Salute to a Customer - Casper Construction Inc.

 

 

VIDEO: See Casper Construction's Komatsu HB365LC-3 in action!

Prolonged success requires a dedicated commitment to delivering for customers and employees over many years. From its location in Grand Rapids, Minn., Casper Construction Inc. has been doing just that for 84 years.

 

The foundation set by Everett Casper in 1940 is carried on by his grandsons, President and CEO Lance Schultz and Vice President Bill Casper.

 

“One of the reasons people want to work for us and with us is the reputation of the company,” said Schultz. “Bill and I are the third generation, and the fourth is involved already. When we took over in 2001, we had 20 employees, and we have had steady growth since then.”

 

Today, Casper Construction has as many as 200 employees in the busy summer seasons with a focus on civil projects within a 100-mile radius of Grand Rapids that includes Duluth. According to Schultz, the company’s project list can vary in size.

 

“We bid projects that range from $10,000 to $8 million,” said Schultz. “It would be easier if we did 20 or so $500,000 projects all year, but in northern Minnesota they don’t exist. So, we bid everything. We like working in this area. Our location is one of the main reasons our employees like working for us. It’s home.”

 

 

Diversified services

 

A diversified offering of services has allowed Casper Construction to remain competitive in its territory. While the idea of diversifying was intentional, its growth — especially for the Aggregate Division — has been organic as the company took advantage of opportunities.

 

Casper Pit, located south of Grand Rapids, began initially to provide aggregate materials for its own projects but has grown into a revenue stream.

 

“The location has been operational for more than 30 years, but once Bill and I took over, we did more with it,” said Schultz. “We had need for our own product at a better price initially. As we progressed, we had a lot of interest from other people who wanted to buy our materials. So, it has gradually grown overtime to where we have a number of regular customers who are very loyal.”

 

The pit produces Class 5 gravel, topsoil, sand and other rock products. Casper Construction still uses it for its own projects, but Schultz noted that customers range from construction companies to the general public.

 

The Pipeline Division is also active and has worked in 25 different states.

 

“The diversity is great for us because if one area is slow, the others can make up for that,” said Schultz. “It wasn’t an intentional plan to grow into many areas, but when we had the opportunities to grow, we did.”

 

 

Advanced fleet

 

Running a fleet of newer equipment isn’t just for looks, it’s a business decision for Casper Construction.

 

“You can’t make money in the construction business if you run older equipment that’s broken down in a limited season like we have in northern Minnesota,” said Schultz. “We run a better grade of equipment than most companies, and that makes a difference.”

 

Komatsu’s Intelligent Machine Control (IMC) pieces with integrated GPS and semi-automated grade control technology fit perfectly with Casper Construction’s fleet-building mentality.

 

“In order to be competitive, you need to stay a little bit ahead of your competitors, and technology is our edge,” said Schultz. “Adding the IMC equipment made sense.”

 

Casper Construction first added a Komatsu D71PXi IMC dozer and followed it with a Komatsu D61PXi IMC dozer. This summer, it started renting a Komatsu PC490LCi IMC excavator.

 

“We’re excited about what we can do with the PC490LCi,” said Schultz. “It’s new to us, but there’s a lot of potential with it.”

 

The Komatsu IMC machines enable Casper Construction to run a technologically advanced fleet, which allows it to be more productive.

 

“It helps us keep our productivity high and material quantities planned,” said Schultz. “It reduced the additional time that other projects may take with a conventional machine. It puts us on more projects in a year. We have projects now where we don’t even put stakes in the ground. It’s more efficient. We love it.”

 

He added, “Road Machinery & Supplies Co. has done a great job of bringing the equipment to us and training our operators to run them more efficiently. It makes it an easy decision to keep adding Komatsu.”

 

 

High marks for hybrid

 

Last summer, Casper Construction took another step in advancing its fleet when it rented a Komatsu HB365LC-3 hybrid excavator that features an electric swing motor design that helps reduce fuel consumption.

 

“We were looking to rent a similar-sized machine,” said Schultz. “RMS didn’t have one available at the time and recommended the HB365. We agreed to try it out.”

 

The crews were skeptical at first, but the machine has proven itself.

 

“There were some eyerolls and concerns about running a hybrid,” said Schultz. “I think some thought it was going to be all battery powered or electric or something, but once it got in the field, we got strong feedback. The power, fuel efficiency and swing speed all got a lot of positive feedback, and it wasn’t just one operator. It was almost everyone. It’s an amazing machine.”

 

“My first thought was ‘oh no,’” laughed operator Johnny Kingsley. “But, once I ran it, I was impressed. The swing is faster, it’s smooth, it has all the power a conventional model has, and it’s quiet.”

 

Schultz emphasized that the production is noticeable — both to the naked eye and the spreadsheet.

 

“You can tell just by watching it that it’s got a faster swing; it’s noticeable,” said Schultz. “That helps us do more with it, and the savings on fuel consumption and DEF fluid are evident as well when we look at costs. The operators brag about how easy it is to run, and they request it on their job sites. That’s why we bought it when the rental contract was over.”

 

“We can do two full days digging pipe without refueling, and it hardly uses any DEF fluid,” said Kingsley. “If I hadn’t been told it was a hybrid, I wouldn’t have known.”

 

Schultz pushed back on that notion: “You would notice that it wasn’t a conventional machine — because it’s better.”

 

 

RMS and Komatsu

 

Komatsu’s advanced technology has earned its way into Casper Construction’s fleet. The service and support that it receives from RMS has kept it there. According to Schultz, the relationships with Territory Manager Jake Kesanen and Sales Manager Brad Carlson have been the biggest reason more Komatsu machines have been added to the fleet in recent years.

 

“The support network with RMS is outstanding,” said Schultz. “Jake and Brad have been great to work with. They’ve sold the product just based on the way they treat us. It’s the reason we continue to turn to RMS. We’re extremely happy.”

 

Service from RMS has also been a positive. Most of the machines in Casper Construction’s Komatsu fleet are late models, so RMS has serviced them through Komatsu Care for the first 2,000 hours.

 

“I know our shop foreman appreciates it,” said Schultz. “It’s nice to have that off his plate, and he knows the proper maintenance is being done correctly. We also appreciated the warranties as well for undercarriages and such. When we deal with Komatsu and RMS, we know we’re getting high quality.”