Our most important core value, Safety Above All, exemplifies our top priority: to keep our employees, customers, and communities safe. At Ring Power, we are following the CDC guidelines to ensure we do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19.

As this situation continues to evolve, we want to share with you the steps we are taking to safeguard the health of everyone we do business with, while minimizing disruptions.

All Ring Power locations are open for business during normal business hours.  Our employees remain committed to providing our customers the Parts Availability and Service Excellence you are accustomed to receiving.  As of this writing, we are still offering our full range of services, taking the necessary precautions to keep both our employees and our customers’ employees safe.  We are also restricting vendor and general visitor access to our facilities.

We have put the following policies and guidelines in place:

•           Company-wide travel policies to minimize the risk of exposure to our employees and customers. Employees traveling to a high-risk area may be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

•           Postponement of group meetings and events.  Face-to-face meetings are permitted, but only as prescribed by CDC guidelines for social distancing and hygiene. Virtual meetings (Skype, Facetime, etc.) are encouraged whenever possible.  

•           A “no handshake” policy in accordance with the CDC guidelines for social distancing and hygiene.  To that end, we have increased the number of hand sanitizer stations throughout all facilities.

•           Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting at all of our branches, paying special attention to high-traffic areas (parts/rental counters, etc.) and high-touch areas (door handles, light switches, counters, bathroom fixtures, etc.)

•           Reinforcement of employee guidelines for staying home when sick. We also are encouraging employees to reconsider personal travel to a high-risk area, which may require self-quarantine for 14 days.

We recognize this a fluid situation and will continue to keep you informed with updates on our website, email communications, and social media posts.

While the actions taken to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus may seem drastic, it is critical that we all work together during this unprecedented time. Ring Power has a history of rising to the occasion in emergencies, and we want to continue to support our customers in any way we can. We are confident that we all will emerge from this stronger than ever. Feel free to contact us by phone or email us at info@ringpower.com if you have any questions or need assistance.

We thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Please take the steps necessary to be healthy and safe!

David Alban

President

Steve Brown (Ring Power Safety Director), was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Florida Safety Council (NEFSC).  Based in Jacksonville, the safety council serves five counties in Northeast Florida.  NEFSC is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, public service organization dedicated to promoting good health, saving lives, preventing accidents and maintaining a safe environment through workplace safety programs, road safety training programs, and community service. With four locations throughout the First Coast, NEFSC offers classroom safety courses in addition to online training.  The safety council has served the Northeast Florida area since 1942 and has over 450 local business members, including Ring Power. Kudos to Steve on this awesome achievement!

On a crisp day in Clayton, North Carolina, local Operator Challenge winners from across the country came together for a single purpose—to crush their North American competition. 

Kenny Billings, equipment operator at Cypress Gulf, represented Ring Power at the North American Regional Finals on October 24.

Billings, who won the Ring Power Operator Challenge this summer, was accompanied by Ring Power demo operator Blake Conwell during the event. Conwell coached him on a couple events prior to the Regional Finals, getting together at the Tampa branch to practice running some of the Cat Next Gen machines he would be operating in North Carolina.

“I met a lot of nice, world-class operators and made a lot of new friends,” Billings said. “Blake was great. It was a great experience overall. I really enjoyed it.”

Billings admitted that even though they had practiced plenty, the challenges at the regional finals proved to be pretty tough, even for a 38-year veteran operator like himself. But Billings is always up for a challenge.

“They were a little tougher than I expected,” Billings said. “But any Cat equipment out there I can operate.” While Billings had an excellent showing in all events, he ranked 10th overall in the competition.

Events at the regional finals included:

• Trenching Challenge — Operators used a Cat excavator to dig a trench with Grade with 2D Grade technology.

• Fully Loaded Challenge — Operators used a Cat wheel loader with production measurement technology to accurately load a target.

• Easy Doze It Challenge — Operators used a Cat dozer blade and steering while working through a course.

• Control To A Tee Challenge — Operators used a Cat mini excavator to “tee off” a golf ball then navigate a course and place the ball in a hole.

“With the Trenching Challenge, my trench was good and straight, and I was on grade,” Billings said. “The Easy Doze It course was hard, but I had the least penalties on that one. The mini excavator golf tee was very difficult!”

Billings said the event was a great way to indulge in his competitive side. He’s already looking forward to the potential of another Operator Challenge next year.

“I hope they continue to do these,” Billings said. “I’ll be at every one. These Next Gen Cats are awesome.”

In October, Ring Power’s training department conducted a training class in Ocala, Florida on the new Cat® D6 XE Track-Type Tractor. This was a chance for Heavy Equipment (HE) Service Technicians to learn all about the world’s first world’s first high drive electric drive dozer. 

