It’s over. Billy’s cooked without a chance to negotiate or be heard. Why? He didn’t reach the ultimate decision maker. But wait … who’s walking in the house in good spirits and a bounce in his step? It’s Dad! Billy rushes to the big guy with a hug and says, “Hey Dad, can I have an ice cream bar?” Dad’s golden response: “Sure sport and I’ll tell you what, get me one too.”

Yee-haw, sale closed!

Think of all the time you’ve spent and the energy you’ve exhausted on attempts to cajole gas, oil and mining industry customer contacts who love to say “no” but don’t really have the authority to say “yes.” It can be a frustrating, morale-beating process. It also happens to be bad for your business’ bottom line.

Making a connection with the commercial customer, the individual who can say “yes,” isn’t always easy but the first question I challenge you with is, “Who are you asking for an ice cream bar?” Aim low or aim high and, well, you know what you get.

THE DECISION MAKER

The following tips are both necessary and instrumental for landing bigger pumping accounts in less time, from the people who have the authority to say “yes!”

See yourself as a peer.

Before we get into approach, answer this: Are you confident enough to have a discussion on equal ground with the big wheels who run the show? You would be shocked at the number of grown adults who will answer this with a “yes” to others, but say “no” to themselves in subtle, counterproductive ways.

Trigger Tip: To view yourself as a peer, use positive self-talk and manage that internal cynic. Remember, how you present yourself is stronger than any service or product you offer. A strong handshake, a confident personality and voice, and the right mental attitude can make a huge difference.

Do your homework.

A lack of preparation may be the biggest deal killer there is. When it comes to connecting with buyers, you must know three aspects of the deal and know them well. They are, 1. Their company. 2. Their competition. 3. Your product or service. Do these seem like no-brainers? You’d be surprised how many service providers don’t know when a client company was founded, what their mission statement says or how they fare against the competition. As far as knowing your own product and service, read on.

Trigger Tip: If you haven’t made Google your best buddy, start today. The Internet search engine will swiftly allow you to collect information about the companies you target, and often the professional resumes and personal interests of your buyers.

Speak in sound bites.

When you have the chance to speak to the buyer, get to the point and remember that less is more. Too many service providers ramble aimlessly about what they’re selling and can kill their credibility because of the confusion they create about their product or service. Decision makers want you to be brief. Granted, when you get those few moments to audition, it can feel like a pressure cooker. So, prepare only information that demonstrates how buyers will benefit and what their return on investment will be. If you don’t have this ready to be delivered in 15 seconds or less, keep practicing your pitch.

Trigger Tip: For every piece of information about your service or company you prepare, ask the questions that your buyer would ask, such as: “So what?” or “What’s in it for me?” These force you to always speak in benefits-focused, buyer-friendly language.

Ask great questions.

Conventional sales jargon used to be ABC, which stood for Always Be Closing. People are more perceptive than ever and most folks know when they’re being manipulated. Today’s world of collaborative, relationship selling, especially with high-level customers, should be more about ABO, or Always Be Opening. The more accurate diagnostic you make on a client’s needs is always a reflection of the quality of data you can learn from them. Questions are the golden nuggets that lead you down the path to landing a new customer.

Trigger Tip: Be sure your questions are open-ended, (which allows customers to elaborate), and make certain they tie directly into the objectives the customer has and how they will know when successful results are realized.

Saying “No” can get the “Yes!”

When trying to impress a customer, it’s easy to try too hard. We’ve all done it, but it’s crucial to be yourself. If you disagree with something he or she says, tactfully push back and challenge them. Authentic candor has elevated many sales pitches and transforms you into a service provider the customer can trust and respect.

Trigger Tip: Don’t try to be too enthused or eager right away. Think about how turned off you get when a telemarketer tries to impress you with an over-the-top sales pitch. You want to run the other way. Be genuine and be honest at all times.

PREPARATION IS KEY

Obviously, high-level buyers are usually a tougher sale than Billy Johnson asking his dad for an ice cream bar. They require an eclectic approach of preparation, self-talk and smart behaviors. But just like Billy, if you choose the right approach with the decision maker, you’ll get the “yes” answer you’re looking for.

Equipment is the easier challenge to overcome. If you have the money and sources for quality machinery, you can buy the equipment necessary to do the job. But labor can be a bigger struggle. You’re competing with all the other employers for a limited supply of qualified workers in these industries. You’re also often asking workers to disrupt their lives and move away from their families to earn a living in remote areas of Canada, Alaska and North Dakota.

If you’re persuasive enough to hire experienced hands willing to move great distances for the work, will you be able to keep them on the payroll over the long term? It costs plenty to recruit and train workers … You want to keep them working for you and happy with their careers as long as business booms.

So here are a few tips to help your company come out on top in the recruiting wars and stay there:

Pay more.

