Challenges The challenges that Greenfield is asked to address are very varied. The port and rail industries are changing all the time,” he says. “We don’t know what challenges our customers are going to ask us to handle next month.” In his eyes, this means there are a lot
more opportunities than there are challenges. “Often it is about striking the right balance between investment and safety. For example, we manufacture steel crane mats that are more expensive than wooden ones. But they are properly engineered and have specific, tested load capabilities – and they are more durable. All of that adds up to a better return on investment over time.” Often a call is triggered when a customer
encounters an issue with their existing material handling processes. “The mantra of ‘we have always done it this way’ only works until it doesn’t,” he says. “And, often, when we get those calls and
really get into it, there is more we can do beyond the framework of the initial call. For example, they might be using eight guys to do a job, but we can enable them to do it with four – and do it more safely. In this way, the challenges they have in terms of how to handle higher volumes and more variety of material turn into opportunities to do things better. “Obviously we want to keep as many people employed as possible in the industry. But these companies have to be able to bid competitively for material handling contracts. If we can help them to price more aggressively through use of our designed equipment, that is good for them and good for us.”
Another significant challenge remains the
labour shortage. “If I had a magic wand and could change just one thing in the industry, it would be this,” he says. “I’d add two million skilled labourers to the US overnight. “The US economy is currently changing, to refocus on trades and skilled labour rather than
college degrees and desk jobs. It will take a generational shift for people to understand that going into manual jobs is a good career move – and of course the wages have to be right to make it attractive. “Tariffs are designed to drive manufacturing jobs back to the US, but it is happening at a time when there is already a labour shortage. It will take a while to rebalance supply and demand.”
Industry experience Prior to joining Greenfield Products, Calomino was a construction manager working on wind farms, then moved into terminal management. As a railroad terminal manager, he was buying Greenfield solutions giving him insights into their benefits from the customer’s perspective. “I was using their products to help my business do things safer, better and faster,” he says. “Experiencing those problems from the operations side has been very valuable for me. It gave me insights that I still use every day.” From there he joined Mi-Jack, a manufacturer of rubber tyre gantry cranes and the Mi-Star container terminal automation system. Like Greenfield, Mi-Jack is owned by the Lanco group of companies, which has a reputation for developing talent and promoting from within.
“It is a family-owned company and truly
feels like one,” he says. “They are very proud of the long tenure of their workers and rightly so – once people join, they don’t want to leave. There are some lifelong employees, and I hope to be one of them. I have 15 years under my belt, and I am looking forward to spending the next 25 years of my career here.” The fact that almost every solution is unique
keeps things fresh and interesting. “I love to surprise my customers. When they come to you with a problem and you listen, then go back to them with a creative solution – that’s a great feeling.
Anthony Calomino, vice president of sales at Greenfield Products.
“3D modelling has really changed the game.
We can go back to the customer very quickly with a 3D model and once they can see it, that makes it real for them. We still have to engineer the product, but that process is often a lot quicker than the customer expects. We do also keep common solutions in stock such as spreader beams so we can help bridge that gap – we provide an off-the-shelf solution while we create something that can do the job even better.”
Time scales are becoming tighter for its client base. “Some stevedores have a long- term approach so they’re already thinking strategically when they come to us. That might be about giving them the ability to handle a new type of cargo so they can go out and bid for those contracts.
“On the other hand, sometimes they have won a contract and need to figure out very quickly what equipment they need to deliver it in a safe and productive way. But either way, every day brings something new and that’s what I love about this job.”
General cargo spreader.
Container dump spreader.
Semi automatic spreader.
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