The Arab Tribune: News

Hyco had small, important role in big game

By DAVID MOORE - The Arab Tribune

When the Saints and the Colts clashed in Miami Sunday night in Super Bowl XLIV, there was an Arab connection on the field, at least part of the time.

Hyco Alabama designed and built four custom hydraulic cylinders used to lift and lower the roof over the broadcasters' stage.

The cylinders and the moveable roof are keenly important to a lot of folks at the game.

The stage sat in the corner of one of the end zones, explained Art Zimmerman, director of marketing and sales for the Arab hydraulic cylinder plant. During the pre-game, halftime and post-game, the roof was raised to hold lighting.

During the game it was lowered so the fans sitting behind it could see the action on the field.

Hyco did the project for a Wisconsin company, which Zimmerman declined to name. A third party is handling the rest of the hydraulic system.

"These are very much custom cylinders," he said.

Each side of the stage uses an upper and lower cylinder, for a total of four. They were built for "north of $1,000" each.

Hyco began talks with the stage company in late October or early November, but much of the design was done as they went. Zimmerman said Hyco had to make changes in the cylinders as recently as two weeks before they were shipped.

The cylinders are not nearly as big as some that Hyco makes for garbage trucks, heavy equipment and construction cranes. But they have more muscle than necessary, Zimmerman said, because people are sitting and working under them.

The cylinder designs are special because of valves inside of them to slow the movement as the roof is lifted and lowered.

"It was a good project," Zimmerman said. "Everyone got really interested and pulled together."

Fighting the economy

While not a get-rich contract, it's a high-visibility job. Hyco might promote it in trade magazines to show potential customers its ability.

"This is the type of business we are trying to grow... niche things, especially where we have the engineering expertise," Zimmerman said.

Developing niche work is good in an economy that caused Hyco's sales last year to fall 35 percent from 2008.

"It was pretty scary" going into 2009, Zimmerman said, prompting what he called deep cuts, from about 145 to 100 employees.

"We have been very fortunate since then," he said. "We have been able to keep our folks on."

For 2010, Zimmerman said, Hyco projects a slight "up-kick" in the second half.

"If you can tell me what the stock market is going to do, I can tell you what business will do for us," he said.

Off to Miami?

Though not for a high-profile event such as the Super Bowl, Hyco shipped another niche job two weeks ago - cylinders for mobile cell phone towers. Used for both military and private work, the mobile towers telescope about 110 feet off trailers that can be set up in war zones or, say, after a natural disaster that knocked out phone communications.

Hyco built the telescoping cylinders that raise the towers as well as four sophisticated stabilizer cylinders that hold the trailer level and steady.