ROTATOR
ROUND-UP
The “Custom
Difference:
Built”
By Courtney Dangelo, Custom Built Manufacturing
Need-Driven Beginnings Derek Dangelo started Custom Built Manufacturing, LLC (Custom Built) in 2006 as a small town, American-built, heavy-duty wrecker manufacturer. The reason he launched Custom Built was that in his 30-plus years of experience in running an autobody shop and his 30 years working in the towing business, he saw a clear equipment gap across the towing industry. As a tower himself, he needed a heavy-duty tow truck that was built to handle the jobs that he was getting calls on, so he decided to build them himself. He started with old 750’s and converted them to hydraulics configuring them to the exact specifications of what he needed for the jobs he was doing. Now, he wasn’t 20
Tow Professional | Volume 9 • Issue 2
|
www.towprofessional.com
the only tower that needed a perfect-fit truck. Towers nationwide were needing tow trucks capable of hauling anywhere from 20 tons to 80 tons. To make sure his truck matches a customer’s need, he gives the customer free reign on the layout as he walks together with them on it based off CAD CAM (computer-aided design and computeraided manufacturing). He focuses on their needs for exact specification of storage sizing. Consequently, because of the wide range of need from truck size to varying equipment on the trucks, Custom Built has responded by offering many options on builds from an integrated 15-ton unit to a 60-ton rotator. So, in summary, why did Dereck start Custom Built Manufacturing? He simply built for others
