Month: January 2022

Despite global supply chain and logistical challenges, Altec remains ready and able to serve you with the replacement parts, tools and accessories that you need. And now, we’re getting you one step closer to the items you need when you need them.

Altec has strategically placed regional warehouse locations across the United States that stock parts, tools and supplies. These warehouses allow us to add inventory to combat shortages caused by supply chain challenges and allow for quicker shipping times—getting you the items you need to do the job in a cost-effective manner. The map below shows our regional warehouse locations.

Looking For Tools or Accessories?

Our warehouses allow us to ship tools and accessories to you quickly from our extensive Altec Supply catalog, which offers more than 11,000 products from nearly 200 suppliers.

Warehouses also stock refurbished components at a reduced cost that are available to ship immediately.

Ready to Order?

For Altec Parts orders or questions, call 877-GO ALTEC or visit Altec Connect. Altec Connect is your easy online source for ordering and tracking parts. With real-time availability, Altec Connect allows customers to search for parts based on your unit, removing the guesswork from compatibility, and saving you money.

For tools and other accessories, call your local Altec Supply Account Manager, or 877 – GO-Altec or visit the Altec Supply Store.

Select regional warehouses also offer repair and restoration for your parts and tools through Altec Service Rebuild Group, an authorized repair center with certified technicians for Stanley, Greenlee and Burndy Tools. We only use genuine OEM parts to restore your equipment. We also offer a full line of Altec equipment radio remote repair backed by OEM training and support.

To help technicians learn from anywhere they are located, Altec offers virtual interactive maintenance training webinars. Available for purchase, the 60-minute webinar sessions are facilitated using the Microsoft Teams webinar platform, virtual learning tools, handouts and real-time instruction.

These webinars serve as both introductory training for new hires and refresher sessions for experienced technicians throughout the year. Technicians can participate in a specific roadmap of courses or select individual courses.

In addition to the various library of courses, Altec also offers private 60-minute interactive webinars. During this training, technicians will engage with the trainer and other participants throughout the course, using virtual learning tools, handouts and real-time instruction.

Customers can select one of the current webinar offerings from the list to be facilitated during this time slot. Note: a minimum of six participant links are required to schedule this interactive webinar.

If you’re interested in learning more about this online training, check out our list of courses below:

Preventive Maintenance 1

This course is intended to introduce technicians to the Altec Preventive Maintenance Inspection process.

Technicians will:

• Identify sections of the Altec Maintenance Manual
• Discuss how to conduct a preventive maintenance inspection
• Use the preventive maintenance checklist to determine:
  • When to replace filters
  • When to use charts to determine lubrication
  • Weld inspection and torque inspection processes and procedures

Preventive Maintenance 2

This course covers various Altec inspection processes and testing procedures required to perform preventive maintenance inspections.

Technicians will:

• Identify proper torquing procedures
• Determine when to perform turntable tilt, HOP, and side load test inspections
• Learn how to identify basic testing procedures

Preventive Maintenance 3

Participants will discuss:

• Hydraulic system pressure checks
• The rotation bearing and gearbox, structural tests, manual stowage
• Atmospheric vent testing

AXIS

This course aims to introduce technicians to uses for the AXIS tool and AXIS maintenance practices.

Participants will discuss:

• The benefits of the AXIS tool
• Navigation, credentials
• Inputs and outputs

Hydraulic Symbols

This course aims to introduce technicians to common symbols used on Altec hydraulic schematics. Participants will break down individual symbol components and identify symbols in a schematic.

Basic Hydraulics 1

This course introduces technicians to basic hydraulic principles and theory, prime movers, pumps, and actuators.

Participants will use the basic principles of fluid power to:

• Answer questions
• Describe properties of hydraulic fluids
• Describe the purpose of prime movers
• Identify the purpose of a pump in a specific hydraulic system
• Recognize corresponding symbols for components

Basic Hydraulics 2

This course introduces technicians to basic hydraulic fluid conditioning and conductors.

