Vac-Con Taps Stertil-Koni to Help Inspect New Sewer Cleaners, Hydro Excavators, and More
Bob Graden, Vac-Con plant manager standing with six Stertil-Koni EARTHLIFT mobile column lifts at the Green Cove Springs, FL plant.
While most customers of heavy-duty vehicle lift leader Stertil-Koni purchase lifts for speedy maintenance, and to get their truck, bus, military or farm equipment back on the job quickly, Vac-Con Inc. uses the company’s award-winning lifts before their trucks are even delivered to the end use
It’s all about testing and inspecting to ensure the highest quality, explained Bob Graden, Vac-Con plant manager in Green Cove Springs, FL. “Stertil-Koni provides a quality product to better inspect our machines,” he noted. “We have several testing programs utilizing Stertil-Koni lifts before our machines go out the door. The most recent set of mobile column lifts we purchased even allows us to weigh machines more accurately, something we have never had before.”
The stakes are high, and the jobs are big. Over its 30-year history, Vac-Con has manufactured more than 7,500 sewer cleaners, industrial trucks, pumpers, jet rodder machines and hydro-excavation vehicles across the globe. Customers who purchase the company’s equipment are typically large entities, specifically municipalities with sizeable population bases. In terms of metrics, the company’s customers are 70 percent government, 20 percent export, and the balance is contract.
In a dirty business, everything has to be kept clean. That’s why Vac-Con’s technical service team continually educates and trains all end users on proper routine maintenance.
In addition to cleanliness, timeliness of product delivery is key. “We have the best delivery time in the industry,” Graden added.
Expediting the process are six Stertil-Koni EARTHLIFT mobile column lifts, which feature state-of-the-art hydraulic technology and are manufactured with high-quality, high tensile DOMEX steel for maximum strength. These lifts provide fast lifting and lowering and feature a mechanical locking system for added safety that starts at just 5 inches above floor height and continues up the entire length of the lift every 1 3/8th inches.
Helping to manage the operation at Vac-Con, Graden has seen the company from the bottom up since its beginnings in March 1986. Today, the company’s facility is situated on 17 acres and employs 330 people. In terms of sales, Vac-Con utilizes a worldwide distributor network.
As an employee-owned company, and through employee engagement, Vac-Con is dedicated to providing exceptionally high-quality products to its customers. “The strength of any organization is its people. I consider this one of our core strengths. It’s how we do business with all the vendors who provide products and support, and Stertil-Koni is one of them. We have been partners for 20 years plus,” says Graden.
“Maximizing shop performance coupled with providing advanced safety features is crucial to meeting the demanding requirements of the heavy duty lifting arena,” noted Dr. Jean DellAmore, president of Stertil-Koni USA. “We are pleased to play an important role in keeping everything up to speed at Vac-Con.”
Concluded Graden, “Service and support from Stertil-Koni is something our maintenance staff gets directly involved in, on a regular basis. Their support has been outstanding, which is why we buy their products. It has been a long lasting successful partnership. Would I buy another Stertil-Koni lift? Would I recommend Stertil-Koni? Yes, I would.”
About Stertil-Koni
Stertil-Koni, a brand of the Stertil Group, is the global market leader in heavy duty vehicle lifts – bus lifts and truck lifts – and is the preferred supplier to the world’s leading companies in the truck and bus industries. Stertil-Koni’s breadth of products meets all ranges of lifting needs and includes mobile column lifts, two-post, four-post, in-ground piston lifts, platform lifts, half-scissors and its innovative axle-engaging, in-ground, scissor lift configuration, ECOLIFT. The DIAMOND LIFT is now also available in a “frame” version, engineered specifically for concrete foundations and ideal for replacement situations. Stertil-Koni USA is headquartered in Stevensville. Stertil-Koni has production facilities in Europe, in The Netherlands, and in the USA in Streator, Illinois.
About Vac-Con®
Since 1986, Vac-Con, Inc. has manufactured more than 7500 custom-built, truck-mounted machines to serve the public and private environmental markets worldwide, and now employs over 300 people at its single location in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Vac-Con, Inc. is a subsidiary of Holden Industries, Inc. of Deerfield, IL, and is 100% employee owned. Vac-Con, Inc. is proud to be recognized as a primary competitor in its markets, and is focused on providing the best products available and industry leading customer service through its extensive network of authorized dealers.
Category: Featured, Fleet Maintenance
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