Thanks to recent equipment changes, Garth Mulroy opened with a 5-under 67 Thursday to take a one-shot lead at the $625,000 South Georgia Classic presented by First State Bank and Trust Co., the ninth of 30 official events on the Nationwide Tour.Hunter Haas, Ben Bates, Bryan DeCorso and Chris Nallen all fired 4-under 68s to sit just one shot behind Mulroy, while David Miller and Vance Veazey are two shots off the pace.

Playing with the same set of irons he used during the 2007 season — the set that helped him finish a career-best third at the Albertsons Boise Open — Mulroy turned in a nearly flawless round on Thursday. He posted a stellar 4-under 32 on the front nine and stood at 6 under through 15 holes before his only bogey of the day at the par-4 16th hole.

“I put in new clubs (this year) and they haven’t felt good,” said Mulroy. “I’ve been messing around with different sets of irons the last month or two and I haven’t been playing very well. Last week I switched back to the irons I used last year and I’m starting to hit it a little better now.”

The opening three holes were crucial to Mulroy’s successful day. He calmly drained a 12-foot par putt on the opening hole to ensure his day got off on the right foot. A 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 second hole was followed by the shot of the day on the par-4 third hole with a 5-iron to just 12 inches from the hole.

“I got off to a nice start with a 12-foot par putt on the first hole,” said Mulroy. “Making that putt gave me a lot of confidence. Then the birdie on the third hole really got me going.”

Mulroy, a 29-year-old native of Durban, South Africa, began the season with high hopes after finishing No. 35 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list and recording nine top-25 finishes. But the season has been rocky for the former North Carolina State University standout — evidenced by four made cuts in seven starts and just one top-20 finish (tied for 11th place at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open).

“My season has not been good,” said Mulroy, who won 12 tournaments on the Tar Heel Tour and Triangle Tour in 2002-03. “I just want to play well again. It hasn’t been fun out here. I’ve been miserable.”

In addition to the recent iron switch, perhaps Mulroy’s misery will be a thing of the past due to a putter switch. After arriving at the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club with as many as five putters in his bag earlier this week — a collection of regular, belly and long putters — Mulroy eventually chose a long version in his attempt to conquer the Davis Love-designed undulating greens.

“I haven’t used the long putter since last year but I put it in the bag this week and it was obviously a good decision on my part,” said Mulroy. “I feel more comfortable with it because it helps me stand much taller. I think I see the line better with this one.”

Mulroy used the same putter the latter half of the 2007 season until it turned balky at the Final Stage of q-school, resulting in a mid-tournament switch to the belly putter (he went on to finish 9 under the final two days of the six-day event) that was used to start the 2008 campaign. This season has seen him alternate between a belly putter and a short putter, before switching to the long putter in Valdosta.

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The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is among the industry groups opposing a proposed IRS regulation that would extend highway excise vehicle taxes to off-road machinery.

The Chicago based group has joined with the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) to file joint comments and to give testimony in Washington opposing the regulation.

The excise tax proposal would subject machinery- including mobile cranes, aerial lift trucks and perhaps mobile crushers-to motor vehicle taxes on fuel and tires, as well as other annual taxes. This equipment was previously exempt as it does not technically travel on highways unless mounted on a trailer.

The two groups argue that, unlike commercial highway vehicles that carry goods and passengers, mobile machinery vehicles are not productive when traveling on highways. Thus, while the operators of commercial highway vehicles attempt to ensure that their vehicles spend as much of their time as possible on the highway, the operators of mobile machinery vehicles try to maximize their productivity by maximizing their time at job sites. For such vehicles, highway time is nonproductive time, and they do not derive the same benefit from the public highways as taxable highway vehicles do.

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Conmex, the Middle East’s first exclusive trade exhibition for construction machinery, equipment, and vehicles, was inaugurated at Expo Centre Sharjah on November 25, 2006, by H.E. Sheikh Essam Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Office.

Present at the inauguration ceremony were Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, and officials of various government departments, and members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations.

