Precast Inc. - May/June 2008 - (Page 40) Photo courtesy Vaughn Concrete Products VCP INSTALLS A 14-BY-24-BY-8-FOOT PUMP VAULT IN TRICKY TERRAIN AT THE MISSION TRAINING FACILITY NEAR MONUMENT, COLO. many trucks, so if one went down for repairs there was little choice but to get it back on the road as quickly as possible. The same was true for other equipment such as forklifts. “When a truck went down back then, it was in the shop and it would normally roll out the next morning,” said Vaughn. “That was a good learning experience as well.” These days, trucks are just as much advanced technologically as they are complicated, with computerized components that often require factory-trained technicians and expensive diagnostic equipment. “The older trucks we can still work on,” said Michael Greenrod, plant manager, explaining that they take the newer ones to a local dealership. “We used to just take them apart and fix them and put them back together,” said Greenrod, a 23-year veteran at VCP. Still, Vaughn can usually tell what’s wrong with a roughrunning diesel engine just by listening to it. “That’s one thing that’s a little bit different about our operation. There isn’t any one of the trucks or trailers or boom trucks or piece of machinery I couldn’t tell you where we got it and where we would need to get parts for it,” he said. “I’m proud of that. There are not a lot of people that know much about their machinery; that’s what I do.” He has performed every job at the plant, and since the company fabricates its own forms, he has had a hand in building most of those as well. “That makes a lot of difference in how successful you are and how well you know your costs.” Quality begins at home VCP originally took root in the excavating business that Vaughn’s parents, Johnie and Pat Vaughn, started in 1962. Business came in the form of Johnie grading houses, installing water lines and septic systems, and Pat keeping the books. After a few years they realized that they were putting in more 40 MAY/JUNE 2008 | PRECAST INC. and more septic systems, which eventually led to supply-anddemand problems as well as quality problems. “We couldn’t get quality tanks, and we couldn’t get tanks when we needed them,” said Vaughn. “And we had years where we put in an awful lot of tanks – we put in as many as a couple of thousand a year.” And so began Vaughn Concrete Products. By 1970, the company was concentrating heavily on the precast side of the business. It continued with the excavating business until the early ’80s, and then it was all precast manufacturing. At about the same time, Johnie and Pat decided that if they could cast septic tanks successfully, they could manufacture other products as well. A decline in building construction resulted in less need for septic tanks, but the agriculture industry was strong, so they started producing precast agricultural products such as feed bunks and cattle guards. The Cheyenne plant was in full production by 1983, and they started operations at the Amarillo plant in 1989. Today a large portion of the business centers on utility vaults. “We build utility vaults from 2 feet by 2 feet on up to 16 feet by 30 feet,” said Vaughn. “The biggest piece I think we’ve ever built was 142,000 pounds.” Other offerings include grease interceptors, oil field products, storm shelters, landscaping items and transportation products. Despite the growth, VCP employs a total of about 60 people and has kept its small-business mentality. Everyone on staff is focused on customer service. A phone call to the office, for example, will be answered by a live person rather than a recording – there is no voice mail here. And typically the caller won’t have to speak to more than one or two people to get immediate answers to their questions. When NPCA plant certifications came into existence back in 1987, VCP quickly jumped on board. “We were the 14th plant
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