VECOPLAN MIDWEST MOVES TO NEW FACILITY Vecoplan Midwest, a subsidiary of Vecoplan LLC in High Point NC, recently relocated to an 18,180 square foot facility located in New Albany, IN. According to Bill Miller, COO of Vecoplan Midwest, the move was necessitated by continuing growth of their shredder sales and service business and the introduction of briquetters, pellet mills and Complete pelletizing systems to their product offerings in 2010. Vecoplan shredders are used in industrial scale recycling, while their briquetting and pelletizing systems are used in the production of alternative fuels. “In order to meet the demands Of sales and production, we've tripled our staff in the last six years. So we're delighted to move into this new space and are excited to be a part of the growing Recycling and alternative energy markets in North America," states Mr. Miller. FEEDSTOX PURCHASES HARVESTING UPGRADES Feedstox (a KABB company) has purchased seven new pieces of agricultural equipment as part of the nation's most advanced harvesting fleet. The equipment consists of two Challenger combine-baler combination units and five Challenger LB34BXD high-density pull-behind balers manufactured by AGCO Corporation. The machinery will be used to harvest biomass materials such as corn, wheat, corn stalks, wheat straw, switchgrass and miscanthus. KABB plans to lease the equipment to farmers, contractors and other parties involved in the Harvesting of biomass materials. NEW FILTER TECHNOLOGY FROM TRI-MER Tri-Mer Corp. has introduced Tri-Flow, a new filtration concept that delivers HEPA level performance with a MERV16 rating Tri-Flow Compact filters are a higher-performing alternative to bag, cartridge And pocket filters, which are typically rated MERV 10-13. They have a small footprint, and an exceptionally large filter surface area: Tri-Flow Compact Filters provide 2-3 times more filtration compared to similarly dimensioned bag (pocket) filters. An even greater increase in filtration area vs. volume is achieved in comparisons with sleeve-type high efficiency filters. CATERPILLAR EXPANDS SELF-LOADER LINE Caterpillar Forest Products has entered into a marketing agreement with Palfinger Inc. to distribute a line of knuckleboom self-loaders produced by Epsilon Kran GmbH, part of the Palfinger Group, under the brand name Prentice/Epsilon. Initially, the line will include multiple models and will be marketed through select distributors experienced with truck-mounted loaders. "This collaboration allows us to extend our Prentice product offering in North America and give loggers more options to meet their self-loader needs," said John Carpenter, president of Caterpillar Forest Products. "The Prentice brand has always represented reliability, durability and quality. Palfinger's Epsilon brand lives up to those same attributes, so it is fitting that we co-brand the Line." NEW ENGINES ADDED TO DEERE BUNCHERS AND HARVESTERS John Deere announces the addition of a 9.0-liter John Deere PowerTech Plus 6090H Engine to its 700-Series Tracked Feller Bunchers and 700-Series Tracked Harvesters, replacing the existing 8.1-liter engine. The 9.0-liter engine is smart and reliable, featuring an electronically controlled high-pressure common rail fuel system to provide maximum power and fuel economy. The engine delivers 241 horsepower at peak power, giving loggers maximum productivity and uptime, shift after shift. An extended, 500-hour engine oil service cycle, paired with extended filter capabilities, helps to lower daily operating costs. NEW DUSTBOSS PRODUCES A FINER MIST A global leader in dust suppression technology has announced the introduction of a new low-turbulence design for applications in which a fan-driven mist would be undesirable. Developed in response to extensive customer input, the DustBoss DB-M is well suited to operating conditions involving very fine dust particles, including slag dust or fly ash. The unit generates an umbrella-shaped cloud of atomized droplets averaging 50-200 microns in size, projecting the mist about 30 feet (9.14 meters) under calm conditions. The powerful misting head is supplied standard with 9 atomizing nozzles and mounted on a 15-foot boom, but the design was engineered for its ability to be customized for specific dust types, particle behaviors or operating environments. BANDIT PRESIDENT HONOURED WITH TCIA AWARD Bandit Industries President Jerry Morey received the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Award of Merit this past February, presented during the association's annual Winter Management Conference. The award is TCIA's highest honor, considered by many to be the most prestigious and exclusive award within the tree care industry as it's not presented every year. The TCIA Award of Merit is a very special recognition that honors achievements and contributions throughout the tree care industry. MARTIN RETURN ROLLER DESIGNED FOR REPLACEMENT Martin Engineering has unveiled a new design for a track-mounted, pivoting, return-side idler that allows service and replacement from one side of the conveyor. The EVO Return Roller's track-mounted assembly utilizes 1-pin quick-change functionality to make service fast and easy. As a result, one person can replace the roll in less time, reducing the risk of injuries. The return roller also features an integrated fine adjustment to completely square the belt. The roll it-self is 1-piece, and the assembly includes a 3-piece adjustable hanger bracket and swivel/pivot component, which allows the roll to be swung away from its support prior to removing the entire assembly. PREMIER TECH'S HIGH-SPEED STRETCH WRAPPER The new LW-300 Rotary Arm Stretch Wrapper from Premier Tech is a fully automatic system designed to Apply a mechanically pre-stretched film with tension to a pallet load. Its overhead rotary arm eliminates the need to rotate the load and allows for high-speed wrapping, reaching up to 95 loads per hour. Depending on the model chosen, it can replace up to 5 turntable stretch wrappers. An optional top sheet dispenser is also available. WEBIOMASS INC DELIVERS FIRST PELLET BOILER The first half million BTU commercial wood pellet boiler manufactured in Webio- mass Inc.'s Rutland Vermont plant has been delivered to the Galtere Energy Center in Preston MN. These commercial boilers (up to one million BTU) along with a residential wood pellet boiler line, offer efficiencies up to 94%, are considered carbon neutral, and exceed stringent clean air standards worldwide. FOREST2MARKET WELCOMES NEW BIOENERGY LEAD Forest2Market announced that Stan Parton, formerly of The Parton Group, has joined the company. In his new role, Stan will lead Forest2Market's bioenergy practice. Parton will be responsible for the expansion of Forest2Fuel, the company's suite of services for buyers and sellers of renewable energy fuels, and for managing product evolution and derivative product development. These services include biomass supply availability studies, tipping point analyses, site selection studies, wood fuel indexing for supply and off-take agreements and a price benchmark that buyers and sellers of wood fuel use to compare their performance to, and improve their positions in, the market.