Case Study: Carlstar
Cross Process Solutions Group Helps Carlstar Get Back Up and Running Quickly After Fire
Carlstar, a tire manufacturer in Clinton, TN, experienced a fire that destroyed several of their control panels. They immediately reached out to Cross Process Solutions for help. The Process Solutions experts at Cross involved a team of more than ten associates who worked in tandem to get the customer back up
and running as quickly as possible.
Eli Jenkins, Senior Sales Engineer at Cross Company, was Carlstar’s first point of contact. When he got the call from Dennis White, Electrical Engineer at Carlstar, he left right away to see the extent of the damage. Eli and Dennis quickly assessed the damage and developed a plan. As the burnt panels were pulled out of the facility, Dennis would bring them directly to the Cross panel shop in Knoxville, TN. There, the team would work to reverse engineer each panel.
When asked about the project, Dennis said, “the process moved really quickly. We had seven panels to rebuild, some burnt beyond recognition. It would normally take eight to ten weeks to complete a cabinet from beginning to end. Cross was able to complete each cabinet in about five weeks. What impressed me the most was that the team still followed their normal design and build process, but just condensed the timeline. We got drawings very quickly and efficiently, marked it up with our changes, and sent it back.”
Previous
Next
Mario Contreras, Senior Lead Design Engineer at Cross, was the lead on this project. When asked about the reverse engineering process once the panels were delivered to the shop, he explained, “I met with their lead engineer, he told me what the control panels did, what he would like to be improved or changed. We then reverse engineered the burnt panels and developed new control panel drawings and a bill of materials. Once the designs were done and approved by the client, the parts were ordered at top priority from our vendors. The control panels were then fabricated and wired in our shop as quickly as possible.”
At the same time that the panels were being fabricated, the team at Carlstar was working through rebuilding and replacing the rest of the equipment damaged in the fire. Because Cross Process Solutions has a team that specializes in process instrumentation and valves, they were able to help Carlstar to get what they need from a single vendor utilizing the same purchase order. Dennis remarked that, “it was easier because we didn’t have to get another PO with another company. Also, the Cross team helped to track our spend so we didn’t exceed our budget.”
Dennis has worked with Cross Process Solutions for seven years including his time at Carlstar and at a previous employer.
When describing his experience with Cross he said, “I trust them to do what they say they are going to do. They are great to work with on fast moving changes. They react quickly. I appreciate that they document their process and the systems that they design well. While this wasn’t the most complex project, but the level of detail that was provided in the drawings, approvals, and quality of the build demonstrated that they follow a process and can handle larger and more complex projects”
By making the process of rebuilding their panels and replacing the process instrumentation as fast and seamless as possible, Cross was able to help Carlstar get back up and running more efficiently. The Carlstar team was able to focus on other areas of rebuilding while trusting Cross Process Solutions to handle the instrumentation and panels.
To learn more about how the Cross team can provide tangible value to you and your customers, contact our process solutions team!