The electric drive system starts with a Cat C9.3B engine. Instead of powering a torque converter, the engine drives a generator that turns the mechanical engine power into electricity. Instead of a transmission, an electric motor powers the final drives. A power inverter is connected to both the generator and the motor by heavy-duty power cables and connectors, and this inverter controls the flow of electricity between the two components.

The electric motor can operate at all ground speeds, ensuring the dozer is always operating at the most efficient point possible. The electric drive components are fully sealed against the environment and liquid cooled, so the whole system performs efficiently and reliably in the most demanding dozer applications. Like a traditional powershift transmission in a high drive dozer, the D6 XE Electric Drive power train is completely modular, so internal components can be accessed quickly and efficiently.

The new D6 XE with Electric Drive offers up to 35 percent better fuel efficiency; class-leading maneuverability and power; almost 90 percent fewer rotating parts than a traditional power train — which generates less heat and aids serviceability and component life.

Ring Power’s training department was recently recognized with achieving Caterpillar Global Standards and Requirements in Technician Development.

 The team completed the Technician Career Development Process Assessment.

 Two other Ring Power trainers were also recognized with big achievements.

Devin Rawn received his Caterpillar Instructor Accreditation. 

Clyde Rogers received his International Fluid Power Society Certification and is now officially a certified Mobile Hydraulic Mechanic.

On Aug. 2, the newest class of ThinkBIG scholarship recipients and their families gathered at Ring Power's corporate headquarters in St. Augustine for “signing day.”

Over the next two years, they will rotate in eight-week intervals between classroom instruction at South Georgia Technical College and hands-on training at their Ring Power branch.  

Six of the students will follow the heavy equipment technician track; three will complete the generator technician track. Upon graduation in 2021, all of the students will have earned an Associate Degree in Applied Technology.

The Group 19 ThinkBIG students are:

Colby Klipstine -- St. Augustine -- Heavy Equipment

Collin Nye -- Orlando -- Heavy Equipment

Garrett Hultquist -- St. Augustine -- Power Systems

Jake Stallings  -- Palm Bay -- Power Systems

Garrett Lee Robinette -- St. Augustine -- Heavy Equipment

Zack Brate  -- Tampa   -- Heavy Equipment

Wyatt Davis  -- St. Augustine   -- Heavy Equipment

Josh Roberts -- Ocala  -- Heavy Equipment

Dylan Hackett  -- Palm Bay --  Power Systems

Congratulations, everyone! Good luck with your studies.

For more information on Ring Power's Technician Scholarship program, visit www.ringpower.com/thinkbig

We are all feeling a shortage of trained technicians in today's workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2018 there are about 442,000 (.1 percent of US population) industrial machine technicians in the U.S workforce, less than 3 percent of those techs are women. Sylvia Reyes is making moves to change that, and increase the number of total technicians we have available. 

For the past two years, Reyes has worked as the Branch Administrator at Ring Power Lift Truck's Miami facility. Recently, Reyes developed a curiosity for a deeper understanding of forklifts and decided to register for our online Technical Lift Truck course. This course helped her meet the prerequisites to get hands-on training in our instructor-led technical training class.

In May, Reyes completed multiple hours of training, and earned IC Engine Control and Fuel Systems I certification—which she passed with flying colors. Gaining this certification, Reyes became the first woman to complete the Ring Power Live Lift Truck Technical Training. However, Reyes isn't finished. She has a student mentality and plans to continue learning and developing skills beyond her current role. 

Reyes is currently enrolled in model-specific courses and intends to get enough training under her belt to assist with other classes. Eventually, she may decide to take her acquired knowledge and pursue a position in the service department or as a Florida forklift field service technician. Kudos, Sylvia!

Gentlemen, there's a new player in town. 

As of July 1, Ring Power is now the exclusive dealer for Weiler commercial paving products for North & Central Florida. Since 2008, Ring Power has been a Weiler dealer for windrow elevators, road wideners, static double drum rollers, front mount screeds and soil stabilizers. With the addition of the commercial paving line, we are now a full-line Weiler dealer. 

“Ring Power has always been focused on providing our customers with the best products available, world-class product support and unrivaled parts availability, said Phil Ireland, Vice President Paving Products Division Manager.  “For our paving customers, this philosophy is critical to their success.  Since partnering with Weiler in 2008, this shared vision has been the driving force in propelling Weiler and Ring Power to market leadership in the paving industry. 

The Weiler commercial paving line includes the P385B, P265, and P65 commercial pavers, P195 path paver, CT3 utility class pneumatic tire roller, and TT250 and TT500 tack distributors.

“Weiler designs and engineers their products to utilize Cat® components wherever possible.  This includes putting Cat engines in all of their products, including the Weiler line of commercial pavers.  We are pleased to announce the addition of the Weiler commercial line of pavers and proud to become a full-line Weiler dealer for North and Central Florida,” said Phil.

We have partnered closely with LeeBoy and Weiler to ensure a seamless transition in sales and support for all our valued customers.