Komatsu America Corp. salutes Road Machinery & Supplies Co. on providing 85 years of excellence in the construction & ffo orestry m
D.W W.Grzelak Chairman & C.E.O.
President & C.O
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Stocked, Sold & Serviced by
ROAD MACHINER ACHINERY Y & SUPPLIES CO. Celebrating 85 Years of Quality Sales & Service As a full-service distributor, Road Machinery & Supplies Co. stocks the Gorman-R Rupp pumps and parts you need to keep your jobs on schedule – everything from lightweight portables to heavy-duty centrifugals. And, like all Gorman-Rupp distributors, the personnel at RMS are qualified to give expert counsel on application of product and design systems. If a problem should occur, the service personnel at RMS can get you back in service fast. For full service you can count on, work with a full-service Gorman-Rupp distributor like Road Machinery & Supplies Co., with 8 locations to serve you.
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Honoring the Past, Looking to the Future Road Machinery & Supplies Co. (RMS), a third-generation construction equipment distributor, is proudly celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Headquartered in Savage, Minn., just south of the Twin Cities, RMS supports numerous construction and industrial customers throughout the state. Special areas of focus include supporting customers involved in residential and commercial construction, mining, road building, aggregate production, timber harvesting and scrap metal recycling.
EARLY CHALLENGES Road Machinery & Supplies Co. was founded in 1926 in Duluth, Minn., by Michael M. Sill, who had formerly worked as a salesman for the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company. RMS was only three years old when the New York stock market crashed on Black Tuesday, on October 29, 1929. The widespread effects of the Great depression that followed continued until the outbreak of the Second World War, which brought with it its own difficulties such as
The staff of Road Machinery & Supplies Co. poses for a picture in 1970 outside of the company’s location in Duluth, Minn.
✯1926 ✯
Michael M. Sill founds the Road Machinery & Supplies Company in Duluth, Minn. 4
raw material shortages which limited the ability of manufacturers to produce equipment. Throughout these turbulent periods, however, RMS continued in business, selling whatever it could, including snow fencing, Stockland motor graders, and fire engines. SECOND GENERATION GROWTH Road Machinery & Supplies’ growth really took off when the founder's twin sons Michael R. (L-R) Hallet Dock President Mike McCoshen; Dock Manager Clyde Jajo; CFO Steve Sykes; CEO Jerry Fryberger are satisfied customers, standing proudly with their new Komatsu Sill and Mitchell J. Sill began WA600-6 wheel loader they recently purchased from RMS. working at the company in 1955 after their graduation from the University of Minnesota. “Both Mike and Mitch were risk takers and sales personalities,” Stated third generation owner, Michael M. Sill II, “Having identical twins with this genetic makeup was just what RMS needed to grow from a small Northern Minnesota company to one with multiple state operations.” In the early years of their career, Mitch managed the company’s mining and forestry operations from the Duluth office while Mike moved south to grow the construction equipment business in the Twin Cities. As the business grew there became two primary business operations: the RMS heavy construction equipment business that Mike managed and the Reach Equipment Division, managed by Mitch, that focused on truck equipment.
RMS Salesman Steve Altobelli (L) proudly hands over the keys to the first new Komatsu 930E-4SE to Empire Mine Superintendent Jeff Johnson after the truck was delivered to Empire Mine in Palmer, Mich.
“We saw a lot of growth over the careers of Mike and Mitch”, said Mike II. “We had truck equipment branch operations from coast to coast, and were involved in manufacturing through their ownership of Load King Trailer Co. and Reach All Manufacturing”.
products to the North American market. Already second in worldwide construction equipment sales prior to its North American entrance, Komatsu offered RMS a full range of proven construction equipment products, further broadening RMS product offering to its customers. Komatsu’s later acquisitions of Haulpak mining trucks and Demag mining
In the early ‘80s RMS became the Komatsu dealer for Minnesota when Komatsu Ltd of Japan elected to open its
The founder's twin sons, Mitchell J. and Michael R., join the company and manage Northern and Southern Minnesota territories respectively. 5
✯1955 ✯
We’re proud of the company we keep.
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U.S. Bank would like to congratulate Road Machinery & Supplies Co. on 85 years of successfully serving the industry. From its small beginnings in Duluth, MN, they grew to
Twin Cites Commercial Banking Mark Bagley St. Paul 651-466-8106 Phillip R. Trier Minneapolis 612-303-3836
become one of the largest equipment dealers in the nation. RMS is truly a leader and we’re proud to be associated with them.
