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| PRESS RELEASE |
| For Immediate release |
| S.D.
Richman says switching to SENNEBOGEN is "a question of balance" |
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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania:
Bruce Richman had never seen a SENNEBOGEN material handler until late in
2002. But he had looked forward to the day a machine like the SENNEBOGEN
835 R-HD would come along for years before. Bruce and his brother David are third-generation scrap processors in Philadelphia, PA, sharing duties in the management of S.D. Richman Sons Inc. Bruce is Vice-President Operations and David is President of the family firm that was founded by their grandfather in 1909. Their combined experience has helped to make Richman Sons one of the four largest metal recycling businesses in the highly competitive Philly market.
First, extra deadweight has to be added to counterbalance high lift loads, which means using more power and more fuel for every move. Secondly, retrofitting often involves installing third-party components, which can result in complications to service and support. "John McCusker is a personal friend as well as a trusted supplier. When he told me that SENNEBOGEN had the machine I’d been looking for, I just told him to bring it in!" A SENNEBOGEN 835 R-HD arrived at the Richman Sons yard a short time later. The 835 R-HD is a 110,000-pound crawler-mounted machine with a lift capacity in the 39,000 pound range.
"Honestly, the first thing I noticed was its color," Bruce recalls. "The green SENNEBOGEN machine was surprising, even shocking, compared to the ‘machine yellow’ you see on all the other equipment in our yard. The next thing I was struck by the overall appearance of the SENNEBOGEN engineering: it looked like a modern, sleek machine with no wasted space. Not that appearances count for anything...but the look created an impression that the machine confirmed when it began to operate." The SENNEBOGEN line-up includes a growing range of both crawler-mounted and rubber tired as well as custom-mounted units. While SENNEBOGEN rubber-tired machines have been very successful since their North American launch in 2000, the Richmans chose the crawler version for their first SENNEBOGEN. The 16-acre Richman Sons site has only 2 acres paved while the rest is uneven dirt and gravel. Bruce felt that a crawler would provide extra stability suitable for the ground conditions in the yard. A second SENNEBOGEN machine soon joined the first, this one an 835 R-HD crawler unit with an optional wider-stance. Admitting that "it’s hard to change attitudes," Bruce notes that his yard has never had anything but crawler-mounted machines and that, too, was a big reason for not getting rubber-tired units at first. Fitting into the fleet Richman Sons processes about 80% ferrous and 20% non-ferrous metals. They handle a large volume of obsolete scrap, such as piping and equipment, from the five refineries in the area as well as other chemical plants and manufacturers. They also take obsolete consumer goods such as appliances, light industrial scrap such as material offcuts and demolition materials such as I-beams. The firm operates a sizeable equipment fleet including a high compression baler for the light material, two stationary hydraulic shears and two excavator-mounted mobile shears for sizing heavy scrap, plus a fleet of 10 material handlers. One of the new SENNEBOGEN material handlers is fitted with a magnet for lifting the heavy iron while the other grapples the lighter material. Richman Sons’ years of experience in the metals markets shows through when Bruce says he is "extremely cost-conscious." He sees cost management as the one side of business equation that his business can influence proactively. The operating cost of the SENNEBOGEN machines is a major point in their favor. "Since these machines are fully engineered for material handling jobs right from the get-go, they make a better balanced machine that can handle the work of much heavier machines." With fuel efficiency becoming an ever more important cost factor, the 835 R-HD burns about 30% less fuel than a machine of comparable capacity. Operating cost is also the reason Bruce says his next machine will be a rubber-tired SENNEBOGEN 835 M. Having seen the crawler machines at work, he is confident that a rubber-tired version would be capable of doing the job without calling for the extra cost of the crawler mount. "We know we can keep an 835 M busy in most areas of the yard. Once we bring it in, we can get a good look at exactly how much it can really do." "The SENNEBOGEN machines are turning out to be very cost-effective. We have been using them less than two years, but we know this is the machine for us." Richman also says the people have been "top notch." He had factory people visit the site and, he says, "they couldn't have been more customer-oriented. They were very interested in what our needs are and in how to meet our needs. That's usually not what you see in heavy equipment manufacturers." SENNEBOGEN has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for more than 50 years. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, SENNEBOGEN North America offers a complete line of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any heavy lift or "pick & carry" application. A growing network of distributors supports SENNEBOGEN sales and service across North America, ensuring the highest standard of professional machine support and parts availability. |
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For more information on S.D. Richman Sons Inc., contact: |
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| Bruce
Richman, Vice-President Operations S.D. Richman Sons Inc. 2435 Wheatsheaf Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19137 Phone: (215) 535-5100 or fax: (215) 288-1043 |
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| For more information on the full line of Sennebogen Green Line material handlers contact: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Constantino
Lannes, President SENNEBOGEN LLC 2835 Jeff Adams Dr., Suite H, Charlotte, NC 28206 Call toll free 1-877-309-0099 or fax (704) 347-8894 Email - sales@sennebogen-na.com Visit the web site www.sennebogen-na.com |
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