Establishing and managing multiple shops, centralizing maintenance and parts functions and implementing software are all part of the ongoing success for meeting growth needs at Bozzuto’s Inc.
One indication of the growth that has taken place at Bozzuto’s Inc. is the expansion in the company’s shop operations. “When I joined the Bozzuto’s team four years ago,” relates Bob Hamilton, director of fleet maintenance, “we had one facility and a staff of ten.
Today, we operate three shops and there are 33 technicians and supervisors. That is a reflection of our growth as a leading wholesale distributor of food and household products.”
Headquartered in Cheshire, Conn., and family-owned and operated, Bozzuto’s was founded in 1945. The company serves independent and chain supermarkets from Maine to Maryland with a full line of grocery and perishable products including produce, meat, seafood, frozen, deli, dairy, bakery and floral items.
The Bozzuto fleet is kept in top condition by a team of technicians and supervisors based in tractor and trailer shops in Connecticut and in a maintenance facility at the company’s distribution center near Allentown, Pa. “Just five years ago,” Hamilton says, “the entire fleet was maintained in just one shop. In 2004, we began to take on several challenges at once, including opening a separate trailer facility and the Pennsylvania shop, as well implementing new programs and adopting maintenance management software to help manage the operation more effectively.”
Addressing staffing needs
One of the first things Hamilton did after joining Bozzuto’s was to address staffing and management needs. In particular, he named shop supervisors at all three facilities and created a new parts supervisor position to serve the entire operation. In total, the three shops at Bozzuto’s maintain and repair approximately 200 tractors and over 600 dry freight and refrigerated trailers. A firm believer in operating only company-owned equipment, the fleet has grown by adding new vehicles annually and keeping older models in excellent condition. Today, the newest tractors are 2009 Sterlings, which join Sterling, Freightliner, Kenworth and Ford power units dating back to 1997, some with one million miles of service. The latest trailers in the fleet are Wabash National models, including DuraPlate dry vans and reefers with Carrier Transicold refrigeration units.
Heading up the tractor shop in Connecticut is Pat Mancini, fleet maintenance tractor supervisor, who has worked at Bozzuto’s for nine years, including four in the shop and five as a driver. The facility, which operates around the clock, is staffed by 11 technicians.
In Pennsylvania, Nestor Mandzy, an experienced heavy equipment maintenance technician, serves as fleet maintenance tractor supervisor. In addition to his management duties, Mandzy works alongside the shop’s technician to perform preventive maintenance and repairs on the 35 tractors and 80 trailers based at that location.
Managing the company’s new separate trailer shop on a daily basis is Art Christiano, fleet maintenance trailer supervisor. The 31-year veteran at Bozzuto’s began sweeping floors, served as a technician for 16 years and as a supervisor. Under his direction, nine technicians work three daily shifts maintaining trailers and refrigeration units. Christiano also coordinates with Atlantic Star Trailers. The supplier, whose property houses the Bozzuto’s trailer shop, does all major repairs for the fleet.
Centralizing operations
All three Bozzuto’s shop supervisors also work closely with Bill Zaleha, fleet maintenance parts supervisor. Hamilton established the new position because a centralized parts operation was seen as key to managing the expansion into multiple shops at Bozzuto’s. Today, Zaleha works with local and national suppliers to meet each facility’s parts needs.
Also centralized at Bozzuto’s is a breakdown management process. “We implemented a breakdown team and set out to achieve two primary objectives,” Hamilton states. “First, we strive to eliminate all breakdowns. Secondly, when the inevitable occurs, we strive to minimize the delay. Our trucks have to meet customer demands, often in a small delivery window. If a breakdown occurs, the dispatch chain is altered for the entire week.”
Using a database of vendors, Bozzuto’s has established accounts and service requirements with suppliers along its major routes and in operating zones. The system enables the shop staff to effectively and efficiently handle any problems that do occur. In addition, the fleet keeps a custom-built tow vehicle on hand, dispatching the modified tractor to retrieve vehicles in need of major repair.