It sounds too simple to be true, but one oil and gas industry recruiter I talked to recently said successful hiring often comes down to cold hard cash. Remember the adage popularized in the movie Jerry Maguire: “Show me the money!” Just like the sports agent portrayed by Tom Cruise holds out for millions for the best players in the game, experienced rig workers, geologists, or the skilled driver you want for your water-hauling rigs command top dollar.

Ask your employees what motivates them to get up every morning and work their hardest. It’s the greenbacks, the lettuce, the wages that put food on their families’ tables. So, first, find out as much as you can about what competing companies are paying for the type of positions you are looking to fill. If a truck driver commands $30 per hour on the high end, consider offering $35 if your revenue projections allow for it.

Offering premium pay will accomplish two goals that will serve your company well. First, you’ll get a choice of the best workers in a given area of expertise. And secondly, you’ll develop a better record for retaining your top workers. Both points will give you a quality service edge over the competition and save you money in unexpected downtime and training costs.

Offer quality training programs.

Experienced hands are the foundation for your best crews. But don’t overlook quality people that you can grow into the skilled workforce. Great training programs and mentorship opportunities that match your best workers with new hires will be seen as a wonderful benefit to those eager to break into the GOM support services industry.

If what you offer in wages to an entry-level worker is in line with the competition, the quality of your training programs may be what puts you over the top. Jobs in your field require special skills that can often only be developed in hands-on situations, and work out in the field can be dangerous.

Potential employees will appreciate that you want to teach them the necessary skills and that you care about thorough safety training. Technical and safety training will engender loyalty from the workforce. If your crews feel like you have their career interest and safety in mind, they will be less likely to bolt if they receive another offer.

Promote from within.

Employees take notice when hard work is rewarded with regular promotions and added responsibilities. Cultivate a record of offering workers career advancement opportunities. Rather than let your best people stagnate in the same position for years on end because it’s convenient for your overall staffing situation, look for ways to move front-line workers to supervisory roles. Cross-train employees to give them a fresh perspective and new skills that will help them and you down the road.

Your reputation for advancing employees will be noticed by workers in your ranks and others in the industry. Workers for your competitors will hear you’re a thoughtful employer and want to get in on the good things happening at your company.

Create a home-and-away schedule.

Working in these industries often requires living away from family and friends in a remote camp or boomtown. This is an aspect of the work that has an impact not only on the employees, but on spouses, children and extended family. You can’t always gloss over that fact and hope throwing more money at workers will ease the burden.

Standing out in employee recruiting might require creative scheduling and hiring more workers to rotate in for remote camp service. If you’re recruiting out of Canada’s population centers to work in a camp in Alberta, for example, look for ways to make the job six months at the camp and three months at a home office. This will create additional human resources challenges, but the more flexible and creative you are in scheduling workers, the healthier your recruiting program will be.

Double-down on vacation time.

If the average worker in your industry gets two weeks of vacation per year, it would send a dramatic message if you doubled the vacation schedule to four weeks. Would a month of vacation be enough incentive to draw quality workers if pay and benefits were equal in all other ways? You bet it would. Sure, there is a cost to giving workers more days off, but you might be surprised to find it’s less expensive to give days off than to get into a wage war with a competitor.

And there are additional benefits to awarding more vacation time. Your crew will always be well rested and energized to do a good job if they have ample time away from the job. And they are likelier to show loyalty to an employer that gives them more time off. The bottom line is a worker will be less likely to stray to another company if it would mean giving up a superior vacation benefit.

Build a commuting benefit.

Travel home is important to many workers at a remote location. Rather than simply raising pay to entice workers, try a commuting budget that will pay for a certain number of trips home throughout the year. This is one of a number of benefits that can show you to be a family friendly employer. Paid travel is a benefit that will be noticed and appreciated by the spouse and extended family of a worker.

Offer job site lifestyle enhancements.

If you’re asking workers to stay at a rugged and remote camp, working 12 hours on and 12 hours off, you’ll benefit by making it as comfortable for them as possible. Worker hospitality options are getting better and better in places like Alaska, western Canada and North Dakota, for instance, with advances in barracks-style housing and quality food service. Find ways to tap into the amenities that will make camp workers happy and your recruiting will improve.

Here are a couple of ways to enhance the camp experience for workers: Add entertainment packages like Netflix that workers can access through game consoles connected to TVs or through their computers. Give each worker an iPad and let them load it up with apps for games, news and entertainment. Sign them up for Skype, FaceTime or other programs so they can communicate with everyone back home as often as they please. Ensure individual living quarters for every worker.

Match the work to the worker.

Constantly reassess the workforce to make sure each employee is in the best possible job for his or her skill set. This is critical to keeping them happy in their work and getting the best performance for your company. You can also occasionally ask workers if they would like to trade jobs, within reason, to keep their interest level high and improve their versatility and value to the company.

In rapid succession since mid-2009, the 26-year-old company has completed seven acquisitions that significantly broadened its support services capabilities for the oil and natural gas industries, primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, and California.

