Underground Construction - February 2018 - 42

BUSINESS LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS
Felling Trailers
felling.com

A new, state-of-the-art, 29,000-square-foot Fabrication Center takes streamlining the production
process to new levels for Felling Trailers.
The layout design of the Fabrication Center was based on the equipment used to complete
the processing of fabricated parts with the goals of reducing non-value time inefficiencies, limiting the number of times material is handled, enhancing safety and increasing work environment
comfort.
"It's really about machine relation. The shorter the distance a part has to be moved during the
process equals less time and movement that is required of the worker to complete the job. Flow
is everything. A lot of the material handling solutions and concepts have been custom designed
and made by our internal people. We are very lucky to have such a talented staff of custom
fabricators," said Chris Berg, Felling Trailers project manager.
New technology includes the Mitsubishi 6000-watt Fiber Laser with a tower automation
set-up to run the cell. The fiber laser operates on shop air (shop air is run through a four-stage
filtration system, then compressed to 225 psi), to cut material up to 0.25 inches thick. For thicker
materials, the laser operates on oxygen.
Equipped with tower automation, Felling Trailers can have up to eight shelves loaded with up
to 6,000 pounds of material that can be pulled by the job. Knowing exactly what the tower can
hold also allows for added efficiencies when ordering materials. The sheet steel for the laser is
ordered in pre-bundled stacks to match the capacity of the tower, eliminating room for error in
the loading process.
Central Minnesota, family-owned and -operated Felling Trailers has provided innovative solutions to the transportation industry for over 40 years, currently manufacturing over 5,000 trailers
a year from its 240-model standard line and customized products.

Caterpillar
cat.com

Caterpillar has
extended its
machine standard warranty
to 24 months or
2,000 hours for
new machine
purchases
(starting Jan. 1, 2018) of skid steer loaders, compact track
loaders, multi-terrain loaders and mini excavators sold in the
U.S. and Canada by authorized Cat dealers.
"Our mission is to help customers succeed," said Korey
Coon, general manager of Caterpillar BCP Product. "We
design and build Cat compact machines to be productive,
reliable and durable, and Cat dealers offer unmatched service
capabilities. The enhanced warranty builds our support of
customers' businesses even further."
The enhanced standard warranty also gives customers
peace of mind by helping protect their budgets from unforeseen expenses created by repair costs and/or downtime.
And when it's time to trade-in, warranted, dealer-serviced
machines command greater value.
Beyond the standard 24-month, 2,000-hour warranty, Cat
Financial Services offers a full range of equipment protection
plans.
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FEBRUARY 2018 | UConOnline.com

Prinoth
prinoth.com
Leslie Equipment Company
now represents the Prinoth
Panther, selling, leasing and
servicing the tracked vehicles
in West Virginia.
"We chose the Prinoth
Panther line because we
believe it is the best undercarriage and track system on the market," said John
Leslie, president. "We are impressed by the overall quality and reliability of the
vehicles."
Prinoth (Québec, Canada), part of High Technology Industries Group, has
over a half-century of tracked vehicle experience, based on the sprocket-track
system invented by Bombardier in 1935. State-of-the-art technology and
innovative design make the Panther line reliable and efficient, especially for
extreme use in mud, gravel, snow and other extreme environments. With a
huge payload, these vehicles can be equipped with a multitude of specialized attachments. And because they exert very low pressure on the ground,
Prinoth's tracked utility vehicles go places where wheeled vehicles sink.
Prinoth was attracted to the new business relationship by Leslie Equipment's outstanding reputation in the industry. "They are a leading John Deere
dealer and have recently been awarded the John Deere Onyx #1 Award for
2017," said Doug Little, director of sales. "We are confident that Leslie Equipment will help us develop new business and provide us with great insights for
future network expansion."

http://www.felling.com http://www.cat.com http://www.prinoth.com http://www.UConOnline.com

Underground Construction - February 2018

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