Newsletter - April, 2008

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In this Issue

• A Letter from the President
• Article: The Great Debate - Centrigual Fan vs. Positive Displacement Pump
• Article: Hydro-Excavating - Is the Question How Much Does it Cost, or How Much Does it Save?
• Product Spotlight: Triple-L Trailers
• Specials

A Letter From the President

Spring is just around the corner, and I’m sure everyone is ready for the nice weather to start. It’s been a while since our last newsletter, but with the good weather coming and the winter-doldrums soon a thing of the past, this seems the perfect time to give you all an update on where Owen Equipment is going, and where we’ve been, since we last reached out to you all in writing.

2008 Marks our 50th year in business! We’ve come a long way in those 50 years and, as with all businesses there have been good and bad times – for the last two years, I can tell you progress has all been good. The year 2007 marked our highest ever new equipment sales volume; as a matter of fact, Owen Equipment was the third-largest Elgin and Vactor dealer in the United States! Of course, we have you our customers to thank for that and we appreciate the confidence you’ve placed in the Owen Equipment team as well as the Vactor & Elgin products.

Though we’ve achieved notable success in the past year, and we constantly strive to be the PREMIER Company you deserve, we remain diligent in our efforts for continual improvement. We know that you deserve the best in service and support and with that said, I am happy to make some announcements about the Owen Equipment team:

On January 1st, Dave Armstrong joined our team as the Washington Division Manager. Never before has the Company had a full-time resource to direct our Kent location’s sales, service and rental operations. I am confident that Dave’s customer-focused approach and 20 years of management experience will prove to be a major benefit to our Washington customer-base while he leads an already great team to even further improvement.

If you work in the Tri-County area of Seattle, I’m sure you’ll soon meet another addition to the Owen Equipment team: Brandan Wagner. After an exhaustive search for the right fit into our customer-centered dedication to service, Brandan joined our team on January 1st as outside sales representative for light products and supplies. He’s hitting the ground running with a lot of enthusiasm for this Industry – I’m certain he’s the right person to ensure you get the right products, on time every time!

Way back in September, Vicki Blomquist joined the Kent team at the counter parts desk. Vicki came to us with thirteen years of experience in the automotive parts industry; you’ll find that she’s come a very long way in mastering the parts books for Vactor and Elgin as well as the other equipment lines we carry.

More recently, Jackie Barron joined our team in Portland on February 11th to work in the accounting, payroll and employee benefits areas of Owen Equipment. Jackie has already proven to have an eye for detail and this can only be good for our customers and our valued employees. Her addition to the team relieves many of the daily duties of our Business and Marketing Manager, Kitty Scott. Now, Kitty will dedicate her focus on customer awareness programs such as our e-newsletter, trade show involvement, industry associations, sales specials and product offerings geared toward your budgets and buying cycles.

On February 20th, Greg Read came on board as the Portland Service Manager. Greg brings over 15 years of experience in the delivery, service and maintenance of environmental equipment. We’re certain that he will be instrumental in this new phase of our growth plan that will focus on Portland’s service department for customer satisfaction. The performance of your equipment is key to your success; Greg’s dedication to your satisfaction and his proven ability to efficiently manage a service team is sure to be a key to our success.

We’ve now exceeded $2,500,000 worth of NEW rental fleet and our entire Elgin and Vactor fleet is 2007 or newer. You can count on us when your rental needs arise to deliver the very best rental machine available - no need to be concerned that you’re renting someone else’s trade-in! Having come from a rental oriented background, it is my personal goal to make Owen Equipment your BEST resource for rental equipment in all of the lines we carry. We offer long term rentals, short term rentals and rental purchase options that we can tailor to your specific need. Being a locally owned company we can make decisions the very same day and can do things other companies cannot. If you have a special need call us and let’s see if we fit a program that will work for you!

Led by service managers Kyle Clem (in Kent) and Greg Read (in Portland), we have a full staff of factory-trained technicians in both locations to keep your equipment in top running condition. We’ve also just added brand-new and well-equipped service vehicles to each of our locations that will accommodate many of your on-site service requirements.

Since 2006 (when my partner and I bought the company) we have cleared our parts inventory of over $250,000 worth of obsolete and low-demand parts. Over that time, we re-invested our capital in the parts department to have on-hand the most highly demanded parts; and by the end of 2008 we will have built our parts inventories to over $500,000.00 of the parts that you need – WHEN you need them. On the replacement brush side, we are proud to be the largest supplier in the Pacific Northwest with a highly experienced staff to get you the right replacement brooms for all of your sweeping equipment. With the largest stock of replacement brushes in the Northwest, you can count on us as your one-call resource.

One thing in life & business that is consistent is change and we at Owen are excited about our progress and our new team members. We appreciate every opportunity you give us to serve your needs; we’ve partnered with the industry’s leading manufacturers and we are proud to back those products up with unmatched service. Our goal remains the same since June of 2006 – that goal is to “Exceed your Expectations, Every Time.” If our team fails in that goal, I can assure you that I will personally follow up anytime I know about it. And, as always, I welcome your calls with suggestions for improvements of any aspect of the service we provide – please call me anytime at (503) 704-2151.

