Houston-based ADI Inc. recently opened an equipment repair and remanufacturing facility in Shippensburg, Pa. Operations manager Rich Gerhart toldRER that the 6,000-square-foot facility has a state-of-the-art painting and preparation area, plus two work bays which can function as four depending on the size of the equipment. Gerhart said the facility will do everything from painting to repair to complete remanufacturing to ANSI-mandated inspections. The ADI facility will work on aerial work platforms up to 120 feet, cranes, forklifts and earthmoving equipment.
The facility was built in 2000 by an individual who did painting and repair work for JLG and Ingersoll-Rand until the economy turned downward. At that point, those manufacturers pulled their repair work inhouse and the facility was put on the market.
“We’re trying to create a niche which isn’t really being filled or addressed right now in rental,” Gerhart said. “We have the capacity to do the kinds of projects that tie up rental shops. For example, ANSI mandates boom inspections every two years for chains and every five years for cable. We can offer those services with quick turnarounds at reasonable prices for large rental houses. We can take existing fleet and rebuild it. Some customers want complete remanufacturing and we can do that; others want reconditioning and doing what’s necessary.”
Gerhart added that the painting service could be very attractive to companies that are preparing to send equipment to auctions.
The facility can repair customer-owned equipment as well as ADI’s fleet, and Gerhart hopes to keep the mix at about 50/50. ADI specializes in selling used machines to rental companies as well as end users. The company also buys machines for customers. “End users who go to auctions often lack expertise in purchasing equipment,” Gerhart said. “They are, typically, contractors, or steel erectors, or fabricators and that’s their expertise. They don’t always know what they’re buying so we can purchase machines for them and run them through our facility to make sure they are up to the standard they want.”
Before coming to ADI, Gerhart worked four years with JLG Equipment Services, operating JLG’s rebuilding facility, and three years managing National Equipment Services’ McConnellsburg, Pa., remanufacturing facility. He has another 20 years experience with a variety of manufacturers.
Gerhart added that he is beginning with a staff of four full-time mechanics, all of whom have been trained in JLG schools, with experience with NES, Grove and other manufacturers. He said the company has good relations with other mechanics and will quickly add staff as the company’s workload increases to ensure the backlog is never more than about 10 days.
