A year ago, Dave Gudakunst was on a quest.
As the material logistics manager for Midwest Elastomers Inc. (MEI) in Wapakoneta, OH, he needed to find a pair of skid-steer loaders that could lift more than 2,500 lbs. and that could withstand the demands of an industrial facility that processes more than 40 million pounds of rubber and plastic materials each year.
MEI was founded in 1979 by an investment group made up mostly of doctors in the Milan, OH, area. Originally, the main function of the company was to process old tires. But shortly before the mid-1980s, MEI discontinued that service and became focused on the industrial rubber, sports surfacing, and plastics sectors. The company offers cryogenic and ambient grinding services to produce fine mesh powders and granules from rubber and plastic materials. It also offers toll processing of material or general processing per customer needs.
In the last decade, Gudakunst says that MEI has grown considerably. When Gudakunst first arrived at the company in 1986, he was one of about 20 employees. That first year on the job, he says the company processed about 10 million pounds of rubber. Now the company employs about 90 people and processes more than 40 million pounds of rubber and plastic. MEI went from having only two divisions (industrial rubber and sports surfacing) to three divisions after it added plastics in the mid-1990s.
“We also went from working a single shift in a single building to having three production facilities with three separate shifts,” Gudakunst says. “So not only are we expanding in size, building facilities, and people, but also our production is expanding.”
As MEI has taken on more rubber and plastic to process, its success has been dependent on several variables. One of those variables has been in placing emphasis on equipment. Company officials knew they needed reliable and strong equipment that could grow with their business and handle additional workloads.
Quest for Heavy-Duty Loaders
For years, Gudakunst says, MEI has relied on skid-steer loaders to work daily and around the clock. The machines haul thousands of pounds of scrap rubber out of the facility’s back lot and then load it into the granulators.
When Gudakunst arrived at the company in 1986, there were two medium-sized skid-steer loaders doing this job. But as MEI began to process more material, company officials realized they needed loaders that could lift and haul more. By that time, Gudakunst had been given the responsibility of selecting and purchasing the skid-steer loaders.
So in 1998, Gudakunst headed to Power Show Ohio, an annual tradeshow exhibiting agricultural, construction, and outdoor power equipment models and products. With almost every manufacturer of skid-steer loaders being displayed, he knew he’d be able to find a machine strong enough to fit their needs and reliable enough to work in an industrial environment. Part of that working environment would include the loader being run by as many as eight operators. Gudakunst knew that rotating the loader among several operators with different skill levels would be hard on any machine he chose.
Before going to the tradeshow, Gudakunst says he was already leaning toward purchasing a Bobcat skid-steer loader because the company had recently introduced a model that had a 3,000-lb.-rated operating capacity, but he wanted to weigh all of his options.
“I sort of compared the Bobcat loaders’ construction to competitive models, and they’re just built better than other skid-steer loaders. They’re heavier,” he says. “If you’re a farmer only using it to haul manure and only using it 200 hours a year, then anybody’s skid-steer will probably work for you. But if you have to use it in an industrial capacity, I don’t know if everybody’s is good enough.”
Gudakunst came back from the Power Show and purchased MEI’s first Bobcat 963 skid-steer loader. Since then, the loader has been the first of four Bobcat skid-steer loaders Gudakunst has purchased for MEI. The first Bobcat 963 loader had 9,000 service hours on it when he traded it in after only three years. The company’s second 963 loader got used even more and had 12,000 service hours on it after three years.
“We used to keep only one skid-steer loader, and you can tell by the hours that we ran it to death,” he says. “So we decided to buy two this time around. We’re still running them hard, but it makes it a little easier.”
Exceeding Expectations
Gudakunst purchased two Bobcat S300 skid-steer loaders for the company a little more than a year ago. MEI workers have found several uses for the machines around the recycling facility. In addition to mainly using the loaders to haul and load rubber into granulators, they use pallet fork attachments to lift and dump rubber boxes on skids into their processing machines. “We use our pallet forks and grapple quite a bit,” he says. Each of them has a bucket, which is primarily used for snow removal and yard grading. Every now and then we’ll get a pile of trash that has to get picked up and we’ll use the bucket.”
The loaders get high marks from operators at the recycling facility who say the machines’ Bob-Tach mounting system saves them time and effort when switching between attachments. They have also been impressed with the loaders’ maneuverability. Oftentimes, Gudakunst says, the skid-steer loaders are being utilized in buildings without large working areas.
The S300 loaders are equipped with foam-filled tires because Gudakunst learned early on that air-filled rubber tires weren’t conducive to their industrial environment. “We have broken skids and things across the lot. We ended up changing too many flats, so we got the severe-duty with the foam fill,” he says. Foam-filled tires don’t deflate if punctured by a sharp object, which saves on replacement costs and prevents downtime.
Gudakunst also likes the fact that the tires hold up. He recently replaced the foam-filled tires on one of the S300 skid-steer loaders after using them for 2,800 service hours. “We run our skid-steer on pavement, so I can only imagine how long they would last a contractor … probably a lifetime,” he says.
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All of these factors are one reason Gudakunst believes the pair of Bobcat loaders will last just as long or longer than the previous two. Already, after 13 months, operators have logged about 2,800 service hours on one and more than 1,800 service hours on the other. That is the equivalent to between 12 and 16 hours a day. In just one year, MEI workers have racked up the service hours that would typically be found on a loader six years old.
“They’ve exceeded my expectations,” he says. “We come in every day to start them and they run.”
