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Doing the heavy lifting (and digging)
Spring 2014
Two heavy-duty Doosan machines were critical to the construction of a new Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment America innovation, testing and technology facility in Bismarck, North Dakota, called the Acceleration Center, which is scheduled to open this summer.
Rich Goldsbury, Doosan president, North America and Oceania, was the master of ceremonies in May 2013 for a groundbreaking event at the site of the Acceleration Center, to kick off the construction project. What better way to help ensure that the earth work portion of the project was done efficiently than to use two of the best high-production Doosan machines - a DL350-3 wheel loader and a DX350LC-3 crawler excavator - for excavating, grading, material handling and backfilling?
Laying the ground work
Comstock Construction Inc., Wahpeton, North Dakota, is the general contractor for the Acceleration Center with all site excavation being completed by Veit & Company, Inc. (Veit), an 85-year-old, third-generation business. In the Engineering News Record list of top excavation/foundation contractors, Veit is ranked as the 6th largest.
"We started grading the site in spring and continued working through fall," says Mike Cook, Veit project manager. "We did the prep work for the new building and for the areas to be paved, installed utilities and built a pond for storm water drainage."
When the project began, the only structure on site was a 100,000-square-foot building that had been used primarily as an inventory sequencing center. Veit removed all of the concrete and gravel on the north side of that facility and then excavated a 120-foot by 270-foot rectangle for the arena. They dug down 16 feet and filled it with class 5 gravel right up to the walls of the building.
"That will allow us to bring equipment into the arena for testing and digging," says Matt Sagaser, director of the North American Acceleration Center for Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment. "With no clay, rocks or topsoil, we will have a repeatable, consistent material for evaluating the performance of our machines and attachments."
On one side of the arena is a two-story demonstration deck enclosed in glass. With grandstand seating on each level, visitors will be able to view what is going on in the arena.
Another important feature of the Acceleration Center is a 22-acre outdoor testing area. Different types of material - crushed concrete, metal, rock, gravel and clay - will be brought in to duplicate customer jobsites. This will enable the company to test attachments in a real work environment.
High marks
Among the heavy equipment Veit used on the job were a Doosan DL350-3 wheel loader and a DX350LC-3 crawler excavator. Although the Doosan brand was new to Veit, the wheel loader and excavator made a positive impact on site managers and operators alike.
"I really had no opinion about Doosan equipment before I started using these two machines," says Rob Featherson, project superintendent. "I liked what they did and would definitely use them again."
The DL350-3 with a pallet fork attachment hauled pipe and moved material around the jobsite with a bucket. "It's a real nice machine, very responsive and packs plenty of power," he says.
The DX350LC-3 was kept busy digging footings, building the pond and installing utilities. "The DX350LC is a smooth, well-designed excavator that's very fuel-efficient," Featherson says. "Fuel usage was about 20 percent less than a comparable-size competitive machine. The Doosan excavator did a good job for us."
Featherson gives both machines high marks for having roomy, comfortable operating cabs with good all-around visibility, and for being "loaded with good technology."
"The operators seemed pleased, and we were able to use the machines on other projects when they were not needed at the Acceleration Center," Cook says.
Dick Travis, Veit regional manager, noticed the Doosan products were popular among the different crews. "Those machines were constantly running all over to our other jobs in the area," Travis says. "I know that at another local jobsite, we had one of our own wheel loaders, but the operators elected to use the Doosan model instead."
About the Center
Developing the next generation of Bobcat® equipment will be on the fast track when a new innovation, testing and technology facility is complete on the North Dakota prairie.
The Acceleration Center, built in Bismarck, North Dakota, is where the newest compact equipment designs, latest technologies and best ways to apply important product features will become the daily focus of a team of highly skilled professionals.
Project highlights include:
- Expanding an existing structure that will include a two-story office building and provide a total of 160,000 square feet of modern workspace
- Constructing a 35,000-square-foot indoor testing arena
- Installing a 22-acre outdoor testing and track area
The Acceleration Center will be initially staffed by 155 employees, all dedicated to innovating and advancing designs, testing, prototype engineering and computer simulation of ideas and concepts - efforts to move forward quickly with the goal of bringing products to market sooner.
An open-space and high-tech design will encourage collaboration and innovative discussion among engineering, manufacturing, sales and customer teams.