U.S. Bancorp Equipment Finance, Inc. John Cronen 612-303-3711
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Congratulations to RMS. After 85 years in business, you’d expect they have some strong attachments.
For 85 years, RMS has been a giant in the heavy equipment industry because of the quality of their people, service and products. As a Genesis Attachments dealer, they help us deliver the most durable and proven solutions for the challenges of demolition, material handling and scrap processing. For this partnership, we offer our appreciation and best wishes for continued success.
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While Komatsu is the company's main line. RMS also represents best-selling products from a number of other major manufacturers, including Bucyrus, Gorman-Rupp, Astec, Volvo Hyundai, Grove, and LeeBoy. In addition, the company offers a frequently changing selection of used equipment, including attachments, loaders, pavers, excavators, compactors, trailers, trucks, and cranes.
The RMS Mining Manager Team gathers for a meeting at the Savage, Minn., location. (L-R) sitting are Mike Mencel, Dave Johnson, George Pilon, Mike Windell, Paul Gude and Steve Altobelli. (L-R) standing are Doug Blake, Tom Kapsner, Ed Zelesnikar, Tom Hoshal, Ken Jacobsen, Mike Sill , John Ruud and Bill Holte.
shovels further established RMS’ position as a dependable mining equipment distributor.
In 1994 RMS was reorganized to facilitate the business’ succession plans, and the brothers split the company and its various divisions between them. As a result, the Michael R. Sill family took over RMS and its mining, forestry, and heavy construction divisions, while the Mitchell J. Sill family acquired Reach Equipment and later renamed it Aspen Equipment Company. RMS TODAY Under third generation leader, Mike Sill II, RMS continued its growth initiatives. During the late 90s, RMS entered the aggregate equipment business through its acquisition of Lambert Machinery and acquired the Bucyrus and Demag mining products from Dom-Ex Inc., and the Komatsu Haulpak products from W.B Thompson in Michigan. RMS also acquired the Herman M. Brown Co. to become the Komatsu dealer for Iowa. Greenfield start-ups included the development of a used parts operation named Polar Parts, and the establishment of RMS Rentals, a light and general
Mike Sill II is the third generation leader of Road Machinery & Supplies Inc.
✯1960 ✯
RMS becomes the Minnesota representative for Blaw Knox asphalt pavers, Clark wheel loaders, and Link-Belt excavators and cranes. 8
OPEN DOOR POLICY
equipment rental and sales operation.
Sill stated that several factors have contributed to the company’s longevity.
“Our goal during this period was to develop a very broad offering of products and services utilized by our customers so that they could continue to rely on RMS for all their needs,” stated Mike Sill II. “We believe RMS offers the broadest product offering of any dealer in the region. If you need it, chances are that we have it. If you need used parts instead of new, we can do that too.”
“Hiring good people, representing the best products, and working really hard to take care of the customer have all contributed to our success.
“Our people really enjoy what they are doing. With 15 or 16 Second Generation owners of RMS, brothers locations it's important to have Mitch (L) and Mike Sill Sr. Mike senior passed away employees who fit in well, who in May of 2010. A unique aspect of RMS’ offeradd to the morale of the organiing to its customers is that it services everything it sells or zation,” he went on. “I like to be involved in interviewing rents. RMS has invested heavily in training, and provides new employees. My goal is to determine how they can add the service support that many rental companies prefer not to the positive atmosphere of the company. The happier to do. “We also train a lot of customers,” stated Mike. our employees are at work, the better we will treat our customers.” “This year we have had several open houses for specific products such as Lee Boy and Volvo pavers, Genesis dem- RMS is fortunate to enjoy the longstanding service of olition scrap attachments and Kohlberg Pioneer crushing many of its employees. “We provide a good work environand screening equipment. We also held a red tag sale at ment and don't micro manage. We try to hire good people RMS Rentals with a number of vendors present to address who can make their own decisions, and by doing so can product questions,” Sill noted. “Rather than holding an best serve our customers,” Sill noted. open house that focuses our 85th anniversary itself, we felt it was more beneficial to customers to provide them with “We have a level management structure. An employee can information and training to improve their business.” go to two or three places to consult about any issue and
make a decision. We have an open door policy, and our Over the past decade, RMS has grown significantly in employees know that they can pop in unannounced to address southern markets. Its US Shoring and Equipment Co. anything that is on their mind. Access to ownership and (USS) division has four Florida branches and a Dallas, Texas, branch. Originally a trench shoring and underground boring RMS' affiliated companies include RMS Rentals, which provides equipment from leading manufacturers such as Lull, division, USS has expanded to include Skytrak, Wacker, Lee Boy, Felling, and Potain, and U.S. heavy equipment products including Shoring & Equipment, which handles Hyundai wheel loaders, Hyundai loaders and excavators, KPI excavators, forklifts, in addition to trench shoring. crushing and screening equipment and Genesis shears. RMS enters truck equipment business. 9
✯1972 ✯
TCF Bank is honored to acknowledge Road Machinery & Supplies’ 85th Anniversary. Congratulations!
