Marquette’s 134 vessels transfer important items throughout U.S. waterways 24 hours a day, seven days per week, one year a 12 months.
Inland waterways boats don’t decelerate for the vacations — a minimum of not these operated by Paducah, Ky., headquartered Marquette Transportation. Its 134 vessels transfer important items throughout U.S. waterways 24 hours a day, seven days per week, one year a 12 months.
So, what occurs when an engine on a kind of boats encounters an issue at 10:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve? The Marquette staff doesn’t panic. They simply get on the cellphone to Cat supplier Boyd Cat.
“I can’t think of a time we’ve asked them to send a team to a vessel that was down and the answer was, ‘We can’t get to it’ or ‘It’ll be a couple of days,’” says Josh Esper, govt vp of engineering and procurement for Marquette. “They always figure out how to get us the support we need. We’re extremely confident they’ll do everything in their power to stand behind their products and provide the service our business demands.”
Building a relationship that sturdy doesn’t occur in a single day. Marquette started buying Cat marine engines from Whayne Supply (which was bought by Boyd Cat in 2020) in 1992. The first engines, three 3606s and two 3612s, have been for the Justin Paul Eckstein and Alix Anne Eckstein, respectively. Then, between 1997 and 2000, the corporate constructed three new boats powered by Cat
“I wasn’t around back then, but I’ve heard the stories,” Esper says. “We were the first operator of towboats with Cat 3600 engines. We were the pioneers of putting these high-horsepower, medium-speed Cat diesel engines on the river.”
All 5 of these unique Cat powered vessels are nonetheless working sturdy in the present day.
“These vessels remain core to our vessel fleet and operate at very high annual utilization rates,” Esper says. “Very rarely do we pull them out of service.”
Reliable energy is vital for Marquette, which transports primarily grain but additionally lots of different commodities — aggregates, fertilizer, salt, constructing supplies, power merchandise, petrochemicals and wind turbine blades, simply to call just a few.
“If we aren’t moving, we aren’t providing our customers the high level of service they expect from Marquette,” Esper says.
Currently, Marquette operates 170 Cat marine engines throughout its fleet in the present day — and continues to work carefully with each Caterpillar and Boyd Cat on new engine developments.
“We’ve used Marquette as a test bed for new innovations and technologies over the years,” says Neilly Allen, marine engine product assist consultant at Boyd Cat. “They’ve been a great partner in helping us ensure our products are meeting the needs of dynamic river operations.”
Esper expects that to proceed as corporations within the marine business tackle new challenges within the coming a long time.
“We are entering some very interesting times in the next 10 years when it comes to green initiatives and reducing our carbon footprint,” he says. “Our mode of transportation is the safest and most environmentally friendly compared to trucking and rail, but we are all evaluating opportunities to further enhance the efficiency of our vessels. There are a lot of innovative Cat products out there, and we look forward to continuing to evolve with state-of-the-art equipment.”
For Marquette, maintaining workers protected is mission primary. Moving cargo extra effectively is all the time a precedence. To obtain these objectives — and meet its prospects’ demanding necessities — the corporate wants its vessels to function as reliably as attainable, each minute of on daily basis.
That’s the place the connection with Boyd Cat takes middle stage.
“Caterpillar has been a strong partner for Marquette,” Esper says. “Obviously engine reliability and parts availability matter, but what really counts is the support you have behind you when a boat goes down on Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday. We can absolutely count on Boyd Cat to help us mitigate any situation no matter what day it is or what time of day it is.”
As Marquette continues to search for methods to extend efficiency and drive productiveness on board its vessels, Esper is assured the corporate will preserve partnering with Caterpillar and Boyd Cat for options.
“We wouldn’t have 170 Cat engines in our boats if we didn’t think Caterpillar had a strong products and excellent service,” he says.
