|
| January 1st, 2004 |
| Engineer delivers creative solution. |
| When a crisis requires extraordinary creativity, Thermal?s engineers have proven that they?re willing to work around the clock to provide a solution. An oil leak at a North Alabama manufacturing plant burned out every heater in its chemical processing operation, threatening a lengthy shutdown at a cost of almost $50,000 a day. An attempt to clean the spilled oil from the heaters didn?t restore them. The plant was faced with halting production for two to three weeks while replacement heaters were manufactured and shipped from Europe. Managers at two of the company?s related facilities recommended that the plant?s desperate management consult Thermal. The burned out heaters were not a type manufactured by Thermal, but that didn?t deter a team led by Jim Dixon, Vice President of Engineering. ?We picked up the heaters and brought them back to the plant, where we set up a special manufacturing repair and assembly shop,? Dixon says. The Thermal team disassembled the 1-1/2" diameter, 10-foot-long heaters, and developed a plan. Some parts could be salvaged, and others would have to be remanufactured. The heaters? ceramic cylinders went to a local kiln, where raising the temperature to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit cleared the contaminating oil residue. A regional manufacturer supplied the coiled element wire. Working around the clock, Dixon and his team restored and reassembled the specialized heaters, returning them to the plant in just a little more than 48 hours. A lengthy shut-down was avoided, thus saving the plant literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thermal?s willingness to jump in and solve the customer?s problem formed a long-lasting bond between Thermal and the manufacturer?s three related plants. ?We?re glad to help our customers in unique situations,? Dixon says. ?And we?ve been selling them parts ever since.? |
©2004 Thermal Corporation | 1264 Slaughter Road, Madison Alabama 35758
|
