Atlas Copco Construction Equipment has launched a unique structure to keep rental centers profitable, efficient and operating at peak utilization. The company has strategically located eight service centers within a day’s drive of the majority of rental customer locations across the U.S.
While rental centers easily tackle the run-of-the-mill repairs and equipment maintenance, major repairs and refurbishments can take critical time away from keeping units serviced and in the field. In addition, major repairs often require specialized knowledge to complete. The highly experienced Atlas Copco technicians will repair or refurbish machines and return them to the centers as quickly as possible.
By using the Atlas Copco service centers for major and intense projects that could take as long as a week or more, such as clutch replacements, coupling changes and refurbishments, rental companies can free up their own technicians’ time so they can provide critical, responsive support for their key customer segments.
Rental Range
Atlas Copco is the first equipment manufacturer to offer multiple service centers throughout the U.S. Its eight facilities are located in regions with high concentrations of rental companies and significant Atlas Copco equipment usage.
Service centers are in Seattle; Corpus Christi, TX; Covington, GA; Cleveland; Apex, NC; Santa Ana, CA; and Houston (with two facilities). When necessary, trucks based at those centers can service equipment in the field. The company plans to open additional centers in Chicago, south-central Florida and in the northeast U.S., as well.
As Atlas Copco has expanded its service offerings, it has kept the end goal in sight: be as close to as many customers as possible to provide timely, expert service, all within a day’s travel. “We’re well on our way to this goal,” says Matt Cadnum, Vice President of Aftermarket Support at Atlas Copco Construction Equipment. “With our current setup, if you drew eight 200-mile-diameter circles on a map, about 90% of rental centers would be within those circles. That’s a big footprint.”
Hitting the Sweet Spot
When repair isn’t enough, Atlas Copco service centers can often refurbish equipment, such as compressors, generators, hydraulic attachments and road equipment, to extend their life and reduce total cost of ownership. In fact, to date Atlas Copco has refurbished more than 1,000 compressors and thousands of other machines. When it’s possible, refurbishment costs much less than buying a new piece of equipment, and the end result is a machine that looks nearly new, operates optimally and is extremely reliable.
For example, when a piece of equipment is in the refurbishment “sweet spot” – between four and six years old – it will have depreciated to 20% of its original value. A refurbishment can bring that equipment’s value back to 80 percent of its original price. This means owners get more value and utilization out of their old equipment.
Atlas Copco backs up the refurbished equipment with three- to five-year warranties that are comparable to what the company offers on new equipment.
Experience and Priorities
For Atlas Copco, offering convenient support starts with manufacturing high-quality, lasting products. Beyond that, the company also takes a proactive approach to the regions it serves, tracking what type of equipment is more popular in each of them. For example, compressors and generators are some of the top pieces of equipment rented in the oil fields of Texas, so Atlas Copco keeps extra compressor parts stocked to provide speedy service in that region.
In terms of expertise, technicians at Atlas Copco service centers go through approximately 80 hours of training per year. They can service not just Atlas Copco equipment, but all brands. As long as the equipment is in a class that the company manufactures – compaction equipment, compressors, generators or hydraulic breakers, for example – it can be fully serviced and repaired quickly in a nearby service center. In addition, Atlas Copco engineers are available to help when technicians run into particularly challenging or unfamiliar projects.
