Truck Utilities Celebrates 50 Years of Family-Owned Service Across Midwest
(L-R) are Leo Capeder, co-founder; Craig Capeder, president; Paul Capeder, secretary/treasurer; and Jay Langer, vice president.
By Giles Lambertson CEG CORRESPONDENT
Jake Langer was a partner in a truck equipment company in 1963 when he and his son-in-law Leo Capeder, who was an employee of the company, decided to turn it into a family enterprise. Buying out his partner, Langer built a 3,000-sq. ft. facility in Maplewood, Minn., northwest of St. Paul. Langer, Capeder and Langer’s son Tom, who was a master electrician, opened the doors to a company they christened “Truck Utilities.” Fifty years later, the company still is family-owned and now
Truck Utilities St. Paul Building #4
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 2
see ANNIVERSARY page 6
The 1970s saw a fundamental change in the character of the company. It moved decisively from fabrication to distribution.
In 1976, a separate 6,000-sq.-ft. building was erected to accommodate yet another product line: Kidron Van Bodies. Five years later, that building was doubled in size and digger derricks and aerial buckets were added to the growing line-up of truck products.
Fifty years later, the company still is family-owned and now serves customers from three locations across the midwest.
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 3
JUMP STARTING
POWER
AIR COMPRESSOR AC GENERATOR WELDING ALL OF THE ABOVE!
4
5
“Every job that rushes through here, one of the three of us will be involved in it to some extent,” said Craig Capeder ANNIVERSARY from page 3
serves customers from three locations across the midwest. A third-generation family member in the company, Paul Capeder, looks back on that start a half century ago and sees three people who were independent, entrepreneurial and confident. “They simply said, ‘We think we can do this on our own.’” Turns out, they were right. Building a Company The early business focused on hand-building of body components and attachments for trucks. One of the first and most popular products was what came to be called the “Leo Plow,” a snow blade of Leo Capeder’s design. It featured an effective snow-tossing curvature, trip (L-R) Knap Knapheide, Craig Capeder and Bo Knapheide receiving the prestigious 1848 springs and a handy latching mecha- award from Knapheide.
(L-R): Bob Houston and Leo Capedar, both of Truck Utilities, pose with Jim Saultier and Jerry Roadwald of Ecolab and a custom promotions vehicle.
nism. In 2013, the signature plow remains a popular Truck Utilities product. For a decade, the new company thrived on building van, service and dump bodies for trucks, as well as specialty trailers. The trio had a knack for listening to customers’ requests for custom fabrications and delivering the goods, or of conceiving new ways to utilize truck capacity and selling customers on the ideas. Truck frames were modified to accommodate new applications. Reel-handling equipment for telephone company trucks were designed and built. And the company grew. Within two years, a 3,000-sq. ft. addition to the original facility was needed and five years after that another 6,000 sq. ft. of production and warehouse areas were put under roof. As it grew, the guiding philosophy of the company didn’t change, according to
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 6
In two-thirds of transactions, Truck Utilities mounts equipment and bodies on truck chassis units supplied by customers.
Paul Capeder. “The company has always provided products and services that let our customers do their jobs “If we’re only out to sell products, then we better and more efficiently,” he said. “Truck Utilities considers itself a partner with its cus- could sell to East and West coasts, and we don’t tomers. We give them quality products that other do that. We want to be able to service the prodpeople haven’t thought of or don’t understand, but our customers surely do understand because ucts we are selling. That is very, very important.” they are able to make more money.” The 1970s saw a fundamental change in the Paul Capeder character of the company. It moved decisively from fabrication to distribution. Instead of solely doing in-house manufacturing, Truck Utilities became a distributor of pre-manufactured products to which value A Third Generation is added through customer-specific modifications and additions. In 1983, three young men who had been hanging out at the The new product line 40 years ago included Tommy Gate lift shops since they were in elementary school —“I was welding gates, Morrison/Northwest Fiberglass, Halline ladders and Omaha when I was in the fourth grade,” Jay Langer said — came aboard Standard hoists and flatbeds. officially. Today Jay Langer, Paul Capeder and Craig Capeder are In 1976, a separate 6,000-sq.-ft. building was erected to accomthird-generation family co-owners with complementing areas of modate yet another product line: Kidron Van Bodies. Five years executive responsibility. later, that building was doubled in size and digger derricks and aerial buckets were added to the growing line-up of truck products. see ANNIVERSARY page 10
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 7
Suburban Chevrolet would like to salute Truck Utilities on 50 years of Excellence.
