When Ready Mix companies make $200,000 – $300,000 investments in their trucks, their vital piece of equipment to run their business, they have to trust their vendors and suppliers are looking out for the best interest in taking care of their investment. But is that really happening? What I have seen in the last year, I would have to say no, most companies don’t. As much as Ready Mix companies have to trust their manufacturers, Mack, McNeilus, etc.; companies also have to trust their other suppliers. Although it falls on the low end of the totem pole of importance on a daily basis, keeping your truck/fleet clean is extremely important to the effective and efficient running of your business by keeping your trucks on the road. Companies have either been told or just come to accept the fact that the only way to clean their fleet is to use an acid based product. For so many years, it was hydrochloric acid (Chemstation, Mortarman, Arrow Magnolia, Equipclean, BioClean). Not only did drivers dislike hydrochloric acid, understandably, but what the suppliers neglected to say is the damage this acid was causing their trucks and employees. As time has progressed, so-called “safer and milder acids”, phosphoric(Vision, Right Off, Rustgone), glycolic (Sandstorm, Backset, Liquid Hammer, BioShine, Kwiksand, CreteDissolve), urea hydrochloride (Tornado) and blended acids(Mudslide) came onto the market and these same suppliers claimed these new acids are much safer than hydrochloric acid, although they knew/know that these acids still cause damage to the trucks and employees.
But lately, and what I would consider the worst are the companies that know there are these “safer” acids available to offer their clients, BUT DON’T. Why? Money. Suppliers make more money selling hydrochloric acid than these other acids. If these suppliers have the trust of their clients, why offer something that’s going to cost you more money and subsequently make them less money. The biggest problem with that is where is one’s moral values and integrity to offer their clients the best possible product they have in their line of products. Since the Synpro line of patented, acid free truck cleaners and concrete removers have been on the market, I am seeing the most unbelievable things. I am watching companies, almost daily, all of a sudden come out to their clients saying they have a safer, better product to offer them. Wait, what? These companies have had these products available to their clients all this time but NEVER offered it to them? Why? That’s right, money! I am seeing companies offering phosphoric acids, glycolic acids, etc., saying these are newer, safer products for their trucks and employees, as well as the environment, yet at the end of the day, THEY ARE STILL ACIDS still causing damage to Ready Mix company’s investments and employees.
So do suppliers REALLY have their client’s best interest in mind or are they only looking out for themselves and their bottom line? Based on what I am seeing on a daily basis, the answer is simple….NO