Reach and visibility are the keys to increased productivity in the yard.
A family-run business for 60 years, Belson Steel Center Scrap Inc. is a 16-acre scrap metal yard in Bourbonnais, Ill. The business is complemented by Chicago Heights Processing, a specialty scrap processing and recycling operation.
Between the two facilities, owner and president Marc Pozan maintains a fleet of eight scrap handlers. Part of his plan to maintain his production levels and to meet the ongoing requirements of his major customers was to upgrade his fleet.
Trusted Reputations
"I looked at different brands out there," he explained. "Sennebogen has a good reputation and they are known in the scrap industry."
More important, to Pozan, was the reputation of Sennobogen's distributor in the Chicago area, Howell Tractor & Equipment.
"Sennobogen has great equipment, but without Howell's sales and mechanical service and their ownership team, I might not have gone with their machines. The people who own Howell have a great reputation for support."
After consulting with Howell's Area Sales Manager, Bill McNamara, Pozan placed his order for two Sennobogen 835M purpose-built scrap handlers.
Both the equipment and the dealer have lived up to Pozan's expectations.
Nice, Smart, Capable
Pozan's demands from his machines are actually fairly simple — to be up and running when he needs them, and to give him a long productive life. His focus is zeroed in on meeting the needs of his major customer, the nearby steel mill, without fail every day.
"The Sennobogen machine is a very capable scrap handler, as well built as any," he said. "Scrap handlers today are all built for fuel efficiency, they're built lighter than the excavators we used to have. But if I could find one built to last like they were in the old days, I'd do that. Among the ones being built today, I'd say Sennobogen is the premier machine."
The real difference favoring Sennobogen, in his view, is the people behind the equipment.
"Howell is ‘Johnny on the spot,'" said Pozan. "They are responsive to phone calls; they work well with my mechanics. You want to see salesmen that want to help you and help themselves — it's not a one-way street. In sales, it's about being the most you can be to your customer. From top to bottom, they are nice, smart, capable people."
Vision for PM
In McNamara's estimation, Pozan will only become happier with his purchases as time goes on.
"His first machine has 2,000 hours on it and the newer one has 800 hours. He has service contracts on both machines, and they're under warranty, so he hasn't had to worry about maintenance or reliability so far. As the machines get older, though, he and his mechanics will come to appreciate the simplicity of Sennobogen engineering, and how easy to service they are."
McNamara credits Pozan for his approach to ensuring a long productive life for their equipment.
"Everyone talks preventive maintenance, but it's easy for technicians to overlook some of the inspection checks that should be part of every service interval. Mark really gets it. He has the vision to recognize the value of PM. We use a 22-point checklist for each service call, and they allow us to take the machines out of production long enough to complete the servicing properly. We do the walkarounds; make sure all the pins and bushings are getting grease and the grease lines are all connected. We give them the service reports and they pay attention."
Invested in Dealer Support
Pozan's response to Howell service brings a smile to Constantino Lannes, president of Sennobogen LLC.
Lannes has always made dealer support a high priority, investing in a world-class parts and training facility near Charlotte, N.C.
Lannes said, "Our service network is constantly recruiting experienced dealers who share our commitment to application knowledge, technical expertise and parts availability.
"Our regional business managers are uniquely qualified application specialists who are there to give onsite support to dealers and to customers in the field. Our warehouse stocks the largest inventory of material handler parts in North America, including every component for every machine we have currently operating."
Sennebogen's dedicated training facility offers hands-on instruction for technicians and operators for both dealers and customers, at no cost.
"It's part of our commitment to building the industry's largest network of factory-trained technicians."
Pozan foresees a time, before too long, when his own service team will travel to the Sennebogen training facility to become part of that factory-trained network.
For more information, visit www.sennebogen-na.com.
This story also appears on Aggregate Equipment Guide.
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