Participants will:

• Recognize damaging effects of contamination and improper fluid in a hydraulic system
• Determine the proper procedure for taking a hydraulic fluid sample
• Identify where to find specifications for fluid conductors

Basic Hydraulics 3

This course introduces technicians to directional control and flow control valves.

Participants will:

• Identify hydraulic symbols for valves
• Determine valve placement in a system
• Identify internal valve components and types of flow controls

Basic Electrical 1

This course introduces technicians to basic electrical concepts and Digital Volt-Ohm Meter usage.

Participants will:

• Define basic electrical concepts
• Examine Ohm’s Law
• Discuss the importance of electrical safety
• Describe series and parallel circuits
• Determine correct lead placement on the DVOM to test voltage, resistance and current
• Determine where to place leads to test a component in a circuit

Basic Electrical 2

This course introduces technicians to electrical components and schematics.

Participants will:

• Recall potential safety concerns when dealing with electrical circuits and components
• Identify electrical components by their symbols
• Trace flow through an electrical circuit

Basic Electrical 3

Participants will:

• Identify components on electrical schematics
• Discuss types of chassis/machine interfaces
• Discuss the outrigger interlock system, electrical control systems and basic electrical diagnostics

Power Distribution Module (PDM)

This course introduces technicians to the PDM interface commonly found on Altec equipment.

Participants will discuss:

• Safety procedures
• Where to locate the PDM
• How to identify components within the PDM
• Identifying PDM circuitry

Controller Area Network (CAN)

This course introduces technicians to CAN-based control systems found on Altec equipment.

Participants will:

• Identify CAN system components
• Recognize how CAN signals are sent
• Discuss basic troubleshooting procedures for working with the CAN-based control system

Sign up for any of the webinars listed above today! To schedule training or request pricing for a private webinar, email technicaltraining@altec.com or call (816) 901-4894.

In the next decade, jobs in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field are expected to grow two times faster than all other occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Designed to expose local students to careers in STEM, Altec launched its annual Innovation Challenge in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2018. Participating students propose a real-life problem that can be innovatively solved with a STEM-based approach. The winning student teams receive a monetary prize to implement their project at their school.

This year, Altec hosted two Innovation challenges—one in Birmingham and one in its Elizabethtown, Kentucky location, encouraging local students to think outside the box while giving back to their school and their community.

Addressing Food Insecurity in Elizabethtown

In Elizabethtown, the winning team from John Hardin High School sought to improve food insecurity in their community.

For their project, the team of freshmen and sophomores proposed the creation of two aquaculture systems that would be used to grow and harvest aquatic organisms as healthy protein sources for the Warm Blessings Community Kitchen.

“We’re so proud of all our students who participated in today’s contest and thankful for partners like Altec for their investment in our community,” said Hardin County Schools Superintendent Teresa Morgan. “Through collaborations like this, we’re bridging the gap between classroom instruction and career enrichment opportunities.”

Read more about the Elizabethtown competition here.

Reducing the Spread of COVID-19 in Birmingham

The average individual touches 300 surfaces every 30 minutes, and many do not wash their hands before touching these surfaces after coughing or sneezing—this was the premise of the Ramsay IB High School Radiant Rams’ proposal.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses through surface transmission, the Radiant Rams proposed the purchase of 24 Purify One UV lights to disinfect not only shared surfaces, but also students’ personal items that may not be cleaned as frequently.

“Competing in the Altec Innovation Challenge was extremely rewarding for our students,” said Jennifer Gilbert, Ramsay’s career academy coordinator and math and engineering teacher. “They had the opportunity to display their creativity, as well as use skills learned in their engineering classes, to develop a feasible solution to a problem that impacts our community.”

The experience is one the students will remember, Gilbert said.

See more about the plan here.

The 2022 Altec Innovation Challenge

Plans for the 2022 Altec Innovation Challenge are in the works, with plans to expand to more locations. Stay tuned to our website for more details to come in the next few months.