Equipter

Founded in 2004, Equipter is a family-run manufacturing company that produces unique equipment to solve a unique problem for the roofing industry: debris management. Using a bounty of ingenuity and plenty of heart, Equipter is bringing innovative solutions to roofing contractors across North America.

 Inventive ingenuity

 Aaron Beiler, founder and president of Equipter, grew up in the construction business. His father ran a construction company, which lead Aaron to start his own roofing business in 1987. Aaron’s immersion in the industry helped him realize that roofing construction had some problems; problems that he wanted to come up with a solution for.

 “My father was trying to solve some of the problems he had with debris management,” says Sam Beiler, VP of marketing for Equipter, and Aaron’s son. “Our involvement in the roofing industry helped us come up with this company.”

 Debris management was a problem that had yet to be given a great solution. But Aaron was determined to come up with an answer. “Back in early 2003, myself, my dad, and my three brothers started brainstorming,” explains Sam. What Aaron and his sons came up with was deemed Equipter RB4000, a machine that was designed to streamline waste control for roofing job-sites.

 The RB4000 is a towable, self-propelled trailer that runs off a hydraulic drive to both raise up to reach a residential rooftop jobsite, as well as serve as a dump trailer for easy waste disposal. Fondly called the “Roofer’s Buggy,” the invention is innovative and unique in the roofing field. Originally built for personal use within their company, the family quickly realized they had invented something that would revolutionize the roofing industry. “Innovation solutions with debris management is a slogan for us,” Sam proudly explains.

 “We went from there and started our own manufacturing company, and then things just escalated,” says Sam. “It was a product that solved a unique problem, and the features it included set us apart. You don’t find a trailer that is also self-driving. Basically it came from our involvement in the [roofing] industry. We market to all contracting companies, and we’ve even seen it adapted to general contractors and remodelers.”

 A dedicated team

Equipter’s success in the roofing market is due in part to a dedication to its customers, both local and national. “One of our decisions early on was to keep Equipter a local company,” Sam explains. “We currently service all of North America, roofing contractors are our target market, but we wouldn’t be where we are at without our local customers.”

 Equipter employs only about 25 employees at its manufacturing facility in Paradise, Pennsylvania. “Design and manufacturing are done in house, but we also then deliver the product. You are calling us directly to manufacture the product for you, and we take care of it from there,” says Sam, “It was important for us to be directly connected with our customers.”

 At its local headquarters, the company produces its primary product, RB4000, and recently has developed a new creation, the CR8000. “It is somewhat of a spinoff of the RB4000, which is a mobile debris container. The CR8000 though, is a mobile crane,” Sam explains. The crane is mounted to a 6-foot-wide chassis, and can extend up to 23 feet. It is self-propelled, similar to the RB4000, with a hydraulic motor, and designed primarily to be used by the HVAC industry.

 The leap into a new market comes in hand with the rapid expansion that Equipter’s innovation has sparked. The company is working on development of a new facility that is over five times the size of its present headquarters. With completion expected in fall of 2016, Equipter is preparing to delve into its new pool of potential customers and bring a new innovation into the limelight.

Family values with a global vision

 Innovation and efficiency aren’t the only sources of pride for Equipter. The Beiler family has a long-lasting dedication to the community, both locally and globally. “We like to think of how we can use this company to involve our community and even the world around us,” explains Sam. “My dad takes trips across the world through different missions, a lot of which stem from our local church in Lancaster. We want to make a bigger impact in the world.”

 Equipter encourages its employees to join missions along with the Beiler family. In 2015, Sam travelled to South Africa, and his brother Dave accompanied their father on a trip to Ghana during that year as well. “I guess it comes down to what is your bigger picture. Ask yourself what type of legacy you want to leave behind,” Sam continues. “Keeping that in front of you is just something I see to be the most important, because it effects our decisions on an everyday basis.”

 Looking ahead, Sam sees continued growth on the horizon for Equipter. “We are very optimistic. We know we have a unique product and have been received pretty well in the industry. I hope to see us continue to grow at the rate we already are,” he says. With its already unique and innovative product line, Equipter will undoubtedly continue to revolutionize roofing construction throughout the coming years.