2013 Utility Van
6.0L V8, Auto, A/C, 8 Compartments w/Adjustable Shelves, 2 Rear Access Conduit Doors, 10’Lx52”Wx57”H Interior Load Space Sale Price good until 8/31/13 - 2 Left at $32,750
952-913-0036
12475 Plaza Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
www.suburbanchev.com
Ask for Darin
*All Sale Prices Include Manufacturer Rebate & Commercial Rebate For Qualified Commercial Customers To Dealer, Not Including Tax Or License.
Built for the contractor on the move, WEATHER GUARD® Truck and Van Storage Equipment is also built to last.
2012 Ram 4500 Knapheide Hauler MSRP $52,317
$avings $ale $42,777*
Fury Motors would like to congratulate Truck Utilities for 50 years in business. Designed using the best materials available and utilizing the latest technologies, professional tradesmen trust in the safety, security and durability that WEATHER GUARD®
The fast lane for small business.
FURY MOTORS South St. Paul, Minnesota
Truck and Van Storage Equipment offers.
Truck Master Dick Reineck
800-456-7865
651.251.8214 direct • rreineck@furymotors.com
8
www.weatherguard.com
When You Say...ALUM-LINE You’ve Said IT ALL!
All T ypes oF service uTiliTy Bodies
indusTriAl BuilT conTrAcTor Bodies. cApAciTies up To 20,000# & 24’ lengThs.
And
ALL ALUMINUM PRODUCTS... BUILT CONTRACTOR TOUGH!!!
A compleTe line oF TrAilers! including open uTiliTy, FlATBeds, enclosed 5Th Wheel & Bumper pulls.
A Full line oF Tool Boxes, including crossover, underBody, And All T ypes oF cusTom dimensions.
FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION AND COLOR BROCHURE, CONTACT: www.alumline.com Cresco, Iowa 800-446-1407 • Fax: 319-547-5366
Your Metro Area Distributor - Truck Utilities 9
“The company has always provided products and services that let our customers do their jobs better and more efficiently.” Paul Capeder
ANNIVERSARY from page 7
Installation of Beau-Roc 9 ft. dump body and Swenson spreader with a Truck Utilities Leo Plow.
Truck Utilities uses only polyurethane paint in a 60 ft. downdraft paint bay booth.
