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Crisis: Saltwater corrosion and transit rigors
defeat offshore welding machines and threaten project completion.
Customer: Major fabricator and construction
supplier to top energy corporations along the Gulf Coast.
Resolution: Gas & Supply provides know-how and a
perfect solution in the form of Miller Electric engine drive with
Stainless Steel Environmental package.
Result:
Corrosion abated. Transit damage eliminated. Project completed
in record 14 weeks. Paradigm shift in offshore oil industry.
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Life at sea has never been easy. Finding
your fortune in the deep is risky work and no place for the weak in
man or machine. Those who build and maintain offshore oil rigs along
the Gulf Coast know this all too well.
"We work in one of the most highly corrosive environments," explains
the vice president of a respected supplier of fabrication and welding
services to global giants like Chevron/Texaco, BP and Shell. The large
industry players rely on local companies like his to keep their operations
running; in turn, these service providers rely on their equipment. For
welding as for everything else: "In the offshore world, it is crucial
that we have machines that are of the most durable character."
Unfortunately, this VP's recently purchased welding engine drives -
fifteen of them - proved unequal to the task. Not only were the new
machines easily damaged en route to the job site (a tough but necessary
trip across land and sea), they fared poorly on the job.
"I was appalled," he says. After six months in the harsh but not atypical
working conditions of Louisiana's Gulf waters, "The machines looked
like they were a hundred years old." A company electrician notes the
machines had a lot of diodes, electrical switches and connections; their
exposure to salt air and high humidity kept five or six units offline
on a constant basis. To make matters worse, their well-known manufacturer
proved unresponsive to requests for service or advice.
Faced with damaging a potentially lucrative relationship with the rig's
corporate owners, not to mention eating a large investment in unsuitable
equipment, the welding contractor turned to Frank
Hemelt for help. With its Service Division just three miles away in
Harvey, LA, Gas & Supply and Hemelt had been providing fast and convenient services
to the company for years.
"I knew the machines they had wouldn't cut it," said Hemelt, whose experience
in the industry spans forty-three years. "The salt and moisture out
there is just too much; rusts them out. They were changing covers and
hinges regularly, replacing brushes, switches, the works. They needed
welding engines wrapped in stainless steel."
"I knew the machines they had
wouldn't cut it.They needed welding engines wrapped in stainless
steel."
-Frank Hemelt
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The contractor agreed: "We don't need bells and whistles. We need rugged,
easy-to-operate engine drives without electronic devices."
Gas & Supply had a perfect, but unexpected solution: a Miller Electric engine
drive, the Big Blue 402p CC Stainless Steel Environmental model. Hemelt
knew the Miller name was a hard sell for offshore operations. Most in
the oil rig business cut their teeth on another manufacturer's machines:
"They just don't think of Miller for this kind of work." But he also
knew the product and the nature of the job. "I knew this company was
looking to get a piece of the offshore market and had built a better
machine to do it."
"We arranged a three-month test of one unit," said Hemelt. That turned
into an order for eighteen, with more planned for the future. "We also
arranged for Miller representatives to fly down and train the mechanics
and electricians on the back and front ends of the unit so they can
service it."
One of the largest Gulf Coast welding supply distributors, Gas & Supply has been
pairing the right products with the right people since 1981. As Hemelt
knows from nineteen years with Gas & Supply, "Everyone carries similar products;
our service and experience set us apart. That's what we do." With working
experts like Frank Hemelt leading service teams, solutions to tough
problems come at a steady pace.
For more information on how Gas & Supply can solve your own tough welding,
safety or industrial supply problem, call 504.392.2400 or
find the
location nearest you. (Branch offices in: Belle Chasse, Harvey,
Houma, Venice, Slidell & Golden Meadow, LA; Mobile, AL; Hattiesburg
& Laurel, MS; Houston & Huntsville, TX)
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