When Shawqui Alsarabi and Aldo Palumbo decided to make their mark in the world, they decided to go into the construction business.
With that decision made, they went to Bob Benard, owner of C.N. Wood, explaining the idea of forming their own construction business. Benard believed that they had the necessary industry experience and knowledge to operate a successful enterprise. All that was needed was the right equipment to get Revoli Construction Company started.
“Bob said, ’Go find yourselves a job and I’ll get you the machines you need to do the work,’ ” said Alsarabi, Revoli’s president and treasurer. “So, we went and found work. We broke ground with a new Komatsu PC300 [that] he delivered on our first job in April 1986. We’ve been working with Bob and C.N. Wood ever since.”
As business began to flourish and Revoli took larger jobs, Alsarabi realized a need for larger excavators for trench and pipe work. Again C.N. Wood had the answer. The 131,390-lb. (59,597 kg) Komatsu PC600LC-6 was able to handle the tasks and jobs that Revoli encountered. It’s a big, heavy machine capable of handling a large bucket for mass production applications. In addition, it is equipped with a heavy lifting mode that can increase its lifting capacity.
“You can’t lift as much with other machines as you can with the Komatsu boom,” said Alsarabi. “We selected this machine because of its power. We have pushed the PC600 to its limit and lifting capacity. It’s quite a machine.”
Over the course of six months, Revoli used two PC600LC-6 excavators to install 3,000 ft. (914 m) of sewer pipe near the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA. Alsarabi said some of the sections of pipe had a diameter of 72 in. (183 cm) and weighed 18 tons (16.2 t).
Fully utilizing the 25,904-lb. (11,750 kg) counterweight for additional lifting capacity and stability and the excavator’s heavy-lift mode, the PC600LC-6 was able to lift and place the pipe. It also was able to lift the plates used for shoring and to pull the 24-ft. (7.3 m) trench box. In addition, the finite controls of the unit enabled it to lift and maneuver the pipe so that the sections would fit snugly together.
“We used the force of the excavator to bring it home to the previous pipe,” said Alsarabi. “You simply can’t do that with a crane. The PC600 was right for the job because it provided the power needed, but in a small space. It performed amazingly.”
As a result, job-site productivity was increased. Revoli had as many as 30 employees on site working 24 hours a day, and to keep them all busy the cycle time needed to be quick.
“By our standards, we had a huge work force, at the job site, logging time on this job from truck drivers to laborers. That’s where cycle time comes into play. We needed to move earth and move it quickly. We were able to use a 3.71 cu. yd. bucket to load 18,000–cu.–yds. of earth and haul it away to keep things moving,” Alsarabi said.
As loyal as Revoli Construction is to its distributor, its employees are loyal to Revoli. Almost all of the company’s employees began their careers working for Revoli.
“We keep a close eye on our employees and make sure they’re coming to work happy,” he said.
While compensation is a strong differentiator, something can be said for providing them with the proper equipment to make their job easier and more comfortable.
“Our operators are very comfortable in the Komatsu machines,” said Alsarabi. “They like the controls and how the machine handles, but also appreciate room and space that they have to conduct their work.”
For Revoli, the PC600LC-6 simply does not break down. Alsarabi said he has had one machine since 1999, and the other since late 2000, and hasn’t had to perform anything but routine maintenance.
Routine maintenance is made easy by the PC600LC-6’s self-diagnostic monitor capabilities that help head off problems and eliminate unplanned downtime.
Another factor in the reliability of Revoli’s machines is that the company takes care of them and maintain them well.
“We’ve gotten a lot of comments from people that our machines are in excellent shape,” said Alsarabi. “They still function as brand new for us.”
But if for some reason an older piece of equipment were to go down, C.N. Wood has provided machines within an hour to get the Revoli crew up-and-running in no time.
Alsarabi said that he has demonstrated other machines, but he has yet to find anything that compares to Komatsu, or another distributor quite like C.N. Wood.
Revoli works year around on a variety of public works projects within an 80-mi. (129 km) radius of Boston, MA.
The future jobs that Alsarabi secures will dictate the size of the machines purchased, but for now he envisions continuing to update his fleet with new Komatsu products.
Alsarabi said if the company can justify the work, he always looks to either buy the equipment outright or lease the equipment with the intent to buy. He believes owning the equipment turns into a competitive advantage when bidding on jobs.
“If we need work we’ll go out and get it, but we don’t make a habit of trying to do every job at low numbers just to get the work.”
The strong relationship Revoli has with C.N. Wood coincides with its business philosophy.
“We are dedicated to C.N. Wood and Komatsu, and C.N. Wood and Komatsu are dedicated to us,” said Alsarabi.
Named after a movie house that Alsarabi attended as a youngster, Revoli now has 45 full-time employees and owns seven excavators, six wheel loaders and a dozer, all made by Komatsu.
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