Wheel Excavators Dig Up Added Profit: Dow Industries is shrinking its fleet size by boosting equipment utilization

摘要

For the 20 years of its existence, Dow Industries has specialized in underground work. And in the bustling Las Vegas economy, there's plenty of underground work to keep the company's 310 employees busy. Dow is trenching some 8,000 ft. per day to build the subdivisions and shopping areas needed to stay ahead of the thousands of new residents moving in each month. The company is currently on pace for a USD55 million year. For Michael Davis, Dow's shop and equipment manager, that means managing a diverse fleet that includes 18 track hydraulic excavators (15 to 110 tons), 20 wheel loaders and 27 back-hoe-loaders. In November 2005, Dow added an entirely new machine to the fleet: 20-ton Caterpillar M316C wheel excavators. Nevada Caterpillar dealer Cashman Equipment provided the first M316C as a demonstration trial. It was the machine's first and only demo. "I saw wheel excavators working a few years back and kept thinking they'd be good for our business," says Davis. "It's a move that's worked out well for us. We now have three and plan to add a fourth soon." The third one purchased just happened to be the 15,000th M300 Series wheel excavator delivered by Caterpillar.