A mechanical and CNC electrical re-fit of a Farrel 12 meter CNC Vertical boring mill.
Customer:
Alstom. A world leader in transport and energy infrastructure
Overview:
Alstom is a worldwide company that provides equipment and services for power generation and rail transport. With plants and offices all over the world, they often buy and move large pieces of equipment, such as the Farrel Vertical boring mill, between countries and sometimes between continents.
This project started with a Vertical boring mill Alstom was interested in purchasing in Alabama for their plant in India. TEAM MACHINE Tools Inc was hired to assess the boring mill as to what level of work was needed to refurbish it. After providing their positive evaluation to Alstom, Team was then given the job of moving, refurbishing and installing it in India; a logistically challenging project that involved 3 countries and tight timelines.
Project Milestones
02 . 2006
Alabama, USA - TEAM MACHINE Tools Inc. heads down to Alabama to take apart the Farrel boring mill and prepare it for shipment to Toronto.
03 . 2006
Toronto, Canada - The Farrel boring mill arrives at Team's warehouse in Toronto. Over the next 6 months, TEAM MACHINE completes an entire mechanical and CNC electrical re-fit of the machine. Once assembled and having done several test run-offs, the machine is taken apart again and packaged up in a container to begin its journey to its final destination.
10 . 2006
Saint John, Canada - After being shipped from Toronto to Saint John, NB, the container is then loaded on to a cargo ship destined for Mumbai, India. TEAM MACHINE travels to Saint John to ensure machine is safely loaded and on its way.
11 . 2006
Vadodara, India - After landing in Mumbai, the machine is then shipped to Vadodara, India (also known as Baroda), a city approximately 400 km north of Mumbai. The first three Team members also arrive and begin the final phase of the project: to assemble, install and test the newly retrofitted Farrel boring mill. This phase of the project lasts 2 1/2 months and involves 6 Team engineers in total.
01 . 2007
Vadodara, India - Success! The refurbished Farrel boring mill has been installed and is successfully running – right on schedule. The last wave of TEAM MACHINE engineers say good-bye and head home to Toronto.
The Benefit of Retrofits
A new machine of this size would take 2-3 years to build and would cost between 7 and 8 million dollars. In 11 months, TEAM MACHINE completely re-fitted it with modern-day capabilities and automation, bringing it up to the standards of new machines – at a fraction of the cost.
Older machines have a level of stability in the major component castings that is often difficult to duplicate. Therefore, in most cases, the larger the machine, the more justification in automation upgrading and refurbishment - not to mention the significant saving of time!
A Project Handled from A-Z
TEAM MACHINE managed all logistics for the project, including transportation, packaging etc.; a huge undertaking that involved 3 countries, international trade laws, and tight timelines.
TEAM MACHINE also managed all the small contracts that came with the project – brokerage, insurance, trucking, logistics and training - something that is usually the customer's responsibility.
TEAM MACHINE successfully met all the project target dates and requirements, even when faced with delays that were beyond their control.
