Toyota Material Handling, Columbus, Indiana, says its new model includes improved ergonomics, controls, programming and diagnostics.

Toyota Material Handling (TMH), a leading North American manufacturer of forklifts and warehousing solutions based in Columbus, Indiana, has launched an updated version of the Toyota 3-Wheel Electric Forklift. The new mode raises the standard on innovation and versatility with more than 30 advances, including improved ergonomics, operator assist features and onboard programming and diagnostics.

“The current Toyota 3-Wheel forklift is already a fantastic [machine], and with new features and options, we believe it can solve our customers’ evolving problems and continue to be the forklift of choice for a wide variety of warehousing applications,” TMH Senior Vice President of Operations, Engineering and Strategic Planning Tony Miller, says. “The enhancements to the 3-Wheel Forklift will enable operators to be even more productive over the life of the vehicle with a lower cost of ownership.”

Smooth, responsive controls are part of the improved ergonomics that make operating the forklift easier. The 4.3-inch high-resolution display gives the operator access to controls and information in an easy-to-read format. The full-suspension seat is wider with no hip restraints and is weight adjustable for greater operator comfort. The EZ Fingertip Control option allows each function to be operated with a single finger or thumb, minimizing unnecessary movement. Operators will appreciate the optional rear-assist grip with a horn that makes reverse travel more comfortable.

The new forklift also features 100-percent onboard programming and diagnostics, allowing application-specific fine-tuning and faster service for reliable performance. Other operating improvements include wet disc brakes that seal out debris and keep brakes cool. The auto parking brake automatically applies anytime the forklift is turned off or the operator leaves the seat. It enhances operator control by being turned off with the quick push of a button.

Automatic Mast Control (AMC) responds automatically to enhance the stability of loads, and the mast cushioning feature reduces wear and tear on the mast. The base features include 3,000- to 4,000-pound capacity, an AC drive motor and industry-leading travel times.

Energy-efficient improvements offer 40 percent longer run time on a single charge. A slope-sensing auto power mode automatically switches power mode to maintain speed while traveling up a slope. An optional Toyota lithium-Ion battery minimizes maintenance costs and downtime for improved productivity.

The company says the program opens the door for postconsumer recycling efforts at the Buchanan, New York, gypsum plant.

Saint-Gobain North America, Malvern, Pennsylvania, through its building products subsidiary business unit CertainTeed Gypsum, in collaboration with three New York partner companies, has launched a circular economy initiative. The company has begun reclaiming scrap gypsum wallboard at its Buchanan, New York, facility and reusing the material as feedstock for new products.  

“As the only gypsum manufacturing plant in New York, our colleagues in Buchanan were able to create a true circular economy,” says Jay Bachmann, vice president and general manager for CertainTeed Interior Products Group. “From the creation of drywall products to the construction, to processing scraps and back into drywall production, the material is continuously used and never leaves the state. Our Buchanan plant has increased our capacity to reuse recycled material and we look forward to growing this successful pilot into a long-term program while working with builders and recyclers across the state.”   

The closed-loop project, hosted at the only gypsum wallboard manufacturing site in the state of New York, comes as Saint-Gobain rolls out its new global Grow and Impact strategy. This includes reducing waste and increasing the circularity of raw materials in its production processes, allowing Saint-Gobain to achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2050.  

The initiative was launched in collaboration with Cooper Recycling and Structure Tone and facilitated by Lendlease. The gypsum material was separated and collected at the Structure Tone construction site, processed at the Cooper Recycling facility and then reclaimed at the Buchanan plant creating new drywall, thereby eliminating 20 tons of gypsum scrap going to landfill.  

“This holistic approach between stakeholders in the construction and recycling and manufacturing supply chains is an ideal model for the circular economy,” says William Cooper, director of business development for Cooper Recycling. “We are eager to expand these efforts and continue moving the needle on sustainable development in New York. With common goals of a more sustainable future, we believe that partnerships like these present incredible potential.” 

Madynski held a variety of positions at Detroit Edge Tool Co. for 45 years.

Jerome “Jerry” Madynski, a former vice president of sales at Detroit-based Detroit Edge Tool Co., died Oct. 1 at age 73 from complications resulting from a surgery he had in late September.

According to his obituary, Madynski graduated from De La Salle High School in Detroit in 1967. After his graduation, he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in January 1970.

Madynski began to work for Detroit Edge Tool Co. in 1970 and held a variety of roles at the company throughout his career. According to Detroit Edge Tool, he began his career at the company in the shipping and receiving department and later served as the company’s plant manager, general manager, vice president of marketing and vice president of sales. He retired from the company in 2015.

