by Rick Stryker, P.E.
In the fifteen or twenty years since the Internet came to be, nearly
every aspect of American life has been touched in one way or another,
and camp is certainly no exception. That said, though, many facility
staffs remain off line. Sure, their “domain” so to speak,
is the grounds and buildings that they’re charged with erecting
and maintaining. But opportunities abound online to make great strides
toward the facility utopia you’re after. Here is a brief overview
of the most used sites for facility management, which are helpful for
the camp community:
USA BlueBook: 800-548-1234, www.usabluebook.com
For
the facility that operates and maintains a water supply, treatment or
distribution system, or which collects, treats, and discharges wastewater,
this is a resource not to be missed for a host of reasons. First, they
(like most of the other resources listed later) still publish an exhaustive
paper catalog. At the same time, their entire catalog is published online.
It’s highly searchable and contains an array of equipment, tools,
and hardware many of which are truly specialty items for the public utility
industry. They also carry an extensive selection of safety equipment
including respirators, harnesses, and lifting devices. Finally, their
telephone support is without peer. Unlike so many phone “support” lines,
your call is screened and directed to a real specialist in whatever your
need of the day happens to be. Many of them have already had careers
in public utilities operations and maintenance. They know their business
from troubleshooting through the mechanics of systems, and they know
their product line. They’re not shy about asking another representative
to help, so you’re sure to get the right help and the best answers
available. Their warranty support is outstanding.
Grainger: www.grainger.com
Long an industry leader in industrial supply, they, too, have an exhaustive
catalog in print along with a searchable database of parts and equipment.
Their search tool online includes the ability to look for products both
by name and a separate index for manufacturers and specific brands. A
huge added bonus is that Grainger also maintains brick-andmortar stores
across the country. Their Web site home page displays a three-tab search
tool, allowing you to look for specific items by category, product, or
brand. This “cut-tothe- chase” approach is particularly helpful
for people who don’t have super fast Internet connections or computer
hardware. Probably their most useful page is a parts search repair section.
Some of the manufacturers of supported equipment even have provided schematics
to help you get the part you need.
Northern Tool + Equipment: www.northerntool.com
Much like Grainger, Northern
has a pretty broad array of hardware and tools to help keep camp improving.
Our specific experience with Northern has been in finding equipment for
automotive repair facilities and small power generation requirements.
They offer a selection and range of solutions for solving repair shop
issues, and they, too, have a reputation for customer service and returns.
The Web site home page cuts right to the chase with a wellorganized and
straightforward menu to get you to the items you’re after quickly.
Most of the category pages allow you to narrow your selection further
by choosing category, brand, or other product-specific features. Many
of the general category pages are also highly informative with feature
comparisons and articles to help you make certain that you’re getting
just what you’re after.
(Incidentally, their product line includes a pretty wide array of fun
items like go-kart kits and parts!)
McMaster-Carr: www.mcmaster.com
The
Web site for McMaster-Carr offers an exhaustive online catalog of their
products. Unlike Northern, every category and subcategory is listed on
the home page, and each is a link to the page in their catalog that will
show you exactly what you’ve picked. For example, say you’re
rebuilding an old piece of equipment and need an obscure bolt, maybe
even in 308 stainless steel. On the home page is a category called “Fastening
and Sealing,” and under that, you choose “bolts.” That
page has an assortment of fasteners that might include what you’re
after, but you choose “specialty bolts.” On that page, it
lists the different materials from which these fasteners can be selected.
Sure enough, there’s “18-8 Stainless Steel.” By choosing
that material, you get yet another page that categorizes the selections
by size and thread. Continuing to narrow your choices until you get to
a blue catalog part number, you can click on it to bring up a detailed
drawing of that part. When you’re satisfied that you’ve found
what you’re looking for, there’s a box on the left that asks
for a quantity to add to the shopping cart. Click and go to “build
an extensive shopping list” and before you know it, you have everything
that you need. Buy by the box, or buy the individual part. It really
doesn’t get much easier than that. But wait! They’re not
done! Back on the home page, they even have a category for raw materials
like rubber, foam, felt, and cork that you may need to set a pump, quiet
a rattle, or stop a squeak.
Gilmore Kramer Company: 800-544-3137, www.gilmorekramer.com
Remember
that “box of bolts” you spend endless hours over
the year sorting through? What if, during a long, cold, dark part of
the winter, those were sorted into individual bins by size and/or material?
Imagine how much time you could save and how much productivity could
improve through one simple step. Gilmore-Kramer Company is a specialist
in material handling equipment. Their focus is on making your work easy
to reach and move, and your supplies organized and easy to find and inventory.
Among their product line is heavy-gauge sheet metal furniture like desks
and work benches, lockers and shelving, and enough hoists, conveyors,
and lifts to meet almost any imaginable need.
Shelving Direct: 800-500-9141,
www.shelvingdirect.com
These folks specialize in free-standing, heavy-duty
shelving units, with some specialized applications (like tire storage)
already in the line-up. Their product assembles easily and quickly with
a rubber mallet (supplied by them!), and the units expand as you need.
The steel members are powder-coated to resist corrosion, and the shelves
are either very heavy particleboard or steel, as you choose. Their lowest
rated assembly will safely hold a thousand pounds! Their product line
even extends into shop and production furniture like lighted pegboard
work benches.
HD Supply: 800-431-3000, www.hdsupplysolutions.com
Formerly “Maintenance
Warehouse,” it and several other wholesale entities have been acquired,
combined, and repackaged by Home Depot (hence the “HD”).
As the wholesale arm of the Home Depot, they offer materials and equipment
to a wide range of industries with their stated areas of expertise in
infrastructure, construction, maintenance, and repairs. The Web site
will take you directly to the page that will provide access to the most
familiar and commonly used facility products. Their product line includes
many items common in the hospitality industry — from high quality
doormats to cleaning chemicals. In addition to their paper catalog, they
also provide an online, searchable catalog at catalogs.shoplocal.com/hdsupply/index.
aspx?circularid=10497, whose pages flip by as if you’re looking
at a paper catalog. For some reason, that seems to make it easier to
read. One of the most usable and worthwhile aspects of the catalog is
their straightforward rating system for quality: Good, Better, and Best.
Many of their offerings are rated, and the product descriptions explain
the difference between the others, what you’re getting for the
extra dollar, and what you’re not by saving a buck.
These are just
a few of the super resources available to the camp professional on the
Internet. Many of these graphicsheavy Web sites work best with fast Internet
connections like cable or T1, so if you’re wrestling with a dial-up
Internet connection, part of the convenience factor falls away. True
enough. But this should add to your reasons why faster Internet speed
is money in the organization’s bank. The sooner you can surf your
way to find the products that you need, the sooner you can get back to
work with all of the right parts in hand. But even if you don’t
have a fast Internet connection, almost all of these outfits print catalogs
and will gladly put your organization on their mailing list. The Sears
and Roebuck catalog way of doing things hasn’t really gone away.
It’s simply put on a new face for the new century. So buckle up
that crash helmet, fasten your seat belt, and jump on the information
super highway!
Originally published in the 2008 March/April
issue of Camping Magazine. |