September-October 2005
From: MRF Upgrades A Tale of Three Cities
The Search for a Heavy-Duty Loader
Recycling Company Finds Skid-Steer Loaders to Withstand Growing Demands
By Tara DeeringA year ago, Dave Gudakunst was on a quest.
As the material logistics manager for Midwest Elastomers Inc. (MEI) in Wapakoneta, OH, he needed to find a pair of skid-steer loaders that could lift more than 2,500 lbs. and that could withstand the demands of an industrial facility that processes more than 40 million pounds of rubber and plastic materials each year.
MEI was founded in 1979 by an investment group made up mostly of doctors in the Milan, OH, area. Originally, the main function of the company was to process old tires. But shortly before the mid-1980s, MEI discontinued that service and became focused on the industrial rubber, sports surfacing, and plastics sectors. The company offers cryogenic and ambient grinding services to produce fine mesh powders and granules from rubber and plastic materials. It also offers toll processing of material or general processing per customer needs.
In the last decade, Gudakunst says that MEI has grown considerably. When Gudakunst first arrived at the company in 1986, he was one of about 20 employees. That first year on the job, he says the company processed about 10 million pounds of rubber. Now the company employs about 90 people and processes more than 40 million pounds of rubber and plastic. MEI went from having only two divisions (industrial rubber and sports surfacing) to three divisions after it added plastics in the mid-1990s.
“We also went from working a single shift in a single building to having three production facilities with three separate shifts,” Gudakunst says. “So not only are we expanding in size, building facilities, and people, but also our production is expanding.”
As MEI has taken on more rubber and plastic to process, its success has been dependent on several variables. One of those variables has been in placing emphasis on equipment. Company officials knew they needed reliable and strong equipment that could grow with their business and handle additional workloads.
Quest for Heavy-Duty Loaders
For years, Gudakunst says, MEI has relied on skid-steer loaders to work daily and around the clock. The machines haul thousands of pounds of scrap rubber out of the facility’s back lot and then load it into the granulators.
When Gudakunst arrived at the company in 1986, there were two medium-sized skid-steer loaders doing this job. But as MEI began to process more material, company officials realized they needed loaders that could lift and haul more. By that time, Gudakunst had been given the responsibility of selecting and purchasing the skid-steer loaders.
So in 1998, Gudakunst headed to Power Show Ohio, an annual tradeshow exhibiting agricultural, construction, and outdoor power equipment models and products. With almost every manufacturer of skid-steer loaders being displayed, he knew he’d be able to find a machine strong enough to fit their needs and reliable enough to work in an industrial environment. Part of that working environment would include the loader being run by as many as eight operators. Gudakunst knew that rotating the loader among several operators with different skill levels would be hard on any machine he chose.
Before going to the tradeshow, Gudakunst says he was already leaning toward purchasing a Bobcat skid-steer loader because the company had recently introduced a model that had a 3,000-lb.-rated operating capacity, but he wanted to weigh all of his options.
“I sort of compared the Bobcat loaders’ construction to competitive models, and they’re just built better than other skid-steer loaders. They’re heavier,” he says. “If you’re a farmer only using it to haul manure and only using it 200 hours a year, then anybody’s skid-steer will probably work for you. But if you have to use it in an industrial capacity, I don’t know if everybody’s is good enough.”
Gudakunst came back from the Power Show and purchased MEI’s first Bobcat 963 skid-steer loader. Since then, the loader has been the first of four Bobcat skid-steer loaders Gudakunst has purchased for MEI. The first Bobcat 963 loader had 9,000 service hours on it when he traded it in after only three years. The company’s second 963 loader got used even more and had 12,000 service hours on it after three years.
“We used to keep only one skid-steer loader, and you can tell by the hours that we ran it to death,” he says. “So we decided to buy two this time around. We’re still running them hard, but it makes it a little easier.”
Exceeding Expectations
Gudakunst purchased two Bobcat S300 skid-steer loaders for the company a little more than a year ago. MEI workers have found several uses for the machines around the recycling facility. In addition to mainly using the loaders to haul and load rubber into granulators, they use pallet fork attachments to lift and dump rubber boxes on skids into their processing machines. “We use our pallet forks and grapple quite a bit,” he says. Each of them has a bucket, which is primarily used for snow removal and yard grading. Every now and then we’ll get a pile of trash that has to get picked up and we’ll use the bucket.”
The loaders get high marks from operators at the recycling facility who say the machines’ Bob-Tach mounting system saves them time and effort when switching between attachments. They have also been impressed with the loaders’ maneuverability. Oftentimes, Gudakunst says, the skid-steer loaders are being utilized in buildings without large working areas.
The S300 loaders are equipped with foam-filled tires because Gudakunst learned early on that air-filled rubber tires weren’t conducive to their industrial environment. “We have broken skids and things across the lot. We ended up changing too many flats, so we got the severe-duty with the foam fill,” he says. Foam-filled tires don’t deflate if punctured by a sharp object, which saves on replacement costs and prevents downtime.
Gudakunst also likes the fact that the tires hold up. He recently replaced the foam-filled tires on one of the S300 skid-steer loaders after using them for 2,800 service hours. “We run our skid-steer on pavement, so I can only imagine how long they would last a contractor … probably a lifetime,” he says.
All of these factors are one reason Gudakunst believes the pair of Bobcat loaders will last just as long or longer than the previous two. Already, after 13 months, operators have logged about 2,800 service hours on one and more than 1,800 service hours on the other. That is the equivalent to between 12 and 16 hours a day. In just one year, MEI workers have racked up the service hours that would typically be found on a loader six years old.
“They’ve exceeded my expectations,” he says. “We come in every day to start them and they run.”