Case Study

Improving Safety and Impressing Clients

Rudolph/Libbe has enjoyed many benefits from utilizing the services of Orbital Transport – some expected and some unexpected. Improved safety and productivity were anticipated; however, the ability to meet unusual requests and impress their clients was not. 

Focus on Safety

In the world of general contractors, companies take a variety of measures to improve safety and reduce injury. For national contractor Rudolph/Libbe, that includes changing the way they store tools and materials at the worksite. 

Rudolph/Libbe has worked with Orbital since 2005 to create ground-level storage for job site tools and materials – eliminating the need for dangerous stairs and handrails. Using their Sidelifter crane truck, Orbital is able to set Rudolph/Libbe’s storage containers directly on the ground. Employees no longer need to carry tools and supplies up and down stairs to a trailer-mounted container. 

“For a company with a focus on safety, this is a great benefit,” said Tom Lemmerbrock, Yard Manager at Rudolph/Libbe. With the average cost of lost-time injuries at $29,000 per incident, the ground-level containers have the ability to significantly reduce Rudolph/Libbe’s costs and risk exposure significantly. Orbital’s sidelifter crane truck also allows them lift, move, and set fully-loaded containers without tilting them. For Rudolph/Libbe this means that all of their containers can be loaded at their yard before they are moved to the jobsite. 

 “Having Orbital lift our containers without tilting eliminates my team from having to double handle of tools and materials. Orbital helps us improve our productivity,” stated  Tom Lemmerbrock.

Innovation in Containers

One of the most surprising benefits of using Orbital’s unique moving system is the impression that it gives to Rudolph/Libbe’s clients. “For clients and other contractors who haven’t seen the Orbital equipment in action, moving containers at a jobsite always generates a crowd,” Lemmerbrock said. At an Ohio steel mill, Rudolph/Libbe was able to go above and beyond to meet a unique client need – with the help of Orbital. They needed to set a container on the ground inside the mill to serve as a temporary lunchroom. The problem arose when they realized that the doors were only 16 feet wide, not wide enough to move the 20 foot container with a standard forklift. 

The solution – bring in Orbital’s equipment to move the container. Orbital was able to lift the container up, place it on its sideloader truck, drive it straight through the facility doors, and set it gently on the ground inside the mill, never tilting the container. Not only did Orbital help Rudolph/Libbe solve the client’s problem, they helped them show the client that they are a different type of contractor. 

“Orbital allows us to be an innovative contractor,” Lemmerbrock said. “What Orbital does is something usually only seen in shipyards. This service is good for us and for our image.”