Columbus Steel Castings in Columbus, OH, is said to be the largest foundry site in the world, covering 90acres in Columbus, OH, and after 130 years of operation it's among those in the longest continuous service. CSC manufactures steel castings for the railroad market — freight and passenger rail cars and locomotives, and mining equipment and industrial magnets, too. And, for the past four years, it's also been one of the foundries benefiting from Wheelabrator Group's Parallel Parts program (www.wheelabratorgroup.com).
Wheelabrator is recognized mostly as supplier of surface-preparation and finishing systems, but it also offers various technologies, products, services, and technical consultation, and works together with customers to deliver specific solutions to operational problems.
"Columbus Steel Castings uses a high-production, non-Wheelabrator rotoblast machine from the 1970s," explains said Allen Austin, Wheelabrator Parallel Parts Product Manager. "The maintenance department continued to have major issues with this machine. The leadtime for replacement parts was extremely long, and the manufacturer provided no technical assistance on mechanical issues. Through our field sales and technical service group, we were able to leverage our offering and efficiency to ease these issues," he continues.
The Parallel Parts program offers more than 4,500 parts, including blades/vanes, control cage, impeller and mounting hardware. According to Columbus Steel Castings' maintenance superintendent Lee Arledge, any part that the operation needs can be replaced via the Wheelabrator program in a timely manner, often within one day of ordering the part. "We've been extremely pleased with the commitment set forth by Wheelabrator," Arledge said. "Even though Wheelabrator is servicing a 30-year-old competitor's machine, we are assured the parts will always arrive on time and they are backed by Wheelabrator, which means they will fit the machine and work properly. Through our relationship with Wheelabrator Parallel Parts, we have minimized machine down time and improved our efficiency."
This 20-year-old Wheelabrator Plus program offers foundries a single source for critical supplies, with the assurance of guaranteed fit and function. The parts are supplied from ISO 9001-certified facilities, and non-stock cast and fabricated parts are also available. Most parts ship the same day they are ordered.
Wheelabrator Plus also offers an Equipment Modernization Program for wheel blast equipment. The technological advancements made by Wheelabrator Group research and development personnel are available for non-Wheelabrator equipment. By upgrading to new wheelblast technology, users may reduce operating costs, minimize machine down time, improve manufacturing efficiency, and reduce maintenance time.