Despite fast growth, the company strives to maintain the family-oriented, homegrown atmosphere that helped each of the companies it acquired continue to thrive. It’s a delicate balancing act, but one the company intends to maintain, says Dan Eberhart, chief executive officer.

“We’re a collection of local companies, not a giant conglomerate,” he says of Frontier, which sells and installs wellhead equipment; rents and installs frac trees and provides wireline, e-line, slickline, pressure testing, hot-oil services, and oil field fabrication. Its business base includes about 250 customers from 19 locations in Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and most recently California.

“It’s been difficult at times to manage the growth, especially when it’s coupled with the integration of our new acquisitions into Frontier,” Eberhart says. “But an array of services makes our company more balanced.

“More and more often, oil companies are looking for one-stop shopping at diversified and stable oil field service companies, as opposed to mom-and-pop operations,” he continues. “They want companies with more formal safety programs, more access to technical drawings and technical support and the longevity and ability to ride out economic cycles.”

KEEP WORKING

In addition, Eberhart believes it’s important to limit exposure to boom-and-bust cycles by establishing a good mix of oil and gas field work, as well as serving both drilling and production customers. Drilling-related services provide a strong revenue stream in boom times, while production-related services – akin to maintenance services – generate revenue during good times and bad.

“Companies need maintenance services – such as hydrotesting and hot-oil service – whether it’s a boom time or bust,” he points out.

Frontier’s two core companies are Frontier Wellhead & Supply, Inc., headquartered in Watford City, ND, and Cable, Inc., based in Sterling, Colo. Established in 1986, Frontier Wellhead supplies new and used wellheads and spare parts, and also offers equipment refurbishing and storage services. Founded in 1948 in Oklahoma, Cable provides customers with slickline and hydrostatic-testing services. Last month Cable acquired Spicer Wireline Inc. in Bakersfield, California, adding a new e-line service.

The bulk of Frontier’s business is coming in North Dakota and Montana, where horizontal drilling has made the prolific oil and gas plays in the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin a hotbed for drilling activity. Eberhart says services the company provides in the basin generate about 65 percent of the company’s gross revenue. The rest stems from oil and gas fields in the Denver-Julesburg Basin in northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming; the Piceance Basin in western Colorado; and the Uinta Basin in Utah, and the San Joaquin in California.

EXPANSION THROUGH ACQUISITION

Before he established Frontier by purchasing Frontier Wellhead in 2008, Eberhart served as the vice president of acquisitions at an oil field services company based in Texas. Prior to that, he held the same position in an oil services division of an Arizona company.

“I saw a tremendous amount of opportunity in the Williston Basin,” he says, explaining why Frontier Wellhead was an attractive acquisition target. “The company had a unique history and good market share – a good platform on which to build a larger and more diversified oil field services company.

“There are only so many independent wellhead companies of that size out there,” he continues. “For an independent, we have a pretty large footprint in the Williston Basin.”

In July 2009, the company bought Kodiak Stack Testing, a smaller, family-owned business in Williston, N.D. Renamed Frontier Pressure Testing, Inc., the company’s services – which include stack testing, slot recovery and hydrotesting – mesh well with Frontier Wellhead’s capabilities, Eberhart says.

Later in 2009, Frontier acquired Cable. In November 2010, it bought Hanson Hot Oil, founded in 1984 in Watford City and now named Frontier Hot Oil Inc. In January 2010, Frontier bought Western Wellhead’s location in Grand Junction, Colo., and merged it with Cable. A year later, Frontier purchased Luft Machine & Supply Inc., founded in 1976 in Sterling, Colo. The machining and fabrication firm now is called Luft Machine, Inc. In early April 2012, Cable aquired Spicer Wireline, which began in 1989 in Bakersfield, Calif.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

As its name implies, Frontier Wellhead mainly provides wellhead support services.

“Our business is about managing a high head-count of technically proficient but blue-collar workers, and managing an inventory of iron, while our customers worry about where to drill,” he explains. “It’s very similar to the construction industry, where you have a project manager and specific subcontractors that possess the iron and the bodies.

“If you’re building a mall, the general contractor has project-management expertise, but work is actually done by subcontractors,” he continues. “In our world, we’re the subcontractor. It’s all about managing the people and managing the inventory … when our customers stop drilling, they don’t want an 80,000-square-foot warehouse filled with iron, so we do it instead.”

To provide top-notch customer service, the company relies on a large fleet of newer equipment that includes more than 100 vehicles. There are 20 hot-oil trucks outfitted in-house by Luft Machine, 20 slickline trucks made by either Eclipse Wireline or Energy Fabrication; 30 Chevrolet pickup trucks, 30 Dodge pickup trucks; about 50 pressure-testing trailers, mostly made by Temco and Walton Trailers; and six grease trailers made by Mirage Enterprises.