COMMERCIAL BANKING 801 Marquette Avenue • Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-661-8300 10
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management is important. It means we eliminate a lot of the time needed to make decisions, unlike companies where there are levels of management, each consulting the next manager up before a decision is finally taken,” he added. SUPERIOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Customer support is central to RMS’ success. “Constantly improving how we manage our business to support our customers has been important to our company’s longevity,” said Chief Operating Officer Dave Johnson.
(L-R) Parts Manager Doug Blake, Parts Specialist Kevin Jalonen, Warehouse Technician Jeremy Lovik, and Parts Specialists Brad Jacobson and Tim Svare are ready to address the needs of any customer.
Part of his responsibilities include ordering equipment for, and the overall management of, the rental fleet. In this connection he gave an example of how rental procedures were recently adjusted. “We recently had a couple of bumps with the readiness of our rental fleet. We met internally to assess all the steps required to ensure that a machine is ready to be rented to a new customer on its return from an earlier rent. ‘Rental Readiness’ includes the machine being clean, serviced, with operators’ manuals and all safety equipment in place. Having machines ready to go at 18 different business units with a phone call requires lots of coordination and consistency” he added. After getting buy-in from RMS employees regarding proper procedures, we released an internal company-wide “Rental Ready” policy along with a notice reminding employees of the important role of customers satisfaction at RMS. With a strong, wide-ranging supply of parts RMS is able to handle any customer’s request.
✯1979 ✯
Another example of what the company has recently done to refocus their support of customers is the initiation of their
RMS appointed Midwest distributor for Telelect products and other truck mounted equipment, operating in Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas. 12
“Superior Customer Experience” process. “The goal is to ensure that our customers have a ‘Superior Customer Experience’ every time they interact with RMS. Whether it be parts, service, sales, accounts receivable, etc. we are committed to making this happen,” Johnson explained. “RMS has and will continue to invest in training for our people to ensure that we provide relevant, timely, and helpful information to our customers.” “I joined the company in 1979 as rental coordinator and have done many jobs for RMS over the years. There have been many changes in the reliability and performance of our products and in the footprint of the geography we serve,” he went on. “But our commitment and focus on Customer Service has not changed. Our employees at RMS have remained willing to keep their skills sharp and to focus on performing for our customers. This has allowed us to be successful and to grow over the 85 years. I am proud to have participated in that success!”
Warehouse Technician Jeremy Lovik gets ready to break down a shipment of parts to help restock the company’s extensive inventory.
SALES ARE THE LIFE BLOOD OF A COMPANY A superior, knowledgeable sales force is a vital part of the company.
(L-R) Shop Foreman Mark Burja and mechanics Kevin Anderson and Nathan Holkko check out a repaired wheel motor for a Komatsu 830 production truck.
John Ruud, a 36-year employee of the company, is vice president of the company’s northern operations and is in charge of all functions of the Virginia and Duluth, Minn., and Iron Mountain, Mich., branches.
we have some really committed employees at RMS, who understand our products and the challenges faced by our customers and who allow me to spend the majority of my day on sales related issues.”
“Sales are the life blood of a company,” said John. “But we all know that if we don’t take care of the customer when a problem arises, future sales will be impacted. Fortunately,
Mining is of particular importance to the economy of Minnesota and Michigan and the Northern Operations division handles sales to that particular industry.