“It was a case of them saying, ‘OK, guys, we are going to get you out of the shop and into an office role,’” Paul said. “For the three of us, this is the only place we have ever worked.” Langer is vice president and runs commercial sales. That includes everything except lift bodies and special applications, which are rolled into the utility product line headed by Craig, who is president. Paul is treasurer and manages the company’s growing fleet of rental trucks, almost all of which are boom rigs. “Because we all grew up in the business,” said Craig, “we’re all experienced from the standpoint of sweeping floors and moving onto the shop floor, with practical experience in building equipment and forming sheet metal, eventually working up into sales and management. It is fun working with a customer to increase his productivity and to work hand in hand with shop people. Every job that rushes through here, one of the three of us will be involved in it to some extent.” New product lines of the ’80s included IMT field service crane and mechanic bodies, RO Stinger truck-mounted cranes, Knapheide service bodies, Morgan van bodies and Teco insulated aerial equipment. The boom truck rental fleet was launched with two truck-mounted cranes. The latest Manitex offering, the TC700, is a 70-ton (63 t) capacity crane that is mounted on a highway-ready commercial chassis and has a boom reach of 115 ft. (35 m). It was unveiled in May during a 25th anniversary celebration with dealers — Truck Utilities, among them — “who helped us reach such an important milestone,” see ANNIVERSARY page 12
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 10
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
IMT. Nothing Says Commitment Like The Diamond.™
www w.imt.com
IMT, the IMT logo and NOTHING SA IMT, SAYS AYS YS COMMITMENT COM LIKE THE DIAMOND ar are e registered registered trademarks of Iowa Mold T Tooling ooling Co., Inc., Garner, Gar ner, IA, USA. A. © 2013 Iowa Mold Tooling Tooling Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
11
ANNIVERSARY from page 10
said Randy Robertson, Manitex sales and marketing director. The list of products distributed by Truck Utilities lengthens each year as the company embraces popular utilizations, including the upfitting of lumber trucks, produce delivery vehicles, utility contractor trucks, phone and natural gas company rolling stock, municipal vehicles and on and on. “We try to be very diversified in the industry so we don’t put all our eggs in one basket,” said Paul. “That’s why we have two divisions. The only things we don’t do are garbage trucks and fire-emergency trucks. We don’t do a lot of tractor-trailers either, but generally speaking, if it is on a truck chassis, we do it.” In two-thirds of transactions, Truck Utilities mounts equipment and bodies on truck chassis units supplied by customers. When the applications are larger scale, however, the company typically provides the chassis and everything that goes on it in a total turnkey operation.
Custom fabrication to meet customers’ exact needs.
see ANNIVERSARY page 14
Installation of new Barko 80 for MnDOT.
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 12
13725 Main Street Rogers, MN 55374 Phone (763) 428-4107 Fax (763) 428-2700
14802 Aberdeen St. NE Ham Lake, MN 55304 Phone (763) 755-2347 Fax (763) 755-4749
233 Cajima St Isanti, MN 55040 Phone (763) 444-8873 Fax (763) 444-6597
7525 West Highway 13 Savage, MN 55378 Phone (952) 890-9242 Fax (952) 890-0160
2315 W Wayzata Blvd Long Lake, MN 55356 Phone (952) 473-5634 Fax (952) 473-1426
This Design Improves Your Bottom Line! NEW Rugby Eliminator LP! The new Rugby Eliminator LP 2-3 yard dump body offers landscape contractors productivity, style and durability. The new Eliminator LP features a seamless, one-piece 10-gauge steel floor for optimum strength and durability. A lower mounting height improves stability, while a full 9-foot inside diameter allows for full sheets of plywood or other materials. Available Material Options:
ÝÛCa_`lo]a_`lÛ8dmeafme ÝÛ~ ¤_Ym_]ÛJl]]d ÝÛJlYafd]kkÛJl]]d Improve your productivity and profitability with the New Eliminator LP from Rugby. Visit www.rugbymfg.com or call 800-869-9162 today!
Newly designed Rugby Eliminator LP steel body. 13
Custom Knapheide service body. ANNIVERSARY from page 12
Boom, Boom, Bump The 1990s marked the beginning of a notable expansion period for the company. The production area of each of the Maplewood facilities was enlarged by more than 7,000 sq. ft., including a modern paint baking booth. In 2000, Truck Utilities broadened its footprint across the midwest. A sales office was established in Eau Claire to serve Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan, and a 4,000-sq.-ft. sales-and-service facility was built in Kansas City, Kan. One year later, a company in Fargo, N.D., became available and Truck Utilities acquired it and moved its product line into North Dakota. Commercial and residential construction, infrastructure repair and power industry upgrades kept truck equipment suppliers busy. This led, in 2007, to the company opening a dump body and equipment upfit facility in Kimball, Minn. But just one year later, the 44-year forward Custom service body insert for MnDOT truck.
