Welcome to another routine day at Grand Industrial. Envision taking a walk with me through one of our operation’s facilities. Everything from certified welders working away at the latest project in the fabrication shop to heavy equipment being serviced & ready for the field to project managers talking through the day’s planned work with their crews to safety checks & inspections being performed on the trucks & equipment that is heading out to jobsites, and the usual office staff converging on administrative tasks. There is always a lot going on at Grand Industrial; we like to say busy. Let’s look at another project that was completed recently for a manufacturer in north central Indiana!
This request came in as per the project description: “we need to replace our large mixer on the dry product line. This will be the first time it has ever been changed.”
We knew that this project was not going to be an easy one with very tight quarters to work in, no clear path to get equipment in to remove the existing large & small mixers and to replace the large mixer safely. Our project manager went to work on this, trying to determine how the best way would be to complete this challenging project. He frankly expressed “we cannot fit a crane in here that is big enough to handle the weight of the large mixer, so we need to come up with a different plan.” This project manager utilized input from some of Grand Industrial’s knowledgeable riggers & operators, and recommendations from the safety director for additional considerations for the safest way to get this equipment changed out. Working collaboratively together, our management team decided the most efficient plan would be to dismantle the existing mixing equipment and lower them to the ground in smaller sections. Our millwrights went to work, separating & removing small sections of both the large & small mixers then lowering them to the ground. The large new mixer had to be installed in the same fashion as the old one came out, so small sections were lifted onto the elevated platform & assembled before finally connecting the large new mixer in place. Then a little bit of infill had to be done where the existing mixer previously sat to close off any open space for fall protection purposes.
As with any noted efforts, we always like to hear from our customers post completion of jobs and this was no different. The plant manager stated that “Grand’s crews are great! The project manager on this job is a very good communicator and explained everything in great detail. This was a big project for us, but we knew we were in good hands. The guys are professional and worked safe the entire time.” This project was a great testament to the teamwork that went into the planning for completing this work as several project managers looked at this and gave input on how the job should be done overall.
Teamwork & safety are really at the core of Grand Industrial, from the project’s conception to its completion, valued input from experienced personnel directing the crew as well as guided safety input is at the front of everything we did on this project and continue to do. Please do not hesitate to give us a call for your next project whether it be simple, unique, or challenging. We would love to provide a solution(s) for it & be a partner with you on its successful implementation!