Q: What challenges do you face providing solutions for a variety of conditions and environments?
Every road cuts different. That is what makes it challenging to find a perfect tool for everybody, because everybody needs something different.
Different rock is the primary factor in this. If you ask people on the east about their asphalt, what they consider hard, our customers in the west would consider medium to soft.
There is more volcanic rock on the west side of the United States, so it is more abrasive. Since this asphalt is so abrasive, customers want to see a longer lasting tool, that does not require as much maintenance and they do not have to change out every day. If a customer must change out a whole drum that is 260 tools at $5 a tool, it gets expensive. That is a direct cost for a customer of approximately $1,300 a day.
By understanding the different conditions each customer faces, I can help them save time and money changing out those teeth. Kennametal has a very accommodating product lineup; we have a broad range of tools to meet diverse customer needs.