A while ago now, we were approached by an engineering firm (who will remain nameless for obvious reasons) to quote on a pumping system for their customer on peanut butter.
The engineering firm had been engaged to design the system and manage the construction project.
Like any good pump supplier we double checked their plans and made sure the specifications were going to deliver the desired outcome. We won the contract to supply the pumps they’d specified for the system.
So far, so good.
This was a fairly complex system. What you might not know about peanut butter and may not want to know, is that it has different viscosity's at different stages in the production life-cycle. There were multiple models of pumps, multiple configurations of some of the same models of pump depending on where it was going to be used in the system.
The pumps were purchased, the packages assembled and delivered. Everything was then installed.
The day the system goes live we get a phone call.
“These pumps you sold us aren’t up to the task.”
There is some back and forth… something about, they meet all the specs we were sent. We double checked everything… They should have worked.
“Let’s get our maintenance team out there and take a look – let’s get this fixed.”
We get there and we know something has gone horribly wrong…
I don’t know how it happened but many of the pumps ended up in the wrong spots in the system… a quick consult of the plans verses serial numbers confirms it.
We get the pumps cleaned up and repaired for the client and then spend the next few days working to get all the pumps correctly installed as per the original plans for the system.
We got the problem solved for the client with a minimum of fuss and downtime. The system works great now.
But I will say there are a couple of important lessons in this for you, the plant manager. First – double check that the right equipment is installed in the right place. Don't leave this all in the hands of on outside engineering firm. And second, respect the recommendations of the pump manufacturer’s representative. They know their product and regardless of the specifications you give them, they will give you the advice on the best way to achieve your goals.
Final Thought: If you are looking to build a new pumping/process system or want to increase the efficiency of an existing one, bring your specs to us. At no cost or obligation, we can make recommendations for you on how to reduce operating cost, increase run time and decrease ‘total cost of ownership’. Call 404-363-6000 or drop us a line at sales@pyebarker.com
