May, 2000 No. 391

© 2000 Hytrol Conveyor Company, Inc.

Team-Up for Quality

Who knows better about the quality of our products and services than the people who make their living selling, installing, and using Hytrol conveyors? What do we do well? How do we need to improve? How do we stack up against our competition? Why not have customers come to Hytrol and speak directly to our employees?

Hytrol kicked off the new year with a new series – Team-Up for Quality – wherein our customers come and speak directly to our employees about themselves and about our products. Our first Team-Up speaker was Terry Larsen, installer for Conveyor Solutions of Schaumberg, Illinois. Terry is a 32 year veteran of the conveyor business and is well acquainted with Hytrol and our competitors.

Terry spoke to two cross-sectional groups of Hytrol workers. He was complimentary of the strides Hytrol has made in recent years with regard to systems. He also offered several suggestions on how we can improve our designs and shipping procedures.

Larsen was well received by those Hytrol employees who sat in on the Team-Up sessions. Terry fielded a variety of questions from his audiences both during and after the sessions. It was a good opportunity for us to learn first-hand about Hytrol customers and how we can further improve our partnerships with them.
Terry Larsen, right foreground, answers questions raised by Hytrol employees after the session.

More speakers have been lined up to visit us in the near future. We will rotate the employees attending these sessions so we can allow as many as possible the chance to hear what our customers have to tell us.

 
Conveyor School Number 141 was conducted at Hytrol International Headquarters in Jonesboro, Arkansas, from April 10 through 13, 2000. This "basic" school gave students an introduction to Hytrol’s product line, pricing, and the conveyor business in general. Students were instructed by members of the Hytrol Family and were also afforded tours of the plant and the Jonesboro Stockyard.

Class Roster
Dave Menaker
Century Conveyor Service, Inc.
Edison, New Jersey

Paul Erich Kennin
Darryll Goacher
Patsy Spicer
Industrial Conveyor Corporation
Memphis, Tennessee

Micheal J. Patrick
W. W. Munroe Equipment Co.
St. Louis, Missouri

Jason Eitreim
Adam Metzler
Brian Lawson
Cisco-Eagle, Inc.
Farmers Branch, Texas

Karl Wayne Parbs
Anna Fridman
Babush Conveyor Corporation
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Michael Bauereis
Dennis Alan Beyer
KMH Systems
Cincinatti, Ohio

Stacy J Sims
Henry A. Petter Supply Co.
Paducah, Kentucky

 Tammy Cunningham
Engineered Handling Systems
Memphis, Tennessee

Thomas A. Surprenant
Kraig Kaijala
Innovative Handling Systems, Inc.
Marlboro, Massachusetts

Charles R. Murphy
Stephen A. Miller
Total Handling Solutions
Bellaire, Texas

Scott Drake
Hytrol Conveyors Midwest
Willobrook, Illinois

Ken Heater
The Bailey Company, Inc.
Knoxville, Tennessee

Marcos Pablo Montes Ortega
Hytrol Conveyor Co., Inc.
Toluca, Mexico

Cordell Hammon
Hytrol Conveyor Co., Inc.
Jonesboro, Arkansas

 

Throughout Hytrol’s history, we have looked for many ways to help customers keep conveyor operation costs to a minimum. Hytrol’s Maintenance Seminars were started in 1983 to provide those who maintain and service material handling equipment with preventive maintenance techniques and a broader knowledge of the inner workings of Hytrol’s conveyor models and accessories.

On March 29, 2000 Hytrol graduated its 42nd maintenance seminar. 20 students were enrolled in the three-day school. We appreciate those who came and hope they enjoyed the seminar.

Class Roster
Alan M. McKee
Tammy Cunningham
Engineered Handling Systems, Inc.
Memphis, Tennessee

Tim Townsend
American Greetings
Osceola, Arkansas

Scott Cooper
EAS
Golden, Colorado

Kent J. Buckhorn
Boise Cascade Office Products
Indianapolis, Indiana
Lucinda S. Barnett
Boise Cascade Office Products
Indianapolis, Indiana

Tony R. Gleghorn
Michael Fletcher
Michael Weston
Thomas Jameson
Frito-Lay
Jonesboro, Arkansas

Bill Duffy
Frito-Lay
Wooster, Ohio

Brad Parrish
Cisco-Eagle, Inc.
Jonesboro, Arkansas

 Robert Barrios
Merck & Company
Duluth, Georgia

Ray Ramirez
Corporate Express
Chicago, Illinois

Doug Heikamp
Brad Taffs
Tops Conveyor Systems, Inc.
Burlington, Ontario

Peter B. Pierce
Innovative Handling Systems, Inc.
Marlboro, Massachusetts

Gaetano M. Sirna
Kennametal
Cleveland, Ohio

Haynie Mayhew
Cisco-Eagle, Inc.
Farmers Branch, Texas

Kenneth M. Anderson
Pfaltzgraff Company
York, Pennsylvania

 

April, 2000

JONESBORO . . .
McCombs-Wall, Inc., Garden Grove CA

STOCKYARD . . .
Cisco-Eagle, Inc., Farmers Branch TX

MANTECA . . .
FloStor Engineering, Inc., Hayward CA

INTERNATIONAL . . .
Tops Conveyor Systems, Inc., Burlington ON

 
April Distributor Service Anniversaries
  • Hytrol Conveyors Midwest, Inc., Willowbrook IL 39 Years
  • Bastian Material Hdlg. Corp., Indianapolis IN 38 Years
  • Henry A. Petter Supply Co., Paducah KY 33 Years
  • Curlin, Inc., Tampa FL 14 Years
  • FloStor Engineering, Inc., Hayward CA 14 Years
  • Materials Handling Equip. Co., Denver CO 9 Years
  • Naumann-Hobbs Material Hdlg., Phoenix AZ 9 Years
  • G & S Mechanical Co., Calgary, Alberta 8 Years
  • Willington Fabrications Co. Ltda, Taipei, Taiwan 7 Years
  • Arnold Supply, Inc., Pasadena TX 1 Year
  • Rodamientos y Banda de la Laguna, Chihuahua MX 1 Year

Ralph Pocobello
1914 – 2000

Obituary

It is with much sadness and grief that we announce the passing of Ralph Pocobello, a member of the board of directors and retired vice-president of manufacturing for Hytrol. Ralph, 85, passed away April 25, 2000, in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Ralph joined Hytrol in July of 1962 and served as manager and later vice-president of the production area, a position he held until his retirement in February of 1980. It was Ralph, along with Hytrol founder Tom Loberg and partner Sam Leone who helped Hytrol grow during its early years in Jonesboro. Under Ralph’s direction, production capacity increased and the company was able to become a true leader in the conveyor industry.

Ralph will be remembered as someone who treated the workers with respect. His philosophy was; "work hand in hand, be honest with your workers, trust them, and respect them. They will give you their best." He maintained this idea during his eighteen years of dedicated service to Hytrol.

After retirement, Ralph continued to be involved with Hytrol as a member of the Board of Directors.

Those of us who were fortunate to know and work with Ralph will never forget his devotion to the company and the employees. His countless contributions and examples have been helpful to us all. We will miss him very much.

Be sure to link to this month's case history, The Sports Authority