In November, Bill Roper received a call from a concerned customer with a failed gearbox. This was a large obsolete gearbox that is coupled to a rubber extruder that mixes a special compound, supplied to other facilities. Bill asked if the Springfield division could commit the manpower to this overtime job and we accepted the challenge.
The customer stated that his company was losing $550 every 15 minutes that this extruder was down. So that is $2,200 per hour, $52,800 per day and $369,000 per week! Needless to say, this was a full overtime job, worked around the clock. The customer visited our shop twice during this repair job and was in communication with Bill Roper every day, until the job was completed.
The hollow output shaft was cracked, over the keyway, so it could not be repaired. The customer supplied a spare shaft that needed the fits restored to original dimensions. Kim Shellabarger coordinated the machine work with Darrell Cothron at Horner Machine Shop, Jim Kennedy at Horner Coatings division, and the machinists at Springfield division.
Since this was an obsolete gearbox, some of the parts were not readily available. Lori Beam, Springfield purchasing agent, searched the world for some of the parts. We were fortunate to find the last cylindrical roller bearing for the output shaft, in the USA. The only other bearing in stock, on the planet was in Brazil, and it was 4 times the US price – with a 10 day delivery. Some of the large seals were unavailable, so they had to be fabricated on an expedited basis.
Dave Howard coordinated the dismantling, parts cleaning, and assembly with the Springfield mechanics and parts cleaners. Once the machine work was completed and the new parts arrived, they worked around the clock to assemble and perform a low-pressure air test to check for potential oil leaks.
The riggers loaded and transported the gearbox back to the customer site, when the repair work was completed. Jim Delawder coordinated our field service techs to assist with installation and alignment work, on-site.
Lisa Keyton, Springfield estimator, worked up a spreadsheet for a breakdown of labor and materials for the customer. The customer agreed with her job costs and issued a purchase order to Bill Roper so Lori Beam could then invoice the job.
A high-profile job, like this one, required a team effort with a lot of coordination across multiple shifts and divisions to successfully compete this job on an overtime basis.
The customer was very pleased with our company’s performance on this job and stated that his company values Horner Industrial Group as a key business partner. That is quite a compliment!