Louisville was the ultimate destination, where the cargo was offloaded by crane onto an Edwards multi-axle transporter and hauled another 12 miles to the plant.
AS AN ADDED BONUS, THE RIPPLE EFFECT ON A JOB LIKE THIS CAN BE MIND-BOGGLING.
a range of areas within the industry. Ports America New Orleans handled stevedoring services, staging, and sequencing of outbound OTR loads. Ceres Barge Lines provided hopper barges, and were extremely helpful with barge stow plans based on the delivery schedule. Buddeke River Terminals, out of Louisville, provided dock services, staging areas for press components, and flexibility with the delivery schedule. And Maxim Crane provided the two 500-ton cranes. “Additionally, Louisville Metro/Jefferson County Police
provided seven escorts per move, and handled traffic control perfectly, without incident,” White remarked. “State and City permitting offices were also very cooperative and understanding of our needs to get the project delivered to Ford.” Permitting becomes almost as detailed a facet within an operation like this as any other component—a part of the equation not lost on White. “You’re trying to juggle the timing of the barge, the timing of the cranes, and the timing of the permits— because you marry that up with the city permits, which are only good for five days. You’ve got to bring this all together at the terminal in Louisville and stage onsite—with a pre-planned loading schedule.” As an added bonus, the ripple effect on a job like this can be mind-boggling. White had to make sure every schedule was aligned and timed out precisely, so cranes would be ready at the point of receiving in Louisville to lift the cargo off the hopper barges, and have transporters ready to get it all to the plant. He knew that every detail throughout the month-long
journey from New Orleans to the plant in Louisville was designed so that the cargo would arrive at the plant at a specific time. “You also have to coordinate with the unloading schedule at the plant. Tey want certain pieces at certain times, because they have specific ways of unloading them—and they’re strict about when you can be at the plant. Tere’s a tight window.”
And then there are the inevitable snags that can, and likely will, happen at any point along the way. Case in point: the ship coming from China (a nearly 60-day journey) made several scheduled stops en route to New Orleans. “I’ve got barges waiting according to the ship’s ETA, but at the last minute, I get an update that the ship would be a week late,” White revealed. “Ten the ship’s stow plan wasn’t exactly as we had originally planned, which of course effects everything else down the line. But you have to be prepared for this, however unpleasant.” Suffice it to say, Edwards Moving & Rigging is pretty well
prepared for snags at this point. Once the cargo finally did arrive, the well-planned operation of organizing, unloading, and transporting began. Te end result? “We met our customer’s delivery schedule on time and within budget, with no safety incidents or related issues,” White confirmed. “We received emails from the end user, press manufacture, as well as from our direct customer— acknowledging a job well done.” With around 3,500 man-hours (10-12 people involved, all told), and seven months between receipt of RFQ and final delivery dedicated to the job, Edwards proved once again why they remain one of the most trusted names in the heavy haul and rigging business. “Te expansion at the Ford plant represents the creation
of new jobs in a region where Edwards got its beginnings, so we were proud to have been a part of that kind of continued job creation and economic expansion,” White said. “In our industry, a lot of our ability to secure projects like this comes from relationships. Our attention to detail, trust, the planning side of things—that’s what distinguishes us.” For more information, visit
www.edwardsmoving.com. y
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 23
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