Chicago Tube and Iron has nominal downtime with Konecranes Service

A lifetime ago

Konecranes and Chicago Tube and Iron have an interesting relationship, which took root even before they started working together. Konecranes main contact at Chicago Tube and Iron is a former supervisor at another tube mill, where Konecranes worked for years. “They had a huge plant, with nearly 400 overhead and workstation crane units,” explained David Doran, service sales representative for Konecranes.

At this tube mill, Konecranes had used its MAINMAN® inspection program, which systematically recommends priority repairs based on safety and production needs—with the goal of eliminating breakdowns all together. “When the repairs recommended after the inspection are performed, overhead cranes can reach an optimal level of performance. In only a few years, that is exactly what happened at this Tube mill,” said Doran.

Before Konecranes serviced Chicago Tube and Iron’s Indianapolis’ overhead cranes, the facility encountered downtime delays that were not acceptable for their 24-hour operation. Now with Konecranes servicing their cranes, downtime for the year has been nominal— affecting less than one working shift.

 

Up and running

When the plant manager transitioned into a job at Chicago Tube and Iron, he brought Konecranes with him. Konecranes determined his most used and critical crane and performed every repair recommended a CARE Preventive/Predictive Maintenance program. “Now all four of the overhead cranes are performing safely and are reliable,” said Doran.

“This is critical for us, because we understand and are sensitive to the importance of keeping our 24-hour operation running.”