Miller Electric has launched the Job Weld Done Giveaway, which offers customers a chance to win a Miller product every month for nine months beginning April 16, 2012.

Three individual grand prize packages will also be awarded in January 2013, including a custom-built EPIC chopper, NASCAR trip to Bristol, Tennessee, and a trip to Las Vegas including an inside look at the SEMA Show.

Participants can enter once each month between April 15 and December 31, 2012. Miller will announce all winners via MillerWelds.com/win.

Monthly prizes include a Millermatic 140 Auto-Set MIG Welder with Standard Running Gear/Cylinder Rack and Spoolmate 100 MIG gun in April, a Bobcat 250 EFI Welder/Generator in May, a Spectrum 625 X-TREME Plasma Cutter in June, a Multimatic 200 with TIG Package (MIG/TIG/Stick Welder) in July, a Maxstar 150 STL DC TIG / Stick Welder with Finger remote in August, a Millermatic 212 Auto-Set MIG Welder with Standard Running Gear/Cylinder Rack and Spoolmate 200 MIG gun in September, a Diversion 180 AC/DC TIG Welder in October, a Millermatic 211 Auto-Set with MVP MIG Welder with Standard Running Gear/Cylinder Rack and Spoolmate 100 MIG gun in November and a 30FX ArcStation and Arc Armor Safety Performance Pak (digital helmet, INDURA welding jacket, MIG gloves, metal worker gloves, and safety glasses in a jobsite tool bag) in December.

In addition to monthly and grand prizes, ten winners will be awarded a Miller t-shirt during each monthly entry period.

To enter, the Job Weld Done Giveaway and review the official rules and access prize package details, visit MillerWelds.com/win.

Deere said it is “successfully managing major new product launches featuring advanced engine emission technology while significantly expanding its global market.”

Construction and forestry division sales increased 26 percent for the quarter. Division sales are forecast to increase by about 20 percent for 2012, reflecting strengths in the rental industry and geographic expansion.

The K3000 and DC1400 in action.

At a media event Tuesday, Husqvarna showcased their latest products, stressing the company’s commitment to innovation and developing new technology. Mark Michaels, product manager, said that while mature markets are contracting globally, Husqvarna has continued to expand in the construction market, and in North America, which provides 41 percent of the company’s construction business. “Husqvarna is showing double digit growth,” Michaels said. “We’ve had really good growth for the past three years.”

With current product development, Michaels said Husqvarna has been concentrating on emissions, dust management and transportability, all of which were key features of their newest products. Products shown at the event included the following:

K3000 Vac – Useful for cutting indoors or in confined areas, the vac minimizes the dust in sensitive locations.

AD 10 – Designed for use with DM 280 and DM 340 drill motors, the AD 10 is an automatic system that provides high efficiency core drilling while reducing operator fatigue.

DC 1400 – A wet/dry vac that can be used with the company’s PG 400 and PG 280 as well as hand grinders, the DC 1400 has automatic dust filter cleaning that prevents clogging.

Jim Davitz, product manager for diamond tools, also emphasized the company’s commitment to leadership in the diamond tool market and in producing innovations in blade technology. Husqvarna manufactured 5 million diamond segments for the U.S. market in 2011, and has launched a new diamond blade technology, Diagrip, which features a three-dimensional segmented diamond design. The new design reduces vibration while performing at speeds up to 30 percent higher than Husqvarna’s previous blades.

Miller Electric and the ITW Welding companies of North America, including Hobart Brothers, Bernard, Tregaskiss, Weldcraft and Smith Equipment, will bring the “Under the Hood 2012: Learn  | Weld | Connect” welding expos to four cities across the United States.

Tour stops for this expo include Atlanta, Georgia (May 2-3), Ft. Worth, Texas (May 23-24), Rancho Cucamonga, California (June 13-14) and Troy, Ohio (June 20-21).

Attendees can pre-register at Millerwelds.com/weldexpo or on-site. Registrants will learn from Miller engineers, product managers and other welding professionals, get the latest welding tips and have a hands-on welding experience and the chance to see the latest in welding equipment and technology.

This expo offers two days of welding opportunities including 10 educational sessions with programs such as reducing weld costs, the challenges of aluminum welding, weld data monitoring and maintaining environmental compliance. Live demonstrations and hands-on welding opportunities will cover welding processes for a wide range of industries, including construction, fabrication and manufacturing.

