About Us
Company History
Roura Material Handling, Inc. (formerly known as Roura Iron Works) was founded in Detroit, Michigan by Joseph Roura in 1915. After studying engineering at Carnegie Technical Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and working for Detroit Edison for a brief period, Mr. Roura started the company as a structural steel business.
In its early days, Roura fabricated and erected the steel in many buildings, landmarks, and railroad bridges in the Detroit area. In the late 1920’s and 1930’s Roura began fabricating steel boxes and similar products to supplement their structural steel work. Capitalizing on their design and engineering expertise, Roura conceived and developed the Self-Dumping Hopper.
By the late 1940’s Roura had phased out of the structural steel business. During World War II Roura provided containers and self dumping hoppers for several defense projects. From that point on Roura’s primary products have been dump hoppers and related products for the material handling industry. The demand for Self-Dumping Hoppers increased as the country’s manufacturing sector expanded and recognized the productivity advantages and value of Roura’s products.
In 1973, Roura established a second manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, Mississippi to serve the southern portion of the United States. In 1991, the Detroit location moved to the current manufacturing facility in Clinton Township, Michigan to serve the northern portion of the United States.
Roura’s workforce focuses on maintaining the company’s position as the country’s leading value producer of Self-Dumping Hoppers and related custom fabricated products for the material handling industry. Roura Self-Dumping Hoppers are available in over 60 standard models and sizes. Roura also offers many specialty products and will design custom products to meet unique customer requirements. For 100 years Roura Material Handling, Inc. has maintained a reputation for quality and focused on meeting our customers’ needs with safety, durability and value in mind.
Markets Served
Through the years, the Roura Hopper has found its way into a variety of industries with many different uses and applications. The Roura Hopper has become a major material handling problem solver and manpower saver in the glass, building products, construction, mining, milling, woodworking, food processing, solid waste management, agricultural, and manufacturing industries, as well as foundries and stamping plants, just to name a few. Roura Hoppers will handle almost any dry bulk material, hot or cold.
Major Products
Our Standard Self-Dumping Hoppers are available in over 50 models and sizes up to 10 cubic yards capacity. Models include Durable 1 and 2 ton capacity hoppers, Rugged original standard duty design, Ultimate Strength heavy duty hoppers capable of handling loads up to 10,000 pounds, and Behemoth extra large hoppers with up to 10 cubic yard capacities. A variety of optional equipment and specialty items are also available. Specialty products consist of a premier line of Rotator Boxes, and De-watering, Open Side, Recycling, Dross hoppers and stone product for storing natural & manmade stone. Of course we also specialize in customizing to your specifications or designing product to meet your needs.
How We Compare
Roura Material Handling has spent the last sixty years perfecting the Self-Dumping Hopper. Our customers return year after year because they recognize the value we provide in all our products. What makes us better?
Well, for starters, size for size, application for application, Roura Hoppers are heavier and stronger than the typical competition. You’ll find where most manufacturers specify 3/16″ thick hot rolled steel, Roura uses 1/4″ thick steel, such as in our ultimate strength hopper bodies. Where most others specify 1/4″ thick plate such as in their heavy duty bases, Roura uses 5/16″ thick steel.
Roura uses 5/16″ steel plate for the fabrication of its standard base on 3/4 yard and larger hoppers. This strongest base in the industry has 3″ channels, open side down, not only to ease fork entry, but also to prevent build-up of debris. Heavy duty bases made of 5/16″ plate, with a boxed tube design for extra strength and high strength base to body chains are standard on 3 yard hoppers and up and are optional on other models.
But, that’s not all. Roura Hoppers are hand welded using the “innershield” welding process. This process produces an extremely hot weld resulting in exceptional weld penetration and strength. On some models, in critical weld areas, this process is enhanced by adding additional hidden corner supports underneath the top support angles. Like many of our features, you may not see them but they help make a better product.
Other features found on Roura hoppers include a trip lever assembly with an internal spring for positive latching, a rolled 2-1/2″ x 2″ x 5/16″ structural angle rocker with trunnion pins welded in place, and an exclusive pierced and extruded trunnion track for superior wear resistance and rocker performance.
Take a few minutes to review the construction details of our various model hoppers on our product description pages. You’ll be impressed. You may be able to buy them cheaper, but you’ll never buy them better.