MODERN EQUIPMENT COUNTS

Eberhart believes in buying new, durable and adequately powered equipment to minimize downtime and improve productivity.

“At Frontier Wellhead, our entire fleet is less than 24 months old,” he says. “These guys depend on equipment a lot. You’re in remote areas, and work in a harsh environment. The last thing you want is an underpowered truck or underpowered crane – you want dependable equipment.

“Having quality, late-model equipment designed specifically for the job we have to do is absolutely critical,” Eberhart adds. “You can lose a multi-million dollar account if you don’t have good equipment. Oil companies are very results oriented … they’re not interested in waiting for you to redeploy other assets because your original assets couldn’t get the job done. That doesn’t help you get the second call.”

Luft plays a small but critical role in the company’s operations with the ability to fabricate hot-oil, hydrotesting or slickline rigs, Eberhart points out.

“It’s a case of trying to do a vertical integration – use our own capital expenditure budget to build things,” he says. “During boom times, it’s a standard problem in our industry … you need a new unit, and even if you have money in hand, delivery is nine to 15 months off. The busier things get, the harder it is to get equipment.

“So if we have someone who can do it in-house, we can crunch our time-to-market by about half,” he continues. “This also gives us the flexibility to reprioritize fabrication as we need it.

“It’s not a big part of our overall business,” he adds. “But from a strategic point of view, it’s kind of a safety valve on the way up. If oil gets up to $150 a barrel, we at least can still get some things done.”

Frontier is doubling the size of the Luft fabrication facility, and plans to expand even further if demand increases.

KEEP IT GOING

Eberhart sees continued growth for Frontier. He expects the Bakken play to remain viable for the medium term, and predicts that oil and natural gas activity in the Niobrara shale play in the Denver-Julesburg Basin will take off in the next two years.

“Our growth plans include more acquisitions, but we also intend to focus more on organic growth going forward, and plan to spend millions of dollars buying new equipment, such as trucks,” he says. “While more vertical integration may be necessary, our business will also continue to build out our oil field services for exploration and production companies.”

And continue to avoid putting too many eggs in one basket.

Layfield Environmental Systems Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a division of the Layfield Group, acquired Canwest Protective Coatings Ltd. of Red Deer, Alberta. The transaction adds in-house, spray-applied liner application to Layfield’s portfolio of services.

Xylem breaks ground on manufacturing plant

Xylem Inc. broke ground on a 10,000-square-foot expansion of its Godwin pump manufacturing facility in Bridgeport, N.J.

Amthor builds plant addition

Amthor International is building an 8,000-square-foot addition to its plant in Gretna, Va. The $500,000 investment will enable the company to increase first and second shift production.

Revere opens two offices

Revere Control Systems, Birmingham, Ala., opened offices in Chattanooga, Tenn., and St. Petersburg, Fla. The Tennessee location will contain control panel production and administrative offices. The Florida location will add sales support for existing engineering and service operations.

Ruhrpumpen opens Virginia service center

The Ruhrpumpen pump technology company opened a service center in Hampton, Va. The facility features machine tool and balancing capabilities to repair and rerate API and ANSI centrifugal pumps and related equipment.

McCrometer adds Live Chat to website

McCrometer added Live Chat to its website, www.mccrometer.com, enabling customers to directly communicate with flow measurement during regular business hours. The chat icon can be found on the product pages.

Sioux redesigns website, receives certification

Sioux Corp., manufacturer of pressure washers, steam cleaners and steam generators, redesigned its website, www.sioux.com, adding videos, slide shows and related content.

Effective January 2012, all non-explosion-proof Sioux equipment operating at 600 volts AC or lower is third party approved to UL508A and CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 14-10, ensuring the entire control panel assembly meets safety requirements.

The Vancouver, B.C.-based industrial cleaning company owns 11 giant-sized Vacall trucks made by Gradall Industries Inc. Designed by Vacall product engineers, these trucks are so customized they don’t even have a formal model number, says Bob Ballance, one of McRae’s principal owners.

“They’re built on a Freightliner FL120SD (severe duty) chassis, which actually is specced for the logging industry,” he says. “They can produce both pressure and vacuum, and pump and haul large loads of solids. They provide the best of both worlds.”

The trucks weigh in at 46,000 pounds unloaded and are about 41 feet long. They feature a 550 hp engine, a 14-cubic-yard debris tank and a 1,700-gallon water tank, and include hydroexcavating capability.

“Everything on them is ‘biggie-sized’ – the tires, frame, pumps, transmissions, cooling systems – everything,” Ballance points out. “The vacuum pumps, Hibon 8702 (a division of Ingersoll Rand Co.), are the biggest mobile blowers you can buy (28 inches of mercury at 5,000 cfm).”

Instead of conventional water pumps, which deliver anywhere from 60 to 80 gpm at 2,000 psi, the “tridem super-combos,” as Ballance calls the trucks, feature more powerful pumps that generate 120 to 140 gpm at 2,000 psi. (The tridem refers to the trucks’ three rear axles.) “By doubling the water volume, it doubles the thrust at the nozzle,” Ballance explains.

