Quality employees and equipment are the two most important components to any contractor’s business.
When it comes to equipment, Chris Sciarretti is like all of his contracting peers in that he faces a number of options when he needs to add a new piece of equipment. What is the best machine for the job? How much can he afford to spend? Should he rent or buy? If he should buy, should he buy new or used?
Finding the right piece of equipment is critical. It can make or break the quality of the work that is done and can determine how well a business is able to operate.
Sciarretti got into the paving business through his family.
“My father started this company in 1976. My father grew up working asphalt and ended up going into business on his own.” said Sciarretti, vice president of operations of Sciarretti Asphalt Paving Co. Inc., located in Braddock, PA. “We started off with one paver and now we have three pavers, five rollers, three graders, dozers, and three excavators. We’ve grown from doing $150,000 to $5 million to $6 million a year.”
The company has expanded into site development and concrete work, but paving remains the core of the business.
Sciarretti and his brothers learned on the job from their father, and now the second generation is responsible for the family business. Getting the right equipment to keep the business growing is now on Chris’ shoulders. When a new paver is needed, Sciarretti relies on Anderson Equipment, his Ingersoll-Rand dealer in Bridgeville, PA.
“I’m growing with them and it’s been a good business relationship,” said Mike Russo, Anderson Equipment key account manager.
Sciarretti purchased a new Ingersoll-Rand Blaw-Knox PF-2181 through a trade-in of an Ingersoll-Rand Blaw-Knox PF-161 last year. During the sale Russo learned Sciarretti was looking for another paver. Purchasing a paver so quickly after investing in the PF-2181 would be expensive, and Russo knew he had to come up with a solution for his customer.
Russo knew of a new program from Ingersoll-Rand called Quality Reborn and knew an Ingersoll-Rand Blaw-Knox PF-4410 paver was available through the program.
“I’m pretty aggressive when something like this comes up. I have a list in my mind immediately of who I’m going to offer it to. When I heard about this PF-44l0, I knew right where to go with it,” said Russo.
Quality Reborn is a remarketing program. An Ingersoll-Rand piece of equipment, whether a large double-drum asphalt compactor or a large paver, is reconditioned to the highest quality standards of Ingersoll-Rand. What’s unique is that the only place that performs Quality Reborn is the factory,” said Scott Walter, manager of dealer development of Ingersoll-Rand.
“Other remarketing programs recondition a machine through the dealer network. “There’s an added sense of confidence for the customer when the factory performs the work on a machine.”
When a paver is selected for the program, it is sent to the Ingersoll-Rand asphalt paver manufacturing facility in Letterkenny, PA. The factory completes standard reconditioning of any paver that goes through the program, bringing the machine up to current Ingersoll-Rand quality standards.
A PF-4410 is updated for the latest technology by receiving new tracks, wide-drive hubs, chain curtains, and power tunnels. The Quality Reborn team also inspects all parts of the engine, screed, conveyors, and flow belts and replaces components to a set guideline for the entire machine to ensure they are in 75 percent condition or better. Anything not in acceptable condition is replaced. Finally, a fresh coat of paint is applied to the paver and what emerges is a machine that has literally been “reborn.”
Another factor that sets Quality Reborn products apart from other remarketing programs is that not all machines actually make it through.
“Once we get into a machine and start evaluating it, we determine if the machine can or cannot make it through the program. We also look at how much it will cost to recondition the machine. If the cost is too high or if the machine needs too much work, we stop the reconditioning process and dismantle the paver for parts,” said Walter.
This ensures that the pavers that are selected for the program will be of the highest possible quality once the reconditioning is completed.
Since the work is performed at the factory, Ingersoll-Rand backs it with a six-month warranty. Russo said this is a major advantage for customers.
“Contractors are accustomed to putting money in their pavers every year for maintenance — wear items like chains, rubber track shoes, auger segments, and bearings. A rebuilt paver with all the components of a new machine and a warranty associated with it takes a lot of guess work out of it, and it’s a good proposition for the customer,” said Russo.
Sciarretti said that a warranty is a major reason he prefers to purchase new machines. The Quality Reborn warranty gave him peace of mind and made the machine a more attractive investment.
“I always need some kind of reassurance,” he said. “I can’t buy a paver as-is. There are just too many things that can happen to them.”
Another advantage for contractors is price. According to Russo, Sciarretti saved $90,000 over buying a new machine.
“It could even be more, depending on how it is equipped,” said Russo. “It’s a good deal. It’s a good paver. Looks good, runs good, the customer saved money, and he’s making money with it.”
“It makes sense to save yourself the money,” Sciarretti agreed. “You can get a paver with low hours and a warranty that looks brand new.
“It’s a great paver,” Sciarretti added. “I’m satisfied with the work and the quality of the mat that it puts down. That’s a really big factor for me.”
So far this season, Sciarretti has used the PF-4410 to pave 30 acres at a Wal-Mart site, a Sam’s Club parking lot, a church parking lot, and to pave asphalt around a large distribution center. The paver also will be used this summer on an airport runway and is scheduled for several other projects that Sciarretti said will give the company its biggest year on the books.
While the ability to expand his business with the new paver is important, Sciarretti said his crew will benefit most from the Quality Reborn paver.
“I’m blessed to work with some experienced, quality people. The men who run the paver appreciate the fact that we’re trying to upgrade the equipment with the latest technology,” he said.
With the PF-4410, Sciarretti has been able to expand his business, save money over a new purchase, own a paver under warranty, and provide his employees with a machine outfitted with the latest technology to make their jobs easier. All these factors have Sciarretti currently looking to add another Quality Reborn paver to his fleet.
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