Patten Industries Inc., the Caterpillar dealer in Northern Illinois and Northwestern Indiana since 1933, has successfully expanded its parts and service operations by offering Caterpillar’s new NEXUS line of parts for hydraulic pumps and motors.
“The NEXUS line allows us to be a one-stop shop for a customer’s entire fleet of heavy equipment, whether it’s a Caterpillar machine or another manufacturer’s,” said Tim Gaumer of Patten Industries
The Caterpillar-supplied NEXUS parts meet all OEM standards and allow Patten to quickly repair the hydraulics of many makes and models of excavators without relying on supplies of another manufacturer’s dealer.
“We’re providing all customers with the same reliable source of parts which we can fully support because we receive them from Caterpillar’s warehouse,” Gaumer said. “We perform the service and supply the parts, so we can stand behind the work more than if we are putting in something from another manufacturer. This is very significant for our customers, and also for our positioning as being a one-stop shop.
“It’s really a win-win for customers, many of whom have a lot of Caterpillar equipment but also have other equipment in their fleet. We see this as a positive step for servicing all their parts and service needs,” he added.
Hector Diaz, service operations supervisor of Patten’s Elmhurst headquarters, performed an analysis of the competition’s capabilities and of customer needs. He found that there is a big opportunity for Patten to provide hydraulics parts and service quickly and competitively in its shops, providing a new option for customers.
“Contractors with mixed fleets can just call Patten for most of their service needs –– we’re trying to be their most trusted partner.”
Gaumer said Patten began the NEXUS hydraulics service in the May-June timeframe, sending out flyers to customers and also informing them through product service support representatives. NEXUS hydraulics are the latest extension of Caterpillar’s NEXUS line.
“NEXUS has demonstrated its value for over a year in our upgraded shops,” Gaumer said.
All NEXUS parts carry a one-year warranty, backed by Caterpillar.
Accent on Cleanliness
All Patten locations have been certified and awarded five-star contamination-control awards for minimizing dirt and particles in the work area and in all machine fluids, according to Gaumer.
“Patten has spent a sizable amount upgrading all our shops to meet the strictest Cat standards [on cleanliness], and we are one of two dealers in North America that can meet the highest stringency of all these standards and guidelines,” he said. “This means that, when customers bring a piece of equipment to a Patten facility, they can be assured that it will leave as clean, if not cleaner, including what’s running inside, than when they brought it in.”
Gaumer pointed out that not all dealers hold such high standards.
“A lot of shops use grease wraps to wipe things down. Those things fray and parts of them fall in. When there’s an oil spill, the government makes them put a porous mixture over it, which gets into the air and into the machines which are being worked on. We put down special pads which don’t have any contamination. It’s a continual process.
“Probably 20 years ago technicians, when they walked out at night, blew their noses and had handkerchiefs full of black cinders. Caterpillar has been continually setting the standard for keeping the dirt out of the machine, though we work in the dirt. It’s evolving practically to the point where it’s a clean room back there, with every bit of contamination being managed,” Gaumer said.
For more information on NEXUS, call Steve Hoesheid in Patten’s Oglesby store at 800/634-0084, or visit www.pattenind.com.
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