ASPHALT ANSWERS
What’s the
Final Price?
Total Cost of Ownership
Drives Purchases
he last few months we have been
traveling the country doing a lot
of trade shows and open houses.
These are great times to get one-
on-one time with the people who know
the most about the machines and what
they can do, and sometimes most im-
portantly, what they can’t do. We get
to hear from the contractors their ideas
on how we can engineer machines that
make their jobs easier and consequently,
make more money. It’s a great time to
be alive!
Contractors, on the other hand have
been spit-polishing and fine-tuning
their equipment getting ready for the
season, which has started with a bang.
Like one contractor told me, “I looked
down the tracks to see how far they
went and got hit by the train!” This got
www.callape.com
me thinking about what a contractor is
really thinking when he asks about the
price of the machine. Now, there are
some that only concern themselves with
acquisition cost, that is what is the cost
today and how will I pay for it? Oth-
ers are more concerned with total cost
of ownership (TCO). These are the
purchasers that I want to discuss today,
because they are the ones really putting
thought into their purchase.
Honestly, contractors aren’t looking
for anything different today than they
were 30 years ago. They are looking for
a reliable machine that is easy to oper-
ate and easy to maintain. The element
that has changed is how to achieve this
end result. Tier 4 is the biggest culprit
because it is a new paradigm on how
we maintain and monitor our engines.
[18]
BRIAN HALL
New asphalt mixes and emulsion de-
signs dictate how we treat these ele-
ments on the jobsite. New regulations
are always popping up on how we can
properly clean our machines without
hurting the environment. Today, let’s
discuss 3 factors you should consider
when you price a new machine.
Operator comfort and safety.
Your workers are your number one
asset so you should treat them as such.
If they have a comfortable work area,
those 12 hour days go by a lot faster and
their quality of work at the end of the
day is as good as it was at 7 am. Easily
laid out controls that are within reach
really make the difference. Also make
sure that e-stops are within easy reach
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