The old saying “time is money” is especially true in construction. Few things frustrate project managers, architects, engineers, and crews more than waiting for replacement machinery or parts when equipment breaks down mid-job and wasted minutes become hours or days. Realizing the industry never stops, BW Manufacturing designs and manufactures concrete equipment made to last, and products that are readily serviceable, making delays a thing of the past.
At BW Manufacturing, quality and durability are built into every piece of equipment crafted to handle shot blasting, scarifying, diamond grinding/polishing, dust containment, and more. Not only are BW’s products designed and built better, they’re also backed by experienced customer service and outstanding technical support.
Before founding BW in 1996, Bruce Williams dedicated his career to the floor coating industry. Unhappy with the existing equipment and its constant breakdowns, Williams knew he could do better. Building machinery in his garage, the mechanically inclined Williams’ experience led him to what worked and proved to him what didn’t. He observed that much of the current machinery was confusing to use and proprietary, making replacement parts expensive and hard to find.
His ambition was to make user-friendly products, simpler to service and operate. One of his biggest achievements was ride-on machines with interchangeable heads, a first for the industry. This led to the company’s tagline: Long-lasting, easily serviceable.
“He set out to do two things, and he was wildly successful in both of those,” says Nick Johnson, Sales Processes and Marketing Manager. Bruce set out to achieve, and accomplished, building the most reliable concrete equipment in the industry. His other goal, which he achieved, was to make contractors more profitable by providing affordable equipment that worked more efficiently by having less downtime while getting more work done in less time.
“The initial goal of ‘long-lasting’ equipment is still being tested today,” says Director of Sales and Marketing, Randy Shanks. “It’s not uncommon for us to see machines that are 20 to 25 years old still in existence. As for the lifetime of the chassis, we have yet to figure that out, since most chassis we’ve built are still working on surface prep jobs,” he says.
“Our dust containment systems are built with the same level of durability. For example, the largest concrete contractor in the nation has dozens of our A-404 vacuums in their fleet. Contractors contend that BW Manufacturing’s vacs last longer and require less maintenance than any others available. Our pulse system allows them easier filter maintenance, which saves them even more time and money.”
When customers buy from BW Manufacturing, they get more than superior-quality concrete equipment; they also get years of industry experience.
Offering a full line of walk-behind shot-blasters, scarifiers, and grinder/polishers, the BW team advises clients on the best solutions for their needs, including job size, type of space, and surface prep. Vacuums sold by BW range from its smallest, the B-101, with a capability of 205 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to the A-404, the largest at 1,175 CFM.
As revolutionary as the day it was released, the D-1800-FT4 chassis remains the company’s flagship product. A ride-on multipurpose, the D-1800 chassis offers a new and improved version of BW’s interchangeable attachment design, allowing for high-production shot blasting, scarifying, and diamond grinding on one chassis, Johnson explains. “It’s the ideal machine for industrial floors, line stripe removal, bridge decks, airport hangars, parking decks, and highways.”
The result of meticulous research and design, the D-1800 has user-friendly controls, a tilt-up hood allowing easy access to the engine compartment for service and maintenance, and a seating position that gives the operator a better view both in front and behind the attachments and preparation path. Each attachment can be swapped out by one person with minimal tools in less than 20 minutes. The D-1800 also features a state-of-the-art dump system, allowing operators to dispose of the acquired silica dust while working quickly and safely.
The D-1800 boasts other advantages as well. As a shot blaster, it can do 3,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour. Its feathered blast pattern provides a smoother-looking finish and faster operation while fully replaceable inner liners increase housing life.
As a scarifier, the unique head attachment is self-leveling, automatically adjusting itself to different contours of the floor or pavement. “You’ll achieve an accurate removal of thin mill coatings to ¼-inch overlays,” says Johnson.
As a diamond grinder/polisher, floating grinding heads and a specially designed shroud aid in removing all material from the floor, cutting cleanup costs while keeping the machine virtually dust-free. “Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars when one chassis can quickly and easily do all the jobs you need?” asks Johnson.
“I truly believe in our equipment, and I think our D-1800-FT4 chassis is the best piece of equipment on the market,” he says. “From a sales and marketing perspective, it’s easy to sell stuff that you truly believe is the best. It makes it easy to do my job.”
Coming on board BW after graduating in 2018, Johnson has been an important part of the company’s growth, especially as its internal and customer service team and its marketing department grew. Today, he manages BW’s inside sales, customer service, and marketing. “I started here while in college and decided I did not want to leave after graduation.”
Although BW has the resources of a large company, it maintains the culture of a smaller business. Everyone—from the ownership group to day-to-day employees—has an entrepreneurial spirit and mentality, and truly believes in the quality of all products. At BW, this positive and powerful attitude drives success.
“Our internal culture spills over to our external culture, which is why I believe our customers love us,” says Shanks. A veteran of sales management for over three decades, Shanks started with BW in January of 2023. He has put together a comprehensive employee engagement and retention program and says much of the company’s success comes from hiring the right people. “What I realized is, people don’t leave companies, people leave people,” he says.
From an internal perspective, BW has a very strong company culture which includes working as a team, winning and delivering results, working hard, striving for excellence in communication both internal and external, and relationship-building. “By working as a team, we win together,” he says. “We help each other professionally, we care about each other personally, and we’re a tight-knit group.”
Passionate about his work, Shanks says there is work, and then there’s hard work. “You have to define what it is to work hard,” he says. “Everybody does 40 hours a week, but to outdo the competition you need to do more. There will always be people out there that are smarter and more talented than us—but there’s never an excuse for anybody ever outworking us. So our culture is that we work hard.”
Treating staff and customers with respect keeps paying off for BW, which is known for its unwavering commitment to service and quality. Getting feedback from clients who use BW equipment every day provides the company with much-appreciated insight into how to be even better.
“Industry professionals have a deep understanding of the challenges they face and what it takes to overcome them,” says Shanks. “BW Manufacturing recognizes that tapping into this wealth of knowledge is crucial for driving innovation.” Through well-structured customer surveys and polls, BW Manufacturing collects feedback on various aspects of its equipment, such as performance, durability, and ease of use. “We ask our customers about pain points, specific needs, and areas where improvements can be made. This invaluable input forms the foundation of our refinement and innovation efforts.”
By focusing on what matters most to actual users, BW ensures refinements and new machinery align with the actual requirements of the concrete restoration industry. “This customer-centric approach sets us apart from competitors who may rely solely on internal brainstorming.”
Taking feedback from customers, BW combines information and suggestions with years of experience. This sees the company’s engineers, designers, and product development teams collaborate to translate client insights into concrete improvements and innovative machinery, resulting in superior products.
“By continually refining existing products and developing new machinery based on customer feedback, BW Manufacturing empowers our customers to perform at their best, tackle challenging projects with confidence, and ultimately, increase their bottom line,” says Shanks. “It’s this unwavering commitment to our customers that solidifies BW Manufacturing’s position as a leader in the concrete restoration equipment industry.”
