Myanmar’s First Liebherr Rotary Drilling Rig Begins Work on Luxury Yangon Condominium

First Liebherr drilling rig operating in Myanmar Geo-engineering specialist Golden Tri Star Co is using the first Liebherr rotary drilling rig in Myanmar to bore piles for a condominium in Yangon's embassy district. The rig is now working on its second project after successfully completing foundation drilling for one of Yangon's largest commercial projects. The rig has started bored piling work on The Illustra At Pho Sein, a 31-storey condominium project, being built on Pho Sein Road in Yangon's premier Kandawgyi Lake district, which includes the city's embassy quarter. Developer of the project is PSWN Development Company Ltd., who have subcontracted geo-engineering specialist Golden Tri Star Co Ltd (GTS) to carry out the foundations work. GTS is the owner of the LB 28, and is a division of Shwe Taung Group, the company that is developing the Junction City project in downtown Yangon, which is where the rig made its debut on the foundations before being moved to The Illustra.

New Master Dealer Agreement for BAUER-Pileco and ECA

Bauer Maschinen, BAUER-Pileco and Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) are pleased to announce the signing of a new Master Dealer Agreement between the parties, effective December 2014. ECA will continue to be an exclusive BAUER-authorized distributor, covering the northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada. The distribution agreement changes the territories slightly to improve coverage, by adding Florida and Georgia to the ECA territory. BAUER-Pileco will now service and support Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.

Inaccurate Perceptions of Trade Jobs

A new study released by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Associations (ICBA) reveals that 59 per cent of young adults are unaware of how to get into the trades because of their inaccurate perceptions of construction. “There are misconceptions about working in the construction industry and we all have a role to play to change them,” said Philip Hochstein, president of the ICBA. “The reality is once you pick up a trade, there is a pathway to a long-term, rewarding career in construction with room for advancement.” With one million job openings by 2022 and 44 per cent requiring skilled and technical training, the ICBA commissioned NRG Research Group to conduct a poll to understand the current perceptions of skilled trades among British Columbians aged 18 to 29 years old.

CAWIC Calls on Construction Industry to Promote Women’s Advancement

The Canadian Association of Women in Construction (CAWIC) recently launched its Women's Advancement Project in St. John's, Newfoundland. CAWIC is calling on industry employers, unions and educational partners to collaborate with CAWIC to address the shortage of skilled trades in Canada by promoting the entry and advancement of women into leadership roles within the construction industry. Earlier this year, CAWIC was awarded a grant from the Government of Canada for $249,900 through Status of Women Canada. The grant will fund a three-year project to conduct research and develop, with collaboration from industry employers and female participants, an action plan to open doors for women's entry, retention and advancement into leadership roles within the construction industry. CAWIC is actively seeking employer partners who share its vision to promote change and break down barriers for women in the industry, to create an action plan that makes economic sense, is realistic and attainable. Industry employers with operations in Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland/Labrador have the opportunity to get directly involved in this important initiative.

Soilmec Supports Customers With Hands-On Training

Skilled operators help contractors get the most from their Soilmec equipment by increasing jobsite productivity, efficiency and safety

BAUER-Pileco Inc. Announces Changes to Executive Management Team

BAUER-Pileco Inc., a leader in the sales and support of the foundation drilling industry, recently announced changes to its executive management team: Jochen Rohr, the current CEO of BAUER Manufacturing in Conroe, Texas, will also assume the CEO position of BAUER-Pileco Inc., which is in the process of moving its operations from the Berry Road facility in Houston to the Conroe, Texas facility. Dan Dragone is now the new chief sales officer. Dragone will focus directly on the day-to-day operations of the sales department at BAUER-Pileco Inc. and continue to help grow annual sales. Thomas Seifert joined the Bauer team in April 2014 and is the new controller for BAUER-Pileco Inc. as well as the BAUER Manufacturing facility in Conroe, Texas. Carlos Lopez was recently hired as the parts and service manager at the Livermore, Calif. location of BAUER-Pileco Inc. We are confident these changes will progress the company forward in sales, service and manufacturing and continue to be an industry leader. Jochen Rohr brings over 25 years of experience in the industry and is looking forward to making BAUER-Pileco Inc. and BAUER Manufacturing a stronger company under one roof as BAUER-Pileco moves to Conroe, Texas.

Exceptional Use of Liebherr LRB 255 Piling and Drilling Rig in Quebec

Application is relatively new in North America and is being executed for the first time in Quebec

Analyzing Atlantic Canada

By Barb Feldman GEMTEC was formed in 1986 in New Brunswick as a geotechnical engineering, materials testing and hydrogeology firm by three geotechnical engineers. Today, the Canadian-owned-and-operated consulting company has a combined team of more than 120 engineers, scientists, technical personnel and support staff, including one of its original founders, Daryl DeMerchant, who continues to work as a specialist consultant. “GEMTEC stands for 'Ground Engineering and Materials TEChnology,'” said engineer Dave Purdue, GEMTEC's manager of geotechnical engineering. “We have particular expertise in driveability assessments and Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) testing related to driven foundations.” The company has offices and laboratories in Fredericton, Moncton, Bathurst, Grand Falls and Saint John, New Brunswick. They specialize in site investigations, foundation design, pile driving analysis and inspection, slope stability assessments, excavation and earthworks, dams and retaining structures and have evaluated foundation conditions for commercial and industrial buildings, dams, pipelines, highway bridges, railways, power plants, industrial plants, mines and waste facilities. GEMTEC subsidiary Houle Chevrier Engineering Ltd., with offices in Montreal and Ottawa, provides specialist services in geotechnical engineering, materials testing and inspection, hydrogeology and environmental engineering. GEMTEC has been involved in projects in the U.S., the Caribbean and the EU, but the majority of its work has been for the design of deep foundations throughout Atlantic Canada and from Newfoundland to NWT, says Purdue, who notes that most piling in Canada is driven, particularly in Eastern Canada. {fastsocialshare}

