| Electric
arc furnace (EAF) steel mills rely on a steady stream of scrap metal to
be ready as feedstock every hour of every day that the mill is up and
running.
Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., is known for running its EAF mills at full
capacity, which means IMS (International Mill Service) Inc., Horsham,
Pa., has to keep scrap moving at the Nucor locations where it acts as
the mills services provider.
During the past 12 months, IMS has brought in a growing number of SENNEBOGEN
scrap handlers to serve Nucor mills in Jackson, Miss.; Jewett, Texas;
and Auburn, N.Y.
IMS Director of Equipment Dave Watt says IMS now has nine SENNEBOGEN 835
models at the three mills.
"We liked the organization, which had a lot to do with our purchasing
decision," says Watt. "SENNEBOGEN has offered a lot in terms
of support, training and backing. Their willingness to stock spare parts
has been outstanding."
Watt says that rather than SENNEBOGEN determining which spare parts will
be available, the company’s officers in Germany and at the SENNEBOGEN
LLC office in Charlotte, N.C., asked IMS to provide a list of parts that
it wished to be stocked. "I’m a maintenance guy, so when they
offered to do that, it was a big selling point."
The service and maintenance aspects are crucial to Watt and IMS because
of the 24-hours-per-day schedule that comes with serving steel mils. Watt
notes that the three SENNEBOGEN handlers serving the Jackson, Miss., mill
will probably accumulate 7,000 operating hours this year.
Watt says the SENNEBOGEN handlers have earned good reviews from operators
and maintenance personnel. Operators like the elevated and comfortable
cabs, while maintenance people have taken to the SENNEBOGEN machines’
simple design and easy maintenance.
From a maintenance viewpoint, "simplicity is another selling point,"
says Watt. The machines are designed so that routine maintenance tasks
can be reached with ease.
SENNEBOGEN purposely designs its machines to use pumps, seals and other
widely available parts, as opposed to over-engineering each part to be
unique (and thus available only from the manufacturer). "SENNEBOGEN
doesn’t have specifically designed parts. Pumps and valves are straight
off the shelf, which is a real plus," notes Watt. "If you need
a seal kit, you can get a standard Rexroth kit. We service steel mills
and need to run most of the time, so this is a terrific design feature."
The machines have proven themselves to be reliable and versatile, says
Watt, and have confirmed IMS’s overall good impression of the SENNEBOGEN
organization and its machines. "We had a great trip to Germany to
see how the machines are made and great training sessions there. Constantino
Lannes, Jim Westlake, Zack Jordan and Keith Ahlstrom in Charlotte have
all offered a lot in terms of support. The entire SENNEBOGEN team has
been excellent to work with," he says..
FEATURES OF THE
SENNEBOGEN 835M
Engine - 226 Hp (166
kW)
Working Radius - standard 54' with optional equipment up to 61'8"
Lifting Capacity - up to 44,092 lbs.
Operating Weight 88,200 lbs.
• Separate hydraulic circuit for swing operation
• State-of-the-art load-sensing hydraulic system
• Powerful, maintenance friendly design
• Water-cooled Deutz Diesel Engine, with large fuel tanks for extra
time on the job between refueling
• Swing speed 0 – 8 rpm
• F2000 cab with excellent all-around visibility
• Fixed or hydraulic elevated cabs available
• Built-in sound absorbing sound insulation
• Safety check valve for lifting cylinder and stick cylinder
• SDS Sennebogen Diagnostic System monitors the operating performance
of the equipment providing feedback to the operator as well as service
personnel to keep the machine running at peak performance
|
