As Caterpillar equipment got bigger, the need for a larger facility became evident. They (Dean Machinery) just out grew the facility,” comments Robert Bryon, Construction Manager for Dean Realty.
As their main hub for Caterpillar sales and service in the Kansas City area, Dean worked with a facility planning group from Caterpillar to develop a footprint for the new building. Lifting heavy equipment played a vital role in the planning process; all Caterpillar equipment serviced here requires hoisting. The crane specifications included load and lifting capacities ranging from 1 ton to 15 tons; to be installed in all work areas of the facility.
With the focus on lifting equipment as the crucial installment in the new facility, Dean Machinery began the second tier of the building process: looking for an equipment dealer that could provide a high volume of dependable, easy-to-maintain cranes and hoists. After a competitive bid process, ACCENT Sales and Service Company Inc. was awarded the project. ACCENT sales engineer Alan Koch had already chosen a manufacturer who could quickly and efficiently integrate a high number of crane and hoist components in a cost-effective and orderly manner.
“I knew that R&M Materials Handling Inc. offered the broad range of capacities and products required to do the job,” notes Koch.
R&M served as a one-stop shop with the resources to fulfill a large order thus allowing ACCENT to be more competitive on their product pricing, freight and time. Not an easy feat when a high volume of product is ordered. R&M employs QuoteMaster®, a crane component and quotation software program that provided ACCENT with optimal crane components configuration and pricing for the quotation, as well as fast and accurate order placement. Each time equipment information was entered into QuoteMaster, the product order automatically received a job number. The information was then electronically transferred to the production system at R&M for order processing. Using the QuoteMaster system, R&M was able to put all orders together for ACCENT using one consistent purchase order number and one job number. The software and order processing system ensured that ACCENT was able to receive, track, build, and install the crane and hoist components in an orderly manner.
R&M offered a combination of overhead bridge cranes and hoists that could efficiently assemble and disassemble both smaller and heavier parts of the Caterpillar equipment. A total of 46 pieces of lifting equipment were specified for the new facility. ACCENT ordered pre-engineered QX® Modular Crane packages for designing, fabricating, and installing 13 overhead bridge cranes. The crane packages consisted of top running motorized bridge cranes, both single girder and double girder for lifting heavier parts. Each was equipped with R&M Spacemaster® SX Wire Rope Hoists for easy load handling of up to 15 tons. The large drum diameter of the Spacemaster SX provided near true vertical lift with a single reeved hoist, and the shorter frame allowed for closer end approaches. Four additional bridge cranes were equipped with LoadMate® Electric Chain Hoists from R&M to provide low headroom and close trolley end approaches. In addition, 29 LoadMate Electric Chain Hoists were seamlessly integrated with jibs.
The R&M crane packages made it possible for ACCENT to quickly set up and fabricate the cranes to meet the customer’s required delivery timeline. The crane packages also enabled ACCENT to achieve an organized flow of components coming into their fabrication shop; maximizing their productivity. After ACCENT received the packages from R&M, they were able to quickly accomplish the task of assembly and installment. “We fabricated the crane packages at our shop, painted them, and they were completely ready to go,” says Koch. “We were able to install six bridge cranes in one day, with most of the work done in advance at our shop. We delivered all of the cranes complete with the hoists on them.
R&M minimized my time in ordering, delivering, and fabricating, but they also maximized on the extent of their product offering.”
“Dean Machinery has always used chain hoists, and we have the Spacemaster SX on some of this new equipment. The technology has advanced and we are much happier with the speed of the wire rope. It is much quicker and smoother, and I think they have a lot more maneuverability,” adds Robert Bryon. “I have heard nothing but high praise for the equipment that was installed. It works beautifully for them.”