Michael Brothers Offers Recycling Solutions with Cat Equipment
“He taught us to work hard.” The life lessons of Steve Milani, owner of Michael Brothers Hauling & Recycling (Michael Brothers), rings true to his sons, Rob and Tom, and son-in-law, Mike, who have worked alongside their father for decades in his hauling and recycling business. Quickly approaching their 50th anniversary, Steve purchased Michael Brothers in 1976 from twin brothers in Bethel Park and has since involved his kids from an early age. Tom reflected, “I went to work with my dad at 4:30 a.m. at 10 years old. I’d sit and watch the equipment all day. I was always so fascinated. This is what we grew up with.”
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
After graduating, Rob and Mike joined the family business. In addition to his sons, Steve is accompanied by his wife, Patty, who handles clerical work and plays an important part of decision making. Today, 74-year-old Steve Milani still arrives to work every morning and works out of his newest “office,” a Cat D5 dozer while his children run the business. After years of working together and growing the company, it’s easy to see hard work runs in the family. Currently, Michael Brothers has locations in North Hills, South Hills, and Adamsburg. Construction is underway for a fourth location in Mount Pleasant. All locations offer services including scrap recycling, transfer stations as well as clean fill and green waste processing.
EXPANDING OFFERINGS AND FLEET
While the company initially offered residential and commercial hauling services, the Milani family quickly began expanding its offerings and now employs 100 employees. “We’re not doing the same thing each day. We’re open-minded and making improvements. He [Steve] lets us make mistakes and always try. Even if it doesn’t work today, it’s a learning experience,” Tom stated. He continued to explain the company is now “a full recycling company” with a goal to repurpose waste, create local jobs and to educate customers while offering them on-site solutions.
As the company continues to grow, their need for reliable equipment does as well. With a fleet of Cat wheel loaders, dozers, skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, a mini hydraulic excavator and material handlers, Michael Brothers is always looking for ways to maximize efficiency. With specialized waste material handling equipment and attachments, such as material handlers and grapples, Michael Brothers noted the importance of specialized equipment. Specifically, Tom mentioned the importance of a recent purchase, a material handler MH3026.
MH 3026 Features
The stick offers extended reach with high and medium pressure connections to open, close and rotate grapples. The hydraulic cab riser offers a unique parallel lift design so operators can now move materials more safely with boosted visibility. The increased production alleviates labor demand as well. Tom noted the “drop nose, magnet and the extended reach” has “freed up a lot of employees’ time by eliminating ground sorting and hand picking” and now takes about “1/5 loading times to load a trailer” compared to their efforts before their specialized Cat equipment and attachments. He continued, “Now our employees can do so much more.”
Additionally, Tom attributes the equipment and variety of work tool attachments for less downtime and enhanced employee safety. His employees can now “load waste and iron all within one machine.” With the rotating grapple, Tom stated, “you can neatly organize” and “can grab cords, faster and safer. Guys don’t need to be on trailers now and customers don’t need to go into a dangerous environment.” Cat equipment has become a staple to the Michael Brothers crew and is imminent for their success.
SERVICE LEADS TO SUCCESS
More than equipment, however, Tom and Rob noted how important service and parts availability are to any machine purchase. Rob stated, “The parts are readily available, and the tech support is so important.” With three Customer Value Agreements (CVAs), Cleveland Brothers field technicians oftentimes come onsite to perform maintenance on Michael Brothers’ equipment, with Tom noting the same technicians work on their equipment. Cleveland Brothers also offers training to operators when Michael Brothers purchases and receives new equipment, Tom noted. When scheduling routine oil samples, Rob commented that the Cleveland Brothers staff reaches out as quickly as the machine prompts the operator for maintenance. He continued, “Everyone on your [Cleveland Brothers] team wants to set us up for success.” Tom added, “It’s nice to see Cat [Cleveland Brothers] work with smaller companies. It’s been a great relationship.”
With specialized and reliable equipment, trained and knowledgeable staff, quick parts and quality service, the Milanis proudly stated, “We’d much rather be with Cat.” By partnering with Cleveland Brothers, Michael Brothers can achieve enhanced safety, boosted productivity and diminished downtime allowing them to focus their effort on furthering their company mission.
CLEVELAND BROTHERS OFFERS RECYCLING AND WASTE SOLUTIONS
Whether you are looking to purchase material handling equipment, need equipment serviced or are looking to rent, Cleveland Brothers offers a solution for you. For more information, contact us today.
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