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SAKAI AMERICA CELEBRATES 20 YEARS IN ADAIRSVILLE, GA.
Fifty employees work at the Sakai America facility in Adairsville, Ga. The location serves as the North American headquarters, has a 175-ft. long assembly line, 97,000 sq. ft. of office and warehouse space within two buildings and more than 40 acres of land for testing and machine storage.
Sakai America Inc. is celebrating 20 years of assembling asphalt and soil rollers in Adairsville, Ga., in May.
“Sakai America has experienced exceptional growth over the past 20 years in the United States. We have proudly assembled over 3,500 machines here in our Adairsville, Ga., facility, and look forward to being part of this community for many years to come,” said Yasunori Azumi, president Sakai America.
Fifty employees work at the Sakai America facility in Adairsville, Ga. The location serves as the North American headquarters, has a 175-ft. long assembly line, 97,000 sq. ft. of office and warehouse space within two buildings and more than 40 acres of land for testing and machine storage.
Sakai America offers a wide range of high-force vibratory compactors designed for compacting asphalt pavement and for road and building site ground preparation. The machine portfolio includes industryleading oscillatory asphalt rollers in several size classes and an exclusive vibratory pneumatic tire roller, according to the manufacturer.
The company utilizes a strong nationwide dealer network for the sale and support of its products.
Kevin McClain, VP Sakai America, helped build the Sakai America Adairsville facility 20 years ago.
“I started with Sakai America in 2000, and was part of the team that selected this site to build our first U.S. assembly facility. When the building was finished in 2001, we started our current 20-year run of assembling heavy equipment here in Georgia. We currently assemble four of our best-selling machines here in Adairsville, and this summer, we will be bringing our SW774 series in-house as well. That machine is currently made in Japan by our parent company, but we’re excited to have another model to assemble here in the U.S.”
Sakai was founded in Japan in 1918 for the manufacture and repair of diesel locomotives and engines. Since that time, the company has evolved and now boasts a wide range of vibratory compactors and road-building heavy machinery. To strengthen its global footprint, Sakai vibratory compactors were introduced to North America in 1976. Then in 2001, it began U.S. manufacturing operations in its current location of Adairsville, Ga.
For more information, visit www.sakaiamerica.com.
Contractor Quickly Mills Floor With Lutec Comicat CM 140
LUTEC from page 42
Beating the Big Boys
Due to its compact size, the Comicat CM 140 could move unhindered around the facility. Its use also allowed normal operations to proceed at most of the site.
“We had used a grinder and milling machines in the past. The machines are bigger and less maneuver, and they don’t mill any faster than the Comicat CM 140. Also, the Comicat CM 140 doesn’t get damaged when it hits rebar, but other milling equipment would damage if it hits rebar.”
Nyhuis also had one time used a milling attachment on a skid steer loader. He said it didn’t work as Using the Lutec Comicat CM 140 instead of using well as the Comicat CM 140. It jackhammers decreased the number of people was less efficient and accurate. It on site from more than 10 to just two. also created a lot more dust.
Besides its size, the machine’s cleanliness the floor (approximately 10,000 sq. ft.) were makes it well-suited for working indoors. milled. Lutec North America completed the The machine produces so little diesel emis- additional milling by the deadline quoted for sions and dust that it’s considered safe for the original 35,000 sq. ft.. indoor operation even when other people are “I was really impressed with how quickly on site. Lutec was able to mill the floors using the
“When our floors were milled with the Comicat CM 140,” said Nyhuis. “We even Comicat CM 140, there was minimal dust lost a day of work due to a COVID-related and only a little mist. The machine comes shutdown.” with a vacuum, and we used it at first, but But, the Comicat CM 140 doesn’t just do eventually decided to stop using it. The the same job as other methods, but faster — machine produced so little dust that using the it does them better, according to the manuvacuum made only a small difference.” facturer.
The milled surface also was safe for Milling slopes to a consistent grade is a pedestrian use so people could walk across difficult task regardless of the method. The the floor before the new floor was laid. Molson Coors project required milling slopes up to 3 in. in height. However, the
Staying Safe During COVID Comicat CM 140 was able to mill the slopes
The use of the Comicat CM 140 can sig- to the point they were consistent with the rest nificantly decrease the number of people on of the floor. the job site, which aids in decreasing risk of “I was both surprised and impressed with COVID-19 transmission. the machine’s ability to mill slopes so well
The Comicat CM 140 removes up to 3 in. and so easily,” said Nyhuis. of concrete, asphalt or terrazzo by milling it And, since the Comicat CM 140 can accuwith 31 rotating teeth, leaving a path of rately mill down concrete to one-eighth of an debris in its wake. A skid steer loader follows inch, it doesn’t remove more concrete than is the Comicat CM 140 to clean the debris. So, necessary, which often happens with other only two people — one in each machine — methods. According to Nyhuis, this saved need to be present. Little manual work is the company a lot of money when it came to necessary. pouring new concrete.
On the other hand, in order to remove the Also, the milled surface provides a better 35,000 sq. ft. of flooring at the Molson Coors bonding between the milled surface and the facility, it would take 10 people with jack- new concrete. hammers to accomplish the same task in the “It has been months since we laid the new same amount of time. floor and there still isn’t a single crack in it,” said Nyhuis. “Engineers predicted that it
Doing More Work in Less Time would have cracked by now. I attribute the
During the project, Nyhuis decided the absence of cracks to the excellent bonding facility would benefit if another section of qualities of the milled surface.”
