Underground Construction - May 2020 - 46

BUSINESS LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS
The amount of ovality in conduit that results from
coiling varies, primarily depending on the diameter
of the conduit, and secondarily on the bend radius
of the coiled conduit. Other determining factors,
which inﬂuence the percentage and permanence of
the ovality, include time stored in the coiled conﬁguration, and ambient temperature and temperature
cycles while in storage.
"It is important for users and installers to be aware
that a certain amount of ovality is normal in a ﬂexible
product like HDPE conduit," explained Patrick Vibien,
P. Eng., director of engineering for PPI's Power &
Communications Division (PCD).
"In fact, this ﬂexibility is one of the major advantages of HDPE conduit, allowing nominal sizes from
one-half to 6 inches to be coiled onto reels or supplied as coils. Continuous lengths of HDPE conduit
minimize joining, and are ideally suited for installation
underground, either laid into an open trench and
backﬁlled, or using trenchless installation techniques."
TN-61, with illustrations, includes numerous
technical deﬁnitions related to HDPE conduit and its
properties, such as creep, stress relaxation, and viscoelasticity. It also describes how industry standards,
such as ASTM F2160 and NEMA TC 7, allow a certain
degree of ovality in these conduit products.

Doosan Infracore
doosanequipment.com

Doosan Infracore North America, LLC, has expanded heavy equipment owners' and operators' access
to its innovative parts, machines and service across
the Southeast, with 10 new Synergy Equipment
dealer locations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and
South Carolina.
Since 2012, Synergy Equipment has become a
true equipment provider for customers throughout
its 20-location footprint in the Southeast United
States. Seamlessly blending dealership sales and
services with full-line equipment rental equals total
equipment care for the construction, industrial and
related markets.
"I can tell you ﬁrsthand they are very efficient
and reliable machines because of the large
position of Doosan machines we have in our rental
ﬂeet," said Jeff Karter, CEO of Synergy Equipment.

Industry Icon Bob Westphal Passes Away
Michels has announced the passing of industry icon Robert H. Westphal
on April 1.
Westphal devoted 55 years of his life to Michels, tirelessly pushing the
company's performance, and the pipeline and trenchless construction
industries' potential to higher levels. Hired by Dale Michels in April 1965
as a pipeline laborer, he quickly established himself as a great leader,
generous mentor and valued friend to those he worked with, including
the Michels family.
"It is our belief that the strength of his successors deﬁnes a leader's true success," said Pat Michels, president and CEO, Michels Corporation. "In that regard, Bob was the best. He was selﬂessly
devoted to improving the abilities and skills of those who worked with him.
"Throughout the decades, I have had the privilege of calling Bob my boss, my mentor, my
colleague and my friend," Michels said. "He had a major impact on me in each of those roles."
In his career, Westphal ﬁlled many roles, including laborer, operator, foreman, superintendent,
general superintendent, vice president, senior vice president and, at the time of his death, senior
construction advisor. He helped guide Michels' development and execution of strategic business
initiatives domestically and internationally.
A statesman in the construction industry, he was a valued member of many organizations. In 2019,
he was inducted into the North American Society for Trenchless Technology Hall of Fame. Westphal
was also an active member of the Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA), where he served on the
Board of Directors for 13 years and as president in 2005. In 2018, he was named an Honorary Member.
His legacy will leave a signiﬁcant impact on Michels and the industry he loved. He is survived by
his wife, Jone; sons Scott, Jeff, Matt and Chad; many other family members; and his large extended
family at Michels. *

MAY 2020 | UConOnline.com

"Having the kind of experience, we have, with this
equipment, has given me the conﬁdence to know
our customers are making the right choice when
they decide to purchase Doosan."
As part of efforts to devote more attention to
improving its service for dealers and customers, in
late 2018, Doosan opened a new parts distribution
center at its Suwanee, Ga. (greater Atlanta area),
North American headquarters. The proximity of
Synergy Equipment's locations to the center has enabled an efficient response time that has enhanced
the partnership between the two companies.
"Speed is everything when you need a part for
a customer that is down, and Doosan has proven
their commitment to providing fast parts over the
years," Karter said. "Their new parts distribution
center couldn't have been put in a better location to
support all of our new stores."

TRUVAC
truvac.com

TRUVAC, premium vacuum excavation equipment
manufactured by Vactor Manufacturing, Inc., a
subsidiary of Federal Signal Corporation, has added
two new dealers to its network, bringing the total
number of locations to more than 87 across the
United States and Canada.
Ditch Witch of the Rockies (Colorado) and Ditch
Witch of Oklahoma now offer the full line of TRUVAC
vacuum excavators to utility providers, construction
companies, and other customers, at four locations.
"We're excited to bring these Ditch Witch dealers
into our family," said Tony Fuller, vice president, of
ESG Global Sales at Federal Signal. "They are already
well-established and dialed into the utility and construction markets. This makes them a perfect match
for our excavators and our mission to promote
smart and safe digging through better technology
and more-dependable excavation,"
Based in Streator, Ill., Vactor Manufacturing
produces a branded sewer and catch basin
cleanser, and the Guzzler brand of industrial
vacuum loaders, in addition to TRUVAC vacuum
excavators, through authorized dealers and
service centers across North America.
In other news, Federal Signal launched a
website in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19)
outbreak: fedsigresponse.com.

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Underground Construction - May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - May 2020