RMS becomes a Komatsu representative, handling loaders, bulldozers, and hydraulic excavators. 13
✯1980 ✯
The Komatsu line of equipment a featured manufacturer Road Machinery & Supplies Co. carries to service the mining industry.
ing the iron content and forming marble-like taconite pellets by binding the iron with bentonite.
“We sell a wide variety of mining equipment such as trucks, cranes, loaders, dozers, pumps and crushing and screening equipment,” Ruud continued. Changes are taking place in mining as in other industries. For example, mining trucks are getting bigger. RMS just sold 10 Komatsu 930E4SE 320 ton trucks to Cliffs Natural Resource’s Empire Mine in Palmer, Minn.
“Construction and forest industries are also very important to RMS,” Ruud said. “However, both of these markets have been negatively impacted by the current state of our economy. But the contractors and loggers in the north are a hardy bunch and will survive.”
Iron ore is mined in Minnesota and Michigan, and taconite pellets manufactured from iron ore are shipped down the Great Lakes to eastern steel mills for processing. Taconite is low-grade ore with a 30 per cent iron content, whereas natural ore is 60 per cent pure iron. However, a process invented in the 1960s extracts the low-grade ore, separat-
“The key to our success is our employees,” he stated. “We are fortunate in having knowledgeable employees with a strong work ethic, and the company's longevity reflects on its ownership. We have an owner who has a high degree of urgency, who understands our customers’ needs, and who has a solid plan for the future.” YOU CANNOT JUST INVENT OR BUY EXPERIENCE The first contact many customers have with the company will be when a salesman calls.
RMS Parts Specialist Jim Fruen (L) of the Savage, Minn., location finds a part for a PC200-3 Komatsu for local customer Roger Zaugg of Transport Design.
✯1986 ✯
Territory Manager Phil Major works out of the company’s Savage, Minn., headquarters. For many years he has been one of the company’s top construction salesmen, calling on
RMS founds Aspen Equipment Company, a dealer of general equipment such as truck cranes, light towers, and air compressors. 14
Congratulations on 85 years of success! RMS and Wacker Neuson are committed to providing you with the best equipment to get your next job done fast and efficiently.
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Sandvik Congratulates Road Machinery & Supplies on its 85th Anniversary! www.sandvik.com Š2011 Sandvik Mining and Construction
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Congratulations to Road Machinery & Supplies on 85 years of success! We appreciate your business.
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Leading Through Innovation
Always
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Best
Congratulations to Road Machinery & Supplies 85 Years of Excellence SENNEBOGEN is proud of its close and long-standing relationship with RMS. As family-owned companies, we share values of personal trust and standards of customer service that have led to a history of success spanning generations. We welcome this opportunity to join the employees of Road Machinery & Supplies and their many customers in construction, forestry, roadbuilding, demolition, port faciliites, scrap handling and recycling to wish the company continued health and prosperity long into the future.
Erich Sennebogen, Owner and Managing Director SENNEBOGEN Maschinenfabrik GmbH Constantino Lannes, President, SENNEBOGEN LLC
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contractors in the western quadrant of the Minneapolis metropolitan area.
“Early in my career, we drove around a lot trying to find customers, because the only way to communicate with them was face to face. Cell phones didn’t exist, and if we needed to make a call we had to pull over and find a pay phone and hope that the customer would be in his office,” said Major.
During more than 25 years of service with RMS, Major has seen changes caused by economic conditions and technological advances. As a result, sales representatives have had to evolve and become more efficient and productive by utilizing technology.
“We also relied on Rental Coordinators at the main office to handle customer rental needs because our inventory was posted on the wall of the rental office. Someone had to look at the wall to know what machines and attachments were available. Technicians needed to do all appraisals because it was the only way a knowledgeable person could see the machine.”
Brian (L) and John Schwendig get a better view as they put the finishing touches on the prep work for assembling nine new Komatsu 930E-4SE, 320 ton haul trucks.
“Today, everyone is in contact with each other via cell phones. If customers are in a meeting, we can communicate urgent information by text messages. All of RMS’ machine inventory can be viewed in real time on a salesman’s laptop or smart phone, so we handle our own rental transactions. And trade-ins can often be appraised by salesmen as well because we can transmit photos directly to the used equipment department who has market information at their fingertips.” “Although relationships are still important, customers do not need to be seeing you face to face on a regular or weekly basis. What customers do need is accurate and quick information, which helps their productivity as well as their time management.”
