Monthly Archives: May 2017

Concept heavy equipment

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Change is a part of life as we can’t stay stuck to one thing. We want to change anything and everything that is materialistic in nature. The reason is quite obvious. Each time we want something better and in order to get that better in our lives, we start demanding for it and there is someone who meets those demands. Perhaps this is how the concept of business has evolved. The same concept is also applicable in terms of heavy equipment where with every passing month and every passing year, we will see a new type of heavy equipment replacing its predecessors. It does not mean that the earlier one has gone obsolete. It is perhaps used by someone who may not afford the newer version but you will always get people who are looking for something new and something better in life.

We will be talking in brief about how heavy equipment makers get the idea to manufacture new kinds of heavy equipment.

 Knowing the pulse of the end-user:-

The first and the most important part in conceptualizing the structure of heavy equipment and the kind of features that should be added in it is by reading the minds of the end-user. The business of heavy equipment makers largely depends upon these sections of people who expect something exceptional from them. So before you start thinking about a new concept, firstly you should throw a random survey asking few basic questions and then move to its depth by asking some technical questions. Put out the survey on your website or on the website of any heavy equipment site that is most visited by people. People will fill out the survey and will also mention what new they are looking for. From there you will have a basic idea about their wants and will try to proceed in that direction.

Hire competent designers and engineers:-

Intelligence in today’s world has become a virtue. Getting someone who can really think out of the box and bring the same concept to life is a hard task. This is why you got to keep your hunt on and employ designers and engineers who can dare to think out of the box. Your men should have the ability to understand what others have produced and see the drawbacks in the product and accordingly make a stuff that is better. Branded companies like CAT, Volvo, Komatsu, JCB etc. have really competent engineers and designers who are passionate about their job and love to do things that has not been thought of or hear about. They are the ones who have brought the concept of modern heavy equipment live in front of us.

Competition should not apprehend your thoughts but should garnish it:-

The fear of competition is never good for the growth of an industry. On the contrary, it should encourage you to develop something better for the mass. Market your product before it is even produced. Since you know the concept and how unique it is, you should be able to market it well and generate the curiosity amongst people. Once the product is there is the market, it will become an easy sale then.

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Bulldozer Maintenance

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Proper maintenance of heavy equipment is considered to be highly important when it comes to increasing its overall lifespan. Big construction companies at times find it difficult to keep a check on the last time the machine was serviced. They depend more on the operators for this work. They feel that since the operator manages the machine for most of the time during the day, he is well known of the machine’s needs and therefore accordingly that can be met as and when it is requested.

This means that the entire onus of maintaining the heavy equipment falls on the shoulder of the poor chap who operates the machine all throughout the day and is also expected to know the date the machine was last serviced. The operator usually tends to forget the date is pretty obvious for so many reasons and carries on working with it till he realizes that it has been too long that the machine has been sent for maintenance. By that time there are chances that the equipment must have developed minor complications and if not addressed then can turn into a severe issue?

A good mechanic is the crux:-

You will find many mechanics who claim to be a champion when it comes to repairs and maintenance of heavy equipment. But that is certainly not the real picture. Many such mechanics take preliminary training in some heavy equipment school and then work as an apprentice for a year or so post which they start up their own workshop. They sincerely do not know much about machine and are learning while they are working. You got to give your machine to someone who knows the in and out of it and knows what to do under a given problem. A bulldozer is a strong machine but it still requires maintenance. It goes through a lot of dirt all throughout the day and most of the time has to work on extreme weather. This severely impacts the longevity of the bulldozer. It is therefore crucial that the machine is given to an experienced mechanic who has been repairing bulldozers since many years.

Maintenance of bulldozer should be monthly:-

Since people tend to lose the count of days when the last time they serviced their bulldozer, it is advised that they give their machine to be serviced on the first day of the month. Many workshops are open on Sundays as well so all you have to do is take the equipment to them and ask them to service it on the same day. Washing the machine, oiling, greasing changing the engine oil are stuffs that should be done. Other than that, if the operator experience some problem with the bulldozer that should be informed to the mechanic so that he can take a test drive and after understanding the issue work to fix it.

