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customers’ ever-growing requirements. This brings us to another Midwestern longevity strategy.
“We look at every piece of equip- ment that we consider purchasing, and decide if it will bring us value over the long haul,” Beffer explains. “That helps us decide whether to perform an oper- ation inhouse or work with outside suppliers. We do not want to sit on a lot of debt; overleveraged companies in our types of markets do not survive the downturns.”
Market Changes Drive Machine Performance Upgrade
An evolution in pipe-laying equip- ment brought Midwestern to the point of discussing a major, recent equip- ment addition. Within the last 10 to 15 yr., according to Beffer, tractors and bulldozers incorporated new designs, with OEMs and customers looking for side-boom attachments incorporated into new tractors or meshing seam- lessly with existing equipment.
Midwestern Manufacturing’s new plasma-cutting machine deliveres improved hole quali- ty, precisely cuts steel to 2 in. and results in precise part fitup, which enable the compa- ny to design and build attachments that mesh seamlessly with newer OEM tractors.
“Changes in emissions standards, among other factors, led contractors to update their tractor fleets, and we’ve had to meet their requirements,” Beffer says. “If you bought your first car, say a cheap old one for $500, you might slap anything on there and not really
care what it looks like. But with a new car, you’ll want anything you add to look like it came from the factory.
“Our old designs looked great,” he continues, “but we had to move into precision cutting and forming to adopt to these newly engineered designs and
P/A provides a complete line of Coil Handling Equipment
www.pa.com
Visit us at FABTECH 2017 in Chicago November 6-8 Booth A5612
P/A INDUSTRIES INC. Telephone: 1.860.243.8306 E-Mail: sales@pa.com
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