(L-R): Ed Zelesnikar, John Tangeman and Gary Bolduan are deeply involved in the assembly of the new Komatsu 930E-4SE trucks at Cliffs Natural Resources’ Empire Mine in Palmer, Mich., earlier this year.
✯1994 ✯
Salesmen today handle significantly more duties than in the past.
RMS is reorganized to assist estate planning. The Mitchell Sill family takes over Aspen Equipment and the truck equipment division, while the Michael Sill family retains RMS and its mining, forestry, and heavy construction divisions. The same year Michael Sill II, grandson of the founder, becomes president and CEO of RMS. 18
“The work environment has changed for our customers as well”, said Major. “Margins are tighter, work requirements are more complex, and often there are penalties for not completing work on time. The ‘good old boy’ network doesn’t function as well today in our ultra-competitive markets.” In Major’s experience, customers need and value salesmen who are experts or possess knowledge on the products their clients are looking to buy or rent. Customers also need to know that their salesman will immediately respond to their needs and will go to bat for them if a problem arises.
OReilly Fabrication and Welding Service uses this Genesis GXP440R shear attached to a Komatsu PC300LC-8 excavator to meet a tight deadline on a project".
Major attributed his success to “working hard, working efficient, treating customers the way I would want to be treated, and doing what you say you are going to do.”
dealing with companies it did business with years ago, although not always with the same owners. “A lot of longstanding customers are now run by second and third generation managers. The newer generation tend to have more of an open mind and are willing to try new and innovative products in order to improve their competitiveness,” Major said. “Fortunately, RMS represents the most innovative and best quality products in the industry.
“Being consistent and truly believing in the products is key. I also carry the confidence that whatever we sell you, RMS can back it up.” “We have a great support team from our President on down and they all work very hard on my behalf. RMS employees go the extra mile to help support each and every sale,” he went on. “Each person wants to feel their efforts are appreciated and if they really believe you do care about them as a person, you cannot get better motivation from them.”
“Road Machinery’s 85-year history is a sign of strength and offers numerous benefits to our customers,” he continued. “We have people who have more experience than you could imagine, and we work in a family environment. They look forward to coming to work every day and feel like we are working for a common cause and also continuing a legacy.”
The decades RMS has been in business means it is still
RMS acquires Lambert Machinery and enters the crushing, screening, and extendable fork-lift market. 19
✯1995 ✯
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TOUGH LEGACY
TO O U G H EEQUIPMENT QU M E N T TOUGH
TOUGH DEALER Celebrating Your 85th Anniversary, and the Past Decade of Working Together!
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ONCE YOU SELL IT, THAT'S WHEN THE WORK BEGINS
RMS Territory Manager Tom Major visits with satisfied customer Scott Johnson, foreman of Carl Bolander & Sons Co., during a steam pipe repair job on the 3M campus.
As Vice President of Northern Operations Ruud observed “Follow-up is important. Once you sell it, that's when the work begins. Mining equipment runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and when you get a call at 3 a.m. on Christmas Day you have to be there.” In keeping with this philosophy the motto of Road Machinery & Supplies’ parts and service departments is “Your Partners In Productivity”.
The RMS sales team proudly gathers around this Komatsu 930E-4SE truck.
✯1996 ✯
RMS acquires from Dom-Ex Inc. the Bucyrus International (electric rope shovels and drills) and Demag (Hydraulic shovels, later rebranded Komatsu) accounts and founds used part division Polar Parts Inc. 22
CJ Moyna and Sons of Elkaker, Iowa, work on an I-35 project south of Des Moines using a KPI FT5260 track impact crusher and a JCI FT6203 track screen to do in place concrete recycling.
depot strategy”, stated Mike Mencel, vice president of product support. One depot is located in Eagan, Minn., and supports a number of Komatsu dealers in the upper Midwest. RMS set up three overnight parts shuttle routes, which in total run 1,800 miles each night, in order to provide immediate support to customers.
To this end, all RMS technicians have web access for trouble-shooting advice or parts information from the manufacturers’ sites. Technicians receive hands-on training at factory schools and also take courses on Komatsu’s virtual campus, often as a prerequisite for school training. RMS also pairs personnel with a senior technician for on-the-job training with specialists in such areas as paving and mining equipment and aggregate production.