One must always remember that when they are dealing with a bulldozer, they are actually dealing with an expensive heavy equipment and no way should they take anything for granted especially not the maintenance part.

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Equipment Sales Tips and Advice

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Selling heavy equipment can give you great dividends. If you are in the profession of selling heavy equipment and if you are good at it then you are indeed sitting on a gold mine. You have the chance to earn lot of money through commission. A lot of men/women selling heavy equipment are successful in their profession have made enough wealth for themselves and are also loving every bit of their work. It is not only a source of earning lot of money but it also gives you respect and great sense of job satisfaction. But there is a bitter truth that lies at the core of this profession and it is the level of difficulty and hardship that one has to go through to find his place in the industry. Why would anyone buy heavy equipment from you is the most important question that you need to first search an answer to? Apart from that, knowing about heavy equipment is also crucial. In order to sell a commodity, you need to first know about it and then only you can pitch it to people.

How well you can communicate:-

You can’t make a career in sales if you are not a good communicator. A good communicator is the one who’s thought process is quick and who speaks sense therefore not sounding like a computer generated audio. While speaking at a length you should also give the chance to the listener to understand what you are saying and if required ask you questions. Do not try to confuse the person by speaking rapidly because if you do so the person might simply lose interest and you lose the deal. You may have excellent product knowledge but if you do not know how to put it forth then you need to develop that skill.

Lack of knowledge of machines and construction business:-

You not only have to know about heavy equipment but also need to possess some information about the industry where the machines will be used. The construction business is always in need to heavy machines but every construction business has varying needs and the salesman needs to understand this very need of the construction business. For instance, if the salesman approaches a person who is into grading work and therefore it makes no sense for the salesman to sell him a dozer or an excavator. He needs graders and appliances that are used in a grader. To sell the right heavy equipment you need to know the business well or else you will never see yourself successful.

List items on website:-

This is perhaps one of the simplest ways to sell heavy equipment. Here you do not have to go to people to convince people to buy the machines. All you need to do is list the heavy machines on websites that deals with buying and selling of construction machines online. Interested prospects will reach out to you and then it will be your convincing skill that will get you the customer.

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Owning a construction business – Promote it on Social Media

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It is somewhat difficult to promote a construction business if you do not have a goodwill that supports to name of the company. This form of the business is so big and widely spread that it may take ages for you to set up an identity of your own. You not only got to work really hard but also equally smart in order to make a mark in this industry. So when we talk about smart work, the smartest will be to find an easier way to communicate to the mass about your business and in this process get some work and recognition from people. You can make use of a very powerful tool that will help you connect to many people at a given point in time. The people with whom you are getting connected to may or may not know you but irrespective of that you can put your word across to the mass. You can make use of Social Media.

It has been witnessed that almost every company across any industry has their website where they can post about their information. Similarly, they are fast approaching the concept of having an account in a Social Media forum so that people can go there and check the reviews left by others. Many from the construction business have also taken the same approach. In order to promote their business, they open an account in a Social Media website and from there they post messages about their business, their achievements and the activities they conduct so that people who might require their service are aware of them and can contact them when required.

Almost every internet savvy person today has an account in some or the other Social Media website. They do this so that they can stay in close contact with their friends and loved ones. Off late, it has been seen that people who have their businesses have started promoting them on these websites. However, they prefer to keep it official and do not post pictures that are casual. Likewise, when you are creating an account for your construction business, do not post any casual pictures of you hanging around with your pals. Try to keep it as much professional as you can. Post pictures that are linked with your jobsite. Pictures like heavy equipment working on the site, engineers talking with the laborers explaining what needs to be done and stuff.

Mentioning a bit about your achievements on the Social Media website also helps a lot. There are job seekers and job givers both available on the Social Media website and if any of the job giver finds the quality of your work in compatible to his requirements, he may give you an assignment to work on. You can also customize your account to make it look attractive. There are loads of options available that you can opt to make it work. Many have found this to be a great tool to promote their business and when it comes to construction, it can’t get better than this.

