ARTC Chooses SafeRack for Expanded Fall-Protection Needs

Asphalt manufacturer selects G4 Series gangways for new railcar-unloading area

SUMTER, SC, April 20, 2009—It’s a problem that any growing company would love to have: as operations expand, so does the need for new or upgraded equipment. The question then becomes: which company and what type of equipment will best fit my needs while offering the performance, reliability and return on investment that will help move the business forward?

Douglasville, GA-based Asphalt Refining & Technology Company (ARTC) recently found itself pondering this question. ARTC began operations in 2005 as a manufacturer and supplier of asphalt for the paving industry. Since then, it has expanded its product base to include polymer-modified paving asphalt, built-up roofing asphalt, packaged asphalt for hot-mop roofing applications and specialty coatings for shingle manufacturing. As such, the fulcrum of ARTC’s enhanced operations is its truck and railcar loading/unloading areas.

“Everything that comes into the facility comes in via railcar and everything that goes out goes out via truck,” explained Jim Subers, ARTC’s Plant Manager. “We bring in railcars every day and we may move between 100 to 800 tons of material a day. All of the racks are being used on a very regular basis.”

Until three years ago, ARTC never had a completely designed loading system on-site, just a hodge-podge of ladders and platforms that allowed the employees in the rail and truck yards to access the top of the rolling stock. Then, they contracted with SafeRack, LLC, for specially designed loading racks and fall protection.

“When we decided to get into other areas, we knew we needed more loading racks and that we would have to address ease of use and safety when choosing them,” said Subers. “In our research we found that there’s other people that make racks, but something that made a difference to us was that the people at SafeRack were very interested in us whether we wanted to buy one rack or buy 10 of them. They were immediately answering our questions, doing everything they could to make sure we understood what we were receiving in a product, what we’d need to be prepared for. That’s what pushed us to them, and it’s proved to be a good relationship.”

Indeed, the relationship between ARTC and SafeRack did start with just one single-sided truck-loading rack that was purchased 18 months ago. Since then, however, ARTC has filled out the truck-loading area with a second loading rack, as well as the modification of an existing loading rack, and two gangway and fall-protection systems. Convinced of the quality of the SafeRack products, Subers and ARTC then turned their attention to the railcar-unloading area. The result was the installation of a SafeRack G4 Series gangway-and-platform system that came on line at the end of March.

“We don’t even consider anybody else,” said Subers. “We’ll say, ‘we need another load rack; OK, call SafeRack, let’s see what they can do.’”

The G4 fit ARTC’s needs for a number of reasons. The G4 Series uses cutting-edge metal-stamping technology to create a stronger gangway that is at the same time lighter and smoother to operate. SafeRack uses aluminum parts that are stamped out in a tool-and-die process and then formed by bending the metal into the required shape, eliminating the need to weld pieces together. This production process is also quicker, allowing for more expedient delivery and turnaround for the customer.

While the stamping process makes the G4 Series more durable, the gangways still offer the operator-friendly features that SafeRack’s customers are looking for. These features include strong and durable spring-loaded gangway and platform operation, slip-resistant tread on the stairs, powder-coated handrails and mid-rails, heavy-duty bumpers, four-rail design for maximum fall protection and easy operation.

“ARTC is the right kind of business partner that we are looking to form a relationship with,” said Tom Semiklose, SafeRack’s Vice President of Sales. “They value quality and safety in all of their operations, and their goals mesh perfectly with the objectives we have for our products when we design and manufacture them.”

For more information on any of SafeRack’s products or solutions, please contact Tom Semiklose, Vice President Sales, at (866) 761-7225 or tsemiklose@saferack.com, or visit www.SafeRack.com.

SafeRack, LLC, is committed to providing stronger, safer and easier-to-handle truck and railcar loading-rack and fall-protection equipment. Headquartered in Sumter, SC, SafeRack has more than 200 years of combined experience in offering the food/pharmaceutical, specialized chemical, pulp and paper, building products, plastics, cement, mining, petroleum, biodiesel and ethanol industries high-quality equipment that has been customized for each customer’s unique loading applications. For more information, please visit www.saferack.com.