History: Furnival Machinery Co. was founded by George Furnival in 1941. He sold the company to Westinghouse Air Brake during the 1960s, when WABCO wanted to have factory stores. WABCO sold its Furnival store to its then-vice president Bob Thompson in 1972. Thompson grew the company from two to seven stores. Furnival became a Komatsu dealer in the 1960s and is the oldest continuous Komatsu dealer in the United States. Ronald Ludchak, a former WABCO official, joined Furnival in 1978 and is the current president.
Komatsu purchased Furnival from Thompson in 1997 and founded FMC Rents in July 1998, in Downingtown, Pa. A branch was added in November in Frederick, Md. Key personnel: Ronald Ludchak, president; Steve DiLoreto, vice president rental operations; Beth Riffey, Downingtown branch manager; Brian Turnbull, Frederick branch manager; Bill Morrow and Brian Staley, Downingtown salesmen; Mike Burns and Bob Dean, Frederick salesmen.
Equipment: Komatsu equipment - excavators, compact excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, backhoes and attachments such as buckets, grapples and hammers; Gehl skid-steer loaders and telescoping booms; Grove aerial work platforms; Multiquip and Bomag compaction equipment; Ingersoll-Rand air compressors; Multiquip, Partner and Diamond Products concrete equipment; Tennant sweepers and scrubbers; Multiquip welders and generators; Amida light towers; Acme pumps; plus air tools, portable storage units, electric power tools and more.
Philosophy: "We're big in the sense that we carry the Komatsu line in our product lines and equipment inventory, but we're small when it comes to our attitude toward customers: 'You're our customer and we're going to service you, whatever it takes.' We've got the advantages of a national company, but we're really a mom-and-pop company."
