Since Caterpillar introduced the Cat® certified rebuild program back in 1985, Carolina Cat has proudly participated in offering this service to their customers. Caterpillar builds equipment with the philosophy that the machine will live at least two lives, with a certified complete rebuild serving as the beginning of the second life. Asphalt Paving Company, based in Summerfield NC, recently took advantage of this service with rebuilding an operator favorite – the Cat 12H motor grader. This motor grader marks a significant milestone for Carolina Cat is it is the organization’s 200th machine rebuild.
The rebuilt 12H motor grader is a 1998 model with approximately 13,000 hours on the machine. Asphalt Paving Company weighed the decision to rebuild the machine or purchase new, and even demoed a new machine. A rebuild allowed them to maintain their preferred string line systems (as opposed to automatic) and keep their preferred Tier 3 emissions machine. Ultimately, they chose to rebuild due to operator preference. “We have some outstanding operators that just love the older machines,” David Dean, Fleet Manager for Asphalt Paving Company shared. “It’s just a hard grader to beat.”
Asphalt Paving Company of Greensboro, also known as Long’s Asphalt Paving, and Carolina Cat have been working together for over half a century. Founded in 1952, Asphalt Paving Company has grown substantially from its humble beginning with a few trucks and machines to a large fleet capable of supporting several grade and stone crews. The company provides grading, paving and trucking services to customers in the triad area of North Carolina.
“Carolina Cat has been a great partner for us over the years,” Dean shared. “We’ve been working together for a long time – if we ever had a problem or had any questions, they’ve always made it right.”
Mickey Marshall is the Carolina Cat Product Support Sales Representative who works closely with David Dean and the team at Asphalt Paving Company. The account is special to him as it is one of the first customers he formed a relationship with in 1992 as a field mechanic. “At Carolina Cat, we aim to be a trusted partner to our customers, and that is truly what this relationship is – a partnership,” Marshall commented. “They see the value in Caterpillar and the support we provide. We are grateful for their continued support and partnership.”
Carolina Cat is very proud of this milestone and is glad to be able to share it with such a long-tenured customer as Asphalt Paving Company. Since offering the Cat® Certified Rebuild programs, including certified powertrain and certified complete rebuilds, Carolina Cat has seen a dramatic increase in rebuild demand in recent years.
“We have a tremendous team that is selected to perform these rebuilds,” Jim Cannoy, construction service operations manager for Carolina Cat shared. “The technicians that perform the rebuilds are experienced and highly-skilled, and take great pride in delivering a like-new machine for our customers.”
To learn more about Carolina Cat and Cat® Certified Rebuilds, please visit www.carolinacat.webpagefxstage.com/construction/service/rebuilds.