Distributor Profile: Atlas Machine & Supply

Atlas Machine & Supply, Inc. may be a relatively new authorized Sullair distributor but they have a storied past dating back to 1907. Of those 113 years, Atlas Machine & Supply has been in the air compressor business for nearly 50 years.

After selling competitive compressed air equipment for many years, the company recognized it was time for a change. For us to reach the next level of success, and to provide our customers with a better overall experience, we needed to work with a different OEM, said Richie Gimmel, President of Atlas Machine & Supply.

In early 2018, an opportunity awaited with Sullair. And so it began—a successful partnership with Sullair. Atlas Machine & Supply serves as a key partner to Sullair customers in the southern halves of Indiana and Ohio, in the northern half of Tennessee and throughout the state of Kentucky. The company offers a full line of oil free and oil flooded Sullair industrial air compressors, aftermarket parts and fluids and a service team.

Atlas Machine & Supply is a fourth-generation family-owned business—something they do not take lightly.

A lot of the larger, well-known brands in the marketplace are sold from large corporations, added Gimmel. Often, for those companies, they are more interested in shareholder returns than genuinely caring about how the customer is doing. Meanwhile, we’re a multigenerational family who has been in business for 113 years. Each day, our long-established family reputation is on the line. I sincerely care about how our customers are doing, and if customers need to speak to me, as president of Atlas Machine & Supply, I will pick up the phone.

Since its founding, Atlas Machine & Supply has focused on serving the customer well, doing what’s right and providing personal attention. All of these are important factors when purchasing an air compressor, as customers are not just purchasing an air compressor—they’re establishing a long-term partnership to ensure success for their equipment and operations.

Often these partnerships can last for decades. The Atlas Machine & Supply service team regularly sees 30- and 40-year-old Sullair air compressors out in the field. The oldest they’ve come across is a 1979, 300 hp Sullair air compressor at a manufacturing facility in Franklin, Kentucky. It’s still running like a champ, said Gimmel.

Gimmel credits the rugged and proven reliability and durability of Sullair air compressors, along with a successful service partnership.

It’s the service relationship that keeps the plant running, said Gimmel. To operate optimally and reliably, you need service—whether you want it or not. Equipment is important but service is more important to the overall happiness and success of an end customer. A good service partner will not only provide regular service but also help prevent future issues.

This is something the Atlas Machine & Supply team recognizes and acts on daily. The team works to identify and solve customer issues and problems before they even become problems. Part of that is done through the use of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts and lubricants. For instance, Genuine Sullube, a lubricant and the lifeblood of compressors, and Sullair OEM parts.

Gimmel added, Taking these small steps will help pay dividends to the overall health of your equipment. Sullube doesn’t varnish easily and has a higher flashpoint than the lesser quality lubricants. Lubricant is a big reason why Sullair air compressors run so long, said Gimmel.

Atlas Machine & Supply customers appreciate the way the team serves as a partner to their success—as demonstrated by their success and growth.

Sullair awarded Atlas Machine & Supply the 2019 New Distributor of the Year for North America. The company demonstrated exceptional growth since becoming a Sullair distributor, and they were also awarded an expanded service territory.

We are very proud of this award but we continuously seek ways to improve, said Gimmel. We don’t want to rest on our laurels. Much of this can be attributed to our strong sales and service team who consistently go above and beyond for our customers but having a collaborative and committed OEM partner like Sullair also plays a huge role.

As a family-owned business, Atlas Machine & Supply considers its customers part of the family, too.

It’s a family that continues to grow larger, yet never loses the close-knit feeling—an important factor when a customer’s operations are on the line each day.