Background
After facing a continuous battle with cable slack faults, position errors, and breakdown complications, Tenneco partnered with Jessup Systems for the design and installation of a hoist and controls system. For Tenneco, the primary goal of the project was to correct downtime inducing complications and achieve a consistent throughput. Tenneco’s Facility Engineering Manager, Joel Smith, says that a combination of Jessup’s knowledge, engineering efficiencies, and adaptability allowed the team to deliver a product that surpassed their original expectations and ultimately improved production rates by ten to fifteen percent.
Initial Assessment
Describing Tenneco’s decision to partner with Jessup for the hoist and controls replacement, Smith said, “We brought in four different companies to look at this project, and the knowledge that Jessup brought was evident right from inception. They immediately identified where our inefficiencies were and how they were created. There was no skepticism; they just came in and said, “hey look this is how you fix that.”
Design and Engineering
When designing a hoist, it is in Jessup’s engineering nature to maximize efficiencies by focusing on details that are often overlooked; these details can range from lifting heights, to the various strengths that affect those cycles. Jessup’s Sales Manager, Renny Fritz echoed this stance, saying, “There are many variables to consider when optimizing hoist cycles which affect overall cycle time and throughput of the machine. Our goal with Tenneco was not to change their hoist’s cycle, but to save on time.”
Installation
As the teams prepared to begin the scheduled eight-day hoist and controls installation, Tenneco was faced with unanticipated production demands that cut the install short by five days. Despite this obstacle, Jessup and Tenneco were able to collaborate to complete the installation by the scheduled date. Jessup Project Engineering Manager, Scott Myers accredited the success of the installation to Tenneco’s determination to see the project through to completion. “Joel Smith’s thorough planning and willingness to take on a portion of the installation showed what real teamwork looks like and the proof is in the result,” said Myers.
Outcome
The Jessup hoist and controls system have eliminated Tenneco’s frequent maintenance downtime and provided unexpected productivity improvements in the process; these improvements will soon allow Tenneco to cut production back from seven to six days a week. Reflecting on the success of the partnership, Smith said, “Every now and then you get a project when everything goes right and being in this career it’s not often. It doesn’t matter how perfectly you plan; you could have the perfect playbook and still run into roadblocks. This is one of those projects where I don’t see any point in the project scope that things could have gone better.”
