Equipment Report

Paladin Attachments Contributes to Hurricane Sandy Relief
Paladin Attachments, an attachment and coupler manufacturer based in Dexter, Mich., recently made a contribution to the Salvation Army’s Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Fund by donating a total of $11,882 raised by the company.

Employees at all of Paladin’s facilities were encouraged to raise money for the cause. Many donated whereas others came up with more creative ways to raise funds. Some held bake sales to raise money to add to their own personal donations, while the facility in Ooltewah, Tenn., held a raffle to cut Project Manager Matty King’s hair into a unique style, which raised more than $300 alone.

Paladin also helped Hurricane Sandy relief efforts by working through the weekend at the CustomWorks facility in Kernersville, N.C. Working overtime, team members equipped machines headed to the hurricane-devastated area with CP thumb and bucket attachments and installed window guarding to protect the machines from damaging debris to quickly deliver the machines for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

“Many team members had heavy hearts with respect to our customers and fellow citizens impacted by this storm,” says Mike Flannery, vice president and general manager of Paladin Attachments. “With this in mind, we encouraged all of our facilities to participate in this fundraising effort to make a positive difference in the lives of others, an important part of Paladin’s mission to ‘Respect and Value People’.”

Komptech Opens New Plant in Germany
Austria-based Komptech has factories in several locations in Europe and recently opened a new plant in Oelde, Germany, to meet the rise in demand for the company’s trommels. The new factory was constructed throughout 2012 and went into operation in early October 2012. On Oct. 31, the first new trommel left the factory hall—a Cribus 2800 semitrailer.

The Cribus 2800 was the first of its kind to be built, according to the company. It was delivered to a customer in the United States.

The larger factory features a new pass-through sandblaster and a new painting and drying station for efficient coating and rust-proofing, the company says.

The facility includes a 60,000-square-foot space for welding, assembly and storage, a separate 6,400-square-foot painting hall and 10,700 square feet of office space on a 6 acre lot. It employs about 120 people and is designed to provide a four-to-six-week turnaround between order entry and machine delivery, according to Komptech.

The Oelde factory currently is capable of producing 120 machines per year. Production readily can be increased to 200 machines when it becomes necessary, the company adds.

Komptech says with this new plant, it has substantially added to its capacity in the expanding trommel market and is prepared to execute on its growth strategy for the coming years.

BHS Adds to Sales Team
Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), headquartered in Eugene, Ore., has named John Warne its director of sales and marketing. Warne will be based at the company’s headquarters and report directly to CEO Steve Miller. He will oversee BHS’ global sales and marketing initiatives.

“The ability to add someone of John Warne’s background is a testament to BHS’ success,” says Miller. “We are fortunate to bring aboard an experienced and accomplished senior executive to continue to expand our market size and competitive posture. John will be responsible for providing strategic sales oversight to our complete product offering in multiple geographic markets and industries.”

Warne brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment. During the previous 15 years he has developed sales teams with consistent and sustainable growth and profitability in diverse economic climates. Most recently Warne was president of Townley Engineering and Manufacturing Co., based in Candler, Fla.

“BHS is very forward-thinking and offers solutions unique to the industry. I am extremely excited to hit the ground running and join a leading company in a rapidly expanding market,” Warne says.

BHS also has named Tim Griffing as a Northeast sales manager. He will be based out of Maine and will serve the northern United States and parts of Canada. Griffing will represent BHS’ complete product offering.

Griffing has more than 20 years of experience in commercial equipment sales. He spent the past 12 years designing and selling systems to recycle construction and demolition material and process biomass and refuse derived fuel. He also has served on the board of directors for the Construction Materials Recycling Association since 2008.

Talbert Celebrates 75th Anniversary
Talbert Manufacturing, headquartered in Rensselaer, Ind., will be offering a special 75th Anniversary Trailer Package to customers for a limited time.

The company, which will celebrate 75 years of business in 2013, will offer an optional, distinctive anniversary package on select 2013 models. Greg Smith, Talbert vice president of sales and marketing, says the anniversary option marks an important event for the company.

“Not many trailer companies have been in business for 75 years, and fewer yet can say they have had customers with them for the majority of those years,” Smith says. “This 75th anniversary commemorative trailer has significant meaning for our company and the entire Talbert team. We want to share this celebration with our dealers and customers who have spent so many years as our partners, as well as those new to Talbert.”

A limited number of the anniversary edition trailers are available in Talbert’s 55-ton series, specifically the 55CC, 55SA, 55SA-RC and 55SA-HX models.

The basic anniversary package includes cosmetic detailing throughout the length of the trailer, topped off with special Talbert 75th anniversary decals. Featured on both sides of the trailer, the decals appear on bright stainless steel in each of the gooseneck insets. In addition, there are special stainless steel insets in the rear of the trailer as well as stainless steel mud flap brackets with throwback script lettering of “Talbert” cutout. Customers also are able to request a “Made Especially For…” custom placard decal that will be affixed to the gooseneck.

Beyond the basic anniversary package, customers can get options such as aluminum wheels, special lighting and other custom parts and accessories. Package prices will vary depending on each custom design and will be determined by each dealer.

“We are very proud of our history as a company and we are excited to celebrate 75 years of success,” Talbert’s Smith says. “At the same time, we look forward to a bright future and another 75 years of manufacturing the best custom trailers on the market.”