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Related articles across the web

Instill the habit of referring to user manual

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You buy an item from a shop and you get a free guide book along with it. The reason they provide you with the guide book is so that it can help you understand the product in a broader way and also guide you to how to use it. It has been witnessed that people learn things by trying and testing the item and any sort of reference given about the item can only prove to be very helpful. Therefore it makes ample sense to refer to a guide book time and again you put yourself in a difficult situation and do not the way out. Off-late, it has also been seen that people are increasingly making use of videos to work things out. This is of course a nicer and simpler way to know your product but at times can prove to be risky and you may spoil the entire thing.

The guide book which is also known as user manual in the world of heavy equipment play a crucial role in upgrading the knowledge of beginners who are using the machine for the first time. This is why heavy equipment makers try their level best to make the user manual as simple as they can for the readers to comprehend the complexities involved in the machine. As a matter of fact, heavy equipment as a subject is quite complex and it requires months of dedication and hard work to understand and ultimately work on one. Therefore, it is bigger challenge for the heavy equipment makers to frame the diagrams and sketches in such a way that the end user does not find it complex to grasp. Also the language they used in the manual should be simple and easy to understand which means fewer jargons to be used.

Training videos not a substitute to user manual:-

A very dangerous trend has come to notice where people are using training videos as a substitute for user manual. Well, a training video has its own importance but it can’t ever be used as a substitute for anything. It helps people to get a better understanding of the subject they are dealing with and can teach them many important stuffs but just in case if the machine breaks down and the person tries to fix it by checking the training videos, he may land up in a bigger mess. In situations like these, reference of the user manual is most advisable. Even many training videos suggest of using user manuals in case they get stuck on something and are not able to find a way out.

It saves money on calling mechanic:-

You end up paying lot of money to the mechanic every time you experience a problem with your machine. The most viable solution is to try and fix things by reading the user manual. In most cases, the issues pertaining to the machine can be fixed if one follows the user manual properly. You do not need to call the mechanic to help you and in turn pay him your hard earned money.

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Heavy Equipment Salvage Yards

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When a part of heavy equipment goes faulty, you try to just get that replaced and not try to change the entire heavy equipment. Buying a brand new heavy equipment will cost you good sum of money and there is absolutely no sanity in buying a new machine just because few of its parts have gone faulty. When you have the option to replace it then there is no point to go for buying a new one. However, there is a challenge when you go shopping for replacement parts and the challenge that you just do not get the parts that you are looking for. In situation like this, the most viable option you can opt is to check for the parts in the heavy equipment salvage yard. There is lots of heavy equipment salvage yards available all across US and they are all interconnected with each other. So if you do not get the part anywhere you are sure to get it here.

What do we basically understand by heavy equipment salvage yard is that it is a place where you can sell your used heavy equipment and the guys out there will dismantle the machine and will remove the vital parts from it so that it can be used in some other machine? Just in case, if they see the part of the heavy equipment is not in order, they will try to repair it or rebuild it and check if it can be made usable. So a buyer who is looking for heavy equipment parts can certainly walk in to a heavy equipment salvage yard and hunt for his stuff.

If we believe that salvage yards are only meant to recover heavy equipment parts of few selected brands then it will be a complete shocker to know that these yards normally deal with every type of heavy equipment of every possible brand under the sun. So if you have a CAT dozer and want to replace its lever or want to buy few of its attachments and you find the original one getting sold by the company is pretty expensive, you can try it out in a salvage yard. You may perhaps get to see many more things which you might have never imagined. Buying a part that’s new will come with a warranty of a year or two but not every salvage yard will offer warranty on used parts. So this needs to be checked with them in advance.

There are even companies who buy the parts from the heavy equipment salvage yards and sell them online. In this way they keep the margin money by selling it slightly higher than the purchase price. This has in a way given rise to a new business and many people are seeing good prospect in this form of business. So the salvage yards are basically flocked by people who want to buy machines for their use and the others want to buy so that they sell it online and thereby make some money out of the transaction.