see ANNIVERSARY page 24
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 14
15
Truck Utilities Through the Years
16
17
Langer Used Self-Taught Skills to Build Better Trucks, Growth-Oriented Business By George Beran PIONEER PRESS
(Editor’s note: This article is reprinted from a 1996 story that appeared in the Pioneer Press) Jake Langer is hardly the best-known manufacturer in Maplewood, but when it comes to inventiveness, he can give headline-grabbing 3M a run for the money. As the 86-year-old patriarch of Truck Utilities & Manufacturing Co., Langer uses self-taught mechanical skills to design, make and install custom steel equipment on trucks. Although he never finished eighth grade, Langer knows what it takes to build a $12 million company from scratch. “I watch things like a hawk,” he said. “Workmanship has got to be done right. You’ve got to have something that stands up and is going to last.” That means no crooked frames, bad welds, sharp edges or inferior paint jobs on the trucks he fixes or customizes for customers such as US West, Ecolab, Northern States Power and United Products. Langer holds several patents on mechanical devices, equipment and machinery that customers purchase or his company uses in nine buildings on a 10-acre site at English Street in Minnesota. What’s more, he still works seven days a week, overseeing the business and espousing an optimistic, growth-focused philosophy. “You can’t get smaller because overhead keeps getting out of line,” he said, pointing to product liability and other insurance costs that surpass $400,000 a year. “It’s fun improving things. If you’re just going to stay in a rut, that doesn’t make sense.” At his 33-year mark in business, Langer’s payroll has grown 28 times to 85 employees, from three at the start. He wishes he could find more skilled help to join Truck Utilities’ two shifts. “I’ve got wonderful employees and a good profit-sharing plan for them,” Langer said. “I treat them like people should be treated. So many companies don’t realize what good help is.” Saving time is the goal he pursues when
“It’s fun improving things. If you’re just going to stay in a rut, that doesn’t make sense,” said Jake Langer, who started out with three employees in 1963 and now has 85. designing overhead cranes or ladder carriers and tooling around the company acreage in his golf cart. “Things have got to be handy,” he said. “I’m always improving things, saving time.” Ever since he built gopher traps as a youngster living on a farm near Bald Eagle Lake, Langer has loved to tinker. “My dad had a blacksmith shop on the farm and we built whatever we needed.” As a young man, he made a sidecar for his motorcycle. While working for the Mahle Truck Body Co. in St. Paul in the late 1940s and early ‘50s, Langer substituted steel for wood framing to make what he believes was the first all-steel truck body in Minnesota. He joined Steve Zeece, another Mahle employee, to start L-Z Co. in Roseville in 1953. Langer designed and built truck bodies
until he left the firm to open Truck Utilities in 1963. A 100-ton press nicknamed Lu Lu Belle was the first piece of equipment he designed and built for his new company. The press bends to form the sheared steel in the manufacturing process. He believes in back-saving factory equipment and safety on the job. “I don’t want employees hurting themselves lifting. We have six forklifts and build our own cranes.” Langer designed several overhead factory cranes, one with four chains that looks as though it could lift a battleship. He once rebuilt a wrecked 1954 Ford car, transforming it into “Jake’s Missile,” with a rounded front end protected by a curving bumper. He drove it for 28 years, incurring no front see page LANGER 20
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 18
19
Celebrating Tradition
U.S. Bank congratulates Truck Utilities on its 50th Anniversary! Thank you for allowing us to serve you over the years and we look forward to our continued partnership.
usbank.com
612-978-8181
Member FDIC. ©2013 U.S. Bancorp. All rights reserved. 6865
Nuss Truck & Equipment would like to Congratulate Truck Utilities on 50 Years!
