Pro-Tec’s rental division has struggled to keep up with the demand.  We have always had a consistent need for rentals involving spot repairs seem to have evolved into large, multiple shield orders.

The underground construction industry’s gradual shift toward emphasizing trenchless applications has made Mod Series a necessary item for contractors.  The need for excavations to have a more than temporary shoring system for their excavations has driven the demand.  The flexibility offered by our Mod Series is favored for the lining, bursting, oil / gas pipeline and utility contractors.

OSHA enforcement has played a large part in this Mod explosion as well.  MI-OSHA has added four new officers this year concentrating on construction projects (that brings our governor’s job creation total in her reign to four).

“We’ll only be in the hole for a few minutes.”   This was the famous excuse used by contractors when presented with Mod-Series in the past.  That phrase can’t be uttered any more with a straight face.

Pro-Tec’s Mod-Series is better than the competition for one main reason.  Our corner posts last longer than our competitors because they are made with more material and the channels connecting the panel and post are enclosed.  Our competitors lack this feature. When compared in the field, there is no doubt Mod is the better value.  When a post is damaged, it is most likely no good or at best cut down significantly.  Why continue to replace their corner posts when you can own a Pro-Tec’s Mod Series.

Stacking Units, Cutouts, Push pads, and Bolt-on Knife Edges, etc. are all excellent accessories that can be added to a 2, 3 or 4 sided Mod Series and ATS Shields.

There are times that it seems people get carried away trying to solve a contractor’s trench shoring and shielding problem with an answer that is more complex than it needs.  Sometimes, an 8’ tall x 16’ long trench shield with end panels is the best, most basic way to go, instead of a 4-sided Slide Rail System, sometimes however, it is not.  It seems like an easy thought, go with this over that, for the most part, it can\is that easy.

So what are the basics for trench shields?  Making sure the correct pins go with the shields to the jobsites.  Having the correct stacking gear, in the correct locations.  Communicating to customers when and where their orders are.  There are more, but I think you get the point.  The basics are the simple things.  The simple things are the things the make the difference between a one time customer and a repeat happy customer.  Going back to basics is more that just a cute four word phrase; it is a constant high wire act that has to be performed daily in order for companies to be profitable and survive.

Many of us are waiting for the economy to turn around and like the little boy we are getting pretty anxious.  Will 2010 be different, business wise, than 2009?  Is anyone out there getting a clear reading from your crystal ball?  Like you, I listen carefully to the news, read the papers, bounce around on the internet and listen to all the talking heads on the radio.  This is what I’m hearing “the unemployment calculator indexes for the 3^rd quarter commodities market dropped .032 points for the 4^th Tuesday in a row amidst a rapid gain in the yen which sparked a rally on the NASDAQ preferred futures….”  What does it all mean?   I’m pretty sure we are all in the same boat, waiting to hear some good news.  My non-audited, unscientific poll results are coming in and people are telling me that things are a “little” better.  A little better sounds pretty good right now.  In some circles, patience is seen as a virtue.  I tend to think of patience as a way of life.

We could mostly likely classify 2009 as the  year of extremes.  We have gone from being extremely slow, to extremely busy, back to extremely slow.   President Obama calls for hope, and that is really what the underground construction industry has boiled down to, hope.

However, 2009 hasn’t be a lost year, good things have happened for Pro-Tec Equipment this year.   Through our innovation program,  we have released the 7.5’ tall Aluminum Trench Shield line, saving, in some cases more that $500 in trucking.   2009 also will go down as the year that Pro-Tec Equipment went social, networking that is.  With the launch of a Facebook and twitter page, Pro-Tec Equipment has set itself up to have the most open communication in the industry.

So what does 2010 hold for us?  Well, there is the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. BC (Russia vs.  Canada in hockey, what a match that will be), the World Cup in Brazil (could the USA Team make it to the semi’s) and probably the most important item, the release of the bulk of the “Stimulus” money from the U.S. government.  Here’s to putting 2009 in the books and starting 2010 with a bang!

In Michigan, we have faced the struggles that the rest of the nation is now experiencing for the better part of this decade.  During Michigan’s “One State Recession”, our customers went from a significant interest in purchasing to overwhelming interest in renal only.  Sales to end users in Michigan were few and far between simply because there wasn’t a backlog of work to count on.  Our rental numbers increased year after year and profitability went up.  During this “One State Recession”, we added to our rental fleet.  We needed to.

Yes, our rental additions were scrutinized, but in the end, we decided that it was too important to service the customers that remained busy.  We still have some equipment deficiencies in some areas.  There has been too many times where we gave our customers what we had instead of what they truly needed.  Overall though, we have unofficially taken the attitude of “if we have it, they will come”.  It is much easier and more profitable to pluck something out of the fleet than it is to worry about logistics, availability and freight.

The rest of the country will not completely sink to the depths that Michigan has had to endure.  We know that the rental market will stabilize.  Service is the backbone of this business.  A well fleeted company will be able to service their customers better.  It may be a good time to add to rental fleet right now and when you do, Pro-Tec Equipment is the obvious choice to do it with.  So obvious, we are almost like an irritable, mistreated 800 lb gorilla.

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We have had an “Innovation” program at Pro-Tec Equipment for almost 2 years, giving monthly incentives to employees for coming up with ideas.  So far we have had hundreds of suggestions, some better than others, to help improve either our product line or manufacturing processes.  This program has really helped keep everyone thinking about how we can be better at our product offering and fabricating procedures.

However, what we really need is you!  We like to think that we are pretty creative around here, but we know that almost all of the really good ideas come from the field.  ”Necessity is the mother of invention”, -can you tell i like old sayings- when contractors are faced with a problem, they figure it out.  If stone is being wasted for backfill, how about a Stone Saver.  If putting a trench shield together is awkward, how about lifting eyes in the knife edge.  If a slide rail panel is hard to reach, how about a panel pusher (P.I.T. Boss).  You get the picture.  Sometimes the contractor will tell us, but more often they will just cut and weld or discuss the issue with our dealer sales team.  In fact, sometimes in response to the contractor, the sales people will figure it out first.  We don’t care who figures it out, we just want to hear your concepts so we can build a better mouse trap.

So please, send us your ideas: large or small, simple or complex.  Just draw the idea up on the back of napkin, or even better, write it on the back of a hundred dollar bill and send it to Ron.  Just one more old saying that I stole from my uncle.  It has nothing to do with the above but I like to say it every day and I think you will agree, “even though we’re getting better looking, we’re not getting any younger.”

“We had planned on using the traditional crushed rock for the project’s entrance until Pro-Tec approached us with the Rumble Grids.  Instead, we used a combination of the crushed rock and the Rumble Grid system.  It made a major difference in the cleanliness of the stone before entering the road” said project manager Paul Powell of Clark’s Construction, of Detroit which was awarded the new MDOT facility in Taylor where the system was used.  “This system would be effective on a high profile intersection like this or any site work project,” Powell added.

This particular system consisted of (3) 8’ long x 12’ wide rumble grids.   When trucks run over the raised grates on the Rumble Grids as they exit the job, accumulated mud is knocked off the tires and falls into a collection reservoir.  This prevents any dirt contamination into the storm sewer and limits dust on the road.

Clark’s was able to eliminate a tractor with a broom entirely from this project, which saved on traffic and also on job expenditures.  According to Powell, the only maintenance item for the entrance to the job was the crushed rock, which needed to be touched up once in a while.

Pro-Tec’s three facilities in Taylor, Charlotte, & Grand Rapids have the Rumble Grids as well as a full line of trench shoring and site access equipment.