While showing off new blowers, trimmers and trimmers and even two fully autonomous robotic lawnmowers at the annual Power-On-a-Thon on August 26, outdoor power equipment maker ECHO’s main attraction was a new line of 3kw, 6kw and 8kw portable LED light towers. Introduced at CONEXPO earlier this year as part of the Lake Zurich, Illinois-based company’s Industrial Power Equipment division, the light towers are 359° and can operate for up to 310 hours between refills. All three are brought together at ECHO’s South Carolina operations.
“We wanted them to be very durable but very easy to use and maintain,” said Ryan Fredrickson, senior product manager at ECHO IPE. “They are all steel, instead of having a big plastic cover. Easy to maintain because the panels can be removed quickly to access parts of the machine.”
The new light towers can be connected directly to ECHO’s line of generators, including the DGK400F 400 kVA generator. Workplace energy is an expanding market for ECHO, Fredrickon said.
Volvo CE launches first excavators produced in the United States
Volvo Construction Equipment is now producing more than 50% of the North American machine supply at its facility in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Less than a year after announcing plans to localize more machine assembly, the company has delivered its first American-made excavators and larger wheel loaders to customers. A total of 11 additional models will be produced in Shippensburg. The company marked the milestone with an event attended by lawmakers, business and industry leaders on August 19.
The expansion brings Volvo CE’s North American production portfolio to 30 machine models, including excavators, wheel loaders and compactors. With the most recent investment of $40 million, Volvo CE has invested more than $1.4 billion since 2007 to triple its annual production capacity and develop workforce skills to support growth and greater digitization.
Details of the agricultural settlement Deere Unfold
John Deere’s $99 million right-of-repair agreement for the farm equipment website went live on Aug. 28, and the first notices sent to agricultural customers by mail and email also went out that day. According to the site, payments from the $99 million settlement are to be allocated by dealer labor hours billed to a user’s qualifying machines, not by dollars spent. The parts used and the benefits of using an original equipment manufacturer versus aftermarket parts are not in the payment formula.
The deadline is December 4 to be included in the class or object. The fairness hearing that will decide whether to approve the collective agreement is January 19 in federal court in Rockford, Illinois.
The case is being watched by construction customers, as landscaping contractor Christy Webber has filed a similar lawsuit in Chicago over the right to repair its construction-focused equipment.
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