Railway Track & Structures - December 2008 - (Page 29)

Big job lar cutting technology,” said Brian Buys, technical sales representative at Hougen. The company keeps its focus on safety, reliability and ergonomics in every tool it designs for use within maintenance-of-way operations. “Our engineering staff looks ﬁrst at safety, then ergonomics and ease of use, once these issues have been addressed, then reliability is engineered into the design,” said Buys. Buys notes that although business in 2008 is close to forecast and 2009 will likely see an increase, the current global ﬁnancial situation is making for difﬁcult times. “Hougen Mfg., like all other companies supplying a global market, is dealing with the same issues: rising health care costs, the increased costs for raw materials, keeping a skilled and trained workforce. However, after more than 50 years of business, coupled with a strong and capable management team, Hougen Mfg. is conﬁdent that we will be able to continue providing quality tools at a competitive cost for many years into the future,” said Buys. Matweld, Inc., develops and evolves its product line to mirror the changing safety and procedural needs of its railroad customers. It’s this dedication and coordination that led to the development of Matweld’s Precision Frog Grinder. “We believe the introduction of this tool to the industry will help change the procedures on how frogs are rebuilt in the ﬁeld, which will result in overall extended life, savings in maintenance repair time and cost,” said Alex Hellkamp, sales manager at Matweld. “This tool brings machine-shop precision capabilities to the ﬁeld. With precision angle and height adjustability, this tool permits every operator to produce a consistent and precision grind to the rebuilding of any frog.” The Precision Frog Grinder (see cover) allows the operator to grind while standing up, which keeps the user’s face away from grinding dust and also brings ergonomic advantages. Hellkamp notes that safety is a primary concern, especially now with the present work force maturing towards retirement and more new hires coming into the industry. “Most industries today are trying to get more and more accomplished with smaller work forces and less expendiwww.rtands.com Railway Track & Structures December 2008 29 Small tools tures. This reality forces manufacturers to be extremely competitive in order to stay in the market,” said Hellkamp. “Safe, efﬁcient and cost-effective products are what the railroads are looking for from all manufacturers. Communication is essential to know what has to change to be a provider of these products to them. Teamwork between both railroad customer and Matweld has been, and is still, the best method to step up to meet the challenges of these ever changing needs.” During this past year, Matweld has obtained ISO 9001: 2000 certiﬁcation. Hellkamp points out that with ever increasing costs of raw materials utilized in the manufacturing processes, it is imperative to have an efﬁcient, cost-effective operation, while maintaining quality and says this certiﬁcation stands as proof of Efﬁcient and precise tools http://www.rtands.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Railway Track & Structures - December 2008

Railway Track & Structures - December 2008 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Hand-Held Tools Continue Big Role in Railroad Engineering AREMA C&S Moving Ahead Optimizing Winter Speed Restrictions RTA 2008 Conference Makes Splash in Savannah, Ga. Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Advertisers Index Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - December 2008

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