FINANCING A MACHINE REBUILD

Situated just north of the scenic town of Les Fins in eastern France sits one of the largest and most important quarries in the region.

Faivre-Rampant Carrières was founded in 1965 by Gérard Faivre-Rampant, father of Evelyne and Fabrice Faivre-Rampant. In 2004, the siblings stepped in to run the family business with Fabrice as CEO and Evelyne as Managing Director. Over the years, the brother and sister duo have grown the business to 40 employees and redefined the company to primarily produce and sell aggregates. Quarrying and material transportation has now been the core of the business for 16 years.

Cat Financial, the financing arm of Caterpillar, has been a part of this family’s story for over 30 years, since Gerard Faivre-Rampant began leveraging financial solutions to support his business. His relationship with Caterpillar extends back even further to when he purchased his first piece of Cat® equipment 45 years ago. The excellent service and relationship with Cat Financial, Caterpillar, and local Cat dealer Bergerat Monnoyeur has resulted in an expanding fleet of Cat machines supporting the growth of this family business. So, when their 972M XE Wheel Loader needed to be replaced, Fabrice and Evelyn knew they could turn to Cat Financial to provide the best solution.

“Yeah, we weren’t really prepared for the machine downtime,” recalls Fabrice. "The decision to rebuild couldn’t be postponed since hourly costs were high. So it was better to give this machine a new lease on life." Having a machine down can have costly and frustrating repercussions. Cat Financial was able to save the company time and money by offering to finance a complete rebuild of the 972M XE.

Even though Cat Financial, Caterpillar, and local dealerships are three separate entities, customers get the full attention of a unified team when they need help. Gianluigi Mariani, Sales Manager for Caterpillar, states, "Our goal at Caterpillar and with dealers is to ensure that our customers can get maximum value from the machines they have purchased from us." Asked about the rebuild project, he continues, "Cat Financial is an essential part of the offering because it allows our customers to purchase the rebuild, spreading the cost over time at a very attractive interest rate."

“In the context of the rebuild of the 972M XE machine, my role was to provide a financing solution adapted to the customer’s constraints to support them in this project,” says Cat Financial Territory Manager, Pierre Grandjean. “To finance the machine rebuild, we offered to buy the machine from the customer at its net book value, then to finance the rebuild by spreading the expense over time through financing. I think Faivre-Rampant decided to work with Cat Financial for several reasons. First of all, for the close relationship we have had for several years. Then, for our professionalism and our responsiveness. And finally, for our competitiveness.”

“Cat Finance was instrumental in helping us with the rebuild project,” says Benoît Billod-Laillet, Aftermarket Inspector for Cat dealer Bergerat Monnoyeur. “With Pierre, my Cat Financial colleague, we genuinely work [together] to find the best solution for the customer. Compared to a conventional bank, Cat Financial offers a quick solution. When it comes to repair work, customers need quick answers.”

Not only did the rebuild project get the machine back to work, rebuilding their Cat machine meant no time was lost learning new technology or adjusting a machine to fit the needs of their quarry. “Our customers know their machines very well,” says Patrick Henroid, Caterpillar Aftermarket Sales Representative for France. “They know how to operate them, and they know how to maintain them. So, by rebuilding them, they have the opportunity to keep the technology, keep the machine they love, and continue to operate that machine for a second life.”

This was crucial for Faivre-Rampant Carrières. When asked why they considered a rebuild, Quarry Manager, Théo Devillers responded, “We decided to rebuild this machine, which was perfectly suited for use at the quarry, and to keep working with the same series, the same model of Caterpillar equipment.”

Machine rebuilds offer several additional unique advantages. Cat Certified Rebuilds are restored to a like-new condition at a fraction of the cost of buying new, and they include a warranty on all replaced parts. The rebuild process can also recycle as much as 90% of the original machine. Managing Director, Evelyne Faivre-Rampant added, “We looked into rebuilding this machine primarily for environmental and financial reasons...We financed with Cat Financial simply because they were the best on the market.”

Cat machines are designed to be rebuilt, ensuring you get the most value out of your purchase. Cat Financial also offers a full suite of solutions to protect a rebuild, including Equipment Protection Plans (EPP) and Cat® Customer Value Agreements (CVA) to prolong the life of your machine and maximize the benefits of your investment.

Whether it's a machine rebuild, managing repairs, acquiring new equipment, or facing any other large investment, Cat Financial can help. Faivre-Rampant Carrières found success by turning to the expert team it could trust. Benoît Billod-Laillet, Aftermarket Inspector for Bergerat Monnoyeur, asserts, "Cat Finance is there to help us move the big projects forward."