The Fluid Power Division shop is state of the art, and multiple locations are planned across the United States.
An equipment dealer in northern Colorado is thinking about the entire world.
Equipment and Trucks Inc. (ETI) has launched ETI Fluid Power — a hydraulic service and repair business — in Loveland, Colo., and will open a second location soon. The company eventually plans to service the United States with more centers.
Ron Ruby, ETI president, said the Fluid Power Division will complement the company's equipment dealership and its rapidly expanding parts division.
"I always knew that I wanted to get back into parts and service … I like providing that kind of solution," said Ruby, who started in the industry as a parts representative at a dealership in Montana.
Brittney Graham, an operator in ETI's Fluid Power Division shop, machines a replacement cylinder rod.
"Our goal is to continue to grow both the parts and hydraulic divisions," he added. "Our aim is to create an enterprise that will provide not only a service, but also a value to our customers, while increasing their uptime revenue."
Equipment and Trucks Inc. was founded in 2002 in Montana and relocated to Loveland in 2007. In 2014, Ruby decided he wanted to be more than an outlet to buy and rent heavy equipment, so the company began tearing down Caterpillar machines and offering used, rebuilt and aftermarket solutions.
Today, equipment owners can routinely find Cat, John Deere, Komatsu and other parts in stock at ETI — but the company also endeavors "to being able to find anything for their customer."
Warehouses are strategically located in Colorado and Lexington, Ohio, to serve the entire country. Ryan Ruby runs the eastern operation.
In 2018, Ron Ruby opened the first of what he hopes will be many fluid power service locations. In so doing, he also expanded ETI's customer base to include railroad, waste, agriculture and industrial, all of which rely on hydraulic power. Simultaneously, the company expanded its solutions offered to construction customers.
The Fluid Power division is dedicated to pumps, valves and cylinders and, when expanded as planned, should be "the preeminent supplier of fluid and hydraulic repair in the county," Ron Ruby said.
Each Fluid Power location will serve a radius of approximately 200 miles.
Uptime and Value
"What we are really here to do is to offer our customers solutions in terms of uptime and to add value to their fleet," Ruby said. "It's all about keeping equipment in the dirt. It trips my trigger to help get a customer back going after being down."
David Boreson stands among some of the hydraulic cylinders in for repair at the Fluid Power Division of ETI. Boreson is ETI's parts expert and equipment transportation coordinator.
This goal stems from Ruby's time running a site contracting business — he remembers seeing the failure of a single piece of equipment stop an entire project, causing employee, job cost and logistical problems.
Each ETI Fluid Power shop will feature state-of-the-art equipment, including a cylinder hone, rod polisher and pressure test bench. Services include repairing hydraulic cylinders, pump motors, and valves, as well as building, rebuilding and replacing cylinder rods and barrels, eyes, mounts, and other components. All cylinders are pressure tested before the repair is finished.
In addition to in-house servicing, ETI's expert technicians will bring their engineering experience directly to the customer by offering the removal, installation, and troubleshooting of hydraulic systems on the job site, Ruby said.
About ETI Global
ETI Global started as an equipment buyer and seller nearly 15 years ago and officially established a used parts division in 2012. The company's extensive parts inventory consists of more than thousands of pieces, including aftermarket parts from Ballantine and Trek, and ships parts anywhere in the United States and internationally; the business also offers local pickup and delivery.
About ETI Fluid Power
ETI Fluid Power, a division of ETI Global and established in 2018, specializes in repairing hydraulic cylinders, pump motors, valves and more. ETI Fluid Power is a member of the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) and has more than 30 years of cumulative experience in the field.
CEG
Craig Mongeau
Craig Mongeau has been Construction Equipment Guide’s editor in chief for the past 21-plus years. He directly manages CEG’s Northeast and Southeast editions (which includes New England, Georgia and Alabama state supplements); Superintendent’s Profile; Crane Guide; Northeast and Southeast-based anniversary magazines; and special event publications. He also oversees CEG’s Midwest and Western Editions as well as all CEG website content.
A Hofstra University graduate, Craig began his publishing career as a staff writer for local Southeast Pennsylvania newspapers. He then became an associate editor and book editor of Springhouse Corporation, a Pennsylvania-based medical publishing house and then worked as a managing editor of Rockhill Communications, based in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., where he created and managed content for a national Voluntary Hospital Association website.
Originally from Pittsfield, Mass., Craig has lived in North Wales, Pa., for the past 27 years. He has been married to his wife, Hillary, whom he met in college, since 1998 and together, they have two daughters, Jolie and Aubrie.
Read more from Craig Mongeau here.
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