BOULDEN AND GULF COAST BEARING & SEAL (GCBS) SPRING TO ACTION
Non-Spared Machine Down – But Not for Long
A non-spared steam turbine at an ammonia plant in Louisiana went down unexpectedly which caused the whole plant to shut down. When the machine was opened all the steam turbine packing was wiped and needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, our customer did not have spare seals in stock. Due to the limited market availability of nickel-silver labyrinth seals and the fact that the seals needed were unique in design and specification, the customer was quoted a 20-week lead time from the OEM supplier.
When the customer contacted us, we immediately understood the significance of the financial and operational impact of the customer’s situation.
The Boulden and GCBS Network is Ready to Help
Since Boulden and GCBS have a unique after-market business model designed to maximize responsiveness to end-users, an all-hands-on-deck approach was taken to get the customer’s turbine up and running as quickly as possible. Though a replacement could have been manufactured in a few weeks, material availability was a major factor in getting this machine back up and running immediately.
In this particular situation, our network of customers and application knowledge came to the rescue. Knowing that another customer has identical machines – and a valuable store of spares available for such emergencies – we were able to locate replacement nickel-silver labyrinth seals. The customer generously agreed to swap out the spare labyrinth seals for the Louisiana facility against a promise from Boulden to manufacture a new replacement seal as quickly as possible.
The Best Possible Outcome
The ammonia plant’s steam turbine was operational within one week of the call placed to Boulden versus waiting on a 20-week lead time. Furthermore, Boulden was able to replenish its other customer’s spares without any interruption to their business.
Contact us to learn more and to discover why Boulden is the preferred partner for your high-value machinery needs.