The four-day exhibition, organized by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of SCCI, is displaying the entire range of construction related machinery, equipment, and vehicles used in the construction process including plant and machinery, commercial vehicles, lifting and conveying equipment, construction equipment, tools and special systems, formwork and scaffolding, construction site facilities, spare parts and accessories, communication and navigation equipment, and safety equipment.

‘The Middle East region is currently experiencing a frenzy in construction activities, resulting in a huge consequent demand for related machinery, equipment, and vehicles,’ said Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, after the inauguration ceremony.

‘Despite the high demand, the region lacks a dedicated one-stop platform that can claim to be exclusively catering to the demand for this category of products from the construction industry. Conmex, with its very focused exhibit profile, will fill that void,’ he added.

The debut edition of Conmex is hosting over 250 brands and companies from 21 countries. Among the major international brands that are being represented at the event are COPMA, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Sennebogen, Kobelco, Liebherr, Potain, Alimak, Dynapac, Atlas Copco, Stetter, Sandvik, Vogele, Snowkey, Sany, Raimondi, Eicher, CGR, RKF, Scania, Daewoo, Hyster, Bobcat, Grove, Konecranes, Soilmec, Terex, and Belle.

Though just in its first edition, Conmex is occupying a massive exhibition space of 16,000 sq. m. including both indoor and outdoor display area.

The outdoor exhibition area is mainly being utilized for showcasing medium to heavy machinery and vehicles. It is for the first time that a construction industry trade event in the region is utilizing such a massive indoor and outdoor display area for exhibition purpose.

‘The Middle East construction industry is currently experiencing an unprecedented boom and in the process attracting astronomical investments,’ said Mr. Saif Al Midfa.

‘The demand for equipment, machinery, and vehicles, has shot up significantly in the last few years as a result of the heightened activities in the construction sector. Given the robust economies of the region, there is no indication that there will be any let up in the Middle East real estate and construction growth in the near future. The demand for construction related machinery, equipment, and vehicles will therefore further shoot up. Conmex is fully geared to meet the growing demands of the region’s construction sector,’ he added.

The impact of the region’s booming construction sector on the demand for related machinery and equipment can be gauged from the fact that in Dubai alone over 30,000 towering cranes are in operation. As per statistics available, there are 125,000 tower cranes operating worldwide. At present, the annual market demand just for used machinery in the Middle East is valued at over Dhs. 5 billion.

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Industrial injuries can be debilitating and life-endangering; there are reasons that safety rules exist for jobs that require operating heavy machinery. Remember that if you chop your finger off or crush your hand, you’ll wish you had paid more attention. So make sure to always be careful and obey operating procedures carefully; it is so much better to be safe than sorry.

There are ways to prevent accidents involving heavy machinery, though there are always freak accidents that can’t be helped no matter what. Freak accidents aside, there are some practical ways you can protect yourself, both by following the rules and adding a few of your own. The spine, hands, head, lungs, eyes, skeleton, and skin are the primary areas of your body that are at a risk for injury.

Common industrial injuries:

Silicosis: also called Grinder’s disease, silicosis is a respiratory disease that is caused by working in a confined, dusty environment. Take precautions against this by always wearing a mask or respirator when you’re working with potentially dangerous materials like fiberglass and asbestos.

Air embolism: an air embolism occurs when small pockets of air get into a person’s blood stream. It is caused by working with compressed air close to cuts in the skin. This can be avoided simply by wearing bandages or hand protection over any cuts or abrasions.

Asbestos poisoning: this happens through working in close proximity to asbestos and usually through the inhalation of dust containing amounts of the toxin. Avoid asbestos if you can, but if you can’t, always wear a respirator; a face mask won’t be nearly as effective.

Decompression sickness: otherwise known as the bends, this sickness is a group of symptoms that are caused by working in a high pressure environment, such as under water. Avoid this by taking the necessary safety precautions outlined in the job manual for your workplace.

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For decades, one main safety issue that transportation company executives had to manage was the number of hours a driver spent behind the wheel. After laws were enacted in 2004 mandating that truckers have at least 10 hours of consecutive off-duty time before they qualify for a new work period, it was presumed that these sleep breaks would result in awake and alert drivers. But in recent years, sedentary lifestyle and increased obesity in this workforce has contributed to a growing epidemic of chronic drowsiness and fatigue.

