On a whim while visiting Atlanta, decided to go check out the concrete pumps with my wife.  on arrival, we were warmly greeted by a security guard and told that without an invitation 2 days in dvance, its a no-visitor zone.  so we left without being able to commi any industrial espionage like we had planned.  just curious, are all pump manufacturers this open t visitors?  my thought was, if we owned a sany and needed to g get parts spur of he moment, damned if ill take a number and wait in line for 2 days.  i dunno, maybe putz and all the rest are the same...just a cmplete waste of time and gas to go..

Was this the factory or a dealer? If the factory, you certainly don't think they are set up for just anybody to walk through the door and ask for a tour do you? If it was a dealership, you should have been welcomed with open arms.

I seriously doubt you could walk right up to the factories for brands S or P and get a factory tour either. Especially considering who owns brands S & P now. Asking for some advance warning is not out of line.

I know you could show up at Putzmeister and get a tour unnanounced. I believe Schwing would do the same for you. But you do know Sany is no longer marketing pumps in North America under the Sany name right?

i used to visit schwing germany once in a while because i was working in a dealership. at first 1993 till 2000 you could walk trough the factory without been asked why you came there. after that if you came with schwing germany there were only 2 places they allowed you to be. the waiting-room and the cafetaria...... and only under surveillance......

Joel, you can come to Tiffin, Ohio on a whim & we'll give you a tour of our place here at Irving Eqt without an invite!

That's the spirit Tom!  Thank you and same to you if you make it to VA.  You need to come see these 2 new Cifas anyway!  As to the other folks who replied...Thank you!  I was not aware that Sany no longer markets Sany.  I was under the impression that the big news bulletins listed some time ago on concretepumping.com regarding the arrival of  new Sany America Corporate Headquarters and Assembly Facility meant that this was a public place where prospective customers might go and see new pumps in a showroom of sorts, as the only address under "find a dealer/contact us" tab led me to Peachtree City, GA.  I was aware that in addition to this big HQ Bldg. that Sany also invested $25 million into a Research and Development Facility which I assumed would be kind of private.  Did not realize it was all in the same compound.  And the website did not show the fence surrounding the facility.  But you are right, it is not reasonable to expect curbside service at the factory. 

Maybe an addition to the Sany website redirecting customers to Sturtivant is in order.  That way simple fellers like myself could keep track of all the places a man might need to visit if he or his company was looking to buy some new iron.

The SANY facility in Georgia will likely be used for their heavy equipment - cranes, loaders, dozers, etc.....