Equipped for success: Kroeker demolition cites its equipment selection as a key element in its steady growth

Construction & Demolition Recycling, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Larry Trojak

Today's demolition contractor differs greatly from his counterpart of as little as 25 years ago, most observers would agree.

Once solely dedicated to the demolition facet of a job, today's professionals in order to survive, let alone maintain a competitive edge--often must augment their operations with a solid material processing and recycling effort.

So when Fresno-based demolition contracting firm Krocker Inc. was called upon to help process material from a wood waste stockpile that bad caught fire and burned for 26 days, not only was the company able to do so, it excelled at the task. The result was a dramatically-reduced risk of the troubled site catching fire again and further reinforcement that Jeff Kroeker and company had made the right decision in moving into the processing and recycling arena.

SOME GROWING PAINS

For 24 years, Kroeker Inc. Demolition & Environmental Contractors has been providing California's central valley and surrounding areas with a solid list of services--everything from concrete cutting and core drilling, interior selective demolition, complete demolition, site clearing and more.

According to Jeff Kroeker, the firm's general manager and son of its founder, as the company grew, so, too, did its costs and headaches for disposal of the materials it generated.

"For most of our existence, disposal of wood waste from our land clearing jobs and larger demolition projects has been subcontracted to a local grinding company," says Jeff. "However, we eventually reached a point where it made more sense for us to look at doing that Facet of the operation ourselves. Not only were the costs getting prohibitive, the subcontractors were often so busy that we were unable to coordinate our needs with their schedules."

TAKING ON THE FORT

Kroeker says that in late 2002, after some extensive research, the company chose to buy a Model 1300 tub grinder from Morbark Inc., Win n, Mich., to begin equipping itself for such jobs. Since the machine's purchase, Kroeker Inc. has been called upon it to handle some demanding, high-profile projects, and the grinder has played a key role in each.

"We won the bid to take down 352 houses on 150 acres of Fort Ord, Calif., an area that is being cleared for commercial development," notes Jeff. "Our portion of the project lasted five months, and though the houses themselves were concrete, the interiors were largely wood, which generated huge amounts of wood debris. At the same time, we were also handling the land clearing aspect of the job, so we had wood waste from there as well." Jeff credits the company's large tub grinder as a critical operations component. "There's no denying our tub grinder was a real asset to the job's success. We chose the 1000 hp Model 1300 from Morbark because it offers both power and portability. In fact, it is the largest unit you can legally move around in California without dismantling, and we benefited from that."

Because they were able to take the tub grinder to the site, transportation costs for the debris were essentially eliminated. Jeff adds that, because it is self-loading, the 1300 also helped by freeing up a piece of equipment, such as a loader or excavator, that might otherwise have to be dedicated to feeding the grinder.

"Simply put, there was nothing at that site--in terms of trees and wood waste--that the grinder couldn't do," Jeff remarks. "To handle the roots that were generated, Steve Johnson, Morbark's northern California representative, set us up with a Morbark 737 trommel screen. Once at the site, it was put to work screening out the dirt, leaving us with wood that could be recycled as mulch and dirt that was used for grading on site. It was just an excellent project."

ONGOING EFFORT

Though the rationale for purchasing the tub grinder was based on its ability to perform, the logic of that decision, says Jeff, has been borne out as much by Morbark's after-sale support as by the equipment itself.

"Steve Johnson has been extremely helpful to us in a number of respects," he remarks. "Since the outset, not only has he ensured that the equipment he sold us was working at its best, he also has played a big role in helping us promote our grinding operation. Because we are, in a sense, new to this part of the business, letting people know that we have a machine available and have the capability to do their work is important. Steve has helped make that happen for us."

In addition, he says, Johnson is helping Kroeker's team optimize the grinder's capabilities that will, in turn, allow the company to create a different kind of chip and further expand its product offerings.

"Currently we create a 2-inch product that we sell to landscapers, nurseries and a nearby co-gen plant," says Jeff. "However, with the different size product, several new markets will be opening, both for mulch and for a compost product."

ADDING SHEAR POWER

Because so much of Kroeker's grinding operation is mobile, the firm is continually confronted with different types of materials that, without being pre-processed, would challenge even the large tub grinder's capabilities. To alleviate such situations, Kroeker, again at the suggestion of Morbark's Steve Johnson, added a wood shear to its processing arsenal. The result, says Kroeker, has been impressive.