PETERSON IS CUSTOM FAB

Today, the dream-machines of the 50s, 60s and 70s have given way to more practical designs. All the projects have been collaborative efforts between Peterson and the customer, bringing money-saving solutions to highly irregular challenges where a machine was not available to meet the need. "We realize that the things we build today aren't going to be the things we'll build tomorrow," states Jack Ravazza, Peterson's SL service manager. "What we're building now will lead the way to tomorrow's projects because of the rapid advancements in equipment technology. Equipment is changing that fast."

PEOPLE THAT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
Peterson’s Fab Shop employs 25 highly skilled welders and machinists working night and day to make it happen. Sixty percent of their work comes directly from repairs generated out of the field and in the shop. Custom fabrication and specialty bucket manufacture make up the rest. “Our equipment is running constantly,” states Lonnie Mecham, Fab Shop manager. “Everything in our shop operates six days a week. Since we’re not a production-type shop, we can meet the customer’s stringent time demands by focusing on them.” The specialized heavy-duty tooling, combined with a priority focus and years of industry experience, gives a breadth and scope to Peterson’s capabilities that’s hard to find under one roof.

EXTREME ENGINEERING
Top-notch engineering is key to successfully translating vision into reality. Peterson discovered current engineer, Bud Collins in the late 70’s, in a collaborative effort to build giant undercarriage assemblies and propulsion systems for foundation drill rigs building the Alaska Pipeline. Since 1992, Bud has used his 40-plus years of experience designing a diverse array of machinery at Peterson, including customized excavators for unexploded ordinance remediation, a remote-controlled bomb scraper, a tomato harvester, an LGP grave digger, a vineyard harvester, high-voltage cable laying trailer redesign, foundation drilling applications, high-torque shovel loggers and other optimizing modifications on Cat and other brand equipment.

WEST COAST DESIGNS
Peterson’s Fab Shop is still the unofficial design-house for Caterpillar in customization and fine-tuning. “As new models come out, we customize them to better fit our customers’ needs,” states Ravazza. “Initially the design might only be used by a handful of Peterson customers in California, but then word gets out. Pretty soon Caterpillar becomes aware of it and recognizes the viability of the potential market and decides to manufacture the design themselves. Many of Peterson’s designs have been through that evolutionary process. As a 29-year veteran of Peterson’s Fab Shop, Ravazza has witnessed the cycle repeat itself, over and over again. “We were designing and installing guarding packages on landfill machines back in the 70’s long before Caterpillar considered it. Somewhere along the line, they recognized the demand and created an after-market package they sold under Custom Products.” Today, customers can buy a waste-handling machine from the factory that incorporates all Peterson’s original ideas as a standard package. “What sets us apart from the competition is our full-service shop capabilities and ability to fabricate just about anything,” states Ravazza.