general-millsWhen prospective clients come to TMS with mechanical needs they have one major question.

“Can I trust you to get the project done and get me running when I am supposed to be running?” The easiest way to answer that is with client experiences.

  1. A two month dust collection project for General Mills culminated with a shutdown weekend to:
  2. Commission the new Buhler dust collector
  3. Service its mill side tie-ins
  4. Relocate their Ferrari fan and speed it up to mitigate the increased static from the additional ductwork in the system.
  5. Test all equipment and have plant back in operation by Monday afternoon.

The job went according to plan. Our TMS crews worked quickly and efficiently and by Saturday afternoon we were ready to do system testing. The electricians  were going to spin motors and test on Sunday, we had a small TMS crew on hand in case anything arose.

As the fan was being tested it was notice that the fan was out of balance and the final elbow into collector was sucking in, causing concern. Buhler was contacted to address the fan on Monday and the leadership team decided to move on with the elbow as is.

IBT was in Monday to balance the fan. This required starting and stopping for balancing, which  caused the drive at the MCC to fail. Brookside Electric was there and had the drive changed out so work could continue and we could get the plant back on line.

The balanced fan came on and the system was running smoothly until the elbow that was sucking in before crumpled under the vacuum.

“Houston, we have a problem” 

Who sized the fan? Who sized the duct? Who set the static? There are a multitude of questions being asked at this time but reality is someone 5 states away did and they aren’t here and they can’t make this thing run. The only question that matters is what can we do and how quickly.

The team jelled immediately, TMS, Buhler, Brookside Electric, ATI  and the General Mills crews all worked seamlessly to address the problem – Step one assess what has happened to ensure you aren’t missing something. The crew assessed what we had and developed and action plan to follow. The Elbow was removed and sent back to ATI’s shop to fix ( it was determined at the ATI  shop it was quicker to build a new one out of heavier material – good thinking). Reinforce the surrounding ducting with thru bolts. Half the crew went to the shop with the elbow and half stayed to thru bolt the duct. Within 4 hours the new elbow was back on site and installed and the system was turned over to General Mills.

The plant was running, a little behind schedule, but running. When the trouble hit this project no one said it’s not my job, it’s not our part. The TMS crew jumped in and did whatever was required to get this plant running. When things go smoothly it is easy to shine, when they go bad, and they will you have to have a team you can trust, TMS is that team.