BendPak Blog
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, We Give You Exhibit A
April 1st, 2011
Just yesterday we posted our response to growing concerns about the coming inflation, and we pledged to do whatever it takes to keep our costs low. Why? Because we love you guys, and we figured you could use a break.
But wouldn’t you know it? Moments after hitting the submit button on the post, we received a mailer from a pretty major re-seller that featured one of our lifts. Even after all these years, it’s still exciting to see BendPak equipment in print.
In this case however, we were mostly confused. Check out this limited-time ad from early 2010:
If you compare the three lifts, you can see that they all are in the same weight capacity category and they all do essentially the same thing. But somehow the BendPak car lift was merely dubbed “Good.” We can only assume this because we fight like hell to keep our costs down.
What. The. Heck.
So this is where we’re supposed to say, “We’re just as good as the other guys,” right? NO WAY. We’re better than just good and we can prove it.
See, we like to actually back up our claims of good / better / best. You know, instead of relying on some marketing hack (who knows more about fonts than say…engineering) to make assumptions based solely on price. It’s a little thing we like to call truth in advertising.
A little while back we did a toe-to-toe comparison of our lift up against Rotary’s flagship—the SPOA10, just like the one in the ad. We tore that sucker apart and photographed it side-by-side with our own XPR-series two-post car lift.
Spoiler-alert! It wasn’t even a close contest. The photographs speak for themselves, and we invite you to go over our evidence with a magnifying glass: Study in Lift Design Two Post Lift Comparison.
Make no mistake, Rotary Lift makes a quality product. But if Rotary is let’s say a Cadillac, this study proves that BendPak is an M1 Abrams Tank.
Now where does Forward Lift (Rotary’s bargain brand) fall into the mix? We can’t really comment, but Forward, like Rotary does fall beneath the Dover Corporation’s Vehicle Service Group, and for all we know, could be identical to the Rotary with just a different badge.
Incidentally, BendPak doesn’t have a bargain brand. We only serve up our best at the lowest price we can offer. End of story.
So how come a Rotary lift is so much more expensive?
Honestly, we have NO IDEA and can only speculate.
Maybe they caved to the rise in steel prices last summer. Maybe they simply have too many on their payroll. Maybe they are confident that higher prices will give customers the perception that they are a better value so they can keep higher margins. Perhaps they charge more to cover their warranty costs. But that shouldn’t be because their warranty covers only a fraction of BendPak’s warranty. Or just maybe, because they are a public company, they have to elevate profits to keep stockholders happy. Who can say for sure?
Just to be clear, we’ve got nothing bad to say about Rotary and we’ve got nothing against them. They are a fellow member of the Automotive Lift Institute so they obviously care about car lift safety, and they have plenty of satisfied customers.
Our point is this: to indicate that he who has the highest price must have the best product is frankly a little insulting to us, and more importantly, YOU.
Yeah, you guys who are working hard to stretch your dollars. It’s like this ad is saying, “How dare you expect a quality product at a good price.”
Don’t fall for it. Do your research and get the right lift for you, even if you don’t go with us. That’s what we’ve been saying all along.
But hey, if anyone is uncomfortable saving money while still getting the best, you’re welcome to give our dealers an extra $1,000. We’re sure they’d be very happy to offer the extra peace of mind.
Thanks for reading.
-The BendPak Team
Fighting Inflation and Keeping Costs Low
March 31st, 2011
Wednesday, the head of mega retailer Wal-Mart’s U.S. operations warned USA TODAY’S editorial board that the coming inflation is “going to be serious” and that he is seeing “cost increases starting to come through at a pretty rapid rate.”
On the manufacturing side, automotive equipment companies like BendPak Inc. have already been hit hard with a 20% spike in raw steel costs beginning in July, 2010. Despite this, BendPak Inc. was able to keep prices stable below the industry average with most products only seeing a price increase between 3% and 14%.
