Smith Challenger Manufacturing & Services Inc., a niche manufacturer of sweepers and brooms in Lakeland, Florida, is one of Ring Power’s newest partners. Owner and Head of Equipment Development, Keith Smith is credited with engineering and patenting the innovative sweeper attachment quick-change system in 1996 that forever changed the industrial sweeping industry. Deciding that it was time to make headlines again, Smith designed his first self-propelled broom the Smith Challenger SCM 400 Super Broom to be the most innovative self-propelled sweeper on the market.
Mark Conley, Shop Superintendent and Equipment Manager, at CWR was swayed by the craftsmanship of the brooms and decided to add the sweepers to their fleet, noting that, “The overall appearance and quality really stood out. The brooms are very well-made – almost over-engineered with all the bells and whistles, and from a safety aspect they offer clear visibility.”
The Super Brooms were quickly put to the test on two projects – a County Road in Eustis, Florida, and the Florida Turnpike in Wildwood. They have been standing up to the challenges and delivering the necessary results for CWR Contracting to continue “Driving Quality for Florida Roads.”
Mark Halvorsen, Senior Paving Specialist at Ring Power, recommended the SCM 400 based on the time and cost savings he knew it would deliver CWR based on past discussions. “Most competitive models are light weight and do not hold up to the sweeping requirements that road contractors face. The SCM 400s are incredibly well-built, the controls are easy to use, the down pressure of the broom is outstanding, and the visibility is excellent. The proprietary design of the quick-change broom core surpasses any competitive model out there for its reduction in time to change the broom core. The broom side shift controls eliminate the need for a gutter broom and protects the tires from curb damage. Smith Challenger really thought of everything when designing these machines.”
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Ring Power is one of the first Cat dealers in the United States to carry Smith Challenger brooms, with more dealers quickly gaining interest. Smith states, “I have been doing this for most of my life and build the machines as if I will be the one operating the equipment. Customers expect their equipment to work properly, so we build with quality and stand behind our products. We have found that if one person has a need, someone else probably does too, so we have begun building custom units. Reputation and name mean everything – and we want to be the one-stop shop for all sweeper needs for Cat dealers and customers.
Phil Ireland – Vice President, Paving Products Division Manager at Ring Power – expressed, "Outside of how well-built these brooms are, we were really eager to partner with Keith and his entire team for a very important reason. The Smith Challenger Manufacturing main office is located right on the back property line of our Ring Power Lakeland facility. Not only is the "Made in the USA" slogan applicable here, but being able to work with another "Made in Florida" brand is an even more important one for us. Ring Power was built in Florida, our owners – the Ringhaver family – reside in Florida, and our employees are proud to represent a Florida company. Smith Challenger Manufacturing and the Smith family share our local values and our local heritage. It’s important for us to not only represent such a quality product, but a local one as well.”
