FROM THE CEO
Hello Ground Support world, you ready for the snow to stop?
Blooming Prairie is in the snow belt of course. I’m sure those that love snowmobiling or skiing, need the moisture due to drought or those that use recreational lakes for fishing, boating, and lounging are good with all of it at the moment but soon enough its gotta stop. Until we acquired Stinar and started learning about the industry, we never thought about the hassles that come with snow and major storms for our partners in the industry. And just like the bewilderment that kind of weather brings, it leads me to a subject that also keeps me wondering.
Electrification. Seems everyone in the United States talks positively about it, but behind closed doors it’s a very sensitive subject. You’re all getting to know me and that I LOVE to talk about sensitive subjects, LOL. Our partners that we talk to at the airport level are a little concerned about electrification, basically for one reason, infrastructure.
Even though 90% of electric ground support equipment currently charges overnight, as the electrification of equipment continues to grow it will start to put a strain on energy use during the day. In Europe and other countries, they seem to have stayed ahead of the U.S. when it comes to generating electric power via nuclear or green initiatives. The U.S. has a long way to go yet, no matter what our government says or should I say promises. Although my pickup is still gas (and hopefully always will be or until I can get a 450-mile charge in 15 minutes), I have to agree that the ground support world would be a good place for electrification.
This past month we attended the NTEA (National Truck Equipment Association) Show in Indianapolis talking with electric chassis manufacturers and educating ourselves on the possibility of using OEM electric chassis. The biggest issue we found was of the manufacturers
that are building Class 4 or 5 electric chassis most are still in the start-up/prototype stage. And when we asked about production, well we got way more shoulder shrugs than answers. This response alone speaks volumes. The focus is on the side of automobile owners and the government and they have not jumped into larger vehicles just yet. Having talked to several GSE users that had competitor’s equipment on non-OEM chassis, it was always a hassle maintaining and fixing issues because of the limited access once the equipment is mounted whether it was gas or electric. Not to mention they would have to stock parts for the self-propelled and the mounted equipment. Can’t just run to your local auto parts store and get a filter, or a headlight bulb, or just call us here at Stinar where we do all the running for you. That’s truly the main benefit of using an OEM chassis, plus the length of the warranty. Stinar’s standard equipment warranty is 36 months and depending on the OEM chassis used, it’s 36 to 60 months. The other guys are what 12 months and a pat on the back?
Now that we are coming into spring remember it’s a perfect time to get all that preventive maintenance done. If you have Stinar equipment but can’t find the manuals just reach out and we will send you the manual for your specific piece of equipment. Truly, it will be the specific manual for that serial number, no generic manual encompassing EVERYTHING vaguely. That’s one of the reasons that we acquired Stinar back in 2019. The data that they had collected over 75 years helps us do right by our customers and provide the service they need. As always feel free to reach out and tell us about your equipment wants and needs. We pride ourselves on our quality and customer service.
Until next month, be safe and don’t hesitate to call or email.
~ Craig Kruckeberg | CEO / CVO