When a manufacturer has to execute a facility move, there are scores of moving pieces to account for. Now add in the need to revamp an existing coil processing line to the mix, and that manufacturer has what could be a recipe for disaster on its hands.
That’s exactly the scenario that Texas-based Arbor Metals Inc. faced.
Arbor Metals, owned by parent company Triple-S Steel, stocks and processes specialty metals, including stainless steel, nickel alloys, aluminum, titanium, copper-nickel, zirconium and carbon steel. It also provides value-add services such as precision-slit coil, oscillate-wound coil, precision-wound strip, coil edging, plasma and water jet cutting, shearing, welding, cylinder rolling and sawing for customers in automotive, defense, HVAC, shipbuilding, petrochemical and other industrial sectors.
The facility move was triggered when the owner of Triple-S Steel sold Arbor Metals’ Dallas location, intending to relocate the company to a better-maintained building in Irving, Texas, that had recently been vacated by a sister company.
The new building was ready. The equipment coming with it was another story.
Borrowed Time and a Built-In Competitor
In addition to the facility move, Arbor Metals identified that one of its coil processing lines was operating unreliably and nearing its service life due to old technology and a lack of available spare parts.
“They had plans to update the line for several years but coordinated it with the building move to save on installation,” explained Dan Brown, Project Engineer at Machine Concepts.
Arbor Metals reached out to Machine Concepts to explore whether it could support the project not just in terms of capabilities but also within a fixed timeline to accommodate the move.
At the same time, Delta Steel Technologies, an Irving, Texas-based competitor of Machine Concepts with ties to Triple-S Steel, was given the opportunity to quote certain equipment or subassemblies, as well as the first right to upgrade other portions of the line.
When Depth of Knowledge Wins
While Delta Steel Technologies had the advantage of existing ties as well as close physical proximity to Arbor Metals’ new location, it lacked experience and depth of knowledge within a core competency: thin sheet metal. As a result, it was unable to meet the price and lead time requirements for this project.
Where Delta Steel Technologies fell short, Machine Concepts was ready to deliver — on scope, on price, on time.
After seven quote revisions over 14 months, Machine Concepts landed on a project scope that was financially viable for the company owner and met the specified lead time requirements.
The initial agreed-upon scope of work centered on an oscillating slitting line that incorporated eight rewinds, a tension stand, a new hydraulic power unit and a new electrical cabinet, with a plan to retain a portion of the existing equipment to manage costs.
However, the need for a new decoiler emerged when Arbor Metals realized its existing unit could not accommodate the coil size and weight from the new slitting line Delta Steel was installing in the new building. Although the company gave Machine Concepts and Delta Steel an opportunity to quote the new decoiler while it simultaneously searched the used equipment market, only Machine Concepts could meet the company’s strict timeline.
A slitter drive stand was also required. And once again, Arbor Metals chose Machine Concepts to handle that work.
Eleven Change Orders. One Ship Date.
From there, the scope continued to expand, Brown added. Safety fencing and turnstile requirements presented Arbor Metals with a choice: incorporate new turnstiles or have Delta Steel rework the existing ones.
“With these changes, it now made sense for MCI to build a new main operator panel and upgrade the electrical controls cabinet to cover the entire line,” Brown explained.
What started as a decoiler replacement evolved, through 11 change orders, into a full-line integration project. Through each change, Machine Concepts remained firm in its commitment to deliver the now expanded project on time.
With the existing slitter and scrap winder as the only components available for reuse, the new line now includes:
- Decoiler
- Slitter drive stand
- Tension stand
- Rewinds
- Hydraulic piping
- Main Operator panel
- Electrical cabinet
- Safety fence
Machine Concepts handled all installation tasks, allowing the Arbor Metals team to remain focused on moving its other 16 coil processing lines as part of the broader facility relocation.
Despite the complexity that accumulated along the way, Machine Concepts never lost sight of its original commitment.
Equipment shipped in mid-June, exactly seven months from the original PO date, meeting both the revised quote lead time and the originally agreed-upon ship date. Installation took four weeks, with commissioning to follow to bring the line into full production.
Delivered On Time, Ready for Production
Arbor Metals now has an upgraded line suited to its upgraded surroundings. Where the old line had an operating speed of 118 feet per minute (FPM) and required two shifts just to meet deadlines, the new line now achieves speeds of 500 FPM, an increase of more than 300%. Not only is this improvement beneficial for Arbor Metals’ productivity, it also boosts operator confidence.
“A 90% new line with more reliability, updated technology and safer operation will improve morale and retention among team members, drive better production rates and make on-time deliveries possible,” said Brown.
That confidence has also extended beyond Arbor Metals’ walls.
Arbor Metals recently referred one of its customers to Machine Concepts. The customer sources ribbon-wound (pancake) coil and is looking to switch to an oscillate-wound coil. As a result, it will need a new decoiler to accommodate the change.
After partnering with Machine Concepts on a complex project, the referral was the easiest call Arbor Metals made.
