In our latest episode of NothingWasted!, we bring you a dynamic session from WasteExpo Together Online 2021, “Heavy Equipment in Waste & Recycling – Investment, Maintenance & Safety.” This session features speakers Martin Mattsson, Director of Key Accounts at Volvo Construction Equipment and John A. Meese, Sr., Senior Director of Heavy Equipment at Waste Management (WM).

Here’s a sneak peek into the presentation:

The discussion began with a look at what’s important in equipment specifications at landfills, transfer stations, and MRFs. Meese noted that, “It’s imperative to take the time to understand what you have available to you,” to provide the best performance at least cost. He advised the audience to “take advantage of your dealers to walk through all the specifications, [or] you could be making the wrong investment for your operation.” He went on to note that, “Understanding the capacity of the equipment you’re looking at is key to making a profitable choice, investing what you need to but not investing more than you need to…You size the equipment to the volume that’s coming through the gate.”

Mattson noted that safety is a core value at Volvo and a basic expectation these days.  He asked Meese which key safety items are important to WM; those include lighting packages, backup alarms, and rearview cameras.

The discussion then shifted to the importance of dealer support. Meese noted that, “The relationship between the OEM, the dealer, and the customer is like a three-legged stool. If you take any one of those legs away, the stool collapses.” Also, “This is still a people-to-people business,” which is important to remember and foster.

In looking at the importance of maintenance, Meese noted that, “For every good maintenance program, you have to start with the daily inspection program—and nobody knows that machine better than its operator.” WM asks that, before each shift, an operator do “a concise walk-around, following a detailed list of checkpoints.” Those reports go to site technicians for consideration and action as needed. “The other maintenance we’re very heavy on is scheduling oil sampling. We pull a sample from every component on a machine every 250 hours; it sounds like that’s excessive, but…it’s not a lot different than having your blood work done so that the doctor has an opportunity to see what might be happening.” He noted that the savings that comes from catching issues early is significant.

The discussion went on to cover operator and technician training, electromobility, and more. Meese offered some closing thoughts: “We’ve touched on a very important subject. Heavy machinery has a tendency to be looked at as a necessary evil with a large price tag. [But], if companies would invest the time to really look at this investment—what it can do for their operations and bottom line…they’ll be much more profitable, lessen their problems, and improve their operations.”

Listen to the full session above.

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