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Keep your heavy equipment well lubricated

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The assets of a company need to be well maintained so that it functions whenever it is required to. If it is a manufacturing unit that is into production of materials, the maintenance team needs to ensure that they keep good care of the machines that are used on a daily basis so that they do not break down at times when we need them the most. The common problem that has been witnessed in machines in a manufacturing unit is that they break down due to lack of lubrication. Well, all machine needs lubrication to function smoothly. They go through a lot of friction while in use and in order to let things move smoothly different types of lubrications are used. Heavy equipment working in a construction site also need to be well lubricated or else there are higher chances of it breaking down every now and then. Heavy equipment is undoubtedly an important asset for the construction company. They have to invest good sum of money on procuring machines. These machines also play a vital role in the completion of work.

Start with cleaning your machine:-

Before you deal with the lubrication part, it is important that you first clean the heavy equipment nicely. Get the dirt out of the stuff so that when you apply oil on the machine, it flows smoothly without any hindrance. If at all the machine is not cleaned properly and it has dust inside it, there are high chances that the oil will have a tough time reaching to vital parts of the machine. The dirt will act as a clogging agent and will restrict the flow of the oil. This can be really harmful for the heavy equipment. So before you start the lubricating stuff, make sure that you have washed the equipment and allowed it to dry. Only when it is dried up completely, you can go ahead and apply oil on it. You also need to make sure that you replace the filters regularly. It helps to keep the dirt at bay.

Maintain a record of the last time you have lubricated the machine:-

Keeping a record of the activities done on the heavy equipment is very crucial. Even if you have to change a tiny part of the machine, make a record of that. It often comes handy when a major issue crops up and you are asked to stuffs you did with your machine in the last 3 months. This helps the mechanic to understand the actual reason behind a breakdown. You just have to throw the data to the mechanic and leave the rest to him to understand what the problem could be and from where it must have started.

Lubrication of every part is essential:-

When we talk about lubrication of heavy equipment, most of us get the picture of lubricating the engine and its ancillary parts. But heavy equipment has more crucial parts than just its engine. It has the gearbox, brakes, bearings and other important parts that also need to be oiled. Therefore let’s not focus on just one key area and lubricate all the important parts irrespective of how important you feel they are for you. They are nevertheless important for the heavy equipment to function.

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Summer is deadly. Ensure that your employees are hydrated

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It becomes difficult to work on a hot summer and under the scorching heat of the sun ready to burn you down. Only the heavy equipment operators who get the privilege to work inside an air-conditioned cabin may get a bit of relief but for other workers, they may not see a solution. They have to work under the hot sun and need to ensure that they keep themselves hydrated at all times. It is common biology. More than 70% of our body is of water and when the balance is disturbed it may cause all sorts of problem to the human body. Now you do not want to fall sick just because you have failed to consume water and forced yourself to work in the hot summer. It is quite certain that your body will not be able to take this and will show signs of breaking down.

Water is an important component that you should have continuously during summer but other than that you should also intake items that helps to keep your body hydrated. There are certain fruits that play a crucial role as far as hydration of your body is concerned. So the employees working in the construction site should make a note to keep some fruits in their bag and eat them whenever they get some time out of work. To name few fruits, watermelon, orange, papaya, grapes are rich in nutrients that keep your body hydrated. Watermelon is considered to be the fruit that can supplement water. So in case you are working at a site that does not give you easy accessibility to water, you can keep some pieces of melons in a box and gulp it whenever you can. You do not have to go far to fetch water and can simply have this to stay hydrated.

When you sweat a lot, you are losing water from your body. Always try to keep your body wet with water. You can carry some ice and place it on a towel. Wrap it well and tie it around your shoulders. You can also use it to wipe the seat from your body. In this way, you not only wipe off the sweat but also hydrate your skin. You can also make use of shakes that contains lot of water and some portion of milk and fruits. You should keep taking sips at regular intervals.

Keeping the construction workers hydrated during summer should be the responsibility of the business owner. They may not provide everybody with fruits but can definitely arrange for sufficient water at all times. The employees should not run from pillar to post just to fill in a bottle of water. You can keep water storage tanks with water purifier attached to it at every convenient point. If the jobsite is big and one needs direction, then there should be signboards showing signs from where the bottles can be filled. Please do not take dehydration lightly as it can even cost a person’s life. So ensure that all your employees are properly hydrates and are therefore equally healthy.