LANGER from page 18
end damage from fender benders. The car hangs from the ceiling of a company warehouse. Although he has manufactured hundreds of truck bodies over the years, Langer buys most of what he needs today from suppliers. “With the labor and insurance costs, I can buy a lot of bodies cheaper than I can make them.” For the same reasons, he buys camper tops and van bodies instead of making them. He wishes taxes and insurance costs would come down to improve the manufacturing climate. He is an active Chamber of Commerce member. Selling and repairing truck cranes and hoists accounts for a big chunk of his business. But lots of revenue comes from miscellany such as adding lift gates, repairing winches or manufacturing snowplows. He has patents on a snowplow locking device and sells about 200 plows a year. “Anything that can be done with a truck I can do,” he said. When Langer set up shop, his son, Thomas Langer; brother, Jim Langer; and son-in-law, Leo Capeder joined the company. Son Tom died 15 years ago and Jake’s wife, Florence, died last year. Jim Langer and Capeder still work at Truck Utilities along with three grandsons who will inherit the company. Each year Jake Langer passes more shares of stock along to Jay Langer, Tom’s son; Craig Capeder and Paul Capeder. Just for the record, Jake is the nickname that Langer picked up as a boy from a White Bear Lake bar owner who knew his dad and didn’t think his given name, Hartford, should stick. It’s been Jake ever since.
2195 W. County Road C2 • Roseville, MN 55113 (800) 704-0935
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y
20
Manitex 50155S Provides Long Reach Boom for TU to Go Above and Beyond For grain bin installation and maintenance, the Manitex 50155S provides the long reach boom that is required for this type of work.
By D. Ann Shiffler SPECIAL TO CEG
When Manitex introduced its 50155S boom truck a couple years back, Paul Capeder, president of St. Paul, Minn.-based Truck Utilities, was intrigued by the machine. With a boom that will extend to 155 ft. (47 m), and its strong lifting chart, the boom truck opened new avenues for business. Truck Utilities initially ordered six 50155S models and they have had strong success with the machines. The company, with branches in Kansas City, Kan., and Fargo, N.D., recently placed an order for six additional units, Capeder said. “We’ve had good success with grain bin applications,” Capeder explained. “The 50155S’s are mounted see REACH page 22
The Manitex 50155S is being utilized in power line work because of its long reach and strong lifting chart, said Paul Capeder, president of St. Paul, Minn.-based Truck Utilities.
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 21
For power line work, the Manitex 50155S is often customer outfitted with specialized equipment.
REACH from page 21
strong market for this model.” The 50155S also has become a useful tool in power line work, Capeder said. “With the long boom we now have to offer, these contractors can use the crane without having to utilize a side-stow jib,” he said. “The equipment these contractors were using previously, they always had to use a swing jib. “We can do the same reach with the power boom as with the jib on the smaller equipment, increasing productivity and increasing safety and decreasing any type of equipment damage due to not putting the jib away properly or going down the right-of-way with the jib erected. We eliminate those cost items to the contractor.” Capeder is looking forward to receiving his next “batch” of machines. “It has been a very good product for us and we push it very hard,” he said “It has opened some doors but more so it has lent itself to our end users being more profitable, which is great and that’s what it is all about. We’re here to help our customers become more profitable.” Among the most popular aspects of the 50155S is that is was designed to be roadable in all 50 states, Capeder said. “With this machine, you don’t need an overweight permit. It is federal bridge compliant in all 50 states. That is huge.” The story was reprinted with permission from Act Magazine December 2010 Issue.
