Case Construction Equipment last week broke ground for a new Product Review Center at the Case Customer Center in Tomahawk, Wis. The city’s mayor, Bob Lee, was on hand, along with Jim Hasler, vice president of Case; Jim VanStrydonk, representing the general contractor; and Gerry Kole, manager of the Case facility. The four started excavation for the footings with three golden shovels and a Case CX210B excavator. Construction is scheduled to continue through the summer, with completion slated for November.
The new building will provide climate-controlled viewing to the product-demonstration area where guests can see the full line of Case construction equipment in operation, from the smallest skid steer to the largest excavator. When completed, the 3,000-square-foot building will accommodate up to 100 people.
According to Gerry Kole, Tomahawk’s manager, the Product Review Center will be equipped with a state-of-the-art audio-visual system that will enable operators running equipment in the outdoor presentation area to communicate with the customers inside the building.
“More than that,” Kole said, “a helmet camera will provide a big-screen display from the operator’s point of view so customers can see the instrument displays and exactly what the operator’s hands are doing when they perform different tasks.” Kole explained that this is helpful for training and to demonstrate the benefits of important product features.
The Case Customer Center sits on more than 500 acres of land in Tomahawk, Wis., and is used year round. Most of the guests are Case customers or prospective customers, but the facility also at times hosts students from universities and technical schools and government officials from the United States and other countries considering the use of equipment.
The center is equipped to provide customers with product information and hands-on operation of the more than 80 models of Case construction equipment. “The Tomahawk experience is unique,” Kole said. “Customers get away from the daily demands of their business to enjoy the home-style hospitality of Wisconsin’s North Woods, while getting concrete information and experience that benefits their bottom line.”
Staff members personalize the experience for visiting customers by tailoring activities to meet their specific interests. “If a road and bridge contractor wants to put our dozers or wheel loaders to the test, we can give them the opportunity to operate in settings that simulate their jobsite challenges,” Kole said. “The multi-media educational experience available with the new facility will further enhance the value of the customer’s investment in time to come to Tomahawk.”
Case Construction Equipment sells and supports a full line of construction equipment around the world, including loader/backhoes, articulated trucks, excavators, motor graders, wheel loaders, vibratory compaction rollers, crawler dozers, skid steers, compact track loaders, telescopic handlers and rough-terrain forklifts.
