Customer Story: EccoFab

One of our favorite stories demonstrating Sullair durability.

Gerry Bauer bought his air compressor at a donut shop.

Scrawled on a napkin before him – somewhere between a chocolate éclair and an apple fritter – was an agreement to purchase a Sullair LS12- 40LAC stationary compressor with the capacity to power the air grinders in his Rockford, Ill. factory.

That was 1979. The compressor is still running today, showing no signs of slowing down.

Most equipment transactions don’t occur at pastry establishments. Then again, most business owners aren’t like Bauer, a self-made man who values dependability above all else – the very quality he saw in Sullair so many years ago.

“It’s a very dependable machine,” Bauer said. “It’s bulletproof. And the evidence that it’s bulletproof is that it’s lasted 40 years and it hasn’t destroyed itself yet.”

Bauer is the current owner of Ekstrom, Carlson Fabricating Company - known in the industry as EccoFab - a producer of custom wearparts using Hardox® premium steel products.

“Hardox is the Cadillac of abrasion-resistant steels,” Bauer said. “When you go to work with our material, it’s consistent in its forming capabilities, its welding capabilities and its machining abilities.”

Although EccoFab didn’t join the exclusive Hardox network until 2000, the wheels were in motion for long-term success from day one. Finding a reliable compressor would be integral to running an efficient fabrication plant.

It was early on that Bauer developed a close relationship with the area’s Sullair dealer. Their acquaintance was made at the very donut shop where the sugar-coated contract would ultimately change hands.

“The rest is history,” Bauer said.

Today, EccoFab uses the Sullair compressor primarily to run air grinders. The veteran unit has made itself at home on the factory floor, steadily delivering the same quality performance it did in its rookie year.

“I don’t have to worry about it,” Bauer said. “It just runs every day. I can push the button and it starts. I’m very pleased with the longevity of that machine.”

He joked that he would probably hang it up before the compressor does. But at this rate, nothing seems to be slowing him down either. “I could retire, but at this point in my life I’m having too much fun.”

For Bauer, success has never tasted so sweet.

To learn more about EccoFab and their story, visit eccofab.com; or visit them at ConExpo 2023 – booth C30958.