Case Study – STANDING UP TO THE BIG CATS:
WAGNER EQUIPMENT, AURORA, COLORADO
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What kind of concrete floor can withstand the punishment of hydraulic excavators, backhoe loaders and track-type tractors day-in and day-out? Wagner Equipment in Aurora, Colorado, one of the country’s most successful Caterpillar dealers says the answer is a Kalman Floor®.
In 1981 Wagner Equipment built a new campus for its operations in Aurora, Colorado. The facility serves Colorado’s Front Range. They needed a quality floor that would be durable, easy to clean, self-polishing and abrasion resistant.
“We went with Kalman, because of durability,” says Dave Ingram facilities/project manager at Wagner Equipment from 1981-2009, now retired. Prior to installing Kalman, Wagner had been replacing its floors on a regular basis. Even installing railroads couldn’t stop the damage caused by heavy equipment traffic.
“We needed a surface that was super hard,” said Joe Wagner, the company’s founder.
Wagner Equipment sells, rents and repairs Caterpillar machines used in heavy construction, building construction, mining, waste handling, paving and forestry as well as tractors, harvesting equipment and combines in Colorado. Wagner also serves New Mexico and West Texas. Internationally, Wagner serves Mongolia and southern Siberia.
Some units that travel its floors weigh more than 18 tons.
The Keyword is Strength
Wagner considered other flooring options such as traprock aggregate and iron filings, though it was the quality and strength of the Kalman floor that drove them to install Kalman AP Topping on top of their already existing standard base slab.
"We needed a surface that was super hard," said Joe Wagner, the company's founder. |
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“We’re putting a lot of money into a building we expect to be around for 30-40 years and we need a floor that will last the life of the building,” said Ingram.
Wagner’s business grew over the years and required additional facilities to be constructed. When it came to deciding on what kind of floor to install in Wagner’s new buildings there was no question it would be a Kalman Floor®.
“Kalman’s sales engineers and installation crew are highly qualified and highly skilled,” says Ingram, “After the first installation, we never considered any alternatives – we continue to use Kalman because it works.”
For the past 27 years Wagner has turned to Kalman for their flooring solutions. They’ve installed more than 103,000 square feet of Kalman’s products including Kalman AP Topping®, Kalman SC® and Kalman Monorock®. They consider no alternatives when it comes to installing a durable, abrasion-resistant, low maintenance floor – it’s got to be Kalman®.
“I’ve recommended Kalman to other Caterpillar dealers,” says Ingram, “they have very good quality control, a competitive price and the floor lasts the life of the building. It looks good and it’s a good quality product.”
"We're putting a lot of money into a building we expect to be around for 30-40 years and we need a floor that will last the life of the building."
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Above: CAT tracks on concrete flooring from Kalman.