In a recent study published in Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy (April - May 2007), the authors found that as many as 50 percent of transportation workers studied had undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially life-threatening breathing-related sleep disorder that often goes undiagnosed and untreated. The study findings were accompanied by a second article that analyzed the legal ramification of OSA in the transportation industry. The legal article emphasizes the responsibility drivers now have to ensure they are fit for duty to be socially responsible, avoid tort liability, and possibly even jail time, if they cause an accident. It also identifies steps that employers and clinicians can take to reduce the likelihood of paying punitive damages if a driver has an accident due to OSA.

“Parties in the trucking industry have not paid sufficient attention to the risk of undiagnosed OSA,” stated Donald L. Carper, a professor emeritus in the College of Business at California State University, Sacramento and co-author of the study. “Drivers, their employers and clinicians all have potential legal exposure resulting from undiagnosed OSA. The overall awareness of OSA, its seriousness and attendant risks has reached the point that ignoring this problem will undoubtedly carry a high price in the future.”

The prevalence of undiagnosed OSA has increased within the transportation industry. During the past twelve years, studies have shown significant awareness of OSA within the trucking industry — from employers and employees. This recent study, conducted by Advanced Brain Monitoring, found no significant differences in the prevalence of undiagnosed OSA among pre-hires or transportation managers. Results in both groups were similar to those obtained by researchers at Stanford University during the 1990s. The research suggests the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, combined with an increasingly older and heavier commercial driver population, requires specific and actionable steps to preserve the safety of the US motoring public.

“When it comes to responsible motoring, there is more at stake then just the truck driver’s license,” says Dr. Philip Westbrook, past-president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of ABM. “The simple truth is OSA is a relatively easy and inexpensive disease to diagnose and effectively treat. Immediate cost savings are recognized a result of improved driver health, more than enough to cover the cost for diagnosis and treatment within six months. Doing nothing is the only inappropriate action given our knowledge of how many undiagnosed OSA drivers are on the road and the increased accident risk they pose.”

Apnea Risk Evaluation System (ARES(TM)) Technology

ABM has developed significant and cost-effective technologies to assist the transportation industry address this potential OSA epidemic. The company has developed and validated the ARES Screener, a questionnaire and statistical analysis that provides an inexpensive and accurate means to identify drivers with the likelihood of having mild, moderate or severe OSA. Specifically:

–For those at-risk of OSA, the ARES Unicorder is worn in the home during sleep to obtain the information necessary for a physician to diagnose OSA. The ARES can be conveniently self applied and worn while the driver is sleeping even in the cabin of a truck. It has been validated in the largest study ever conducted which compared the accuracy of in- home vs. laboratory sleep studies. –ABM has launched a web-based initiative targeted to the needs of the transportation industry. Drivers can complete the ARES questionnaire on-line to determine if they are at risk for OSA and order an ARES sleep study. Study results can be made available online for download by the driver’s primary care, occupational medicine, or sleep medicine physician. –The ARES can identify drivers likely to be successfully treated with oral appliances, an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. “Loud snoring during sleep combined with daytime drowsiness is an indicator of those who may have undiagnosed OSA,” stated Dr. Westbrook. “Research suggests that anyone suffering from hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, or depression should have a sleep study to determine if they have undiagnosed OSA.”

The Arguments for Immediate and Widespread OSA Diagnosis and Treatment is Overwhelming

In the commentary, the authors suggest that recent developments have changed the potential legal landscape for those involved in the transportation industry. Specifically:

–Evidence indicates that commercial drivers suffer from a disproportionately higher prevalence of OSA than is currently being diagnosed or recognized. –A Joint Task Force which included representatives from the American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the National Sleep Foundation made recommendations that placed drivers, employers and physicians on notice about this problem and proposed specific steps that should be taken to reduce preventable accidents attributed to OSA. –Schneider National, a national trucking concern based in Wisconsin, recently reported that treating drivers for OSA provides health care savings that more than covers the cost of implementing a program. –Inexpensive, accurate and convenient methods to diagnose OSA are now available. –Treatment options exist that can reduce the debilitating symptoms associated with OSA. –Existing case law exists to frame an argument for punitive damages for employers and physicians and criminal convictions for employees if OSA problems are ignored or hidden resulting in truck collisions causing death or other serious harm.. A complete copy of the published articles, “Assessment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk and Severity in Truck Drivers: Validation of a Screening Questionnaire” and “Assessment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk and Severity in Truck Drivers: Commentary on the Legal Implications for Ignoring a National Safety Concern,” are available at http://www.b-alert.com.

