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by Ranger Kidwell-Ross, editor WorldSweeper.com
Welcome to WorldSweeper.com's Coverage of the APWA's 2019 PWX Show!
First, the bad news: APWA's PWX Show offered zero in the way of sweeping-specific educational sessions. However, I was still able to find several items of potential value to our power sweeping readers.
The good news is that the PWX exhibition area had a number of products and services you will want to know about. We are proud to offer a total of 17 videos made for our readers on the exhibition show floor. In addition to walkarounds of the sweepers on the show floor, these include information on a number of other interesting and/or innovative products.
Fleet managers will no doubt enjoy the in-depth article and podcast audio interview with Kevin Schlangen, Public Works Director for Minnesota's Dakota County and a member of the APWA's Fleet Management Committee, who discusses the APWA's newly completed Fleet Management Certification Program. This is an eight-point, very exhaustive certification for fleet managers that is in the process of being rolled out to APWA chapters across the U.S. The program will be available to non-APWA members as well as those who belong to the organization.
An adjunct to this is our link to the 'Top Ten Performance Measures' for fleet management. These provide handy benchmarking ideas for anyone who is involved in managing a diverse vehicle fleet, which is to say most all of our readers. You will also want to read about the newest sweeper in the marketplace: Elgin Sweepers' Regen X machine was introduced at APWA. This is a unique-looking sweeper that Elgin reps say is the result of several years of customer input.
One of the APWA seminars posed a series of questions designed to be thought-provoking for managers of co-ed worker teams. In the seminar, participants were encouraged to provide their own input, although the moderators provided guidance. Reviewing the various situations posed by the seminar handout will allow the HR managers among our readers to better prepare for these kinds of issues when they crop up.
You will find a few more 'informational tidbits' in our coverage of APWA. Unfortunately, there were zero PWX seminars that keyed in on the details of how to run a sweeping program better; the many stormwater-related benefits of power sweeping; how to best manage sweeper fleets; or, anything else that was power sweeping-specific. That's a real lack to the lineup of APWA's PWX seminars this year. We encourage the organization to rectify that in 2020 when the event will be in New Orleans.
As always, if you have any news of potential interest to the power sweeping community, please let us know. Between this publication, the WorldSweeper.com website, and the World Sweeping Association, we'll be sure to get the information passed along to interested readers.
Good Sweeping,
Editor, WorldSweeper.com
Executive Director, World Sweeping Association
Member, PAVEMENT Hall of Fame
PS If you're a contractor I urge you to check out the many benefits of membership in the World Sweeping Association. Also, if you haven't 'liked' our WorldSweeper Facebook page, what are you waiting for? That's where we offer a variety of industry previews and updates on an ongoing basis.
September Newsletter Contents
(Scroll down to read read the stories and to view the videos.)
A Discussion of APWA's Fleet Management Certification Program
Kevin Schlangen, due to his many years of experience as Fleet Manager for Dakota County, Minnesota's third largest, is a member of the APWA's Fleet Management Committee. The committee has recently put together a certification program for fleet management professionals.
"This certification program is designed for anyone who would like to become a professional in the fleet management area," said Schlangen. "The program is designed to help people learn about what professional fleet management should look like in the municipal sector." In the article, and the accompanying 52-minute, in-depth podcast, Schlangen discusses the certification program and some of its many advantages.
Measuring Your Fleet – APWA's Top 10 Performance Measures
We offer the handout for the APWA's seminar about the top 10 fleet performance measures. The intent of the information is to assist fleet managers in:
Identifying the performance measures most commonly used by fleet operations
Exploring how your organization can adapt these performance measures to meet current needs
Explaining the value of measuring performance to managers and technicians
Establishing and identifying all direct and indirect costs for your fleet maintenance; tracking fleet availability; the details of preventive maintenance; measuring technician time: these and more are included in the PDF of the original Powerpoint handout, linked below.
Elgin Sweeper Introduces RegenXTM
Regenerative Air Sweeper: Built by Elgin. Designed by You.
Elgin Sweeper Company announced at PWX the launch of the RegenXTM regenerative air street sweeper. In designing the new RegenX, Elgin Sweeper formed an innovation team to perform several months of voice-of-the-customer research. They conducted hundreds of interviews and on-the-road ride-alongs with users of both Elgin Sweeper products and competitive sweepers to determine the features and qualities most important to them.
