
DATE: Tuesday, August 26, 1997              TAG: 9708260380

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY AKWELI PARKER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:  118 lines

CONVEYOR FIRM IS ON MOVE SMALL HAMPTON OUTFIT HAS A GLOBAL PLAN FOR ITS GROWING BUSINESS.

As heavy metal music screeches from a set of grungy speakers in a dark factory, 41-year-old Bill Stulb elaborates on some of the finer points of manufacturing.

``Something about welding and rock `n' roll,'' explains the president of Hampton-based Maxx Material Handling. ``You can't have one without the other.''

Maxx - only a year and a half old with about 15 employees - is trying to make some noise of its own with a global strategy, ``enlightened management techniques'' and old-fashioned technical innovation.

By the light of an open loading bay, Stulb shows how his company's Maxxreach telescopic conveyor moves boxes without the risk of crushing its operator's fingers. He pushes the ``extend'' button to show how the machine doesn't need a brawny worker wrestling it into position. Stulb then bumps into the advancing conveyor arm - it retreats as if startled - to show how unlikely it is for the four-ton behemoth to pin a worker against a wall.

These are all safety features absent from material-handling competitors' older designs.

``This is just a little better mousetrap'' says Stulb.

So just what the heck is ``material handling?''

Simply put, it's the unglamorous - but economically vital - shuffling of everyday stuff when it's not in transit aboard a truck, train, ship or plane.

Users of material-handling equipment include ``anybody who is loading and unloading a truck, container or van in smaller than pallet-sized loads,'' says Stulb. Worldwide, it's a $25 billion industry, according to Material Handling Depot, an on-line clearinghouse of industry manufacturers.

Maxx cranks out conveyor belts and other products to make that loading and unloading go faster and more safely. The company estimates its 1997 sales will reach $1 million.

At nearly $35,000 apiece, Maxx's star product, the Maxxreach telescopic conveyor, isn't cheap. But its makers contend that the value is in boosted productivity.

Maxx says its conveyors allow workers to load and unload vans and trucks in one-third the usual time. What's more, says Maxx, by hand-loading boxes instead of using pallets and a forklift, companies can save 10 to 15 percent on shipping. One-eighth of the space in each truck is taken up by pallets. Get rid of the pallets, gain space, says Maxx.

Small as it may be, the home-grown company has a global strategy - to act as a ``local partner'' for foreign manufacturers who have trouble cracking the U.S. market.

Foreign makers of material-handling equipment stand to make a fortune in the United States, which lays claim to some of the world's priciest labor. Penny-pinching managers can cut those costs by buying work-saving machinery.

Problem is, U.S. companies are often reluctant to buy from a foreign manufacturer for fear of what could happen when the equipment breaks - trying to get parts or service from a far-flung, overseas operation could turn into a logistical nightmare. Language barriers, time-zone differences and high shipping costs also translate into lengthy delays.

``The U.S. marketplace is notorious for wanting things quickly,'' says Stulb.

So Maxx builds and or markets a number of products under license, giving companies like Japan's Okura and Australia's Multimech access to the U.S. market without the logistical headaches.

New kid on the block Maxx is gaining notice. The U.S. Postal Service - no strangers to moving large volumes of packages - ordered a Maxxreach conveyor for a new facility in El Paso, Texas. Locally, cable shopping network QVC installed a Maxxreach at its bustling Suffolk distribution plant and has plans for at least three more. And with its status as one of the East Coast's busiest ports, the rest of Hampton Roads could be good for business as well.

Says Design Engineer Andrew McKernan, ``There's a big potential just in this area.''

Bigger, more established companies dominate the industry to be sure, but Maxx is counting on its machines' ease of use to turn some heads.

For instance, when the curved belt of a baggage conveyor breaks at the airport, it can take hours to replace. The industry's leading companies say theirs can be fixed in 20 minutes. One of Maxx's models can be fixed in 10, says the Hampton firm.

At the Interairport trade show in Atlanta, Stulb and co-founder Randy Gilliland - dressed in shirts and ties - rolled up their sleeves and changed the belt ``in about 12 minutes.''

McKernan says he helped QVC workers learn to operate the Maxxreach in less than an hour.

``It's not really training,'' he says of the learning process, ``it's common sense.''

Designed to speed up the loading and unloading of trailers from the loading dock, the machine extends from 18 to 58 feet in length.

In addition to saving time and labor, Stulb reasons that the machine can save on workman's comp claims as well: It replaces a heavy, gravity-roller conveyor that required two people to move and had the unsettling propensity to jam fingers. The Maxxreach can also be angled for workers of different heights and reduce the chance of back injury.

``We're trying to make things comfortable for our workers,'' says Prince Duke, engineering project manager for QVC in Suffolk. ``This unit is completely powered and there's a safety factor involved.''

When it comes to its own workers, Maxx applies ``open book management,'' to give employees a personal stake in the company's performance - management shares the books and financial results with all employees.

``We try to sit down at least once a week and make sure all the departments are aware of what's going on,'' says Clare Maliniak, in the company's marketing department. ``It gives them a sense of ownership.''

Stulb concedes that the company has a lot of work ahead, including ``cracking the code'' of selling conveyors to U.S. airports - they've seen more success in Europe so far.

Another challenge will be expanding its tiny work force to meet future demand. But with the area's strong manufacturing tradition, Stulb says he's confident.

As shipyards and other industrial concerns in the region shed workers, says Stulb, ``we're growing.'' ILLUSTRATION: MARK MITCHELL

Cable shopping network QVC installed a Maxxreach conveyor at its

Suffolk plant to speed the unloading of trucks.

COMPANY SNAPSHOT

Who: Maxx Material Handling

Business: Produces conveyor belts and other products to make loading

and unloading easier.

No. of employees: About 15

Estimated 1997 sales: $1 million