The Miller Road Show Truck will include 40 hands-on displays, and the latest products from all of the ITW Welding Companies will be a part of Under the Hood 2012. Attendees will have the chance to see all of the latest technology from Miller and ITW, try out state-of-the-art Arc Armor safety equipment and learn more about special programs and promotions from Miller, including Owners Club and Job Weld Done.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Jeff Dietrich of ITR (California and Texas) and economist and president of ITR, Alan Beaulieu (Georgia and Ohio).

The expo will also feature a special evening event, from 6 to 9 p.m. at each of the weld expos (May 2, May 23, June 13 and June 20), during which attendees will learn the basics of MIG, TIG and Plasma cutting and which process is right for their welding needs. Those interested can sign up at MillerWelds.com/underthehood. Space is limited to the first 100 registrants per location.

For more information and to register for Under the Hood 2012, visit Millerwelds.com/weldexpo. DIY evening attendees can sign-up at Millerwelds.com/underthehood.

The website features a dealer locator and showcases East’s products such as aluminum dump, flatbed and refuse trailers and heavy duty truck accessories.

The website is designed to be easily accessible from any PC, smartphone or tablet.

The two manuals outline possible responses to basic safety situations that may be found during normal equipment start-up, operation and maintenance. The new safety manuals - like all AEM safety manuals - are published in an illustrated format of sensible “do’s and don’ts.” The safety messages are presented in clear, readable text and illustrations to assist understanding, and the manual can be used for safety sessions on the job or in the classroom.

Content includes safety tips concerning the workplace and equipment, start up and shut down guidelines, and special operating and maintenance precautions. The AEM manuals are not a substitute for original equipment manufacturer operation guidelines.

AEM safety and training materials cover more than 40 types of equipment used in agricultural, construction, forestry and utility applications. All manuals, videos and related safety and training products are available online at www.safetymaterials.org in the AEM store. Some safety materials are offered in downloadable files or in DVD format. AEM members receive discounts on select materials.

The association’s safety-tools program has been in operation for more than 40 years, aiding accident prevention, improving worker productivity and reducing equipment repair downtime.

Clark, who retired as a four-star general, began his career as a West Point graduate and junior officer in a combat command in Vietnam and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming commander of NATO forces in Europe. In 2008, Clark ran for U.S. president on the Democratic ticket, and today he is a businessman heavily invested in alternative energy markets, including shale, natural gas, wind, tidal and biofuels.

As keynote speaker at the opening session of the Alternative Clean Transportation Exposition in Long Beach, Calif., Clark said the knowledge-based economic boom of the 1990s seemed to be the fitting conclusion to the “American Century,” as the Internet and the rise of personal computers fed an ever-growing economy that was the envy of the world. But as American wealth grew, the country as a whole invested in real estate instead of manufacturing, research and development.

At the same time, Americans discovered to their dismay that a knowledge-based economy was difficult to contain within national borders. “As it turns out, knowledge moves very quickly overseas,” Clark said. “We discovered that people in Eastern Europe and Asia can write programming code and create software just as good as anyone in America can.”

Today, with the American economy flat and slowly regathering momentum, Clark said that while the United States has no real superpower rivals at the moment, the Chinese are gaining steam and telling the world that America was the economy of the last century – while the future belongs to Beijing.

To counter this, Clark said the United States needs a growth policy – an idea that seems alien to many Americans. “We’ve always grown naturally,” he said. “But for most countries around the world, an economic growth plan is absolutely vital to create and sustain prosperity.”

Brazil is an example of this, he said. The Brazilian government realized that as long as the country was sending billions of dollars overseas to purchase oil, it never would be able to invest adequately to grow its own economy and spur growth. So Brazil decided to shift energy production within its own borders with an aggressive ethanol fuel program. “It worked,” Clark said. “Not overnight. But today, Brazil is one of the premier up-and-coming economies in the world.”

The United States today is in a similar position, Clark said. “We send over $300 billion overseas to purchase oil every year,” he said. “That’s about $1,000 for every man, woman and child in this country. That’s money that we can keep at home to create up to 8.5 million jobs – and taxes to cut our deficit and invest in sustained economic growth.”

Currently, Clark said, that $300 billion a year gets the United States about 9.5 million barrels of oil a day, and he thinks Americans need to pull together across the board – “Everything from ‘Drill, baby, drill!’ to improved fuel economy standards, to wind, solar and tidal power” to steadily chip away at those 9.5 million barrels of oil.