The RegenX is touted as being easier to service, simpler to operate and easier to clean than competitive regenerative air products – in fact, according to the Elgin management team, the smooth design of its hopper and 50-degree dump angle could make the RegenX the easiest sweeper to clean in the power sweeping industry.
RUBICONSmartCity's Smart Street Sweeper Technology
In February of this year Rubicon Global began engaging in a smart street sweeper technology pilot with the City of Fort Collins, Colorado.
The pilot is part of an innovative project to gain visibility into street sweeper activity in the City, as well as to identify the type and frequency of obstacles in the field. One of our greatest takeaways from PWX was the untapped potential of city-owned street sweepers to collect and report back data as the vehicles run their daily routes.
APWA Seminar: Women and Men Working Together: Continuing the Discussion
With an increasing number of women entering into the public works arena – and in the era of the 'Me Too Movement' – many questions can surface surrounding having the sexes work together. This handout from the PWX show is designed to challenge the existing perceptions and mindsets that impeded the ability of women and men to work together.
We suggest to our readers that the questions be considered as a way to increase and/or initiate dialogue in your workplace about the assumptions, perceptions and misconceptions that make it difficult for men and women to prosper as a team.
Take a look at a slideshow of the exhibitor floor. If you attended this year's PWX you may even find yourself! To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
PWX Exhibitor Floor Product Videos
(Shown in alphabetical order.)
Learn About Dulevo International Sweepers
Francisc Nagy has been in the industry for 41 years, the last eight of which have been with Dulevo International. You will enjoy his overview of the sweepers Dulevo had on the show floor at the APWA's 2019 PWX event.
For more information click here. You may reach Francisc Nagy by sending an email to f.nagy@dulevo.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
A Walkaround of Elgin Sweepers' Single-Engine Whirlwind Sweeper
James Crockett, Strategic Product Manager at Elgin Sweeper, discusses Elgin Sweepers' Whirlwind single-engine sweeper.
For more information click here. You may reach James Crockett by sending an email to jcrockett@elginsweeper.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
ESRI Offers Asset Management Services
Christopher Thomas, ESRI's Director of Government Operations, discusses how his organization can assist companies in maximizing management of their vehicles as well as with other business intelligence. The company can provide routing and location knowledge, as well as collects and can provide a variety of other information, from weather to population demographics. ESRI is the largest GIS company in the world.
For more information click here to go to the ESRI website. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Global Environmental Product's M4 Sweeper is First All-Electric in the U.S.
Sebastian Mentelski, a principal with Global, discusses the battery system of his company's first-to-market, all-electric street sweeper available in the U.S.
For more information click here. You may reach Sebastian Mentelski by sending an email to smentelski@globalsweeper.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About Johnston Sweeper's VT 650 Vacuum Sweeper
Matthew Starnes, Johnston Sweepers' Product Manager, discusses the VT 650 vacuum sweeper his company had on the exhibition floor at the 2019 APWA PWX.
Learn About Magellan RouteSmart Street Fleet Solutions
Gus Daniels, Director of Sales for Magellan, offers an overview of what Magellan offers as a route completion solution. Starting with a route manager, the company creates and/or edits routes, which are then transferred to tablets for the operators. The tablet then offers turn-by-turn navigation to their route and also shows completion. A module includes the ability to GPS-report such items as downed limbs, potholes, abandoned vehicles, etc.
For more information click here. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About Nitehawk Sweepers' Osprey II and Raptor II
John Day, Nitehawk Sweepers, shows off the company's Osprey II and Raptor II parking area sweepers at the 2019 APWA PWX show.
For more information click here. You may reach the Nitehawk organization by sending an email to info@nitehawksweepers.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About One.7 Inc.
Brenda Pitzen discusses the One.7 organization, which sells pre-owned sweepers, both parking lot and street class, as well as a variety of other vehicle types used in the public works sector.
For more information click here. You may reach Brenda Pitzen by sending an email to brenda@1point7.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About Ravo's U.S. Sweeper Product Line
Cees Van Der Put, North American Sales Manager for Fayat Group's Ravo Sweepers, discusses the product line the company offers in the U.S. marketplace.
For more information click here. You may reach Cees Van Der Put by sending an email to c.vanderput@ravo.fayat.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About Roadwise Dust and Ice Control's Product
Jeffrey Johnson, President of Roadwise, discusses how his company's magnesium chloride-based dust and ice control product binds small particles together so they can be swept up instead of being blown into the air. The product also does not freeze until extremely low temperatures so allow sweepers to be used in freezing weather.
Dust emissions can be reduced over 90%, which allows older sweepers to operate longer. Not nearly as corrosive as magnesium chloride; the product has a corrosion inhibitor and so is only a 12 on the corrosion scale where water is 1 and salt is 100.
For more information click here. You may reach the company by sending an email to roadwiseinc@comcast.net. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About Schwarze Industries A9000 Monsoon Regenerative Air Sweeper
Brian Giles, Product Manager for Schwarze Industries, Inc., discusses the A9000 Monsoon regenerative air sweeper that was on the exhibitor show floor at the 2019 APWA PWX.
For more information click here. You may reach Brian Giles by sending an email to bgiles@schwarze.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About Schwarze Industries M6000 Avalanche Mechanical Broom Sweeper
Raymond Massey, Regional Sales Manager for Schwarze Industries, Inc., discusses the company's M6000 Avalanche mechanical broom sweeper that was on the exhibitor show floor at the 2019 APWA PWX.
For more information click here. You may reach Raymond Massey by sending an email to rmassey@schwarze.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About TrafficWrapz Municipal Beautification Graphics and Graffiti Protection Laminates
TrafficWrapz calls itself a 'beautification company.' Its laminates were co-developed with Dupont, are easy to install and offer graffiti protection in that any spray painting tags, etc., may be removed time after time. They are ideal for putting graphics onto buildings and other surfaces.
For more information click here. You may reach the company by sending an email to info@trafficwrapz.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Learn About the High Efficiency Surface Cleaners Offered by Triverus
Marketing Director for Triverus, Steve Karlin, discusses the company's many successes with its high efficiency surface cleaners. The company's product line includes one used for cleaning aircraft carrier decks, another for airport ramps, runways, and all aircraft traffic areas and, in addition, one for surface cleaning, paint preparation, stormwater pollution prevention and more in parking decks and more.
For more information click here. You may reach Steve Karlin by sending an email to skarlin@triverus.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Trombia Sweeper Designed to Connect to Front End Loader
Trombia sales associate, Jouni Kanniainen, offers details about the Finnish company's PM2.5-to-PM10 Certified sweeper designed to be attached to a front-end loader. The machine doesn't need water for dust suppression and yet contains dust to the PM standard cited above.
For more information click here. You may reach Jouni Kanniainen,by sending an email to sales@trombiaglobal.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
XtremeVac Machines Specialize in Leaf Collection
Eric Spires is Regional Sales Manager for XtremeVac, an ODB company, which offers machines that specialize in leaf removal. "Our machine excels anywhere a leaf falls," says Spires. The equipment ranges from a tow-behind to a large chassis-mounted unit that allows fall leaf collection as a one-person operation.
For more information click here. You may reach Eric Spires by sending an email to espires@odbco.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
Zonar Systems Offers an RFID-based Vehicle Safety Pre-Operation Checklist System
Tony Nisam, Business Development Specialist for Zonar Systems, discusses the company's approach to ensuring vehicle safety and reliability. The vehicle is outfitted with RFID tags at selected locations. The operator has a tablet that is used to scan each of the RFID stops, where they then must confirm that all is well with that part of the vehicle. For any problems, the operator can take a photo to show what's amiss. Work orders can be auto-generated, as well as repairs confirmed. And more.
For more information click here. You may reach Tony Nisam by sending an email to tony.nisam@zonarsystems.com. To see this video at full size at YouTube.com, go here (opens in a new browser window).
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Kevin Schlangen, due to his many years of experience as Fleet Manager for Dakota County, Minnesota's third largest, is a member of the APWA's Fleet Management Committee. The committee has recently put together a certification program for fleet management professionals.
We offer the handout for the APWA's seminar about the top 10 fleet performance measures. The intent of the information is to assist fleet managers in:
