When you’re shopping for a vacuum excavator, auger boring machine, locator, piercing tools, or any underground construction tooling or machinery, what happens after the sale is one of the most important things to consider. It’s why McLaughlin Underground works so closely with its Vermeer dealer network to ensure that any issues you experience on the job are addressed as quickly as possible, so you’re back up and running again.
The McLaughlin difference
Most manufacturers claim to provide dependable service and support after the sale, so what makes McLaughlin different?
The McLaughlin difference starts with the quality of the equipment it manufactures and extends to its highly trained and knowledgeable service and support team and its vast dealer network that helps ensures support is never far away. It seems like a simple formula, but one that ishard to replicate.
Meet Jim Floyd
McLaughlin Service/Warranty Manager Jim Floyd is familiarwithunderground equipment because he’s spent the majority of his career building it. Starting as a welder, Floyd was a part of the team that built the first McLaughlin vacuum excavator made. His attention to detail and demand for quality helped elevate him to supervising the welding and assembly process of McLaughlin vacuum excavators and eventually led him to the role he’s in today.
“In-depth knowledge of the building process is a huge advantage when helping a dealer or contractor troubleshoot an issue with a machine,” Floyd explained. “A lot of manufacturers that make the kind of equipment we do have service and support teams that haven’t spent time around the equipment, which leaves them looking through manuals and diagrams when there’s an issue. On my team, we have several people who can pinpoint an issue over the phone, because they know the machine inside and out.”
Having worked for McLaughlin for more than 25 years, there is no ordinary day for Floyd. He spends his time helping dealers and customers troubleshoot issues with a machine and getting parts to them as quickly as possible. He also ensures that dealers have all of the latest information about McLaughlin equipment, so they can be a knowledgeable resource in the field.
Vermeer dealer network
As a Vermeer company, McLaughlin equipment is distributed through one of the largest and most respected underground construction dealer networks. “Anyone who has purchased underground equipment through a more general equipment dealership will tell you that the dealer’s knowledge about the underground equipment and their responsiveness to an issue can vary a lot,” Floyd said. “Vermeer dealers make a significant investment every year to make sure their team knows the specifics about the machines they sell and service.”
Brad Coppernoll, service manager for Vermeer Midwest, is one of those highly trained individuals helping underground contractors. From making sure new equipment is ready for customers, overseeing service and repairs to helping customers with parts needs, Coppernoll is the guy you want to partner with when a machine goes down on the job. “The nature of underground construction means at some point every machine will encounter some kind of issue. My goal is to address any issue as quickly as possible and get crews up and working.”
Coppernoll also said the majority of Vermeer Midwest underground customers choose McLaughlin vacuum excavators because of the quality of the machine. “Vac systems do so much on utility jobs these days and when there’s an issue with one, it can shut down the whole jobsite,” he explained. “Our McLaughlin customers say their current vac systems are much more polished than other units they’ve seen or operated, which means there are usually fewer issues to begin with. When they do have an issue, McLaughlin and our team have an excellent working relationship, so we can usually get them back up and working.”
The troubleshooting process for Coppernoll’s Vermeer Midwest team usually starts with a phone call, where they work to diagnose an issue over the phone. “If it’s something easy, we can usually save the customer a service trip or from bringing a unit into the shop,” Coppernoll said. “For bigger issues, we’ll get a service technician to the jobsite or ask the customer to bring the machine to us. McLaughlin provides us with a lot of training material and their machines are easy to work on, so it usually doesn’t take us long to get a machine going again. If we do have an issue, it’s been our experience that the McLaughlin team will do whatever it takes to help a customer out. They are very responsive and if we need parts they get them to us promptly.”
A team effort
Delivering the highest level of service and support takes a team effort. McLaughlin Underground and its distribution network work together to make sure they have the right team in place and armed with the tools and knowledge they need to get you back up and running. That’s the McLaughlin service difference.
If you have questions or need help troubleshooting a McLaughlin machine contact your local Vermeer dealer or give the service team a call at 864-277-5870.
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