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The powerful dozing and ripping
force of the D475A has cut Gilbert Development Corporation’s
blasting budget by one-third.
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Part of Gilbert Development’s
Komatsu fleet works together on a land development
project near St. George.
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Komatsu’s equipment and
service keeps Gilbert Development right on schedule.
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(From left to right) Mr. Dale
Gilbert, vice president; Mr. Steve Gilbert, president;
and Mr. Keith Gilbert, site foreman.
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Gilbert Development purchased
this D65 bulldozer with a fully automated Topcon system
at Komatsu Field Days 2006.
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In the desert of the American
west, wildlife either adapts to its environment or it dies.
The same can be said for the region’s land development
industry. New ways to develop hard terrain—sandstone,
lava rock and basalt—had to be learned once the easily
developed land was taken. As a result, contractors are facing
great challenges.
Mr. Steve Gilbert, president of U.S.-based Gilbert Development
Corporation of St. George, Utah, evolved with the changes,
and now leads the industry today with advanced land development
practices. But when his main supplier no longer provided
the service and equipment his company needed, he turned
to Komatsu and distributor Komatsu Equipment Company (KEC)
to service and supply most of his machines.
“Komatsu has gone out of their way to make equipment
available when we need it,” says Mr. Dale S. Gilbert,
vice president of Gilbert Development. “KEC’s
Jim Slade and Trent Baxendale have gone out of their way
to make things happen. The other thing we’ve found
out is that Komatsu equipment is very good equipment.”
Regional Support for World-class Machines
The fast-growing outpost of St. George is hours away from
any major city. Gilbert Development’s previous dealer
did not have enough regional support to provide adequate
service, parts and equipment. KEC was able to fill the service
void thanks to cooperation between branches in Salt Lake
City, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Komatsu’s Las Vegas
parts depot, which is one of several strategically placed
parts depots throughout the U.S. aside from the master parts
center in Ripley, Tennessee, also expedites parts delivery
to St. George.
“I drive out to a job site and there are Komatsu mechanics
and Komatsu service trucks working on another manufacturer’s
equipment,” says Mr. Steve Gilbert. “I ask my
grandson Keith (site foreman): ‘What is this?’
And he tells me they (the other manufacturer) can’t
get us a mechanic. They’ll get to us in two to three
weeks. Then we call Komatsu, and they immediately say ‘How
many mechanics do you need?’”
Reliable Business Partner Soon Available Right Next Door
In late 2006, KEC will open a full-service branch in St.
George inside the new headquarters for Gilbert Development
to better serve the company and other developers in the
area.
Gilbert Development’s fleet carries 12 pieces of Komatsu
equipment. Machines include a D475A bulldozer/ripper that
has cut the company’s blasting budget by one-third,
a new D65 bulldozer with a fully automated Topcon system
for improved grading and finishing, and a PC750LC hydraulic
excavator that has helped Gilbert Development reduce utility
trenching costs in areas where blasting is prohibited. Gilbert
Development also benefits from a fleet of four HM400 articulated
dump trucks and will take delivery of the first PC800LC
hydraulic excavator with a removable counterweight later
this year.
As Messrs. Steve, Dale and Keith Gilbert look at new ways
to expand the business, they take comfort in knowing they’ll
have a reliable business partner right next door.
“We do a lot of business,” explains Mr. Dale
Gilbert. “Downtime is costly, and we have to be able
to keep things running; we need to have parts and we need
to have service. Komatsu, working hand-in-hand with the
different branches in the region, keeps us running.”
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