Customers who have older machines requesting a used parts alternative are supported by RMS’ Polar Parts division. Founded in 1996, Polar Parts offers salvaged and rebuilt parts and attachments for equipment from leading manufacturers such as Komatsu, Blaw Knox, Skytrak, Lull, Bomag, Link-Belt, and Caterpillar.
RMS runs 61 field service trucks, employs more than 80 technicians, and provides service shops at 13 of its branches. The company also employs eight resident service technicians working from their home in areas without branch locations.
STRONG COMMUNICATION WITH VENDORS AND CUSTOMERS
With a $14 million parts inventory including 50,000 line items of parts across twelve warehouses, RMS is committed to having parts on hand to immediately support its customers. It also dispatches parts delivery trucks throughout its Minnesota and Iowa branch network to provide parts to its branches by 7 a.m. next morning.
Mencel, a 20-year RMS veteran, is responsible for the successful operation of the parts and service departments. His role includes communicating with branch managers to ensure consistent policies and approaches to their business as well as working with them on customer support issues, vendor relationships, training, and annual budgeting and planning.
“Komatsu made a significant investment in customer support a few years ago when it established it’s regional parts
RMS acquires Herman M. Brown Company, one of Iowa's largest construction equipment distributors. 23
✯1997 ✯
ROAD MACHINERY & SUPPLIES CO.
Congratulations to Road Machinery for 85 years of business success!
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Road Machinery & Supplies Company
85 Years of Success
Congratulations! Road Machinery & Supplies Company has been a one-stop source for construction equipment sales, rentals and parts for 85 years, all backed by excellent customer service. JLG is proud to supply SkyTrak速 and Lull速 telehandlers to Road Machinery & Supplies Company, as well as a full range of boom and scissor lifts. Congratulations and continued success! www.jlg.com
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dors, and most importantly directly with our customers. I work daily to reinforce strong communication on all fronts.” In addition, Mencel provides leadership in key product support areas, manages personnel and parts inventory, administers warranties, including dispute resolution on these and other issues, and ensures technicians receive needed training.
Nate Daniels of Ulland Brothers applies the finishing touches on a project with an Ingersoll Rand DD138 roller from RMS.
“Just like every business, the computer has had an impact on the sophistication, durability, and quality of equipment manufactured today,” Mencel said. “On the technical support side, for example, on-board controllers manage systems and provide diagnostics for most equipment engines and general hydraulic systems,” he went on. “Komatsu cabs have monitor panels that display conditions and allow the operator to adjust speed and similar tasks. The monitor gives feedback information, while controllers send general machine condition information via Komatsu’s KOMTRAX GPS system.”
TECHNICAL SUPPORT Technical support is the specialty of Service Manager Rich Cooper, based in the Savage, Minn., office. With more than 35 years with the company, his Ulland Brothers’ Theresa Dumarce operates an Ingersoll Rand DD158 double drum roller the company purchased from RMS. duties include the hiring and training of technicians, equipping them with special tooling and ensuring that customers’ service needs are “In 2011 our owner launched RMS’ Superior Customer met. Experience initiative. Its aim is to do all we can to ensure customers have a superior experience with our company “Providing technical support for the customer is a large part and the products we sell and service,” Mencel said. “The of the job,” he said. “The best bet on a complicated issue is initiative recognizes that this can’t happen without strong communication between RMS departments, with our ven- usually to dispatch a field technician from RMS, but we do
✯1998 ✯
RMS Rentals is founded to serve contractors light and general equipment needs. RMS also acquires W.B. Thompson the Haulpak truck distributor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 26
(L-R): Dumpman Duane Anderson, Paver Operator Chris Luukkoen and Screwman Lance Cooper of Ulland Brothers lay down a nice looking mat with this Blaw Knox PF6110 asphalt paver the company picked up from Road Machinery & Supplies Co.