Clark challenged fleet managers attending the conference to ask themselves what they could do to help their country and grow the economy by looking into and investing in alternative fuel technologies where possible. “We all have to work together on this,” he stressed. “The beauty of this is we can develop these alternative fuel technologies without government programs.”

Clark said Wall Street is sitting on $2 billion that could be invested in such technologies. “Overseas investors would love to invest in the United States – because in spite of all our current problems, we still have the strongest and safest economy in the world,” he said. “We just have to step up and give them a vision and goals they can feel confident putting their money in.”

For the first six months of the year, net income attributable to Deere & Co. was $1.589 billion, or $3.91 per share, compared with $1.418 billion, or $3.32 per share, last year.

Worldwide net sales and revenues increased 12 percent, to $10.009 billion, for the second quarter and rose 12 percent to $16.775 billion for six months. Net sales of the equipment operations were $9.405 billion for the quarter and $15.524 billion for six months, compared with $8.328 billion and $13.841 billion for the same periods last year.

“John Deere is well on its way to a year of outstanding performance after reporting an eighth consecutive quarter of record earnings,” said Samuel R. Allen, Deere & Co., chairman and CEO, said in a May 16 written statement.  Allen also noted that the company is successfully managing major new-product launches featuring advanced engine-emission technology, while significantly expanding its global market presence. “Skillful execution of our operating plans is helping Deere capitalize on today’s strong farm economy and meet the world’s growing need for productive machinery,” he added in the written statement.

Summary of Operations

Net sales of the worldwide equipment operations increased 13 percent for the quarter and 12 percent for six months compared with the same periods a year ago. Sales included price realization of 5 percent for the quarter and 4 percent year to date and an unfavorable currency-translation effect of 2 percent for the quarter and 1 percent for six months. Equipment net sales in the United States and Canada increased 18 percent for the quarter and 13 percent year to date. Outside the U.S. and Canada, net sales increased 6 percent for the quarter and 12 percent for six months, with unfavorable currency-translation effects of 4 percent and 3 percent for these periods.

Deere’s equipment operations reported operating profit of $1.522 billion for the quarter and $2.220 billion for six months, compared with $1.268 billion and $1.914 billion last year. The improvement for both periods was primarily due to the impact of price realization and higher shipment volumes. These factors were partially offset by higher production costs related to new products and engine-emission requirements, as well as increased raw-material costs and research and development expenses.

Financial services reported net income attributable to Deere & Co. of $109.2 million for the quarter and $228.3 million for six months compared with $105.1 million and $223.3 million last year. Results were higher for the quarter primarily due to growth in the credit portfolio, partially offset by increased selling, administrative and general expenses. Six-month results benefited from growth in the credit portfolio, revenue from wind energy credits and a lower provision for credit losses. These factors were partially offset by increased selling, administrative and general expenses, higher crop insurance claims and narrower financing spreads.

Company Outlook & Summary

Company equipment sales are projected to increase by about 15 percent for fiscal 2012 and by about 25 percent for the third quarter compared with the same periods a year ago. Included is an unfavorable currency-translation impact of about 3 percent for the year and 4 percent for the third quarter. For the full year, net income attributable to Deere & Co. is anticipated to be about $3.350 billion.

According to Allen, promising fundamentals are lending strong support to the company’s plans for increased sales and profitability. “Our extensive investments in new products and additional global capacity are moving ahead at an accelerated rate,” he said, pointing out there are more than a dozen major projects under way throughout the world, including seven new factories. “These investments are essential to the success of our longer-term growth objectives, which we believe are firmly on track. They also put Deere in a sound position to respond to a rising global need for food, shelter, and infrastructure in the years ahead. In our view, these powerful trends have considerable staying power and should prove highly rewarding to our customers and investors.”

Equipment Division Performance

Agriculture & Turf. Sales increased 11 percent for the quarter and 10 percent for six months largely due to higher shipment volumes and price realization, partially offset by the unfavorable effects of currency translation.

Operating profit was $1.403 billion for the quarter and $1.977 billion year to date, compared with $1.163 billion and $1.720 billion, respectively, last year. The improvement in both periods was primarily driven by the impact of higher shipment volumes and price realization. These factors were partially offset by increased production costs related to new products and engine-emission requirements, as well as higher raw-material costs and research and development expenses.