About Advanced Brain Monitoring

Advanced Brain Monitoring markets patented instrument systems that combine laboratory-level accuracy with the portability, ease of use, and low cost of consumer electronics. These systems can be used to diagnose sleep and neurological disease, and to assess alertness, memory, and other cognitive states. Our expertise is in the design and integration of novel sensors and miniature hardware, and the development of automated algorithms for signal analysis. Advanced Brain Monitoring has been awarded over 30 grants or contracts totaling over $14.2 million from the National Institute of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Office of Naval Research.

About ARES

The ARES, winner of the Frost and Sullivan’s 2006 Product Innovative Award, is convenient and easy to use, allowing patients to be studied in the comfort of their home. The cost of an ARES study is half of that of a laboratory sleep study.

The ARES was recognized by the Institute of Medicine, a component of the National Academy of Sciences, as a technology capable of expanding the adoption of portable monitoring for OSA.

The ARES was recently selected by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and six other components of the National Institute of Health (NIH) for the Hispanic Community Health Study. As many as 16,000 participants will be enrolled in a study designed to identify the prevalence and risk factors for a wide variety of diseases, disorders and conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea.

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MOLINE, Illinois . — Deere & Company today announced it will expand its presence in the world’s largest and fastest growing market for construction equipment by entering into a joint venture in China.

Deere said it has signed a definitive agreement to own 50 percent of Xuzhou Xuwa Excavator Machinery Co., Ltd. (XCG) – a subsidiary of Xuzhou Bohui Science and Technology Development CO. Ltd. (Bohui). The companies are seeking review of the transaction by government approval authorities in China.

“Today’s action provides Deere with a foundation in this important and rapidly expanding marketplace with an opportunity to leverage the expertise of XCG in China” said Samuel R. Allen, president, Worldwide Construction and Forestry Division. “XCG is a leader in providing quality machines that perform to high standards for customers, which is a key to enhancing our construction equipment business in this growing market”

XCG was viewed as a viable partner for the Chinese market because of its strong domestic position as a leading Chinese manufacturer of construction equipment with a broad excavator product line of 14 models. Currently XCG is the third largest domestic excavator manufacturer in China with dealers covering all but two provinces of the Chinese market.

“Excavators are a vital segment of the construction equipment market” Allen said. “XCG is well positioned to provide Deere recognition as a key provider of construction equipment in China”

While Deere has a long-term presence in the manufacturing of agricultural equipment in China, this is the company’s first manufacturing operation in construction equipment in the country. Deere’s construction and forestry division is the world’s leading producer of equipment for forestry and a leading provider of a broad range of construction equipment in North America.

Deere also has an important long-standing business relationship with Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. a leading global manufacturer of excavators. The two companies manage a joint venture in Kernersville, N.C. producing equipment for the Americas supporting their joint marketing arrangement. This latest transaction will have no effect on the current relationship with Hitachi in the Americas. Deere said it remains committed to this relationship and continues to value its partnership with Hitachi.

Financial terms of the Deere-XCG transaction were not announced.

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Three people were injured Monday, one of them seriously, when a mob of villagers threw stones at a construction crew they say were intent on destroying their homes.

The injured were a local village official and two bystanders, witnesses said, but their identities were not known.

A representative of the construction company 7NG said Tuesday a large truck carrying a bulldozer on a trailer broke down in front of a village in Chamkarmon district, Phnom Penh, whose residents began throwing stones at the crew.

Villagers say the crew was in the process of unloading the bulldozer, a common piece of demolition equipment in the growing problem of land grabs across Cambodia.

Rights investigator Chhim Savuth, of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, said a truck towing a bulldozer had stopped in front of the village and appeared to be backing up in preparation for unloading.

“The villagers alleged that it would destroy their homes,” he said. “Hundreds of villagers set fire to tires and threw rocks on the equipment that was about to go down, resulting in broken glass, but the driver escaped injuries.”

Srey Sothea, president of 7NG, said the company was not going to have anyone arrested. But he said the transportation of the equipment should not excuse “the intention to assault” shown by the villagers.

“Usually the destruction [of homes] is not my capacity,” he said. “Daring to destroy 100 homes? How can we do it? It would require the participation of, the formation of, an appropriate coalition commission. Going alone without the knowledge of the authorities, not even a police officer would know about it.”

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Compact wheel loaders with 65 net horsepower and less account for an expanding share of the small-machine market.

Perhaps you’ve noticed in the last five years or so that an increasing number of prominent brand names have been showing up on small wheel loaders. Some might say that these “compact” loaders are relatively new to the North American market, the result of marketers noting the success of these machines on congested European jobsites and bringing the concept here.

But, just to set the record straight, small wheel loaders aren’t a new phenomenon on this side of the Atlantic. The once-mighty International Harvester, for example, was building small wheel loaders for worldwide consumption in the mid-1960s, and brand names such as Waldon, Swinger, Power Trac and TCM have endured successfully in the U.S. market.

That said, however, there’s no denying that the North American market has rediscovered the compact wheel loader in recent years, as evidenced by the expanding number of suppliers and the corresponding rise in sales numbers. And with this rediscovery has come a new generation of machines, which skillfully concentrate the power and versatility of larger loaders into much smaller packages.

Our introduction to the design specifics of today’s small wheel loaders came a year or so ago when Volvo loaned Construction Equipment an L20B for an installment of Hands-On Earthmoving. The 56-horsepower L20B features dual-range hydrostatic drive, parallel-lift loader linkage, standard auxiliary hydraulics, choice of proprietary or universal coupler (both hydraulic) and operator amenities that include a multi-function joystick with built-in switches for transmission control and for ground-speed control independent of throttle position.

According to David Morice — heavy-line sales manager for JCB, whose 67-net-horsepower models 407ZX and 409ZX just missed our cutoff — the small wheel loader’s market success is establishing a trend toward even more design enhancement, including such features as high-flow auxiliary hydraulics, more precise return-to-dig systems and ride-control.

At the heart of their design, compacts neatly insert conventional wheel-loader features — efficient truck loading, load-and-carry capability, smooth ride, stability, friendly steering, roomy cab and attachment-handling ability — into packages of more application-accommodating size. Wheel-loader buyers simply have more choice now for matching machine size to the needs of a given operation.

Basic designs and features

The size of compact wheel loaders within the horsepower class (65 net and less) that this report addresses varies considerably. Operating weights range from less than 1,500 pounds to more than 12,000 pounds, net horsepower ratings from the low twenties to 65, and hinge-pin heights from around 105 to nearly 130 inches. Despite the wide variations, these machines do, however, exhibit general similarities.

Most, for example, are hydrostatically driven, usually with the combination of a single high-pressure, variable-displacement hydraulic pump and single hydraulic motor. The motor in most units drives through a mechanical gearbox to conventional planetary axles, which often use sealed, wet-disc brakes. Maximum travel speeds may range from the low teens to 25 mph.

Most also employ articulated-frame steering, but with notable exceptions. Gehl and Mustang units (except for the articulated Gehl AL20DX) feature all-wheel steering in conjunction with their one-piece frame. The Deere 244J is a hybrid of sorts, incorporating both articulated-frame steering and rear-wheel steering — a system Deere calls Stereo Steering.

Implement-hydraulic systems are typically gear-pump systems, and an auxiliary hydraulic system (providing flow to powered attachments) often is available. These auxiliary systems, however, usually don’t produce oil flows that compare with the output of high-flow systems in large skid-steers. Although this limitation might preclude the use of certain attachments, many hydraulically powered tools can still be used. According to Caterpillar, for instance, its model 904B, with a 22-gpm auxiliary system, can handle trenchers, snow blowers, stump grinders and cold planers.

The question buyers should ask in this regard, though, is whether the auxiliary flow in the specific wheel loader model being considered is sufficient to power attachments intended for use with it.

Attachment use

It’s probably safe to say that when the new generation of compacts began appearing, available attachments, in many instances, were limited to pallet forks and specialty buckets — such as multi-purpose, side-dump and stone-sieve types.

Even though many of these machines were equipped (or could be equipped) with a universal (skid-steer) type coupler, manufacturers generally were cautious about recommending the use of skid-steer attachments with compact wheel loaders. Since many compacts use Z-bar loader linkage (or a variation thereof), which typically generates considerably higher breakout force than does skid-steer-loader linkage, the concern was that these stronger machines would structurally overpower attachments designed for skid-steers loaders.

“Placing a skid-steer bucket on a compact wheel loader is not a good idea,” says Georg Seyrlehner, Ingersoll Rand’s product manager for earthmoving equipment. “Given the wheel loader’s greater breakout force, there’s potential for damaging both the bucket and the coupler.”

As the market has matured, however, more attachments have been developed specifically for the compact wheel loader, further expanding its versatility.

“Specialty buckets and forks still remain the most popular attachments,” says product manager David Wolf at Case, “but brooms, augers and ground-conditioning attachments, for example, are now generally available.”

The best advice about using skid-steer tools on a small wheel loader is to ask your dealer if a specific attachment’s structural strength and (if powered) its hydraulic flow and pressure requirements are a match for the wheel loader in question.

In addition, buyers should be aware of two other considerations related to attachment use with small wheel loaders: coupler type and loader-linkage type. Regarding couplers, some manufacturers equip their compacts with only conventional wheel-loader-type couplers, others use the universal-style coupler, and still others use the conventional coupler, but offer a universal-style adapter.

Loader linkage is typically either standard Z-bar or parallel-lift. The latter automatically keeps pallet forks level from ground level to full lift, which is handy if the machine frequently works with forks. Depending on the specific linkage, however, the parallel-lift configuration may sacrifice a bit of digging force. But not always; some manufacturers claim linkages that competently blend the best qualities of both linkage types.

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Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA), maker of Cat and Mitsubishi brand lift trucks, announced today the company has been awarded ISO 14001 certification, demonstrating its commitment to enacting environmentally-friendly practices. ISO 14001 is a recognized system of standards that helps organizations minimize negative impact on the environment, while enforcing environmental law and regulatory compliance. ISO 14001 also outlines internationally accepted specifications for environmental management systems.

“At MCFA, we are proud to utilize efficient and environmentally-conscious operating procedures,” says John Hansen, vice president of operations at MCFA. “It not only solidifies the efforts our employees put forth every day to be mindful of our impact on the environment, but it is good business.”

To obtain ISO 14001 certification, MCFA demonstrated the company has environmental objectives and measurable targets in place to help reduce harmful effects on the environment. The company also illustrated it is continually striving to improve policies and procedures that affect the environment.

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Indonesia’s leading heavy equipment distributor and mining contractor, PT United Tractors, said Tuesday its sales of Komatsu heavy equipment rose 53.5 percent in 2007 from a year before. Sales to the mining sector remained the biggest contributor to the total, but sales to the agriculture sector posted the largest increase.

The company sold 3,454 pieces of heavy equipment in the year, up from 2,250 a year before.

Sales of heavy equipment for mining rose 30.7 percent to 1,315 and sales for agriculture nearly doubled to 1,144 units. Other machines sold in the year were for the construction and forestry sectors.

Meanwhile, the company reported increased coal output from its own mines and from contracted mines. Output at contracted mines rose 27.8 percent to 54.3 million tons while output from its own mines reached 3.56 million tons. It gave no comparativte figure.

United Tractors became directly involved in coal mining following its acquisition of PT Dasa Eka Jasatama in April.

The company reported revenue of 13.2 trillion rupiah for the first nine months of 2007, with the heavy equipment business accounting for 49 percent of income. Mining contracting accounted for 42 percent and coal mining for 9 percent.

Conglomerate PT Astra International owns 58.45 percent of United Tractors.

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