“BendPak’s commitment to the consumer has always been to keep quality high and costs reasonable. We saw the steel hikes coming and were able to make the necessary cuts to protect our customers from feeling the pinch,” said Jeff Kritzer, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BendPak Inc.
Still, industry experts say that consumer anxiety over the falling U.S. dollar could be a compounding factor in a potential double-dip recession. USA TODAY reported that inflation worries pushed the Consumer Confidence Index down by 8.6 points in March.
“What we don’t want to see is a self-fulfilling prophecy due to overreaction,” said Derek Taylor, BendPak’s Communications Director. “Social networks are exploding with the bad news but we are taking the cautiously optimistic approach.”
“BendPak is able to run a lot leaner than most people realize, mostly because we have complete control over our own factories,” said Jeff Kritzer. “We’re digging in our heels and holding the line on prices, and we can do it longer than anyone else.”
BendPak’s Photo Shoot With Bill Goldberg
March 2nd, 2011
In this industry, we get to work with the biggest names in entertainment who are also car guys like us. Most of the time they’re just customers who like BendPak so much they agree to say a word or two on our behalf. But in cases of the extreme automotive fan, we’re lucky enough to feature them in their very own BendPak car lift ad. This last Monday, we got the ball rolling on our newest addition. Our trip took us south to wrestler, actor and host Bill Goldberg’s impressive garage and automotive collection.
We saw a minimum of 12 bays on Mr. Goldberg’s property, and six of them contain a BendPak car lift. He’s got two BendPak 2-post car lifts, one BendPak 4-post car lift and three general purpose single-post parking lifts. That’s right, he’s got six of BendPak’s finest all at home. We like to have each ad be 100% unique to the personality, and Bill is a true connossoir. So what better way to make sure it’s going to howl Goldberg than to take the photos in the host’s very own Garage Mahal.
We’ve got a lot of work to do before the ad is ready for prime time, but until then we’ve got these behind-the-scenes photos of Bill’s bitchin’ set up.
In a couple of the photos you can see the car we’re featuring, Bill’s one-of-a-kind 1970 Mustang Boss 429 “Lawman.” Actually it was one of two such automobiles that were sent to Vietnam to give the troops a taste of awesome Americana-Automobilia while they were so far from home. One of the two was crushed at sea by a shipping container. We’d hate to be the guy who had to explain that one.
Bill’s a huge supporter of US soldiers and vets, so it makes a lot of sense that he’d have a special affinity for this rare vehicle.
In the background, you can also peak out a ‘68 Plymouth GTX convertible. This is the car that started a life long car obsession in Bill. Currently, he’s in the middle of restoring it to drive up the coast with his family.
Big thanks to Bill Goldberg, Chris Zsarney and the guys from Zstudios and everyone who put in this crazy-fun 16 hour day.
Check out the set on the official BendPak Flickr page. And make sure to follow @Goldberg on Twitter! And maybe @BendPak, if you feel so inclined.
Vision and Culture – BendPak Company Profile
February 10th, 2011
If you’ve been following along with the BendPak blog, you know that BendPak is one of the select few companies to participate in SAP Business ByDesign’s new resource management platform roll out. And as our customers can attest to, things have been going great. We did a video at the end of last year which not only gave an overview of how BendPak runs better with SAP, but also a rare glimpse into some of the personalities and philosophies that lead the company. There’s several versions of the video online now, but we think the one below does the best job of giving everyone a good idea of what BendPak is really all about. Enjoy, and let us know what you think!
Howe and Howe Tech 2nd Season on Discovery Channel Tonight!
December 13th, 2010
Black Ops Brothers: Howe & Howe Tech is back on Discovery Channel starting tonight! Tune in at 10PM to see Geoff and Mike fabricate some of the coolest military-grade machinery ever seen on wheels.
Last season they moved into a huge new manufacturing facility with the capacity to take their engineering marvels to the next level. And if you look carefully this season, you might also see a BendPak car lift or two.
