The stakes were high when a Montreal-based engineering firm called us. Their client, a Canadian mining company, needed ten 85 foot silos to be fabricated. The ten silos then had to be delivered and installed one at a time over ten days.

First, our engineering group developed complete project drawings. We then reviewed these with our Estimating Manager and engineering staff to determine the steel and hardware requirements as well as the labour costs necessary to fabricate the silos. One of our Millwright Foremen conducted a site visit to coordinate sub-contracted services for the installation, including cranes and a unique transport trailer sourced on the east coast. We bid. We were successful. We got started.

We stuck with our principle of placing one person in charge of the project from quoting through to completion. Our Millwright Foreman was assigned this responsibility. Immediately, he held a production review meeting with the Plant Manager and Estimating Manager. Together, they identified the work to be completed prior to installation. Shop time was scheduled and a work plan began taking shape.

To accommodate the tanks - which were 17 feet in diameter - we increased the size of our concrete pad and installed new, twenty foot wide doors on our fabrication shop. Next we built special rolling equipment to move the 55,000 pound silos out of our facility and onto the trailer. The tanks were fabricated, sand blasted and painted at our Trenton facility. Meanwhile, we organized our crew of experienced millwrights to carry out the pre-installation assembly.

Shipping posed several unique challenges. Because of their weight and seasonal road restrictions, the silos had to be shipped within a limited time frame. We mapped out a route that minimized distance and cost, including a short cut through a mining site, and obtained the permits required to pass through several towns. We also arranged for a police escort to accompany the silos on their journey.

Because of the length of the silos, we required an articulated trailer with a steerable dolly section. Their diameter posed another challenge: loaded on the trailer with support rings in place, our cargo would exceeded the twenty foot height restriction to clear hydro and other wires. Our solution: we cut the tops off support rings and notched them to fit over the trailer's I-bars.

Our cargo was delivered to a staging area ten kilometers from the site, where cranes were waiting. The final assembly was completed and notched pieces welded back onto the support rings. We arranged for the relocation of phone, cable and hydro wires for this final leg of the journey. One by one, the silos were shipped on the same articulated trailer, and our road crew completed the assembly and painting on site.

After all of our planning and preparation, our experienced team was able to complete delivery, installation and clean up in six days - four days ahead of schedule. Our customer was delighted, and as a result of this experience contracted us to build two additional tanks.