Equipment report

Kobelco breaks ground on US headquarters

Kobelco Construction Machinery USA broke ground on its new U.S. headquarters in Katy, Texas, in December 2013.

The decision to start construction on the headquarters follows what the company calls the successful relaunch of its crawler excavator line as an independent brand. The relaunch has been accomplished in part by the company signing more than 50 dealers during the first six months of 2013, the company says.

Kobelco has signed a nine-year lease with plans to occupy the headquarters building by September 2014. The 101,300-square-foot facility will serve as Kobelco’s North American headquarters as well as a training center and parts distribution location for the company’s business in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the early results of our brand relaunch,” says Pete Morita, president and CEO of Kobelco. “In just a short time period we’ve hired some of the industry’s most qualified personnel, opened our temporary headquarters and parts warehouse and partnered with our dealers to provide quality, competitively priced products. All of these initiatives are just the beginning of what we have planned for the North American marketplace.”

Bandit backs away from Alamo offer

Bandit Industries, Remus, Mich., has announced that the company will remain privately owned, in the hands of current owners Jerry Morey, Mike Morey Sr. and Dianne Morey. The three have elected to turn down the offer from Alamo Group Inc., Seguin, Texas, negating Alamo’s pending acquisition of Bandit.

“Alamo is an exceptional company and we are very honored that they’ve shown such an interest in Bandit and our corporate culture,” says Bandit President Jerry Morey. “We share many common ideas and visions, and we are grateful for the relationships we’ve built. Ultimately, we decided the best future for Bandit and our 400 employees at this time was to remain a private company.”

According to a statement issued by Alamo on Dec. 16, 2013, “… the transaction was subject to completion of an acquisition agreement and certain other conditions, and, as of now, the parties have been unable to reach an agreement on a basis for going forward.”

2013 has been a record sales year for Bandit, according to the company. Bandit says it recently completed a factory expansion of approximately 20,000 square feet, with additional expansions in the works. The company’s dealer network in the U.S. and abroad also is expanding, and with demand for Bandit wood processing equipment at an all-time high, the company says it continues to hire new employees at all levels.

When we first announced that we were considering offers to sell Bandit, myself, Mike Morey Sr. and Dianne Morey said that we would only sell if it was the right fit,” explains Jerry Morey. “Taking care of our employees and our dealer network, continuing to support our mid-Michigan community and maintaining the Bandit legacy we built over the last 30 years; these are things we cannot put a price on.”

E.L. Harvey opens single-stream MRF

E.L. Harvey & Sons, a family-owned recycling firm headquartered in Westborough, Mass., has opened a new 80,000 square-foot facility single-stream recycling facility in Hopkinton, Mass., to serve residents in Hopkinton, Westborough and surrounding areas.

The material recovery facility (MRF) was designed, manufactured and installed by Eugene, Ore.-based Bulk Handling Systems (BHS). The system is permitted to process up to 600 tons of recyclables per day.

The MRF, which includes screening and optical sorting technology from BHS and Nashville, Tenn.-based NRT, is expected to recover more than 95 percent of the available recyclables, the companies say.

Ben Harvey, president of E. L. Harvey & Sons, says, “This project will help communities and businesses throughout Eastern Massachusetts increase recycling rates, decrease disposal costs and lessen the use of traditional disposal sites. It is a step toward helping the commonwealth of Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan reach its 56 percent recycling goal as established by the Massachusetts DEP (Department of Environmental Protection).”

E.L. Harvey also operates a 47,000-square-foot C&D recycling facility on its 43-acre site in Westborough.