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Love your brand but don’t act rigid while picking one

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In today’s world you will find people who are brand conscious and will not use a product that is not associated with some famous brand and rightly so, the brand name does matter a lot. You buy things based on the trust that you have on the brand. So if you have heard a name for the first time, you do not know how the overall product will be in terms of quality, efficiency and if it is worth to pay the price that the seller is quoting. When you dealing with known brands you know for sure that you are buying stuff that is probably the best in the market at a given price. Now in terms of heavy equipment where you are investing chunk of money buying them you just can’t rely on brand that you have never heard of. Just in case if the brand is new in the market, you will probably do all the necessary research work to have the confidence to buy the machine?

There is however something more important than just buying branded heavy equipment and it is to be flexible when it comes to switching over to some other brand. It has been normally seen that people who stick to a particular brand do not wish to switch to a different one; how better the heavy equipment of the other brand be. The rigidity of not moving to another brand can also prove to be costlier to them. The brand that they are using may be expensive or may lack some features that is of immense importance for the business. This is when he should leave his rigidity and become a bit flexible by moving to a different brand. There is a chance that the new brand he moves to may be more expensive but if it gives him what his business wants, it is worth the cost.

To know when to move to another brand:-

There are some construction companies who are wise enough to not have any attachment or bonding with a particular brand and easily move on to a new one whenever they see the need. Such companies are practical in nature and this is how one should be when they are a part of a volatile industry like construction. In this form of a business, things may change overnight and therefore leaving any form of rigidity is advisable. You should know when to move to a different brand. When the existing brand has become expensive and you have better options at a cheaper rate is one such sign that you should switch.

Switching does not mean you’ve stopped loving your brand:-

People who use heavy equipment of Komatsu may switch to CAT if they find something out of the way in the new brand but that does not mean that they are done with the previous brand. If they find something better by Komatsu they can readily go for that rather than assuming CAT as a superior brand.

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Veteran salesperson should be a guiding force in selling heavy equipment

Experience comes only with time and the number of cases you have done in those time. The more you work the more experience you can garner and the more responsible and knowledgeable you become. Salesmen who are experienced are valued a lot in whatever industry they are from. They just need to be good salesperson. Someone that has experience in selling lot of products of the company and also who has been the guiding force behind the young newbie are respected the most in any organization. They must have lived their life n selling things but when they grow old, it is time for them to teach others the skill. They should not just keep it to themselves but it makes sense to impart the knowledge that they have learnt in the last many years to people who consider them as their mentors.

Though selling is not considered to be everybody’s cup of tea but a veteran salesperson can make it a bit easy for guys who are having a hard time selling stuff. We definitely need a veteran salesperson when it comes to selling heavy equipment. The newbie who do not have much exposure in heavy earth moving machines will find themselves to be lost when they are given the task of selling these machines. No doubt that they have to study things in order to learn more about heavy equipment but this subject being so vast and complex, the help of a veteran salesperson is very much required.

Heavy equipment companies have seen the impact that a good mentor can have on the new guys and therefore before recruiting an experienced salesperson, they grill them a lot by asking various questions that displays their attitude as well as their persona. The companies will not want to just hire someone who knows how to sell but does not know how to teach others to sell. Being in the heavy equipment industry for years, one will know most of the attributes to sell machines but what use are those attributes if they can’t be imparted to hone someone else’s skills and therefore the heavy equipment companies invest their resources in hiring guys who can in turn become good mentors.

The veteran salesperson should be optimistic with the most pessimist sales guy working in the company. If he believes that he can transform him into an able and competent employee that makes him a valuable asset for the company. More importantly, he needs to sit along with the young guns and explain them the tricks of the trade. Give them situations and ask them to work things and then finally give tips when you see them doing something wrong. Some sort of salesman client interaction role play is needed to assess what the guys are lacking. This will help the veteran to understand what they are doing wrong and how that can be rectified. This is how he will act as a guiding force to the young salesman who sees discomfort in selling heavy equipment.