on twin-steer Macks or twin-steer Freightliners. In the grain bin application, the contractor will sell, service and install grain handling and storage equipment using this crane.” With the one boom truck, a contractor can lift, place and install the grain bin, the dryers and grain legs. The long reach of the crane allow these contractors to service grain bins when necessary. Prior to the availability of this model cranes, these contractors would rent a 75 to 100 ton (68 to 91 t) truck crane, he said. “It’s more economical to use the boom truck,” Capeder said. “None of the equipment they have to lift is very heavy, it’s just the height that is needed. With this machine, the grain bin contractors have the capacity that is required with 30 to 40 percent less equipment cost.” While Capeder said his company has always gone after these contractors, “this machine just lent itself to letting that customer grow in a boom truck without having to go into a truck crane, which we don’t sell. We are just increasing our equipment portfolio for the same customer we always called on.” Truck Utilities covers North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri, all of which are in the “grain belt,” he said. Bruce Steele, regional business manager of the central United States and eastern Canada for Manitex, said that Capeder has been instrumental in helping Manitex with design criteria for this crane. “Truck Utilities has put several of these machines to work since it was introduced at ICUEE in 2009,” he said. “He has found a
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 22
Signs you need an EZ TRAC!
Height and Weight
®
EZ TRAC is the all wheel drive solution.
WWW.EZTRAC.COM I 1-800-348-2474 I info@tdsdrive.com 23
“The older I get, it is not so much about sales. It is more about relationships with customers. As we grow, it is fun to see customers grow along with us.” Jay Langer
ANNIVERSARY from page 14
movement of the company hit a wall. The recession of 2008-09 rolled across Truck Utilities’ entire marketing area, testing the co-owners’ ability to keep a company intact during a time of economic turmoil. Company co-founder Leo Capeder — who retired in 2011 — was still on hand to give some historical perspective to the third generation of company executives. Together, they and their employees battled to survive. Flush with inventory but suddenly bereft of sales, the company entered a period of frugal, hold-the-line management, with banking partner U.S. Bank helping stave off the recessionary wolves. For the first time in Full service/repairs for the largest cranes.
see ANNIVERSARY page 28
Truck Utilities installs the first Socage 230 ft. lift on 7-axle chassis in the U.S. market.
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 24
Whether it’s moving dirt or freight Boyer Ford and Truck Utilities have been doing it together successfully for 50 years.
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y
Thank you for the great relationship and congratulations on achieving the 50 year milestone and we look forward to another 50! 2425 Broadway Street NE • Minneapolis, MN 55413
612-378-6000
Hiniker would like to Congratulate Truck Utilities on 50 Great Years!
25
Happy
It’s What We Know
Truck Utilities!
Equipment | Materials | Solutions
MDV
TM
Swenson has been designing equipment to meet customers’ exact needs for over 75 years. We know there isn’t a one size fits all solution for custom and unique applications. From customer service to manufacturing, Swenson is dedicated to providing high quality solutions in snow and ice control systems. Because at Swenson – equipment, materials and solutions – it’s what we know.
We’re proud of your commitment to Quality, Customer Service and Dedication to Excellence.
AFTER ALL, WE SHARE THE SAME VALUES!
TRUST TRUCK UTILITIES TO PROVIDE
AIR COMPRESSORS
THE SERVICE AND SUPPORT
YOU NEED
POLY HAWK
TM
FOR ALL YOUR SWENSON SPREADER PRODUCTS.
