Skip to main contentClick to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions.

Large flatbed truck driving past Bowe Machine Company building

Recycling Equipment Maker Crushes Sales with IT Infrastructure Upgrade

Bowe Machine Company uses Xerox® IT Services to modernise, cut risks, and boost productivity.

“We need to be able to redirect our employees to help with sales, which helps us get more product out the door.”

– Jeff Hassel, Vice President and CFO, Bowe Machine Company
Xerox IT Services: Upgrades help Bowe crush revenue goals YouTube Video

About the Client

If you’ve ever seen a video of a car being shredded for recyclable scrap, then you are familiar with the large equipment Bowe Machine Company manufactures. Founded in 1956 by Bill Bowe, the company supplies half of America’s scrapyards and makes machine parts for companies like John Deere. The Bettendorf, Iowa, company’s rotors can pick apart an automobile in 30 seconds and nearly 1,000 vehicles over the course of an eight-hour shift.

When Jeff Hassel arrived as CFO at Bowe Machine Company in 2014, he knew of Bowe’s strong manufacturing reputation, but when he conducted an IT assessment, “sirens went off right away.” Its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system ran on servers that, inexplicably, were not being backed up. “Everything we had—emails, drawings, our file system—was on these servers. You were one event from losing your information. You lose information, you can’t function,” says Hassel.

The company also had an antiquated network system and spotty Wi-Fi that was hampered by the fact that heavy-duty machinery across its sprawling plant blocked the signal. The lack of reliable internet meant running the company by spreadsheet and manual record-keeping. Cloud-based capabilities were non-existent. It was difficult for Bowe to share technical data, such as engineering assessments, both inside and outside of the company.

Bowe turned to Xerox IT Services to upgrade the company’s servers and infrastructure, creating a fast and stable Wi-Fi service and backing up crucial documents to the cloud. The company relies on Xerox Managed IT Services to provide ongoing monthly tech support. Bowe’s company files are now safely backed up to the cloud, employees are able to access and share electronic files, and team members saddled with inefficient manual processes are now able to focus on sales and customer service.

Hassell estimates that the bolstered IT infrastructure has contributed to a 10% increase in revenue.

The Challenge

Antiquated IT posed risks and inefficiencies

When Jeff Hassel became CFO of Bowe Machine Company in 2014, he faced a long line of IT hurdles. The company’s files were not being backed up, leaving it one incident away from grinding to a halt. Wi-Fi was inconsistent throughout the massive manufacturing plant because interference from heavy machinery.

Without stable internet or cloud capabilities, employees couldn’t reliably access or save electronic documents and drawings. And because the Wi-Fi was spotty, employees on the shop floor logged their hours on paper cards. Then someone had to manually enter those times.

Bowe needed an IT upgrade in order to increase efficiency and keep pace with manufacturing trends.

The Solution

Modern infrastructure and ongoing IT support

With only a single IT guy in-house, Bowe turned to RK Dixon, a Xerox Business Solutions company, for help. “During discovery, we pointed out outdated infrastructure and operating systems, which was a security risk,” says Don Godke, senior account executive at Xerox IT Services. “Their backups needed to be sent off-site.”

The Xerox team quickly encountered other problems. Located not far from the Mississippi River, just across from Illinois, the 80-person operation unfolds across three city blocks. The team had to find a way to ensure Wi-Fi coverage across the 99,000-square-foot plant.

The team also found that its antiquated network included switches that “didn’t have the throughput for the engineering files that they were trying to squeeze through a small fiber connection,” Godke explains.

Xerox upgraded the company’s servers and infrastructure, so the Wi-Fi became dependable and speedy—and crucial documents are now backed up in the cloud.

The team also helped Bowe deploy Xerox Managed IT Services to provide ongoing monthly tech support to maintain its infrastructure.

The Results

Secure, connected and more productive

Bowe can now fully leverage its ERP system, secure in the fact that it is properly backed up and fully connected.

“We rely heavily on our ERP system,” says Hassel. “Less running the company by spreadsheets and more network focus, which we couldn’t do before because the connectivity wasn’t great.”

Bowe’s new network has also led to greater employee productivity. With its connectivity issues resolved, Bowe has switched to electronic record-keeping, and the person once tasked with the busywork of entering staff hours can now focus on customer service.

“It went from us going from paper to all CAD (computer-aided design) -driven electronic files. [We had] lots of hurdles and those hurdles were solved by Xerox.”

– John Ahlers, VP, Manufacturing Operations Manager, Bowe Machine Company

In addition to building rotors, Bowe rebuilds them. When a rotor comes back into the shop, an engineering assessment is done. If there is any kind of engineering that can make that rotor stronger, that happens then. “From the standpoint of sharing engineering results inside and outside the company, upgraded tech makes that process more efficient,” says Hassel. “If you have the IT infrastructure, you’re better able to utilise the software [like data sharing] that sits on there. If you don’t, then it’s hard to use that as a tool.”

By providing tech support every month, Xerox has alleviated some burden off Bowe’s sole IT employee, who can now spend more time with employees for performance and satisfaction.

And, even though as an essential company Bowe never had to close for the pandemic, the company’s now-reliable network allows employees to work from home if necessary.

With the help of Xerox, this family-owned business, which grew from a rented one-room shop to take over three city blocks, can keep on, well, crushing it.

Gear icon with connectors flowing off to the leftThe Challenge

  • Lack of backup system for ERP put company operations at risk

  • Spotty Wi-Fi and antiquated network system

  • Single IT employee meant inadequate tech maintenance

  • Unable to share/access electronic documents

  • Employee inefficiencies due to manual tasks

Lightbulb iconThe Solution

Graph trending upwards, with a gear above itThe Results

  • New infrastructure provides secure backup of company information

  • Speedy and reliable Wi-Fi and a network that can handle transmission of large files

  • Employees are able to access and share electronic files

  • Increased employee productivity due to elimination of manual tasks

  • An estimated 10% increase in revenue

Hand typing on laptop

End-to-end IT Services and Solutions

We offer 24/7/365 IT support services for your small business or medium business with a personalised suite of IT solutions.

Is work getting in the way of work?

From automated filing systems to managed IT services, and everything in between.


Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on all the latest from Xerox ⁠— including news, innovation, and big announcements.

Related Articles

  • Hands typing on keyboard with app overlay

    3 Essentials to Cybersecurity - Part 1

    Discover how Xerox technologies can help to secure your printer and data.

  • Man sitting at desk on laptop.

    Bell Law Case Study

    Discover how a leading employment law firm overcame document processing and sharing hurdles with the innovative solutions provided by Xerox® Workflow Central.

  • Woman working at desk on her computer in her house with child on her lap.

    Make hybrid work, work

    See some of Xerox's top tips for making hybrid work, work for both small and medium businesses.

  • people working in office

    Create a more sustainable office

    Discover how Xerox enables more eco-friendly printing and sustainable strategies for businesses. Green solutions, recycling, and more.

  • Students sitting at table looking at laptops

    Opportunities for Success with Gibraltar School District

    Discover how Xerox technology helped the Gibraltar School district increase productivity and reliability while providing the best educational experience and equipping students with opportunities for success.

  • Students working at a table

    Training provider innovates the delivery of learning, making content more accessible.

    CRC Formation training staff use Xerox® Workflow Central to offer students new ways to learn.

Share