December 8, 2023 Clean Up

Volume 26 | Issue 2

Vac-Con manufactures custom-built truck- and trailer-mounted machines to serve public and private environmental markets globally.

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Since its inception in 1986, Florida-based Vac-Con®️ has built-to-order more than 9,500 truck mounted vacuum trucks along with high-pressure water cleaning solutions used globally by municipalities, utilities, and industries for sewer cleaning and hydro-excavation, as well as other industrial vacuum and high-pressure water jetting applications.

Product lines include combination machines, industrial vacuum loaders, water jet rodders, and hydro-excavators. These products, which can be either trailer mounted or integrated into a truck body, provide unique capabilities and features to perform specific jobs easily and safely, while also providing the highest performance and durability in even the most demanding conditions.

Hydro excavation is a non-mechanical process of trenching to break down and remove debris using high pressure water that is more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than conventional mechanical digging employed by backhoes, trenchers, or shovels. The traditional method of loosening and moving soil is slow, expensive, and risky. Pressurized water breaks up soil without risking damage to underground pipelines and utilities. It is a less physical and harsh operation that also reduces the risk of injury to operators.

“All our trucks our custom-built to exact customer specifications,” says Bryce Rieger National Sales Manager. “Crews operate under different conditions and therefore need different tools. There’s no one-size-fits-all machine. In fact, what distinguishes us from our competition is that we don’t think of ourselves as just a truck and machine manufacturer, but rather as a designer and provider of solutions tailored to individual needs and situations.”

The company has a full portfolio of products that can be used in a range of applications, including sewer cleaning, excavation, soil trenching, debris removal, pile hole excavation, and oilfield operations. Vac-Con trucks are available in single and dual engine combinations. Both machines work by seamlessly combining water excavation and vacuum loader systems to offer you the best value without compromising performance, power, or ease of operation.

Built-to-Order

Rieger adds “We make just about everything in-house. Though we don’t stock an inventory of trucks and machines, because every order is unique, we do stock chassis to expedite delivery times. Another thing to improve delivery is to bolt parts rather than weld. While we do have robotic welding machines in place, bolting parts is faster and more efficient. We employ a variety of build tactics including welding and bolt-on assemblies which results in a high quality, rugged, and reliable product.” Even so, due to the customization factor, delivery times are currently averaging about six months, and highly customized trucks can sometimes result in lead times extending to a year out.

There is a large and growing market for used vacuum sewer cleaning trucks. Rieger points out. “Resale is handled by our dealers,” he notes, though Vac-Con does refurbish aging machines at customer requests.

Vac-Con machines are powered by hydro static drives, which deliver higher efficiencies of 98 percent compared to standard mechanical drives. Because larger capacity hydro static pumps perform at lower RPMs, resulting in quieter operation and reduced noise pollution. An additional benefit is a significant reduction in fuel consumption, which not only means reduced operating cost, but less exhaust gas and lower environmental impact. Indeed, Vac- Con’s commitment to green initiatives is reflected not only by its products, which are used by public and private entities to maintain water treatment facilities and provide the valuable resource of potable water, but also in its own processes to reduce waste and emissions and conserve natural resources.

Largest Maker of Sewer Cleaning Equipment

All of which is why Vac-Con is one of the largest makers of sewer cleaning equipment in North America. However, as Rieger points out, “While our core business has always been municipal and industrial sewer cleaning solutions, our expansion in hydro-excavation is part of our sustainable growth strategy. This is a fast-growing sector not only domestically here in North America, but throughout the world where there are a lot of significant infrastructure projects. Excavating safely and efficiently without disturbing power lines and other utilities is absolutely essential. Think of a data center, for example. You cut power and its networks go down, inconveniencing customers and possibly compromising their data, costing the data center significant time and money for downtime.”

Vac-Con markets through a global network of dealers. There is at least one dealer in every state, multiple dealers in Canada, and over 25 dealers internationally. Support to both dealers and end-users is paramount. Rieger touts Vac- Con’s industry-leading service and large parts inventory insuring customers can get what they need to get back up and running. Vac-Con also maintains a robust inventory of parts to ensure quick turnaround for customers in need.

All their machines and thousands of unique parts are made-to-order utilizing teams at both their Florida and Wisconsin locations.

100 Percent Employee Owned

Vac-Con can deliver on its mission statement to “support, design, and manufacture innovative vacuum and high-pressure water cleaning solutions that deliver superior performance in municipal, industrial, and utility markets worldwide” in large part by being a 100 percent employee-owned company. “Our people aren’t just punching in and punching out every day; they have an actual stake in the company and tend to go the extra mile to ensure the highest quality products and service,” Rieger points out. “After five years, employees become fully vested in our ESOP program, a big factor in recruiting and retaining employees, which as we all know is a huge challenge to all manufacturers these days.”

Rieger says, adding that, “We continue to see high demand for our products. We owe this to our continued commitment to innovation, performance, and a focus on quality and reliability that is all backed by our global network of dealers.”

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