Swenson Spreader, a leader in the snow and ice control industry, needed to house control and pump systems on their spreaders for their customer's snow removal and maintenance application. Moreover, they needed enclosures that could withstand the corrosive and rugged environment of the application. The extreme winter weather conditions such as snow, ice and road salt that the enclosures were exposed to, led them to choose a composite non-metallic enclosure over carbon steel. Road salt and impacts from rocks and ice chunks, under normal use of equipment, can cause premature enclosure failure from corrosion and denting of carbon steel alternatives. This can result in a breach of enclosure integrity and subsequent equipment failure.

John Arne, Swenson's Engineering Administrative Supervisor, agreed that Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures provided the answer. "One enclosure needed to house the pump, motor and control value on a secure plate, the other needed to house the engine controls," John Arne stated. "Stahlin's enclosures reliably met those requirements and did so by being durable despite the demands of a tough environment due to the icy snowy conditions the enclosures were exposed to. They seal well when they are supposed to, yet at the same time the hinge and latch configurations of Stahlin enclosures make it easy to access the box when controls need to be repaired. Stahlin also pre-drills 6 holes in our enclosures which reduces our labor cost."

Swenson is currently using the Stahlin RJ1614HPL for its pump needs and the Stahlin RJ1412HPL for its engine control needs.

According to Teresa Ramirez, Stahlin's National Sales Manager, "The strength of Stahlin's fiberglass, compression molded products, played a key factor in alleviating the concerns for Swenson's rugged application. A common misconception with fiberglass materials is that they can not hold up to rugged environments, when in fact they possess superior impact resistance and strength-to-weight ratios".

Ramirez also points out, "Stahlin also looks to provide application solutions. Swenson looked to our ModRight™ Enclosure Modification Program to provide the recommendation on drilling the required holes for the pump and motor controls. ModRight™ offers all our customers the opportunity to benefit from our 40 years of experience with in-house capabilities. Stahlin dedicates this program to help diminish the customer's added costs by having to perform modifications or look at expensive customizations. ModRight™ offers cutouts, holes, special window sizes, countersinking, and non-standard sizes. This is also enhanced by the availability of molding any color and providing silk-screening capability for a signature appearance."