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Reliable Doosan wheel loaders keep wood processor steadily chipping away

Spring 2011

When it's crunch time at Destiny Transport, the Pennsylvania-based wood processing company relies on three Doosan^® wheel loaders to keep hungry grinders fed, replenish rapidly dwindling stockpiles of color-enhanced mulch and reload fleets of trucks - all critical components for maximizing production and fulfilling delivery schedules.

As co-owner and operations manager of Destiny Transport - the trucking and wood processing company founded in 1989 by his father Dennis - Ted Smoker is continuously challenged by ongoing uncertainty. Will suppliers be able to provide a consistent supply of raw materials? Is his grinder capable of producing the volume of landscaping mulch needed to meet his customers' demands? Can he rely on his fleet of delivery trucks to endure an aggressive delivery schedule? Does his crew have the stamina to tolerate a three-month stretch of 12-hour workdays?

Yet despite the many uncertainties that have caused Smoker his fair share of sleepless nights, there is one facet of his operation that he feels confident will not disappoint him.

"Of all the things I have to worry about, I can assure you that the reliability of our Doosan wheel loaders isn't one of them," Smoker says. "With the amount of wood we need to process in any given day just to fulfill daily orders, I can't afford any downtime. I need equipment that's reliable, durable and dependable, and our Doosan wheel loaders have definitely lived up to those expectations."

Destiny Transport was established as a trucking company by his parents - Dennis and Kristine - whose services consisted primarily of day-run deliveries. It wasn't long before they had earned a solid reputation for providing consistent, reliable service. Having enjoyed a profitable decade, Smoker decided to expand.

At the time, disposing of unwanted wood waste was a challenge. Landfills were among the few options, but with space filling up due to the sheer bulk of wood, collection sites were forced to restrict the amount of wood they could accept. Smoker expanded into landscape mulch; a venture that involved more risk, but a market that had been gaining popularity and held great promise for future growth.

"Getting started in the mulch business was a big step for us since it required a significant investment for additional equipment," Smoker recalls. "But we felt confident that the opportunity was greater than the risk, so we bought a grinder and replaced the loader we had with one that was capable of moving stumps, large logs and awkward-shaped waste wood from the ground to the grinder. That's when we bought our first new (vs. used) wheel loader and have since added two more Doosan models - the DL250TC (tool carrier) and a DL300 model."

When Destiny Transport first started in business, they purchased a used wheel loader made by another manufacturer that met Smoker's needs at the time. But after getting involved in the mulch business, it was apparent the used loader lacked the capabilities to complete many of the functions necessary for processing waste wood. So Smoker began to research potential replacements and after speaking with his rep from Monroe Tractor, his equipment dealer, he got in touch with Doosan.

"The M250V model was the first new (vs. used) wheel loader we had ever purchased," Smoker recalls. "As you can imagine, that alone was a big deal for us."

Crunch time
As a wholesale supplier of bulk landscape mulch - a somewhat seasonal business that not surprisingly coincides with the advent of spring and the rebirth of nature - March through mid-June is known as crunch time for Destiny Transport. Smoker and crew put their equipment to the test with 10-, 12-, even 14-hour workdays. It's also the time when equipment breakdowns can throw their entire production and delivery schedule into chaos.

Feeling confident that he can rely on his trio of Doosan wheel loaders to keep the raw material moving, grinder fed, stockpiles replenished and delivery trucks filled gives Smoker peace of mind during his most stressful time of year.

"While the first wheel loader we bought had all the features and specifications we were looking for, I will admit it was actually price that tipped the scale in favor of the Doosan model, he says. "The reliability factor actually turned out to be an added bonus, especially during our busy season when it's nice to have the peace of mind that comes with owning a new versus a used piece of equipment, especially a Doosan machine."

Smoker custom-ordered a DL300 model with a high-capacity bucket to handle mulch. Having this bucket capacity has helped to expedite the transport of processed mulch from the grinder to a collection of stockpiles that often rise up to 40 feet tall; a height easily within the DL300's capabilities. According to Smoker, another feature of the Doosan model that is important is its design that provides excellent visibility.

"The ability of the operator to see the end of the loader and the desired dump target is critical," he says. "But it's just as important for him to be able to see exactly where the bucket is in relation to the ground when scooping up logs and such to be loaded into the grinder. You don't want to get a lot of dirt and soil mixed in with the wood as it is being emptied into the grinder. This will result in impure, dirty mulch that affects the quality of the end product. If there is dirt on the mulch when it goes through the colorant sprayer, it affects coverage quality. It's like painting a house without first scraping off existing peelings or preparing the surface."

Despite uncertainties, future looks bright
Since expanding into wood processing nearly a decade ago, Destiny Transport's mulch business has exploded, and now accounts for more than 50 percent of its business. But unlike in the years that have passed - a time when raw materials were in more-than-adequate supply - Smoker's biggest challenge now is meeting demand.

"Our mulch business has grown by leaps and bounds," he says. "We can hardly keep up with the market. My biggest worry now is finding consistent sources of raw material to meet demand. Probably more than any other single component, our fleet of Doosan wheel loaders has helped increase our production efficiencies and ultimately, the volume of wood we are able to process. Now that we have the equipment, I just need to keep finding alternative ways to secure sources of wood."