Construction & Forestry. Construction and forestry sales increased 26 percent for the quarter and 24 percent for six months mainly due to higher shipment volumes and price realization. Operating profit was $119 million for the quarter and $243 million for six months, compared with $105 million and $194 million last year. Results improved in both periods primarily due to price realization and higher shipment volumes, partially offset by increased raw-material costs and an unfavorable product mix. Also affecting the performance of both periods were higher research and development and selling, administrative and general expenses, as well as increased costs related to engine emissions requirements.

Market Conditions & Outlook

Agriculture & Turf. Deere’s worldwide sales of agriculture and turf equipment are forecast to increase by about 15 percent for full-year 2012, including a negative currency-translation impact of about 3 percent.

Farmers in the world’s major markets are experiencing favorable incomes due to strong demand for agricultural commodities. In addition, John Deere’s sales are benefiting from advanced new products being launched throughout the world and from major expansions.

Industry farm-machinery sales in the U.S. and Canada are forecast to rise by more than 10 percent in 2012. Overall conditions remain positive and demand continues to be strong, especially for high-horsepower equipment.

Full-year industry sales in the EU 27 nations of Western and Central Europe are forecast to be flat to up 5 percent as favorable conditions in the grain, livestock and dairy sectors outweigh general economic concerns. Sales in the Commonwealth of Independent States are expected to be considerably higher in 2012. Sales in Asia, while slowing, are forecast to be up moderately. In South America, industry sales are projected to be down 5 to 10 percent from last year’s attractive levels due to uncertainty in Argentina and drought conditions in parts of the region.

U.S. and Canada industry sales of turf and utility equipment are expected to be up by about 5 percent for the year.

Construction & Forestry. Deere’s worldwide sales of construction and forestry equipment are forecast to increase by about 20 percent for 2012. The gain reflects further strength in the rental, energy, material-handling, industrial, and international sectors. Of particular note, the company is benefiting from growth in sales to independent rental companies, which are upgrading and replenishing their fleets. Further, Deere’s sales are being supported by a range of advanced new products and by geographic expansion. After considerable growth in 2011, world forestry markets are projected to be about the same for 2012. Weakness in Europe is being offset by improvement in other international markets.

Financial Services. Full-year 2012 net income attributable to Deere & Company for the financial services operations is expected to be approximately $465 million, slightly lower than the prior year. The forecast decline is primarily due to an anticipated increase in selling, administrative and general expenses and narrower financing spreads, largely offset by growth in the credit portfolio.

John Deere Capital Corporation

The following is disclosed on behalf of the company’s financial services subsidiary, John Deere Capital Corporation (JDCC), in connection with the disclosure requirements applicable to its periodic issuance of debt securities in the public market.

Net income attributable to John Deere Capital Corporation was $78.3 million for the second quarter and $171.7 million year to date, compared with $85.9 million and $169.6 million for the respective periods last year. Results were lower for the quarter primarily due to higher selling, administrative and general expenses and narrower financing spreads, partially offset by growth in the credit portfolio. Six-month results improved primarily due to growth in the credit portfolio and a lower provision for credit losses, partially offset by higher selling, administrative and general expenses and narrower financing spreads.

Net receivables and leases financed by JDCC were $24.558 billion at April 30, 2012, compared with $22.482 billion last year.

But one month does not make a trend (the weather was good, which helped). And 700K is half of what a health housing economy should show. During the boom years housing starts reached as many as 2-million annually by some estimates.

One aside to note: for those of you who think government is the problem, states like Texas which have strict laws governing the mortgage industry, faired much better in the housing bust than states with few regulations.

Ritchie Bros. says it intends to continue to grow AssetNation‘s core business as well as to leverage its e-commerce expertise and technology platform to develop and launch unique new services for equipment owners whose buying and selling preferences may not be met by the company’s live unreserved auctions.

“We are very pleased to have completed the acquisition of AssetNation and are excited to be working together with their team to develop and launch new business solutions to help the world’s builders easily and confidently exchange equipment,” said Peter Blake, CEO of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, in a May 16 press release. “We remain strongly dedicated to our core unreserved auction business and see many years of growth in front of us in this segment of the market. We also see a clear opportunity to create complementary compelling solutions to expand our addressable market significantly by appealing to a new market segment we have not traditionally reached with our unreserved auctions.”

The acquisition closed on May 15, 2012 for all cash consideration of about $64 million. AssetNation was purchased from the controlling shareholder Spire Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm.