Prices of Construction Materials Fall 0.3 % in June
Construction input prices dropped by 0.3 % in June compared to the previous month, according to an analysis by the Associated Builders and Contractors( ABC) of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. In the nonresidential sector, construction input prices experienced a slightly higher decline of 0.4 % for the month.“ Construction materials prices dipped in June, perhaps a reflection of declining project starts in a number of construction segments and an associated dip in demand,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said.“ For instance, input prices fell in the multifamily segment, where many contractors indicate substantial softening of demand for their services. The same was true of input prices in commercial construction segments.” Despite the monthly decline, overall construction
input prices are still 1.1 % higher than they were a year ago, with nonresidential construction input prices up by 0.7 % year over year.
Liebherr and Fortescue Announce Partnership
Liebherr and Fortescue have announced a partnership to develop and validate a fully integrated Autonomous Haulage Solution( AHS). This collaboration marks a significant expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies, which began in June 2022 with the goal of building a zeroemission haulage solution using Liebherr’ s OEM experience and Fortescue’ s fuel cell battery and battery-electric technology.
The validation of a fleet of four T 264 autonomous trucks, along with the AHS, is currently underway at a purpose-built facility at Fortescue’ s Christmas Creek mine site in Western Australia. This stage of validation started in August 2023. The AHS ecosystem will include the development and validation of a Fleet Management System and Machine Guidance Solution. These systems will also be capable of independent operation on human-operated sites.
The AHS will be integrated with the zero-emission haul trucks currently being co-developed by Liebherr and Fortescue, aiming to be the first AHS operating zero-emissions vehicles globally.
www. contractorshotline. com July 26, 2024 31