SITE: MANUFACTURING PLANT FACILITY
LOCATION: KANSAS CITY, MO
Average annual snowfall: 20″
Sno Pusher type: Rubber-edge Sno Pushers, Steel Edge Sno Pushers
Equipment: 60 Pushers
Keywords: EFFICIENCY, LARGE SITE, TRADITIONAL PLOW VS CONTAINMENT PLOW
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Metro Snow Contractors is a large snow removal firm operating out of Kansas City, MO. This case study illustrates the enormous snow capacities that Sno Pushers are capable of moving in one pass. These capacity upgrades over traditional truck plow windrowing has eliminated 60% of Metro Snow’s man hours on one particular site.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
Metro Snow Contractors has been working in snow removal for 25 years and snow removal currently comprises two-thirds of its operations. During the summer, it operates a landscaping business. It currently has over 200 employees working 200 commercial and industrial lots that average 4.8 acres and are as large as 60 acres. Its snow removal fleet consists of loaders and backhoes using over 60 Pro-Tech Sno Pushers including rubber edge and steel edge models.
SITE INFORMATION
Metro Snow Contractors clears the lot at the Harley Davidson Plant in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a 20 acre asphalt lot with a variety of obstacles including islands, lampposts, curbs, and access roads. The facility operates 24/7 so there are always cars and semi-trucks on the lot. There is a brief, 3 hour maintenance shift when traffic is at a minimum and Metro Snow Contractors attempts to do as much work as possible. The lot receives 20 inches of snow annually with an average snowfall of 2 inches.
COMPARISON: BEFORE & AFTER THE ADDITION OF PRO-TECH SNO PUSHERS
Before: Before using Sno Pushers on the lot, it was cleared with 6 trucks with straight blade plows. The trucks would windrow between parking aisles. The snow was piled at the end of aisles. This left many smaller piles around the lot. This process took 6 men and 20 hours to complete, requiring a total of 120 man hours to clear the lot and did not effectively create a cleared space.
After: The lot is now cleared with a 16’ Sno Pusher (SP16L) on a loader and two 10’ Sno Pushers (SP10B) on backhoes. The 10’ Sno Pushers are used to clear the snow to the ends of the aisles where the 16’ Sno Pusher clears it to the ends of the lot. The lot owner is much more satisfied by this system, as there are no longer several piles around the lot. The SP16L is able to clear 400’ and 800’ lengths in a single push and has done so in up to 8” of snow. This process now takes 3 men and 16 hours to complete, requiring a total of 48 man hours to clear the lot. Using three Sno Pushers has reduced Metro Snow Contractors man hours at the lot by 60% and requires 3 less units.
QUOTES
“If you’re not using Sno Pushers, you’re not serious about snow removal.”
“I don’t know how people plow without Sno Pushers.”
Metro Snow Contractors
Chris Wardrip
6600 NW Cookingham Dr, Kansas City, MO 64164
Office: (816) 270-2070
www.metrosnowcontractors.com