View from the Top

Agra Foundations Limited approaches its 60-year anniversary with a new outlook and fresh ideas

Under Pressure

Strategies for addressing and alleviating employee anxiety By Barbara J. Bowes, Legacy Bowes Group Although Canadians appear to be fairly far away from any potential of encountering the Ebola virus, after reading and hearing the daily news, I can easily envision the heightened fear that's beginning to occur amongst workers, especially those that travel to foreign countries. Not only are general citizens in the targeted countries becoming ill, doctors, nurses and other health care workers are also becoming patients. Then, as fear spreads, we are seeing some health care workers refusing to work, causing a shortage of staff to help curb the disease. Similarly, cabin cleaners at New York's LaGuardia Airport recently walked off the job to protest what they perceived as insufficient protection from potential exposure to the Ebola virus. They raised concerns about the lack of proper protective equipment, as well as the quality. The one-day strike forced airline crews to clean planes themselves, which in turn creates additional health hazards. And in countries such as West Africa, there are already tremendous economic impacts as schools and businesses are closed. We are also experiencing challenges within our own workforces. On one hand, we are hearing announcements of new job growth opportunities while on the other we are learning of significant budget cuts and employee layoffs. As well, provincial and federal governments appear to be in a belt-tightening mode. Regardless of whether these efforts are legitimate or not, these types of incidents and/or issues cause significant anxiety amongst employee groups. {fastsocialshare}

Panama Canal Expansion

By Richard ArmstrongThis article was originally published by Pile Buck magazine.The Panama Canal was first opened in 1914 as a bridge between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. By allowing ships to skip the long, treacherous trip rounding Cape Horn, it cut shipping times down exponentially. But a century later, much has changed in both shipping and canal construction. As it was originally built, the canal isn't big enough to take many of today's vessels. To stay viable amid tight competition from quicker and cheaper alternative routes, the canal has been undergoing a major upgrade since 2007. The Panama Canal Expansion project will take eight years and cost over $5 billion before it is completed in 2015. As of April 2014, the project is 79 per cent complete, though due to delays there are concerns it won't be finished until 2016. The project aims to improve the canal in a number of ways. The navigation channels will be dredged on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides, as will the channels in Culebra Cut and Gatun Lake. This will enable the canal to accommodate vessels with deeper drafts than it can presently take. New, larger Post-Panamax locks will be built on both entrances to the canal. These are the so-called “Third Set of Locks.” A completely new channel will be excavated on the Pacific side, north of the Third Set of Locks, which will connect the new locks to Culebra Cut and Gatun Lake. And finally, the canal's water supply and draft dependability is going to be increased. {fastsocialshare}

The LiSIM® Liebherr Sim

By Judy Penz Sheluk Finding efficient ways of training and up-skilling machine operators - while keeping safety at a maximum and time and costs at a minimum - are key demands in today's highly competitive construction industry. Liebherr, a company known for its heavy-duty construction equipment, including crawler cranes, maritime cranes, piling rigs and drilling rigs, has developed

The LiSIM® Liebherr Sim

By Judy Penz Sheluk Finding efficient ways of training and up-skilling machine operators - while keeping safety at a maximum and time and costs at a minimum - are key demands in today's highly competitive construction industry. Liebherr, a company known for its heavy-duty construction equipment, including crawler cranes, maritime cranes, piling rigs and drilling rigs, has developed

Liability Clauses

By Dean G. Giles, Fillmore Riley LLP Contracts used in the construction and engineering fields often contain so-called “exclusion of liability” or “limitation of liability” clauses that purport to reduce a party's exposure to certain claims that may arise in connection with a project. Clauses of this sort are a means by which parties to the contract seek to minimize risk and protect themselves from what might otherwise be a ruinous damages

Limitations of Liability Clauses

By Dean G. Giles, Fillmore Riley LLP Contracts used in the construction and engineering fields often contain so-called “exclusion of liability” or “limitation of liability” clauses that purport to reduce a party's exposure to certain claims that may arise in connection with a project. Clauses of this sort are a means by which parties to the contract seek to minimize risk and protect themselves from what might otherwise be a ruinous damages award should something go wrong and litigation ensue. In some instances, the clause in question may operate to cap a party's exposure at a specific monetary amount, while others seek to exempt a party from liability for certaintypes of losses. A common example, often found in construction contracts, is a provision stating that the contractor “shall not be liable loss of earnings or other consequential damages howsoever caused,” or containing words to that effect.Consequential damages are those that arise from the nature of the innocent party's business and include such things as lost profits, lost customers and loss of reputation. This is in contrast to so-called “direct damages,” which are those that, without taking into account the particular circumstances of the party suffering the loss, one would reasonably expect to flow from a breach of contract. Still other clauses may limit a party's exposure to damages caused by negligent acts. {fastsocialshare}

Building Relationships

Soft skills are a key to managing tight margins in a competitive business environment

Shoring Up the Superstorm Defense

Heavy equipment is rolling and crawling. Hammers are pounding on lumber. Hard hats and safety vests dot the landscape.