Shown is Tonkawa’s damaged furnace prior to repair and after a complete rebuild.
cataloged and analyzed every turn of every bolt on the furnace over a nine-hour workday. The coil was dissected, and lining samples were retained for future reference. While the furnace sustained
extensive damage, it did not have to be replaced entirely. Structural reconstruction was
performed to address run-out dam- age in the bottom of the furnace, a new coil was fabricated and the hydraulic cylinders were repacked and resealed. Fortunately, the major components were salvageable, and ultimately, the furnace was rebuilt for half the cost of a new furnace. “Te furnace experienced a sig-
nificant technical failure,” said Jimmy Horton, vice president and general manager of southern operations, EMSCO. “However, not only was the unit rebuilt, it was rebuilt using minimal replacement parts.” Tough work was underway on
the furnaces, Tonkawa was challenged with a projected lead time of 14 weeks on the power supply. When accounting for the three
weeks lost to insurance company holds and the time required for installation, Tonkawa was looking at a total produc- tion loss of 18-20 weeks. From the perspective of sibling co-owners Sandy Salisbury Linton and Jim Salisbury, Tonkawa could not survive such a
long period of lost productivity. After putting their heads together with their furnace supplier, it was determined the reason for the long turnaround on the power supply could be traced to the manufacturer of the steel cabinet that housed the power supply. Te solution? Tonkawa and Induc-
totherm hatched a plan to reduce turnaround time. Te existing cabinet would be completely refurbished and Inductotherm would contract the work from Tonkawa rather than the initial supplier. Tis reduced the 14-week lead time to just five weeks. Tonkawa is the single source for a number of its customers. Although lead-time had been significantly reduced, the Tonkawa team still needed a strategy to keep the single source customers in business as well as a plan to retain their larger customers. Tonkawa pours many wear-
resistant, high-chrome alloys for the agriculture and shot blast industries. Kansas Castings, Belle Plaine, Kan., which is a friendly competitor, is located 50 miles north of Tonkawa. Kansas Castings offered Tonkawa two to three heats every Friday for as long as it needed. “We made molds, put them on a
Tonkawa Foundry is presented with the 2012 Governor’s Manufacturing Leadership Award by the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence.
28 | MODERN CASTING August 2015
flatbed trailer, prayed it wasn’t going to rain in Oklahoma, and drove the molds to Kansas Castings. We were molding, shot blasting, cleaning, grinding and shipping every Friday,” Salisbury Linton said. Others joined the circle of sup-
Image courtesy of Tonkawa Foundry
Images courtesy of EMSCO.
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