Case Histories

Coal Company Avoids Start-Up Production Delays

One Friday afternoon, Rob Robertson, manager of coal processing for Massey Coal Services, found himself in a bind.

Three days before the start-up of their new coal preparation plant in Pettus, W.Va., he discovered a problem with the correct media pump supplied by a GIW competitor. "It was moving water fine, but it couldn't efficiently handle the solids in our slurry," Mr. Robertson says. Since the pump moves 60 percent of the coal in their plant, Marfork Coal Company faced a real dilemma.

It seems that the manufacturer had modified the pump's original specifications, but had not created a performance curve on it. Further, they had not de-rated for solids effect and the centrifugal seal they had used. "The pump just wouldn't work within our processes," Mr. Robertson says.

Faced with considerable production losses, A.T. Massey's chairman of the board instructed Mr. Robertson to solve the problem and get the plant in operation. Pronto.

At three o'clock that afternoon, Mr. Robertson called GIW, who had originally bid and lost the job, and spoke with Kevin Kuehne, GIW's eastern region manager.

Working with Marfork Coal Company's specifications, GIW personnel analyzed the system to verify Marfork Coal's operating conditions. From this analysis, they determined their LSA 18x18-44 pump to be well suited for this particular application and recommended it as a solution to Marfork Coal's problem. When the company agreed to give it a try, GIW shipped one of the 10-ton pumps from their Grovetown, Ga., facility to the Pettus plant.

Although the GIW pump arrived on site ready to be put into service on Saturday, Marfork Coal Company's personnel spent 17 frustrating days working with the competitor's technicians, who attempted to adjust their pump and develop a curve on it. But finally they gave up and installed the GIW pump.

It solved the problem immediately. "If we had installed it on arrival, we would have had another 17 days of full production and cut our losses considerably," Mr. Robertson says. The Pettus plant produces about 400,000 tons of coal each month.

"GIW did what they said they were going to do, and their pump performed exactly as they said it would," Mr. Robertson says. "Best of all, GIW gave me a competitive price in a situation where they could have taken advantage of me."

That's because GIW employees and the company's worldwide network of representatives develop quality partnerships with customers. Partnerships that allow them to find working solutions to a variety of slurry pumping problems.

If you'd like more information on how GIW Industries can help you avoid production delays, please call (706) 863-1011, Ext. 2272, or send an e-mail to sales@giwindustries.com.