Specialty Cheese Company, based in Wisconsin, is one of the largest collections of International cheeses and creams.
The company has evolved and grown over the past 25 years, outgrowing old factories and converting an old High School into their new modernized and expanded factory. They use their team’s unique skills to develop authentic and innovative new cheeses. Over the years, Specialty Cheese Company has tripled their employment. They are proud of their team and aim to keep them safe at their job.
Safety First at Specialty Cheese
One safety issue the Specialty Cheese team recently noticed was the danger in climbing up and down the rungs of the ladder on top of dairy truck tanks, which could cause sore feet and sometimes even fractured feet. Together, the Maintenance Manager, John Machkovech, and Intake Manager, Mike Daniel, decided to look for a solution to the problem. They reached out to several companies, including RELCO. The pricing, quoting process, and coaching from RELCO helped the Specialty Cheese team realize that they were the best choice. Machkovech explained, “After comparing prices and getting ideas from other companies, RELCO came up with the best solution and price for our situation. RELCO made sure we got what we were asking for.”
Finding The Right Solution and Installing It
The solution selected was the E-Z ACCESS® Deck from RELCO. Rather than climbing rungs to the top of the cheese equipment, the E-Z ACCESS® Safety Deck System provides an easy access stairway platform. This custom solution was safe and efficient. Daniel explains, “The stair access to the platform is much safer. Every person that goes up and down the ladder to the platform is secure because of the enclosed railing that was installed.” Since it was a custom solution made especially for Specialty Cheese, RELCO took extra care to ensure the product fit their requirements. With product installations of this size and complexity, challenges often arise. RELCO prides themselves on working together with clients to collaborate and find solutions. The E-Z ACCESS® Safety Deck System was installed with trucks in the area, creating an additional obstacle, but RELCO was up for the challenge. Daniel remembers, “We had two days allotted for the installation and RELCO had it installed in just one and a half days.” Daniel recalled, “RELCO provided prompt service and we knew that we could depend on them to react in a fast manner so we avoid downtime.”
Unique Features to Accommodate Customer Needs
The E-Z ACCESS® Safety Deck System was developed to reduce personnel injuries that occur when working around manways and on top of truck tanks. The E-Z ACCESS® Safety Deck System provides operators and other personnel with safe, OSHA-compliant access to tank openings. The most unique feature of this system is the adjustability of the drop decks that move vertically and horizontally, accommodating a variety of tanker designs and hatch locations. Daniel said one of their favorite features of the E-Z ACCESS® Safety Deck is how the slide works back and forth to adjust various sizes of the trucks.
Partnership from Start to Finish
The team at Specialty Cheese was very satisfied with the RELCO products and service, from start to finish. Machkovech acknowledged, “From the start, the RELCO staff were very professional and courteous. We appreciated the willingness to work together during the installation. We would highly recommend RELCO to install any further items for us in the future or recommend them to any other company. RELCO stands behind their product, not only when it is installed but also after the install. Most importantly, this particular equipment from RELCO provided the safety we needed for our personnel.”
Employees Agree
With the E-Z ACCESS® Safety Deck System now installed, Specialty Cheese uses it for both short trucks and long trucks up to 12-14 times daily. After climbing up slippery rungs for years and getting sore feet, the employees at Specialty Cheese welcomed this equipment upgrade with open arms and now consider it a “MUST”. Daniel admitted, “Our employees have said, ‘we should have had this when we first got the intake together about seven years ago’. Everyone really loves it, since it is so much safer climbing up the steps than the side of the trucks, and no injuries!”
For more information about Specialty Cheese Company, please visit www.specialcheese.com.
