Vanair expanding operations in Indiana
Vanair Manufacturing, based in Michigan City, Indiana, announced plans to expand its facilities and create additional employment opportunities in the region. The expansion project will involve the construction of a new facility and is expected to generate 75 new jobs. This is Vanair’s third expansion in 15 years to accommodate the addition of new staff to meet the demand of rising sales.
Ditch Witch enters agreement with HEC to offer HDD training
Ditch Witch has entered into a unique partnership with Heavy Equipment Colleges of America, a nationally accredited institution recognized by the Department of Education. Through this partnership, HEC is now a Ditch Witch authorized provider of training courses and brings instructor-led training that covers basic machine operation and job site safety applications. Course materials cover everything from proper PPE and job site preparation to the importance of traffic control and equipment inspection procedures. Participants will receive hands-on training in mud mixing and drilling, along with HDD tracking and locating.
Komatsu donates $250,000 to Vision 2025 initiative
To address the current skills gap and workforce shortage issues facing OEMs and equipment distributors, the AED Foundation created Vision 2025. It’s a project aimed at helping to increase the number of qualified technicians entering the equipment distribution industry. Komatsu announced it has contributed $250,000 toward this important initiative. Vision 2025 aims to address these issues by growing the foundation’s impact to include a minimum of 120 accredited college programs (currently 71) and a minimum of 200 recognized high school programs (currently 36).
Sierra Machinery acquired by ROMCO Equipment
ROMCO Equipment, a Volvo Construction Equipment dealer that has been serving Texas for over 60 years, is expanding its footprint in the Southwest with the acquisition of Sierra Machinery. ROMCO and its parent company, SMT, have acquired 100% of Sierra Machinery, which has been the exclusive Volvo CE dealer in southwestern Texas and southern New Mexico. SMT is a global Volvo Group dealer with Volvo CE distribution in North America, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and more than 26 African countries.
CASE and Team Rubicon expand its heavy equipment operator training
Last fall, CASE Construction Equipment asked its dealers to help support a new initiative with Team Rubicon: train more volunteers to operate heavy equipment for its veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during and after disasters and crises. Earlier this year, the pilot program commenced with two of the interested CASE dealers: RPM Machinery, out of their Franklin, Indiana, location; and Lawrence Equipment, at their Roanoke, Virginia, store. On a monthly basis, these dealers provide machines for Team Rubicon volunteers to train on, an indoor classroom and outdoor operating space. This training has been put to use by Team Rubicon in all phases of the disaster cycle across the United States and Canada, including wildfire mitigation, hurricane response and long-term storm recovery. CASE and Team Rubicon plan to expand the number of dealers participating in this heavy equipment operator training program in 2024.
