 jobs seems far more in keeping with the current economic climate.

To better serve its customers, leverage the benefits of scale and lend its factories more readily to lean manufacturing techniques, Terex Materials Processing is proposing to revise its global operational footprint, creating dedicated “centres of excellence.”

Under immediate consideration is the consolidation of manufacturing and assembly facilities to concentrate production, skills and expertise in identified “centres,” for the Terex® Finlay, Terex® Pegson and Powerscreen® brands as follows:

• Centre of Excellence: Screening equipment for both Terex Finlay and Powerscreen would be produced in Dungannon, Northern Ireland (currently produced in both Dungannon and at Omagh, Northern Ireland).
• Centre of Excellence: Crushing equipment for both Terex Finlay and Terex Pegson would be produced in Omagh, Northern Ireland (currently produced in both Omagh and Coalville, England).

Coalville will continue to house the Terex Global Chamber Design Centre – the centre of excellence in bringing Terex crushing technology to the forefront of the industry.

Each of the Coalville, Dungannon and Omagh locations would continue to provide aftermarket support, applications and sales services for their respective products through their customary points of contact. The current ranges of crushers, screens and wash plants would continue to be available.

It is proposed that the new centres would be established in stages throughout 2009 and into 2010.

Regarding the establishment of the centres of excellence, Kieran Hegarty, Vice President of Terex Material Processing commented: “We look forward to the many opportunities for synergies, efficiency and concentration of talent that these ‘centres of excellence‘ would afford us. By focusing on similar products at one location, we would be able to provide our customers with the best possible value offerings; therefore, we firmly believe,” Hegarty added, “that the proposed changes would allow us to retain and grow our strong global presence in the crushing and screening market.”

Caterpillar, the world’s biggest manufacturer of construction and demolition equipment, has announced that it is to slash its global workforce by a staggering 20,000 people.

The announcement coincides with the company’s announcement that it had achieved record sales and revenues of $51.324 billion for 2008, up 14 percent from 2007. Profit per share was $5.66, up 5 percent and profit after tax of $3.557 billion was about flat with 2007. The company also reported record fourth-quarter sales and revenues of $12.923 billion, 6 percent higher than the fourth quarter of 2007. Profit per share for the quarter was $1.08, down 28 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007.

However, underlying the good news was a very clear statement on the future of the company’s business and the sectors it serves.

“We have initiated actions which will remove about 20,000 workers from our business and every indirect spend dollar will be heavily scrutinised,” says Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens.

To read the full story, click here.

Anyone that has worked in the demolition industry for more than a few days will quickly realise that the general public very rarely supports their work. Conservationists, historians and vocal locals with a NIMBY (not in my back yard) attitude often voice their opinion against any form of demolition work, many staging protests that merely delay the inevitable.

So it is pleasing to note that local in Kansas City have not just welcomed the commencement of demolition works at the Old Bannister Mall; they’re actually turnining out to watch the works in progress. Admittedly, the mall has been overdue for replacement for some time and the current works will make way for a new soccer stadium for the local Kansas City Wizards team. But seeing families bring their children to watch a non-explosive demolition project in action is both unusual and welcome.

Caterpillar Work Tools B.V. has announced the introduction of the B-Series versions of its mobile Scrap and Demolition shears. The new S320B, S325B and S340B extend the range of B-series to the previously released S365B and S385B shears.

The shear and knife design improves cutting performance and the hardened piercing tip of the upper jaw maximizes productivity when piercing is required. All S300 shear models are equipped with field proven 360° rotators ensuring a quick and precise placement of the jaws in an optimum cutting position without moving the excavator. The high force-to-weight ratio enhances faster cycle times, resulting in more cuts per hour.

The S320B, S325B and S340B series fit CAT excavators from 10-ton to those in excess of 60-ton operating weight. The shears can be mounted on either the boom or stick, and caters to all needs for scrap-processing- and demolition applications.

The new shape of the housing provides improved protection for shear components and better positions the jaw relative to the stick. The cutting edge design greatly improves the protection of the cylinder that eliminates the use of a cylinder guard by extending the housing to cover the cylinder rod. A newly designed hub is better protected against damage.

Large access panels on the top, bottom and sides of the shear housing make it easier to service inside components. The unique hub adjustment quickly compensates knife wear. The threaded pivot-pin holds the jaw in positive alignment without the need for external retention. The gap between upper and lower jaw can be easily adjusted, keeping cutting capability high – even as blades wear. The piercing tip in the upper jaw is made of hardened steel and can be repeatedly hard faced – helping increase the intervals between tip replacements.