New ReMA Member Profile: C&L Cylinder and Machine
Based in Lindale, Georgia, C&L Cylinder and Machine specializes in the repair of large hydraulic cylinders found in balers, shears, and other heavy equipment.
Launched in 2000, the company services a wide range of customers including metal recyclers, paper recyclers, waste management companies, heavy equipment rental companies, construction companies, and more.
C&L conducts all work in its 50,000 square-foot facility. This is where the company houses its portfolio of heavy lathes, mills, welding equipment, and specialized benches to disassemble and reassemble large cylinders.
ReMA News had the opportunity to chat with Ben Eugrin, CEO of C&L Cylinder and Machine, about the company and its work as well as the decision to join ReMA to get a better understanding of their clients’ needs and challenges.
Tell me about C&L Cylinder and Machine.
We repair hydraulic cylinders. Ninety percent of the heavy equipment used in metal and paper recycling yards have hydraulic cylinders. Over time, these cylinders tend to break down, leaking costly hydraulic fluid or simply failing to perform their designed function. We provide short lead times and high-quality repairs to make sure our customers have the safest operations possible with the least amount of downtime.
To explain our process, when someone has a cylinder that’s leaking, they drop it off at our facility or we can pick it up. We clean it, disassemble the entire cylinder, and do a full evaluation. We determine what’s wrong with the cylinder, how to fix it, and the steps required to get it back up and running.
The repairs might include machining parts with our heavy mills and lathes, welding, or acquiring new material to build new parts from scratch. Once we have all the parts refurbished to OEM specs, we replace the seals and reassemble everything, testing the cylinder under pressure to make sure it is fully functional. Throughout our process we document all stages with pictures and quality checks. Our staff have over 200 cumulative years of experience doing this work, and over the 25 years we’ve been in business we’ve repaired over 20,000 cylinders.
We specialize in large cylinders, that’s what we’re known for—so we’re talking about cylinders that are 10, 20, or 30 thousand pounds. We have heavy equipment, space in our facility, and expertise to get this all done safely and to the highest standards. When people come to our shop, they can see how orderly and clean our set up is. We’ve professionalized the process to make sure every step happens as it’s supposed to.
How does C&L give back to the local community?
We work closely with Georgia Northwestern Technical College in Rome, Georgia. We recently hired our first apprentice from the school, and we work closely with the Director who oversees the Precision Machining and Manufacturing program. Last year, we donated to our local high school’s sports program, and we plan to continue working with the local community.
What are your short- and long-term goals for the company?
We plan to continue specializing in large hydraulic cylinder repair. We don’t need to be everything to everyone, we just want to continue delivering the best service possible.
We’re located in the southeast, but we often do work for customers across the country. We recently helped customers in New York and Ohio, and we’ve gone as far as Wyoming to help people with specialized needs. Our goal is to expand operations to other regions so we can better help our customers across all their locations.
How did you learn about ReMA and how did you decide to join the association?
Many of our biggest customers are ReMA members who have been working with us for 10-20 years. I wanted to learn more about our customers’ challenges so we can better help them.
What are you most excited for about being a ReMA member?
From a business perspective we’re looking forward to connecting with other members who want to reduce downtime and get the benefits of cylinder repair. I’m also looking forward to learning more about the industry. We service members of the recycled materials industry even though it’s not our own core business. Being able to support our clients is important to us so we can understand their challenges and make sure they have a safe and reliable service. We’re eager to help and see if we can make a difference in the industry.