Thank you again for your continued support. Our Team at Owen Equipment would like to wish you a very healthy and prosperous 2008!

The Great Debate: Centrifugal Fan vs. Positive Displacement Pump

by Jim Brown

In my travels and discussions of the various uses for Vactor combination sewer trucks, the most common question I hear is “What’s better, fan or PD?” For many a sewer cleaning professional, the answer might be what they are familiar with, or what they’ve used in the past. But do you really know the difference in operation and performance?

First, let’s look at how each of these units work. All combination trucks rely on air conveyance to move the material from the sewer line to the debris body. The two methods of air conveyance are the fan, which is most commonly used, or the positive displacement pump.

A fan is just that, air is pulled into the center, compressed as it works through the vanes, and released at the outer tip of the fan. The key for the most efficient operation is to gain the most compression (hence Vactor’s closed-faced fan) and create as much tip speed as possible to move the maximum amount of air. This is the reason that Vactor uses 38” fans - it is just a given that the larger the diameter of the fan, the more air it moves. Take as an example the household fan; the 24” box fan moves more air than the 10” desk fan.

The positive displacement pump, better known as a “PD”, takes air from the inlet side, compresses the air by taking large gulps and moves it from one side to the other at a very fast rate (see the illustration). The PD actually moves air, but also creates a vacuum if the airflow is blocked. The PD will continue to take gulps of air from within the debris body, pickup tube, and filters which creates negative air pressure within the system. A PD will continue to move water and material even if the pickup tube is buried (a fan unit requires airflow; so if you bury the pickup tube with a fan, it will not move material or air).

Fans work best with light and loose materials, dry to wet, short to moderate pulls, with low to moderate flowing lines. PDs on the other hand work best with short to moderate pulls, heavy, wet and dense materials, with moderate to high flowing lines.

The rule to consider for choosing a fan or PD is the 80/15/5 rule; what will be the use of the truck 80% of the time, then 15%, then 5%. It is always best to configure your truck for 80% usage. In other words, if you use the truck for jetting and cleaning sewer lines 80% of the time, then a fan would work wonderfully as most sewer lines are low to moderate flow with light and loose material. If you also used the truck 15% of the time for hydro-excavating, once again, the fan would work great because of the type of debris you are working with. But if your 80% use is in high flowing lines with heavy debris and long pulls or hydro-excavating, then the PD might be the best choice.

Another factor that should be considered when choosing between a PD over a fan unit is that the fan unit in its design is far more forgiving if material should enter into the housing. With tolerances between the vanes as close as .002" in a PD, material entering into a PD pump can cause damage and possibly expensive repairs down the road.

When considering a new combination truck, it is wise to be open-minded, and look at all the possibilities that are available to you. What works best; fan or PD? Your application will help make that decision easier for you and your Vactor representative can assist you in making the right choices for your application.
The more we know, the more we can grow. Good luck, and be safe!

Hydro-Excavating: Is the question how much does it cost, or how much does it save?

Hydro-excavation is a process that utilizes pressurized water to break up and remove soil via air conveyance (vacuum) into a debris tank, providing a non-destructive means to safely locate utilities and precisely excavate an area.
The topic of hydro-excavation is not new, but it is getting more attention these days. With the growing infrastructure in all our cities, and the high cost involved when you damage that infrastructure, there’s no denying that it’s time to look at a proven alternative to traditional excavation methods.

At the forefront of the topic is the safety aspect of choosing hydro-excavation over “hand” excavation. As part of an educational seminar event at the APWA show in Chicago, Vactor presented a comprehensive and objective overview of the benefits of hydro-excavation. Did you know? One of every five workplace fatalities is a construction worker? The fatality rate for excavation work is 112% higher than the rate for general construction. (osha.gov)

Though statistics and startling images of accidents and injuries resulting from traditional excavating methods are real attention-getters, productivity matters. Vactor Manufacturing, the leading vacuum truck manufacturer in the world, has worked closely with excavation contractors to develop the HXX. Safety and productivity are designed into every unit. Pressurized water breaks apart soil, while a high airflow vacuum removes it without damaging or disrupting lines... perfect for potholing, water-line repair, slot trenching, directional drilling, sign and pole installation, pipe location and residential excavation.

Triple-L Trailers

Demo units are here! Please give us a call or click here for more info online .

Specials

Service and Training Special for your Elgin and Vactor Equipment

We’ll provide your operators and mechanics with SIX HOURS of ON-SITE training and service on your Elgin or Vactor unit, including:

• Basic maintenance and troubleshooting
• Training on safe and proper operation
• Flow testing on your Vactor unit

Bring your questions! Our highly trained and experienced Service Manager will give your staff the answers they need. Only $399.00!

Call Greg Read (Portland) - (503) 255-9055
or Kyle Clem (Kent) - (253) 852-5819

Offer expires May 31st, 2008
Travel charges will apply to locations outside 50 miles of our Kent or Portland Location.