After retiring, Madynski continued to serve as a member of Detroit Edge Tool’s board of directors.

“He was an extremely dedicated, loyal, knowledgeable and trustworthy friend and mentor to us all,” Detroit Edge Tool Co. says in a statement about Madynski. “Jerry was a great family man and a military veteran who loved his country. Jerry was a great team player with an incredible sense of humor. Jerry will be missed.”

Madynski is survived by his wife, Janice, as well as his children, Jeffrey (Nancy), Jeremy (Rachel) and Jaimie (Andrew) Fons. He is survived by his grandsons, Thomas, Cassius Jahn and August Madynski as well as Griffin, Charles and Theodore Fons. He also is survived by his siblings, John Madynski Jr., Gerard Madynski, Catherine (Mark) Iwanski, Mary (Russ) Weill and Chris (Lisa) Madynski.

The grant will help researchers create sustainable aviation fuel and graphite from a blend of wood waste and seaweed.

Researchers in North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have been awarded a $2.25 million grant funded by the Department of Energy to develop sustainable biotechnologies sourced from solid waste streams.

The project, called Sargassum and Wood Waste for Aviation Fuel and Graphite (SWAG), will develop a technological process for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and battery-grade graphite using sargassum and wood waste.

According to the university, the Biden administration’s ambitious climate goals will require the rapid proliferation of electric vehicles and renewable energy grid systems, with graphite making up roughly 30 percent of the mass of a lithium-ion battery.

With demand for these batteries expected to grow six-fold by 2032, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, it’s estimated that nearly 100 new graphite mines and over 50 new synthetic graphite plants would need to be built to meet the projected demand.

The SWAG project’s potential output technology could produce up to 61,000 tons of graphite per year, or roughly 3.4 percent of current synthetic graphite production worldwide from cheap, renewable resources.

Similarly, the project’s technology is capable of producing up to 78 million gallons of SAF, enough to meet 2.6 percent of the current administration’s goal of producing 3 billion gallons of SAF per year by 2030. Conventional aviation fuel is the dominant fuel source for air travel, contributing roughly 9 to 12 percent of all U.S. transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The SWAG process estimates a reduction of SAF GHGs greater than 70 percent, researchers say.

“Aviation fuel and synthetic battery-grade graphite are made with fossil petroleum feedstocks in rather unsustainable ways,” Joe Sagues, assistant professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and a co-principal investigator on the project, told CALS News. “We believe that with the SWAG technology we can drastically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with aviation fuel and battery grade graphite, while also increasing domestic jobs and creating other environmental and economic benefits.”

When sargassum washes up on beaches like in Puerto Rico, it rots, giving off a stench produced by hydrogen sulfide, which is a nuisance to nearby residents and tourists. While the marine macroalgae itself is harmless to human health, researchers on the project say marine life living in the seaweed can become a skin irritant.

“It’s one big biomass waste that there’s no real economical use for today,” Sagues says.

With help from the University of Puerto Rico, researchers also plan to source wood waste from recent hurricane damage on the island, which will assist with relief efforts and infrastructural development projects. Wood waste from industrial forestry, pulp and paper and lumber products are also viable feedstocks for the technology, according to the research team. 

A former Ford auto factory has been approved for demolition by the Jacksonville, Florida, city council.

The city council of Jacksonville, Florida, reportedly has voted to approve the demolition of a Ford Motor Co. Assembly Plant described by a regional news outlet as “a historic downtown property.”

The plant opened in 1924 to produce Ford Model T autos, and in its heyday “employed hundreds of people,” according to a report by First Coast News.

The factory’s lifespan as an auto assembly plant was limited, according to the news outlet, since “The Great Depression led to the plant’s downfall in the 1930s.”

Local historian Ennis Davis tells First Coast News that wood posts supporting the building are beginning to fail, so despite the structure’s history, it would require “significant money” to restore it to a usable state.

Davis also says because of the property’s location along the Saint John River in Jacksonville, shipbuilding is one potential use of the land.

After it outlived its Model T assembly function, the property served as a logistics and distribution center for Ford, according to First Coast News, and then as a facility that hosted boat manufacturing operations.

Regarding its near-term fate, “It is unknown when the timeline of when the demolition will take place,” First Coast News reports.

The Jaxson magazine wrote in May that the factory sat on a 10-acre parcel and initially hosted a 115,200-square-foot building for Model T assembly. A 1926 expansion added another 50,000 square feet of factory space.

Ford stopped using the building in 1968, according to The Jaxson, with other tenants finding uses for portions of the complex in the following decades.

Project bidding and procurement opportunities presented by the city of Jacksonville are typically posted here.