IMS Dredges: Strong Transition from 2011 to 2012 (USA)

IMS Division of LWT, LLC reports its second best year on record for 2011.

“Amidst increased global competition IMS sees continued repeat sales from buyers in North America, Central America, and Asia. It is nice to see clients on their third or fourth Versi-Dredge.” says Ryan Horton, IMS Global Sales Director.

In 2011 dealerships in Asia and Latin America both purchased dredges for local stocking. Multiple clients in Nigeria invested in the IMS Model 7012 HP Versi-Dredge for sand mining projects. A noteworthy sale was IMS’s first sale to Liberia where a contractor utilized a Model 7012 HP Versi-Dredge for stockpiling sand for a Dutch construction company.

IMS’s Weedmaster Cutterhead technology is being utilized by many new clients in Latin America. Just recently, two different government buyers in Ecuador purchased Model 5012 LP Versi-Dredges for dredging totora and hyacinths.

IMS’s ability to stock dredges allows international buyers to fulfill time sensitive contracts. One client from SE Asia purchased three Model 7012 HP Versi-Dredges from stock in November 2011 for government port maintenance projects and was able to have all units on site to meet the contract deadline. In April 2012 a titanium mine purchased three IMS 10×12 Booster Stations from stock and was able to ship them in two ocean containers since IMS’s new booster pump design meets the width dimension for standard ocean containers. In mid-2011 a client from Saudi Arabia required a dredge to be expedited from IMS’s factory to a sea water intake. The contractor only had 30 days to complete the project which was 86,000m³ (3,037,061 ft³) of sand.

Employee Spotlight: Michael T. Young

IMS has announced that Michael Young, former Field Service Manager, has been promoted to Technical Sales Manager. Young has 12 years of hands-on dredging experience that will be invaluable to IMS’s global rep and dealer network overseas. Young has launched and serviced over 150 dredge systems in over 30 countries around the globe. He estimates that he has over 2,500 hours of chair time and has operated six different brands of dredges.

“I very much enjoy working for IMS because IMS listens to its customers and the market to improve and enhance its dredges. The IMS Versi-Dredge is much more technically advanced than the dredges I see from other manufacturers for this reason. IMS has also always been willing to work in conjunction with customers on special or unusual projects – this results in few ‘run-of the-mill’ jobs and yields a great deal of pride when a difficult job is successfully completed,” says Young.

IMS Technology Recognized

Over the past year IMS’s innovative dredge technology was recognized by some very credible sources on high profile projects:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

“The purpose of this work unit is to identify and evaluate: mature innovative technologies that exhibit potential application to reduce dredging costs, address U.S. Army Corp of Engineers problems related to dredging, or improve dredging-related measurement, assessment, and management capabilities. Results of these evaluations will be used to foster USACE and industry-wide (where applicable) implementation of innovative technology solutions for navigation dredging projects.”

Association of Consulting Engineers of British Colombia (B.C.):

“The success of this complex project resulted from creative and innovative engineering, with a focus on sustainability and environmental protection.”

U.S. National Parks:

“The IMS Versi-Dredge has provided the most ‘low impact’ of any dredging the park has experienced.”

IMS Benefits from MARAD Grant Program

U.S. transportation Secretary Ray LaHood awarded IMS’s parent company, Liquid Waste Technology one of 15 grants to help strengthen U.S. shipyard competitiveness. The grant was provided under the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Small Shipyards Grants Program which provides equipment and technical skills training for America’s maritime workforce, helping these businesses compete in the global marketplace while creating well-paying jobs at home. LWT will use a $558,843 grant to purchase two forklifts, a 50-ton rubber tire gantry crane for transporting dredges and large components throughout the yard, and a training simulator room with two computers and software.

IMS Appoints Dealer in Southern Mexico

IMS has appointed DIMASUR, “Distribuidores de Maquinaria del Sureste” as its new dealer for the Southern Mexico States of Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Chiapas and Oaxaca for sales, leasing, customer service and financing at all 13 locations. IMS was able to offer DIMASUR deferred payment on all dredge purchases for 1 year from date of shipment under IMS’s Dealer Demo Unit Program. IMS is pleased to announce that DIMASUR has recently purchased another Versi-Dredge for one of its clients which will ship in the next month. Congratulations to Dimasur for their second sale in less than 10 months.

IMS Versi-Dredge Residual Value

The first IMS Versi-Dredge was manufactured in 1986 and since then IMS has sold to over 40 countries around the globe. If you are lucky enough to find a used IMS Versi-Dredge on the open market then you will quickly find out that they hold their value.

“We hear stories all the time from our clients about how they purchased a dredge in the 1990’s and sold it for the same amount they bought it for originally after logging thousands of hours of pumping time. We even see dredges built by other manufacturers repainted in IMS colors to be more appealing to potential buyers. The best compliment we get is when used dredge brokers keep old Versi-Dredge listings on their websites that are not even available just to lure in potential buyers. The buyers realize they don’t have any Versi-Dredges, but we still find this a bit flattering,” says Ryan Horton, IMS Global Sales Director.

IMS recently sold a 2006 Model 7012 HP Versi-Dredge for only $10,000 under the original purchase price. The dredge is now pumping sand around the clock overseas.

There are countless stories of dredge owners like Russell Cissell in Missouri who purchased a Generation I IMS Model 4010 LP Versi-Dredge which predates the Starwheel Drive system. Russell paid $75,000 US for the dredge in 1995 when it had 2,800 hrs. on the meter. Today the dredge has over 6,500 hrs. on the meter and is fairly valued at the same price Russell paid for it in 1995.

[mappress]

Dredging Today Staff, May 4, 2012; Images: imsdredge