For more than two decades, Colton Equipment has been meeting the crane equipment needs of Southern California.

Founded in 1982 by Tom Colton, the company has grown from a small, independent distributor to become a prolific equipment source for a variety of manufacturers. Recently, Colton was officially named as the exclusive West Coast distributor for the Demag product line.

In addition, Colton also carries P&H, American, Kobelco, Barko and Terex equipment.

Colton has the ability to provide product support to all of Southern California from its La Mirada location. Its facilities are centrally located to the 5, 91 and 605 freeways in what is locally known as the "Golden Triangle". Colton's easy-access location is comprised of a 16,000 square-foot building, a paved yard, service bays with a 20,000-pound overhead crane for servicing equipment and a steam cleaning facility.

Always looking to do what is best for its customers, Colton recently facilitated the purchase of four new Demags by a large oil refinery in California.

(Above Left) Demag AC 80-1 shipping from Colton's facility in La Mirada.
(Above Right) Demag cabs set the standard for operator comfort.

In a somewhat unconventional move, this refinery was interested in having its in-house crane fleet take on more of the responsibility of the high-level maintenance that is required at the plant. However, a review of their equipment revealed that their existing fleet was not up to today's technical specifications and not nearly efficient enough to meet their servicing needs.

This particular oil refinery's operational team, began to research ways in which they could update to modern technology and reduce maintenance costs.

Once the operational team was able to convince its capital asset personnel of the benefits of this new arrangement, the decision was made to look further into the Demag product line for the solution.

Colton Equipment has had a long-standing relationship with this refinery providing repair and maintenance services for many years.

(Above Left) New Demag AC 80-1 working at a California oil refinery.
(Above Right) Demag 100-Ton sold and serviced by Colton Equipment Co.

Upon the recommendation and referral of the operational team, Colton was given the opportunity to assist the refinery in its decision making process by presenting them with all the information and demonstrations necessary to help them decide on their equipment needs.

After a trip to see the equipment in action at a refinery in Houston, Texas, the California refinery decided on its first purchase: a 100-ton Demag AC80-1 hydraulic telescoping crane.

After returning to California, the refinery team decided that they would allocate additional resources for the purchase of a few more pieces of equipment. They, once again, turned to Colton to help them decide which pieces would benefit them the most. Colton returned to the California facility to meet with the operational team as well as many of its operators, maintenance and safety personnel. Together, they decided on an equipment "wish list" that included a 28-ton city crane (AC-25), a 60-ton all-terrain crane (AC-50-1) and a 165-ton telescopic crane (AC-120).

(Above) Demag AC 120 (165-Ton capacity) being prepared at Colton
Equipment's - Southern California, La Mirada facility for certification and delivery.

When the additional purchases were approved, around the beginning of November 2001, Colton went to work to ensure that all the equipment would be delivered to the refinery for its calendar-year deadline. This would involve some rather tight scheduling due to the shipment coming all the way from Demag's Germany facilities. The specialized attention that is the bedrock of Colton's reputation was naturally given to the $2.2 million project and the equipment was delivered, as promised, by the end of December 2001.

Colton has also completed its operator training at the refinery and has finished commissioning each crane. It is with eager anticipation that all parties are waiting to see how this in-house fleet will affect the facilities maintenance capabilities. The equipment will be used for routine maintenance as well as be employed during the major turn-around maintenance projects that require an entire plant shutdown.

Colton has, once again, played a key role in meeting the ever-changing equipment needs of an industry.