PV
TM
(Stainless Steel Available)
| | Kansas City, Kansas | 800.279 9.0220
www.truckutilities.com
Congratulations, T Truck ruck Utilities, for achieving 50 years of doing business! WWW.SWENSONPRODUCTS.COM PHONE 888.825.7323
26
1761 Genesis Drive LaPorte, IN 46350 www.bossair.com • 1.800.635.6587
27
“They are the best. We are very fortunate to have retained them. Their dedication to quality work and customer service is what has made 50 years of growth possible.” Paul Capeder
were the company’s longtime employees. Some Truck Utilities production workers and staff have been working alongside management for 35 years, a personal commitment that has benefited both the employees and the company. The company has about 100 employees, with 20 of them split between Fargo and Kansas City and the rest in Maplewood. “They are the best,” Paul Capeder said without equivocation. “We are very fortunate to have retained them. Their dedication to quality work and customer service is what has made 50 years of growth possible.” Building a Future The company’s Fargo, Maplewood and Kansas Rental crane donated to St. Paul Winter Carnival Ice Palace, circa 1987. City locations are “steadily busy” now in a slowly ANNIVERSARY from page 24 recovering economy. The frantic oil drilling activity in North company history, some employee layoffs occurred. In 2009, the Dakota is settling into a sustainable pattern of long-term production. Concentration on growing the business at those locations Kimball location was closed and its assets returned to St. Paul. The decision was made to maintain the company’s truck rental supersedes for the present any thought of expansion. In fact, fleet despite the slump and to keep a reasonable inventory of truck nationwide expansion is not even part of the DNA of Truck bodies so that when the downturn finally hit bottom, the company Utilities, according to Paul. “We want to maintain service areas so our customers have reawould be poised to quickly respond to renewed customer investment. It was a fortuitous decision: As the fracking oil and gas sonable service time intervals,” he said. “If we’re only out to sell boom in North Dakota began to resonate throughout the midwest- products, then we could sell to East and West coasts, and we don’t ern economy in 2009, Truck Utilities had inventory from which to do that. We want to be able to service the products we are selling. That is very, very important.” fill orders, and a turnaround began. Within the parameters of that business model, Truck Utilities is “It was tight,” Paul said of the four years the recession hit, “but positioned to grow. It has identified a reliable customer base for its we got through it.” Some of the steadiest influences during the economic upheaval products. Utilization of the products may vary from place to place
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 28
— the same boom truck being employed in oil production near Fargo, for roofing work in St. Paul, or in general contracting work in Kansas City — but the customer is a satisfied one in each case. Jay Langer sees growth coming in the infrastructure segment — power and energy transmission, utility repair and roadway reconstruction. “Everything is so old that they are going to have to redo it all,” he said. Such work could be a boom for the company’s boom and utility service truck product lines, as well as its boom truck rental fleet, which now numbers about 100 units. The increasing size and complexity of heavy equipment — ag equipment as well as construction machinery — suggests that the products of Truck Utilities will be in demand for a long time to come. Paul said it’s “the way of America, to become bigger and more efficient. But that makes it more and more difficult to bring the oversized equipment back to the shop to work on it. This lends itself to sales of more field service trucks.” Combining all of that with Truck Utilities’ diverse portfolio of products and upfit services seems to ensure that the company will continue to grow as it enters its second 50 years.
Truck Utilities built this truck for Northern States Power shown here on a service call during the Minnesota Halloween Bizzard of 1991.
“Our custom fabrication sets us apart. People look at our capacity to custom fit their needs and they realize there is greater latitude in what they can do, rather than just going with what is in a catalog,” said Craig. Nor is the company standing still in its offerings. It continues to seek out products from new suppliers, from van interiors to snowhandling equipment to aerial lift devices, including an Italian lift with a 225-ft. (68.6 m) work height. For more than two decades, Truck Utilities has displayed upfitted truck units at the Minnesota State Fair, an event that is both a sales opportunity and a fun exhibition for the public. The merging of work and pleasure is an indicator of the state of mind at Truck Utilities. “The older I get,” said Langer, “it is not so much about sales. It is more about relationships with customers. As we grow, it is fun to see customers grow along with us. We now have a lot of close customers who just drop by the office to visit.”
T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 29
30
Manitex congratulates you on 50 years of business!
Manitex 50155S Truck Mounted Crane with 50 Ton capacity. Whether you’re in oil production or building bridges, billboards or power transmission lines, Manitex has the right machine for the job. Manitex is proud to be a Truck Utilities manufacturer - providing efficient, reliable truck mounted lifting solutions. Increase productivity with the 2-speed planetary hoist with grooved drum
Get strength and flexibility Speed set-up time for a with the 155 ft. 5-section single operator with ROC proportional boom solid radio remote outrigger control
(877) 314-3390 www.manitex.com A Manitex International Company
31