Tonkawa the Tough
In the wake of suffering significant damage, a heartland metalcasting facility modernized its operation and melted away challenges with a little help from its friends. HUNTER RONSON, MELTING EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION & REPAIR CONSULTANT
operations for an extended period can be a death sentence for many metalcasting facilities. Small to mid-size businesses are the back- bone of the industry, but many do not survive when forced into extended downtime. One disaster- stricken metalcaster, however, found resilience through its own persever-
E
ncountering a scenario in which you are forced to suddenly and imme- diately suspend melting
ance and a circle of support from peers, friends, suppliers, teams from installation and repair providers, an original equipment manufacturer and even competitors. Tonkawa Foundry, a third-
generation, family-owned operation in Tonkawa, Okla., was entering its 65th year of operation this year when a significant technical failure ravaged the power supply and melt- ing furnaces on January 17. Thanks to the textbook evacuation directed
by Operations Manager Carrie Haley, no one was physically harmed during the incident, but the extent of emotional and financial damage, and just how long the event would take Tonkawa offline, was unclear. Tonkawa’s power supply and two
steel-shell furnaces would have to be rebuilt. No part of the recon- struction process could begin until the insurance company approved removal of the equipment from the site. The potential loss of Tonkawa’s employees and customers to compet- ing metalcasters seemed inevitable. Within two days of the inci-
Tonkawa Foundry co-owners Sandy Salisbury Linton and Jim Salisbury stand in front of their enduring operation in July.
26 | MODERN CASTING August 2015
dent, repair, installation and equip- ment representatives were on site at Tonkawa to survey the damage. Once the insurance company issued approval to begin work, the installa- tion team mobilized within 24 hours to remove the equipment and disas- semble the melt deck. Since the damaged equipment was installed in the 1980s and 1990s, Tonkawa and an equipment services and repair company quickly strategized a plan and identified ways to enhance the safety, effi- ciency and overall productivity of Tonkawa’s melt deck. “The most critical issue was for our team to organize a response plan,” said Steve Otto, executive vice president for EMSCO’s New Jersey
Image courtesy of Tonkawa Foundry
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68