Safety Features Perfect for Manufacturing Application

Utility Vehicles Effectively Move People, Equipment and Materials

Safety is a core value at the U.S. Steel plant in Granite City, Ill., and has been enhanced by the addition of Bobcat utility vehicles.

“We purchased these 2200 units because they have the best combination of safety features available today,” says Sonny Hankins, fleet manager of the facility.

Sonny Hankins, fleet manager at Granite City Works.

Located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Granite City Works is one of five inte-grated steelmaking facilities operated by U.S. Steel in the United States.

The company, which has at least 40 to 50 individual buildings within the facility, uses the utility vehicles to move people, equipment and materials around the plant.

“Our quality control department is constantly transferring test samples of steel back and forth,” says Hankins, who points out that the facility operates 24/7. “Our electricians, mechanics and maintenance workers use the 2200s as well. The machines are used all the time.”

He estimates that more than a hundred employees operate the utility vehicles. “A dozen peo-ple could drive a single machine in a 24-hour period,” he says.

The Granite City plant has eight 2200 models and 14 four-passenger 2200S units. The com-pany purchased two in 2005 on a trial basis from Bobcat of St. Louis, Fairview Heights, Ill., and has been adding ever since.

“The steel-constructed, certified FOPS and ROPS were just what we wanted.”

When it came time to begin replacing the two other brands of utility machines used in the plant, Hankins researched available products. “We focused on safety features,” he says. “Some of the units had seat belts, but only Bobcat offered seat belts, FOPS (Falling Object Protective Structure) and ROPS (Rollover Protective Structure). That was important. Plus, the quality of the Bobcat build was obvious. The steel-constructed, certified FOPS and ROPS were just what we wanted.”

Good visibility, strobe lights, and a fire extinguisher are other safety features that make the 2200 ideal for this manufacturing application. Read more about Bobcat utility vehicles on the utility vehicle page.