Why the super-sized approach? In a word, productivity. “The trucks provide added value for our customers, because we can accomplish in half a day what it used to take us a day or two to do,” he says. “We can go longer on a job site – pump more and clean longer without the need to refill.

“We go to the dump once a day instead of multiple times,” he continues. “Since we don’t have to off-load as often, our trucks aren’t stuck in traffic as often. Instead, they’re on the site, doing the job.”

McRae’s uses the trucks for a wide variety of applications in the gas, oil and mining sectors, ranging from cleaning large-diameter pipes, lagoons and tailing sites to sucking up drilling fluids to hydroexcavating for different industries.

“We can pump slurries and liquids through hundreds and hundreds of feet of 6-inch hose,” he says. “Or we can suck liquids, mud and debris from holes drilled up to 100 feet deep for geothermal heating systems. In addition, the trucks also can serve as a bypass system that sucks in water, then pumps it out at up to 1,200 gpm.”

The trucks are comfortable as well, featuring creature comforts such as a stereo system, air-ride suspension, air-ride suspension seats, power windows, air conditioning, tilt and telescopic steering wheel and a wood-grain interior.

“They basically feature most options you’d find in a fully loaded Cadillac,” Ballance says. “They have to be comfortable because our drivers might spend up to 14 hours a day in their trucks. They’re not noisy, either, because they’re heavily insulated.”

Customers like the trucks as much as the drivers do, Ballance says.

“We have some customers who ask only for a super-combo,” he notes. “They know if that truck can’t do the job, nothing can do it.”

It’s never been easier to be afraid of debt. But today’s lesson is: don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. It might sound smart to just kiss debt good-bye. But that would be almost as risky as taking on debt thoughtlessly.

Businesses have failed because their owners weren’t willing to seek the resources needed to expand when an opportunity presented itself. The key is knowing good debt from bad debt – and making sure you get one and not the other.

Two kinds of debt

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of debt. One is a line of credit – a source of money you can turn to when your business bumps into cash flow problems. This is also called revolving debt, because you borrow it, pay it back, and borrow it again. At home, this is like a credit card.

The other is amortized debt – a limited-term loan, usually for equipment or supplies or property or some other fixed asset – that you pay back over time. Your home mortgage or car loan are examples.

One big mistake is using one kind of debt when the other is what you need. Suppose you use your line of credit to buy a new truck. That would be like putting it on your credit card. Typically, the finance costs on a line of credit are higher than on amortized debt. So credit lines should be used only in short-term situations where you can pay the money back quickly. To buy that truck, amortized debt is the way to go.

Amortized debt

New assets, thoughtfully selected and purchased, can make a big difference in the future of your business. Suppose you find there’s a need for your services in the next county, but to expand effectively you need a new service truck and related equipment.

First, do your homework. Realistically, how many customers can you gain by expanding? How much monthly income is that likely to generate? How long will it take you to get the word out and the calls coming in?

Now perhaps you’re cash-rich and can pay for that new truck without borrowing a penny. Great if you can do it, but for many businesses that’s not realistic. So does that mean all is lost? Absolutely not.

If the numbers show that your additional revenue can more than cover monthly principal and interest payments on a loan for the truck, then it’s sensible to make the move. That’s where it helps to have a good handle on your day-to-day costs, and income.

Credit lines

On the day-to-day side, you bill customers, and you have bills to pay – to suppliers, vendors, employees. Wouldn’t it be nice if your customers paid instantly and you didn’t have to pay your bills until the end of the billing period?

Of course it doesn’t work that way. Instead, your bills are due today, and the money you’ve got coming in won’t arrive until next week, or even next month. A line of credit helps you bridge the gap. By using it, you can buy the fuel your trucks need and cover your employees’ paychecks on time. When the revenues come in, you turn around and pay down your credit line.

A credit line is like a home credit card with an important difference. A credit card is unsecured debt: It’s backed by nothing more than the card issuer’s belief that you’ll pay back what you owe. That’s one reason interest on credit cards is often much higher.

On the other hand, a credit line for your business is secured, typically by a lien on your business, some real estate, or at least your accounts receivable.

That suggests two important rules: First, don’t carry a balance on your credit line longer than you must. Try to pay it off as soon as your business income allows. The other rule follows from that first: Never borrow so much that you can’t pay off the line of credit quickly from your cash flow, once your customers do pay you. Otherwise, you could end up losing your business to repay that debt.

How banks figure it

While banks may base your credit line on your accounts receivable – the money your customers owe you – here’s an important caution: Older receivables, such as those 90 days old or older, don’t count. Banks will subtract those old receivables from your total, and they typically won’t lend you more than 65 to 85 percent of the rest.

They’ll also consider other factors: Do your business costs and income rise and fall depending on the season? Do you have a broad or narrow base of customers? (Broader is better.)