Providing training
While all breakdowns, especially those that are tire related, can never be avoided, Hamilton is quick to note that well trained technicians are a major part of eliminating problems on the road. At each Bozzuto’s shop, one of the main responsibilities for the three supervisors is to arrange and manage on-going training for shop personnel. For example, trailer technicians attend courses at Carrier in Syracuse, N.Y. and have had brake system clinics presented by Meritor WABCO and Bendix at the Atlantic Star Trailers facility. Tractor technicians also take part in brake system training.
Engine maintenance and repair training is a central focus for Bozzuto’s as well. “With long trade cycles,” Hamilton says, “we have a number of engines in the fleet, including Detroit Diesel Series 60s, MB 4000s and new Detroit Diesel DD15s, as well as Caterpillar C15 and C13 models. “Detroit Diesel — and in particular our fleet sales representative Mark Francis — have been especially helpful,” Hamilton states, “in part by providing training for technicians. Currently, they’re addressing training needs for the MB 4000s that are now out of warranty, providing training on the Series 60 models and arranging courses through distributors like Atlantic Detroit Diesel Allison covering the new DD15 engines. They have really stepped up and taken very good care of us.”
Implementing software
In the past few years, along with establishing new shops, a parts operation and breakdown team, and addressing staffing, management and training needs, Bozzuto’s also adopted its first maintenance software. “Four years ago we had a paper based system,” Hamilton relates. “A comprehensive effort to evaluate maintenance management programs, however, has led to a choice that makes the most sense for our operation.
“We began by narrowing the choices down to four possibilities,” Hamilton continues. “Then, we assembled a group of supervisors, technicians and administrative personnel and asked each supplier to demonstrate its software. That process took eight months to complete, and when all the demonstrations were done we reviewed our notes about each offering.”
The conclusion Bozzuto’s reached was to implement the TMT Fleet Maintenance system offered by TMW Systems to manage its PM schedules, repair orders, parts inventory and ordering, labor and costs. “That system won out, in part, because it offered touch screen capability, which meant that people without extensive computer skills could learn to use it quickly and easily,” Hamilton says. “It has all the reporting and interface capabilities that our management team and corporate operation needs, but most importantly, acceptance on the shop floor was essential.”
Meeting objectives
The effective management of a growing operation, the establishment of multiple shops and centralized parts and breakdown operations, and the implementation of a new maintenance software solution are challenges that Bob Hamilton was well suited to address. The New Jersey native, whose father worked for a trucking company and at Mack Trucks in a service engineering role, has filled roles at several well known companies in his career. Included on his resume, for example, are common carriers like Builders Transport, private fleets like Tropicana and lease operations such as Ruan, as well as roles in warranty, parts and service operations for a Freightliner dealer. That experience has given Hamilton the perspective necessary to effectively manage the interrelated parts of the growing Bozzuto’s fleet operation.
“We all understand that our customers’ success depends on our effectiveness and efficiency,” Hamilton states. “Bozzuto’s has one simple objective, to be the number one wholesaler in the markets it serves. For the fleet operation, that has meant meeting several challenges, but with a team effort we’ve been successful on many fronts.” FE
BOZZUTO’S TRACTOR SPECIFICATIONS
Model: Sterling; 170-in. wheel base
Engine: Detroit Diesel
Transmission: Eaton UltraShift
Driveline: Meritor
Rear Axle: Meritor, 3.58 ratio
Rear Suspension: Airliner
Oil Seals: Chicago Rawhide Scotseal Plus XL
Hubs: ConMet aluminum
Brakes/ABS: Meritor WABCO
Parking Brakes: Haldex Gold Seal
Power Steering: TRW
Fan Drive: Horton Drivemaster
Air Cleaner: Donaldson
Air Compressor/Air Dryer: Bendix
Coolant Filter: Penray Need-Release
Coolant Hoses: Gates Blue Stripe
Starter/Alternator: Delco
Block Heater: Phillips Temro
Fuel/Water Separator: Davco
5th Wheel: Holland Simplex Air
Wheels: Accuride, aluminum disc
Tires: Michelin 275/80R22.5; XZE steer, XDN drive
Mirrors: Velvac, hood-mounted convex
Seats: Bostrom
