1

Doosan wheel loaders — delivering on demand

Spring 2011

Providing his customers with superb service has proven to be the key to success for Scott Rommel and Poland Sand and Gravel. The company is one of the few locally owned mines in the area, and Rommel makes sure that he's doing everything possible to help his customers and set his company apart from the corporation-owned quarries in the area.

About Poland Sand and Gravel
Poland Sand and Gravel grew out of a family-owned construction and fence installation company that did environmental excavation, site work and new fence projects in the Poland, N.Y., area. The rural community is situated in northeast New York, just southwest of the Adirondack Park. Rommel's family started the mine in the early 1990s, as a division of the construction firm. In 1997, the mine was expanded and a washing plant was installed. It eventually became its own company in 2003 and officially became Poland Sand and Gravel, LLC.

Poland Sand and Gravel grew from its early products, which included dry screened sand and road base material, to become a full aggregate line producer. The company provides local contractors and municipalities with a variety of sand and gravel products. They include specialty concrete, mason and filter sands, crushed stone, washed natural stone, roofing stone, landscaping stone and cobbles. Road maintenance and construction customers come to the mine to purchase base mix for sub-grades, which is approved by the New York State Department of Transportation.

Onsite testing
Another way Poland Sand and Gravel sets itself apart from the competition is with a testing lab. The lab is located at the quarry to ensure the highest quality and consistency of the products. "We do a little more testing than some of our competitors," Rommel says. Outside confirmation testing and consulting are done by a New York State aggregate geologist.

Doosan wheel loaders
Dependable equipment is a must for Rommel to operate a profitable company. Three Doosan^® wheel loaders, two of which were purchased from Monroe Tractor, have helped Rommel to succeed and process customer requests for sand and gravel products quickly. These customers are located in the Central New York region, and even as far as Albany, depending on the product. "The sand and gravel business is based, very heavily, on the cost of transportation," Rommel says.

In 2010 Rommel purchased his newest Doosan wheel loader, a DL450. It is the largest of the three Doosan wheel loaders that he has owned. Rommel is impressed with its performance, operator comfort and durability.

"When we evaluated wheel loaders before we purchased the new Doosan model, we looked at the machine capabilities and operator comfort," Rommel says. "The Doosan wheel loader had superior comfort. The operators felt like they were sitting higher in the Doosan wheel loader and it had better visibility to the area in front, beside and behind them.

"Visibility is an important characteristic with wheel loaders, whether you're lifting and sorting material before it's processed or loading trucks. You need an operating station that provides you with good visibility in all directions, and I feel that the Doosan wheel loaders have that advantage compared to some other brands."

Operator comfort
In addition to visibility, Rommel says the cab design and ergonomics should be evaluated before a purchase. His operators need to be comfortable in the cab because they work long days, especially during the busy construction season.

"The ride is an important feature for my loader operators," he says. "The ride controls and seats can make a big difference from machine to machine. We were pleased with the noise levels, even for a loader as large as our DL450, both inside and outside the cab."

A dependable wheel loader is a must for Rommel. He cannot afford downtime, especially during the construction season when his employees start loading trucks at 6 a.m. and continue until 6 p.m. The wheel loaders are expected to perform day in and day out, like the first day they were purchased. To prove this point, Rommel put more than 12,000 hours on a Doosan DL400 wheel loader before he bought the DL450.

"Fast and nimble machine"
Rommel has been impressed with the DL450's abilities. "It's a fast and nimble machine, just a little bigger than our DL400," he says. "We were a little worried about whether it was going to be a little too big and slow, but we quickly learned that it would keep up with the DL400, and as far as I'm concerned, it's just as fast in every aspect.

"Before I purchased the DL450, I lined it up with my DL400 and a DL500, and I compared them side by side, paying attention to the components. What I learned is that the DL450 is its own machine, and not just a DL400 with a bigger engine or a de-tuned DL500. It has a different ZF axle system and a different transmission."

Parts availability
Whether it's for routine maintenance or a machine repair, Rommel expects to have Doosan wheel loader parts readily available. Although the company is about an hour from Monroe Tractor, he can expect to receive many parts the same day they're ordered.

"The employees at Monroe Tractor have been very accommodating with Doosan parts and service," Rommel says. "Our Monroe Tractor sales rep lives within 20 minutes, and he regularly brings us the Doosan parts we need. You have to work with people who support your company with a local distribution network, and we have that with Monroe Tractor. If we need them to adjust something with the machine, they'll come the same day or the next day, and that's important to us."

Another area where Monroe Tractor has helped Rommel is financing. "Doosan and Monroe Tractor have provided us with good purchase incentives and finance options on my wheel loader purchases," he says. "They've stepped up to the plate and provided us with good financing."

Fuel efficiency
With the high cost of diesel fuel, many companies cannot waste fuel because it directly impacts their profitability. Rommel learned this firsthand as off-road diesel fuel approached $4 a gallon in 2010.

"When you're hostage to an exterior environment [fuel], the only thing you can do is look to improve your operating efficiencies," Rommel says. "Efficiencies can be based on making sure that when something is running, it's working, and it's being operated in the proper modes. It's important to compare the fuel usage from one brand to the next, but it sometimes may be difficult because fuel usage varies by machine task. A face loader is going to be completely different than one that's loading in the plant or one that's loading trucks."

Research pays offs
Doing your homework is a necessity in this business. Rommel reads anything he can find in print and online before he considers a new equipment purchase.

"I read trade publications to keep up on what's new, and to stay in touch with the trends, such as the Tier 4 emission standards," Rommel says. "I would say that researching equipment is a hobby of mine. I'll review the equipment literature and pay particular attention to the components, like the brakes."

After all of the research, Rommel will schedule a hands-on evaluation of the machines.

"That's one thing that I like about working with Monroe Tractor: They're very willing, any time I've asked them, to bring the machines to me and let me try them," Rommel says. "I'm sure it costs the dealership quite a bit to bring me a machine and let me try it, but they're willing to do it, and that's one of the reasons why I keep doing business with them."