Finally, you need to be realistic about your ability to pay the loan down to zero on your cash flow. Especially now, it’s important to pay a credit line balance within a year.

Relationships

All these point to two related last pieces of advice: If you don’t already have a good accountant or other financial advisor on your team, get one. Choose someone you can trust to learn the ins and outs of your business, your cost structure and your cash flow. A professional accountant will be critical to helping you keep your business running smoothly.

And finally, if you don’t already have a relationship with a banker, get one. The more you become a familiar face your bank can trust when it decides to lend you money, the better off you and your business will be.

So think of debt like fertilizer: Yes, too much can burn up your crops. But with the right kind, used judiciously, your business can provide a bumper yield.

The DrillAir XRYS 1260 CD7 compressor from Atlas Copco delivers up to 510 psi and includes the DrillAirXpert variable regulating system to control pressure and flow. The energy-efficient compressor features an emergency shutdown switch and oil filter for optimized engine life, efficient combustion and power output. Other features include oil filters to extend the life of the screw element and long-life batteries that provide a stand-alone power source. 800/732-6762; www.atlascopco.com.

DeWALT

The 4.5-gallon, 1.6 hp, D55146 compressor from DeWALT provides 200 psi maximum storage pressure and 5.0 scfm at 90 psi. Features include space-saving vertical stand and collapsible handle, 78 dBA operational noise level for a quieter work environment, 10-inch non-flat foam tires and EHP efficient high-pressure technology for longer pump and motor life. The compressor also has an oil-free, maintenance-free pump, efficient high-pressure motor that allows it to be run with an extension cord (12 gauge or heavier, 50 feet or shorter), high-flow coupler, metal console panel that protects gauges, couplers and regulator and 2-inch gauges for easy reading. 800/433-9258; www.dewalt.com.

Honda Power Equipment

The compact and lightweight EB10000 Industrial Series generator from Honda Power Equipment has a maximum output of 10,000 watts. Features include a slim design, centralized exhaust mechanism, new alternator and low noise. Other features include 8.2-gallon fuel tank with gauge, I-Monitor digital operation system, digital auto voltage regulator (DAVR) for improved output and stable voltage, fuel-efficient and low emissions Honda V-Twin engine, positive-lock folding handle with lifting eye and wheel kit, 120/240 voltage selection, easy-to-remove air cleaner, full ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection and OSHA, LA-ETL, CARB, EPA Phase III and USDA compliance. 678/339-2600; www.powerequipment.honda.com.

Ingersoll Rand

R-Series 55 to 75 hp (55 to 75 kW) air compressors from Ingersoll Rand are available in fixed- and Nirvana variable-speed drives for reduced energy consumption and 125 to 200 hp (90 to 160 kW) range dryers. Features include Progressive Adaptive Control that continuously monitors filtration and ambient temperature, adjusting the compressor to increase reliability. The V-Shield utilizes stainless steel pipes, metal-flex hoses and elastomeric seals to prevent leaks and extend compressor life. The Xe-Series control can be accessed through the Internet, enabling operators to monitor and adjust the compressor remotely. The controller sends email notification if a trip occurs. 704/655-4000; www.ingersollrandproducts.com.

Jenny Products Inc.

Portable G-Series air compressors with electric power from Jenny Products Inc. are available in eight models with 8-, 15-, 17- and 30-gallon air tanks and either 3 or 5 hp motors. The 3 hp models produce 13.8 cfm at 100 psi or 13.5 cfm at 125 psi. The 5 hp models produce 18.3 cfm at 100 psi or 17.8 cfm at 125 psi. All models operate from a 230-volt, single-phase power source. Features include cast iron compressor pump, powder-coated air tank, directional air shroud and large flywheel for enhanced pump cooling and easy startup. Other features include pressure relief valve, large canister intake filters with replaceable filter elements, manual tank drains, stainless steel braided discharge hoses, anti-vibration feet, tank, regulator and outlet pressure gauges. 814/445-3400; www.jennyproductsinc.com.

Subaru

Model RGD3300H and RGD5000H generators from Subaru, manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., are powered by Hatz four-cycle, single-cylinder diesel engines. The RGD3300H has a 6.8 hp Hatz 1B30 engine with a rated output of 3,000 watts, while the RGD5000H has a 9.9 hp Hatz 1B40 engine with a rated output of 5,000 watts. Both models have electric starters with recoil backup, GFCI receptacles and fuseless circuit breakers. Features include full-power switch, voltmeter, and 12-volt DC charging and spark arrestor that reduces noise and ignition risk. Units have 4.4-gallon fuel tanks, low-oil shutdown system, 120-volt, 30-amp twist-lock receptacle and 120/240-volt, 20-amp twist-lock receptacle. 800/277-6246; www.subarupower.com.

Vanair Manufacturing Inc.

