There are three words every parent dreads: Some assembly required. Pipeline ins-pection technicians at Sleuth Plumbing Technologies used to feel the same way until the company invested in a 2006 Dodge Sprinter camera van.
“Before we bought the van, it took about an hour to set up and take down a portable camera system,” says Justin Mizell, vice president of the company in Sarasota, Fla. “Technicians spent a couple hours a day just setting up and breaking down equipment. With a full-fledged camera van, it now takes about 15 minutes to set up and 15 minutes to break down, so our productivity improved by 50 percent. That definitely adds up.”
The van also makes work more convenient for technicians. “It’s so much easier because we just back up right to the manhole,” Mizell says. “We also can do longer runs much more efficiently. Before, we might have been able to do about 1,500 feet a day, whereas now we can do about 2,500 feet. I’d say it has made us about 15 to 20 percent more profitable because we can do so many more jobs over the course of a year.”
Efficiency and comfort
The van carries Power Vision pipeline inspection systems from Power Equipment Mfg. Inc. One camera is rigged to inspect 6- to 12-inch pipes and the other for 12- to 40-inch pipes. Each supplies 1,000 feet of video cable rated at 2,500-pound break strength. Sleuth uses SubCam software from SubCam Inc. to document inspections. The software converts all information into video files that are compatible with most other software for viewing purposes.
“We sent our two camera operators, Dewey Mixon and Chris Harmon, to a week-long training school to learn how to use the SubCam software,” Mizell says. “They absolutely love the equipment.”
The van also has air conditioning, power windows and locks and a CD player.
“We try to make our employees as comfortable as possible,” Mizell notes. “It makes our guys real happy to work inside an air-conditioned van.”
Serious marketing
With its distinctive styling, the high-top Sprinter van by itself is an eye-catcher. But it’s virtually impossible to miss with the Sleuth logo emblazoned on the side, along with the company motto: Don’t Speculate … investigate!
“Branding our company is what we’re all about,” Mizell says. “We trademarked the slogan because we take marketing very seriously. The lettering on the trucks isn’t cheap by any means, but it’s critical to what we do.”
Sleuth tracks all phone calls to determine where job leads originate, and Mizell says the numbers indicate how well the company branding works. “I bet we get at least one call a day from someone who saw one of our trucks,” he notes.
The van gets 22 miles per gallon, which is significant with fuel prices topping $4 per gallon. One thing’s for sure: A technician doesn’t have to be a detective to determine that this vehicle increases profitability and productivity.
