Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/280096
42 | www.cedmag.com | Construction Equipment Distribution | March 2014 A Closer Look What's not to like about the Screen Machine Industries' story? The family-owned company is bringing jobs to its local community having found success manu- facturing quality-built, American-made portable crushing and screening equipment. Recognized by the U.S. Depart- ment of Commerce and state of Ohio Governor's Office for Export Achievement, SMI President Steve Cohen was chosen to represent small business leaders as a prime time speaker at the Republican National Convention in 2012. And the company's Ohio manufacturing facility hosted presidential candidate Mitt Romney twice during his presidential campaign. History But Screen Machine Industries is hardly an overnight success story. When the company was founded in 1966 by Cohen's father, it was a steel fabrication business. It wasn't until the late 70s that SMI manufactured their first portable screening equipment, a 4-foot x 6-foot shaker screen for an Ohio coal mine. According to Cohen, Screen Machine filled a demand for screening equipment manufactured in the U.S. Most competition was European-manufactured, metric screening equipment. And so a market was born. Steve Cohen joined his father in the family business full time after graduating from Ohio State University, and he became president in 1998. His brother Doug Cohen, an MIT grad, manages engineering. "We complement each other very well," said Cohen. As the company expanded and Screen Machines' customers became increasingly distant from its Ohio head- quarters, Cohen recognized the need for a dealer network. Currently, 20 North American dealers as well as several international dealers have helped the company achieve double-digit increases in sales growth for several years. International sales now represent more than 50 percent of the company's revenues, a reversal from the mid-2000s. While the company's sales are inherently tied to GDP, sales of portable crushing and screening equipment has flourished as contractors and government agencies have sought savings from recycling and reusing concrete on the jobsite versus purchasing virgin material from a mine. They have increasingly favored portable equipment that cuts down on shipping costs and improves profit. "It is harder for new mines to get started with the EPA permitting process and landfills are less and less accepting of anything concrete," explained Cohen. "You can purchase recycled materials far cheaper than virgin material." The company's diverse product line consists of heavy- duty, track-mounted jaw, cone and impact crushers; Screen Machine Industries President Steve Cohen represented small business leaders when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2012. With quality products made in the USA, Screen Machine Industries is making more than a name for itself. BY JOANNE COSTIN Screen Machine Industries – An American Success Story