Available in gas, diesel and hydraulic drive, the Air N Arc 300 all-in-one Power System from Vanair Manufacturing Inc. includes a 40 cfm rotary screw compressor combined with a 7 kW generator, 300-amp welder and battery booster in one unit. The two-generator system is designed to mount into a standard service body with easy control access. The control panel also can be remotely mounted in a side compartment. 800/526-8817; www.vanair.com.

LightForm emergency egress lighting film from Grote Industries features LED lighting technology and requires no lens or bezel. It resists water and concussion. The film conforms to the shape of most doors and exits, while its adhesive backing adheres to most surfaces. 800/628-0809; www.grote.com.

Xylem portable Flygt sludge pumps

Portable Flygt sludge 2600 pumps from Xylem are capable of flows up to 450 gpm and heads to 128 feet. Applications include light slurry transfers, open-pit and underground mine dewatering and emergency site drainage. The wear-resistant pumps can handle 3.2-inch solids and sand concentrations of approximately 20 percent by weight. Features include Hard-Iron vortex impeller, polyurethane-lined pump housing and side-discharge design. 704/409-9700; www.flygtus.com.

Fluid Dynamics polymer blending system

The dynaBLEND liquid polymer blending system from Fluid Dynamics is designed to recover product from mature oil and gas wells through alkali-surfactant-polymer (ASP) chemical flooding. Featuring a non-mechanical mixing chamber, the system has an injection check valve, designed for easy disassembly and inspection. Control options range from manual to fully instrumental PLC-based units with a variety of inputs and outputs. Standard units can deliver from 30 gpm to 21,000 gpm of activated polymer solution. Dry-preparation systems with 2,200 ppd capacities are available. 888/363-7886; www.dynablend.com.

Comforts of Home two-station trailer

The 8-foot, two-station bathroom trailer from Comforts of Home Services Inc. features a 13,500 Btu air conditioner and internal heat. Commercial units can be left outside without power using the solar package. The trailer has a 300-gallon waste tank with a variety of freshwater tank sizes. 877/382-2935; www.cohsi.com.

OPW dual split flange swivel joint

The Endura series dual split flange swivel joint from OPW Engineered Systems transfers acids, solvents, petrochemicals and other toxic fluids. The joints have no ball bearings to remove, reducing maintenance, cost and redundant sealing. The 2-, 3- and 4-inch models are available in a range of materials, including carbon steel and stainless steel. Standard seal materials include Buna-N, Fluorocarbon, PTFE, EPDM and Neoprene. 513/932-9114; www.opw-es.com.

ECCO Class I LED minibar

The 5585 Reflex Class I LED minibar from ECCO offers either permanent or vacuum-magnet mounting. Featuring 12/24 VDC operation, the minibar light series uses high-intensity LEDs and reflective technology to maximize light output. Available in 18 flash patterns, models include trigger wire permanent mount or cigarette plug switch magnetic mounts. Permanent mount models can be synchronized to operate multiple lights alternately or simultaneously. The 5585 meets SAE J595 Class I and California Title 13 requirements. 800/635-5900; www.eccolink.com.

Manitou telescopic handler

The MT 5519 telescopic handler from Manitou features a low-profile compact frame with an overall height of 6 feet, 4 inches and tight turning radius of 11 feet for maneuvering in low buildings and tight locations. The boom reaches to 19 feet, 1 inch and has a 5,500-pound lift capacity. Internal wet disc service brakes are standard. An enclosed cab is optional. 262/334-9461; www.manitou.com.

FLIR i-Series infrared camera

The i-Series (i3, i5, i7) point-and-shoot infrared camera from FLIR captures thousands of calibrated temperature measurements for a thermal picture that shows hot spots and other heat-related problems. 866/477-3687; www.flir.com.

Wastequip roll-off cable hoist

The Galbreath Above Frame roll-off cable hoist from Wastequip is designed for maximum compatibility with various truck chassis. The hoist is installed above the truck frame and the oil reservoir is positioned behind the cab, freeing up space along the side of the truck to accommodate various types of fueling systems, including hybrids, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas and diesel. It accommodates most exhaust systems, including vertical exhaust, and allows space for lift axles and toolbox. Models are rated at 60,000 pounds and designed to accommodate containers from 18 to 24 feet long. 877/468-9278; www.wastequip.com.

Vermeer S450TX mini skid-steer

The S450TX mini skid-steer from Vermeer has a 500-pound operating capacity with 1,430-pound tipping capacity. Features include a four-pump hydraulic system, single pilot-operated joystick and choice of track and Kubota 24.8 hp diesel or Kohler EFI 27 hp gasoline engine. Track options include the standard 9-inch-wide or 7-inch-wide version for tight work areas. Other features include spring-cushioned platform, LED lighting and rear panel and side shields. 888/837-6337; www.vermeer.com.