Go check out the Discovery Channel page for some teaser trailers. And make sure to look out for the new BendPak ad featuring the Howe Brothers coming in January…or just click to see it below.
BendPak MD-6XP Car Lift Seen on Mythbusters
November 24th, 2010
One sharp BendPak fan brought it to our attention that the MD-6XP scissor car lift was used on last week’s episode of Mythbusters! And it’s pretty appropriate too, considering that in the episode they took apart a Porsche 928 and flipped it around to run BACKWARDS. (What else would you use it for, right?) It’s a test in aerodynamics like we’ve never seen before.
The episode is called “Reverse Engineering,” and it’s available on Amazon to watch right now. For those who don’t want to pay $2 to watch a television show, we were able to also scrounge up an aftershow segment called “The Combustion Chamber,” where hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage give behind-the-scenes insight into that week’s episode.
Update: you can also check out the episode clip below:
BendPak at AAPEX ’10
November 2nd, 2010
It’s AAPEX time again! We hope you’re able to join us in Las Vegas for AAPEX 2010 but if not, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with some pictures straight from the show.
Check them out on the official BendPak Flickr page.
Vintage BendPak & Ranger Garage Signs
October 21st, 2010Look what we dug out of storage! They’re a little dusty and rusty, but you’re more than welcome to grab them to hang outside your garage, office or cubicle. Click each of the BendPak / Ranger vintage garage signs below to download the full-sized image. Enjoy!
RML-750 Motorcycle Lift Customer Installation Pictures
October 20th, 2010
We love it when this happens!
Today, a satisfied customer sent us a couple of great shots of his brand new Ranger RML-750 Motorcycle Lift. As you can see, he went the extra mile and installed it in the concrete so the unit lays flush with the garage floor when not in use. It’s a really clean, classy look for garages that are pressed for work space.
He also included a couple shots of it lifting his sweet Harley. Hope you enjoy the photos on the BendPak Flickr page!
Oh, and if you’d like your BendPak / Ranger product pics to be featured in a blog, go ahead and send them to us at contact@bendpak.com
BendPak’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Cars
October 5th, 2010
Recently, a few of our dedicated gear heads visited the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA, where you can find the most expensive car in the world on display: the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic.
Known as the Williamson car, it was purchased by the Mullin Automotive Museum from Dr. Peter Williamson in an auction. The undisclosed price is estimated to be between $30 and $40 million, and only two remaining models exist in the world.
This model is specifically known as Chassis #57374. It’s identifiable as the first production Atlantic from the lower, deeper set headlights. Rumor has it that this particular Atlantic was built with parts from the original Aerolithe prototype. The vehicle’s first lucky owner was Lord Philippe de Rothschild of London. He was the one who chose the color light blue color. So if you don’t like it, blame him. A later owner sent the car back to Bugatti three years after it was built to get a supercharger. Following the war, Los Angeles resident Bob Oliver came into ownership of Chassis #57374 and made several notable modifications. He changed the window sizes and repainted the car red! When it finally made its way around to Dr. Williamson in the late 70s, he spent a small fortune restoring the Bugatti to its original 1936 specifications. This Type 57SC Atlantic has been displayed for public viewing since 2003. The museum acquired the car in May 2010.
The Mullin Automotive Museum is also home to examples of the finest of historic French automobiles, as well as a surprising amount of vintage art deco pieces. Along with the most expensive car in the world, there are hundreds of other gorgeous vehicles including some Delahayes, Voisins, Hispano Suizas, Talbot-Lagos and, of course, a beautiful collection of Bugattis.
If you are any sort of a car fan, the Mullin Automotive Museum is definitely something you should check out if you’re anywhere near Southern California. It’s a great way to spend some free time and expand your knowledge about vintage, artistic and downright classy cars. There’s even furniture, sculptures and paintings to satisfy your artistic cravings.
We urge our car enthusiasts to take this trip to Oxnard but if you can’t make it, don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of pictures for your enjoyment (but they really don’t do this place justice).
Check them out! Let us know what you think.
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