what we can to keep them up and running, even if it is troubleshooting over the phone. Our work requires a high sense of urgency.” Cooper also noted that technological advances have made support of the equipment more difficult. A technician today requires more job knowledge and training as onboard computers and advances in electrical and hydraulic circuits have changed the engineering design of the equipment. “Current equipment is undeniably more productive and efficient, but the cost of Savage shop foreman John McDonnell is also a key Volvo paving and compaction that efficiency is that repairs are specialist. more complicated. RMS has the of RMS, said Cooper. We understand hydraulics as well as know-how to resolve these issues quickly.” anyone in this business.” “The company provides service and parts support for cusContractors are also more productive as a result of the tomer machines 24/7 when necessary. This means our techmyriad of attachments available to perform specific work. “Installing complicated hydraulic attachments is a specialty nicians are occasionally called out in the middle of the night RMS purchases trench shield company Atlanta Equipment. The same year RMS launches the U.S. Shoring & Equipment Company, and over the following years establishes branch operations in four locations in Florida and one in Dallas, Texas. 27
✯2003 ✯
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Broce Congratulates RMS on 85 Years of Service to the Industry
Broce Manufacturing Company, Inc. 205 East Main Street Norman, OK 73069 www.brocebroom.com
LOAD KING congratulates Road Machinery for 85 years successfully bringing customers top quality products and services.
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Elk Point, SD • www.loadkingtrailers.com 29
RMS Rentals branch. RMS’ hydraulic fittings stock has also been increased to allow RMS Hydraulic Services to manufacture hydraulic hoses for most makes of construction equipment and trucks. According to Mencel, “many of these initiatives leverage the success we’ve seen with our daily parts shuttles that run through our branch operations in Minnesota and Iowa, allowing RMS to shuttle repair items in addition to parts.” The oil boom in the New customer DeCook Excavating of Byron, Minn., recently purchased this Komatsu PC160 Williston Basin in North hydraulic excavator. Dakota has drawn in a number of RMS customers or on weekends and holidays,” he said. “We pride ourwho are building roads and preparing well sites. Because selves in taking care of our customers. I tell our technicians its customers have identified challenges in getting adequate that repairing the machine stops with us. There is no one service support while working in remote North Dakota, after us to figure out the problem.” RMS hired a resident mechanic to relocate to North Dakota to help support its equipment. In addition, RMS NEW SERVICE OFFERINGS recently appointed a resident technician to better serve customers in southeastern Minnesota. RMS has invested significantly during 2011 to improve its product offering to its customers. “The economy has THE CUSTOMER IS changed things for many of our customers,” according to THE ONE WHO SIGNS Mike Mencel, RMS’ vice president product support. “We OUR PAYCHECKS are doing our best to adapt to these changes. Right now, taconite mining is exceptionally strong, and we have devel- Parts and Service Sales Representative Dan Erickson’s teroped the capability to rebuild electric wheel motors from ritory covers Minnesota except the Virginia and Duluth mining trucks in Virginia, Minnesota. We are also moving areas. Another long-time employee of RMS with more into the undercarriage business.” than 25 years with the company, he finds every day’s work is different due to the number of lines the company hanA new RMS company, RMS Hydraulic Services opened in dles. His duties include quoting repairs, selling parts and September that will allow RMS to repair and rebuild service, assisting the sales department, and solving probhydraulic cylinders in a clean room facility at the Savage lems for customers.
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Knowing that we have people that can do what we commit to doing is great. It certainly makes my job easier,” he added. On the company’s 70th anniversary in 1996, CEO Sill stated “In this industry, we believe that if you're not moving forward, you are probably moving backward.” On the same occasion he observed that company growth “was a reflection that our customers and suppliers value what we do.” In talking about this 85th anniversary year, he looked ahead to how he sees the company when it reaches its 100th year in business. “The world is becoming more complex, with new pressures on customers and governmental intrusion into how they run their business. Equipment will continue to become more complicated and dealer expertise will be needed to provide solutions, both A Komatsu PC300HD excavator equipped with a Genesis GXP700 shear in the sale and service of equipprocesses scrap. ment,” he predicted. “RMS’ mission “The customer is the one who signs our paychecks, and I is to equip ourselves with the tools to be the always keep that as the most important thing to remember. first call for customers and to ensure that our Listening and then doing what it takes to keep customers team can respond immediately and in a fashup and running is critical,” Erickson said. “Urgency is the ion that keeps customers coming back.” key in this business. When customers call us it is because they have a problem and want it fixed right now. We have a short construction season and we need to do what it takes to get the job done asap.” “Relationships are what this business is made of. Our parts and service people have 15 years or more with RMS, and that is hard to find in this business. Our biggest selling points are the experience of our people. We handle so many different product lines and for everybody to keep up with them is difficult.
Customer satisfaction and education of the equipment they’re buying is paramount to RMS, as an RMS crew makes sure the new Komatsu haul trucks are in perfect working order at the Empire Mine in Palmer, Mich.
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