Newson Gale static electricity monitoring system

The Earth-Rite static electricity monitoring system from Newson Gale Inc. provides an enhanced margin of safety when Type C FIBCs or similar dissipative containers are used to transfer bulk powdered and other solid materials in hazardous applications. The system includes an enclosed intrinsically safe power supply and electronic monitor that continuously verifies the existence of a low resistance path between the container’s static dissipative or conductive fibers and a known grounding point. 732/961-7610; www.newson-gale.com.

The lightweight, double-walled, storage container can carry up to 3,000 gallons, yet can be folded or rolled when empty, eliminating dead head return flights (no cargo or passengers), reducing fuel delivery costs by approximately 50 percent and maximizing cargo capacity. The system also eliminates the disposal of empty drums, often abandoned, resulting in a potential environmental hazard.

Designed to withstand high-altitude pressures, the abrasion-resistant outer tank has a built-in strapping system that serves as secondary containment and fuel-specific, baffled inner tank.

Available in several custom models, sizes range from the 476-gallon BATT-470 (43.5 inches wide by 125 inches long by 27 inches high) for a Cessna Caravan to the 3,000-gallon BATT-3000 for a C-130 Hercules (104 inches wide by 207 inches long by 44.5 inches high). Other models include tanks for An-26, An-32, Mil-17 and DC-3 aircraft. Each tank is designed specifically by aircraft type to ensure a precise fit.

Models also are available for Sikorsky S-61 and Bell 412 helicopters. When empty, tanks fold to approximately 5 percent of their filled size. The smallest tank would fit in a 3- by 4- by 1-foot duffle bag.

Paul Reichard, remote site environmental division manager for SEI, says the collapsible fuel bladder was developed for use by Columbian law enforcement. “We were working with military clients that were having problems getting fuel out to their soldiers who were policing narcotics,” he says. “They wanted a way to transport the fuel by aircraft.”

Initially, the military tried using single-walled ground storage tanks. But without baffles, the tanks would slosh in flight. Tanks also weren’t designed to fit the craft, and when less than full, would move, causing friction that would damage the shell and leak.

The bulk aviation transport tanks feature vertical baffles that prevent fuel from moving back and forth in fixed-wing craft, while added cross-baffles prevent side-to-side movement in rotary-winged craft. The baffles also enable the craft to carry less than a full load.

To eliminate abrasion and secure the tank, SEI developed a fuel-resistant polyurethane outer shell that could be secured with straps. The inner tank is made from fuel-specific polyurethane-coated nylon. Tanks are vented, removing any air, and can be pressurized. They also are pressure tested. Two fittings enable tanks to be pumped for quick loading and unloading. “We drained a 630-gallon tank that we were recently testing in seven minutes,” Reichard says. “In a 20-minute space, they drained the tank, rolled it up and prepared cargo to go out and take off again.”

Approved for use in Columbia, Peru and Canada, Reichard says SEI hopes to have Federal Aviation Administration approval for use in Alaska by the end of the year and global approval by the end of 2013. 604/946-3131; www.sei-ind.com.

Anyway, that triggered a lecture on the importance of wearing the seat belt, and a threat (not idle in the least) that if he ever caught me going without it I would lose my driving privileges. He did me a great favor. From then on I vowed that I would always buckle the belt on, and if I ever forgot, put it on the instant I discovered I had been driving without it.

How about the people who drive your service vehicles? Seat belts are more comfortable now. Alarm bells ring if you fail to buckle up. The law says they must be worn at all times. Yet sometimes people still neglect them.

LIFE AND LIMB

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says requiring the use of seat belts while driving on the job is a critical step that employers should take to prevent injuries and fatalities from vehicle crashes.

NIOSH says a mandatory belt use policy is the single most important road safety policy an employer can put in place. The organization says seat belts save thousands of lives every year and could save thousands more if victims had been wearing them. NIOSH estimates belt use also prevents hundreds of thousands of moderate to severe injuries.

If that’s not convincing enough, consider these facts and figures provided by the State of Virginia, Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles:

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury.

About 35,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year, and about half of them could be saved if they wore their safety belts.

For every 1 percent increase in safety belt use, 172 lives and close to $100 million in annual injury and death costs could be saved.

Experts say seat belts should be fastened before traveling any distance or speed. Seventy-five percent of crash deaths and injuries occur within 25 miles of home – important to remember for contractors working in a compact service area.

The Virginia DOT also notes drivers are 25 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured if they are thrown clear of the vehicle in a crash than if they remain inside the vehicle.

In a 30 mph collision, an unrestrained 160-pound person can strike another passenger, crash through a windshield or slam into the vehicle’s interior with 4,800 pounds of force.

LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH

NIOSH notes that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the United States. Motor vehicle safety on the job is an important public health issue, not just an occupational safety issue.

Employers are in a strategic position to promote road safety on the job, in turn advancing motor vehicle safety in general. Have you taken a recent look at your team members’ seat-belt-wearing habits? A little vigilance could help you save the life of a valuable team member.