As published in Manufacturing & Construction News - January 1, 2021
Current progress on Ohio Machinery Co.’s two facilities in Perrysburg
Ohio Machinery Co. dba Ohio CAT, Northern Ohio Peterbilt, and Ohio Ag Equipment, the exclusive dealer for Caterpillar construction equipment statewide, is making significant progress on its 160,000 square foot campus on Eckel Junction Road in Perrysburg. The campus features two buildings – an Ohio CAT facility totaling 65,250 square feet and an Ohio Peterbilt building totaling 68,000 square feet.
According to Ohio Machinery Co., the company outgrew its original facility in Perrysburg on State Route 25.
“Northwest Ohio has seen much construction activity recently, fueling the need for a larger, full-service facility in the Toledo area. Ohio CAT is looking forward to providing even better customer service through increased personnel and the enhanced capabilities of its new facilities. The project includes expanded space for the shop, a parts warehouse, and office space for the company’s machine sales, rental, and administrative staff, along with a wash building and cold storage center,” said company officials. “The new Ohio Peterbilt facility will have 26 service bays and the ability to service the customer base in the very busy intermodal transportation corridor. The facility will have ample yard space and parts storage to serve the customers and our other I-75 corridor locations with Peterbilt parts.”
Greg DeAnna, vice president, Ohio Peterbilt, added, “The project is big. Ohio Peterbilt is simply out of room at our existing facility. Currently, we have five technicians crammed in our truck operation with barley any yard space. This makes it a challenge to meet our customer’s needs and has limited our ability to serve the market well and effectively grow our business. The research that went in to the investment decision included a look at what customer’s needs are in the area. Well over 56,000 vehicles pass through the I-75 / I-475 interchange daily, with roughly 6,000 of those being medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. We look forward to growing our staffing levels to fill those bays providing long term employment opportunities for the area.”
Construction on the facilities began in June 2019, with a substantial completion date aimed for late March 2021, and a final completion date in late April. Marous Brothers Construction, based in Willoughby, Ohio, is the design/build contractor for the project.
Mark Ricchiuto, project executive for Marous Brothers Construction, previously explained to Toledo Business Journal why Ohio CAT is using the design/build method for this project.
“Ohio CAT is a large company providing services for the entire state of Ohio. Consequently, they wanted a streamlined design and construction process and to minimize the demands of their time. One company responsible for both design and construction with a single point of contact meets that requirement,” said Ricchiuto.
According to Brandon Hipp, facilities director, Ohio Machinery Co., the Ohio CAT facility is 65,250 square feet and includes an 8,300 square foot wash building and 5,940 square foot cold storage facility. The Peterbilt facility, Ohio CAT’s on-highway truck dealership, is 68,000 square feet, and a 7,400 square foot cold storage center. According to the company, all 26 Peterbilt service bays will be equipped to service CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles with its own cold storage.
Initial groundbreaking of Ohio Machinery Co.’s new facilities
According to Hipp, the first phase of the project included the entrance drive construction, the second phase included mass grading and utilities, and the third phase was the site and building construction.
A total of 1,556 employees work for Ohio Machinery Co. across all its divisions, noted the company.
Ohio CAT serves the equipment and power systems needs of local businesses with sales, parts, and service for Caterpillar equipment. Specializing in rental services, the CAT Rental Store provides CAT and non-CAT rental solutions on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Northern Ohio Peterbilt sells and supports heavy duty, medium duty, and vocational Peterbilt trucks, and its parts stores carry both OEM and aftermarket parts. The company’s agricultural division, dba Ohio Ag Equipment, sells and supports a full line of AGCO and CLAAS agricultural equipment. Component repair and remanufacturing services are provided by its Growth Opportunities Division through Complete Hydraulic Service in Bolivar and International Fuel Systems in Findlay.
“Ohio CAT is a great client with regard to their collaboration, communication, and dedication to their construction projects. This teamwork results in successful projects and a long-term relationship,” concluded Ricchiuto.