Industry/business: APTA rolls out 'Get on Board Day' to support public transit

April 2019—On Thursday, April 25, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and its members celebrated the first-ever National Get on Board Day. APTA sponsored this national education and awareness day to emphasize the importance of public transportation to communities nationwide. More than 200 public transit agencies and organizations came together to host various activities, events and special promotions across the nation to highlight the societal and economic benefits of public transportation. On Get on Board Day, more than 20 participating cities and transit agencies offered free rides or pre-loaded transit fare cards to riders.

Acrow Bridge celebrates shipment of more than 130 structures to the road development agency of the Republic of Zambia

April 25, 2019—Acrow Bridge, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, has announced the shipment of more than 130 bridges to the Road Development Agency of the Republic of Zambia. Installation of the structures will be carried out exclusively by Zambian engineers, technicians and contractors, who will be trained in the field by Acrow on the assembly, installation and maintenance of this critical bridge infrastructure. The bridges will contribute to the integration of remote rural communities into the broader domestic and regional economy and will enhance access to basic services. The bridges supplied are comprised of single and multi-span structures of one- and two-lane widths, ranging from 12 meters to more than 100 meters in length. The structures will be installed throughout the country by the local Zambian workforce.

John Deere Construction and Forestry Division announces John Deere Connected Support

April 24, 2019—Designed to improve customer service and machine monitoring, John Deere announces the new John Deere Connected Support. Enabled through the JDLink telematics connection, John Deere Connected Support leverages a suite of dealer and factory tools to deliver increased productivity, uptime and lower daily operating costs. A key to the Connected support offering is Service ADVISOR Remote, which allows the dealer to diagnosis and repair a problem from a remote location. The dealer is able to analyze machine conditions in real time, or set a trigger point to record intermittent conditions, providing a deep look into the machine’s health. Additionally, the remote diagnostic capabilities can reduce troubleshooting time and eliminate a trip to the machine. Another supporting feature is Expert Alerts, created by John Deere machine health analysts monitoring fleetwide machine data to identify emerging trends. Working directly with the factory product teams, John Deere is able to develop solutions used by John Deere dealers and technicians to repair machines on site. Expert Alerts also equip technicians with information needed to bring the right part the first time so machines are back on the job as quickly as possible. 

GTT’s smart mobility project in Montreal wins 2019 innovation award from AQTr

April 24, 2019—One of the largest smart mobility projects in GTT’s history was named the 2019 Innovation award winner by the Quebec Transportation Association (AQTr) earlier this month. The project—led by St. Paul, Minn.-based Global Traffic Technologies (GTT)—provides a centralized intelligent traffic management platform to the City of Montreal. As part of the City of Montreal’s mobility strategy, the system enables officials to oversee and control the movement of vehicles that operate on its streets. GTT’s solution includes Transit Signal Priority and Emergency Vehicle Preemption, and leverages existing infrastructure and hardware in combination with innovative software to enable smart city initiatives such as improved mobility, decreased congestion, greenhouse gas reductions, increased safety and adaptive mobility management.

Epiroc USA appoints Jon Torpy new general manager

April 23, 2019—Epiroc, a leading productivity partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has appointed Jon Torpy as General Manager and President for Epiroc USA LLC, effective May 1, 2019. Mr. Torpy brings 15 years of broad leadership experience with Epiroc and predecessor Atlas Copco, and 20 years of overall industry experience. In his new role, Mr. Torpy will lead the U.S. Customer Center of Epiroc, which supplies innovative, safe and sustainable drill rigs, rock excavation, and construction equipment and tools. The company also provides service and technology solutions for automation and interoperability. Mr. Torpy is a strong advocate for innovation to help drive continuous improvement for Epiroc customers. During his tenure as Vice President of Marketing for the Drilling Solutions division, he was a key visionary and leader in the Epiroc autonomous drill program, which has become a game-changer for many customers.