Client Success Story: TenCate Protective Fabrics + Steelhorn Crane Services
“I’m really passionate about my work and I wanted a partner to match that passion. Steelhorn did.”
An overburdened facilities manager moved to a preventative maintenance model, saving time and expenses. They’ve been able to meet their largest goals while keeping equipment running smoothly, and more importantly, safely.
Result Highlights:
- Increased Productivity
- Achieved downtime goal of under 15% and no major breakdowns.
- OSHA Compliance Assured
- Current good standing with OSHA plus satisfied safety coordinators and facilities managers.
- Lowered Job Site Risk
- Reduced risk of medical costs for injuries and OSHA fines for non-compliance.
TenCate Protective Fabrics Relies on Steelhorn Crane Services for Safety, OSHA Compliance
TenCate Protective Fabrics is the world’s leading manufacturer of flame-resistant textiles. Professionals in emergency response, military, manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, and more rely on their specialized fabrics for safety, comfort, and confidence.
Tony Bunn, a facilities manager who’s worked there for over 35 years, was busy keeping track of an entire maintenance team, day-to-day repairs, and unplanned breakdowns. So busy, in fact, that anticipating future problems and taking proactive measures to make things safer and more streamlined was difficult. The goal of keeping downtime under 15% was impossible.
He wanted to move away from a “fix as needed” model and focus on preventative maintenance. Tony knew that waiting until things break causes excessive downtime, which costs substantial productivity time and money. Plus, constantly dealing with breakdowns makes it hard to anticipate future challenges and be proactive about the company’s #1 goal – safety.
The Solution
His team finally made the switch to a preventative maintenance model, meaning that they focus on proactive – rather than reactive – maintenance that keeps equipment running and staff safe.
After being let down several times with the previous overhead crane services provider, Tony was ready to try a new one and chose Steelhorn Crane Services. He shares that from the beginning, Steelhorn provided valuable input and put his mind at ease. Critically, TenCate is paying the same rates but getting much better service now.
“They did a thorough overhead crane inspection and they did a proficient job at it. We received very detailed reports quickly, and they were extremely precise. All of the inspections had potential problems pinpointed for our review, which was really helpful.”
Steelhorn provides thorough annual inspections of all the company’s cranes and hoists. These inspections reveal potential safety issues and things that are currently critical to update or may become so in the future. He states: “I trust Steelhorn to be proficient in their findings and inspections and let me know that there’s issues so we can get them resolved quickly – so that we can go home the same way we came here!”
The Results
By partnering with Steelhorn for overhead crane repair and inspections, Tony shares that he has been able to meet his most critical goal: keeping equipment downtime below 15%. “Now we can keep machines running 24/7 and there are less breakdowns; the ones that do happen are minor and we are more prepared.” Naturally, this means the company can complete more production in less time, and at less risk to employees.
TenCate now has a trusted partner that provides real transparency into equipment condition and actionable steps for staying OSHA-compliant. On top of that, the business has greatly reduced financial risk around OSHA fines and medical costs for employee injuries. (Keep in mind that OSHA’s fees for not having the proper chain hoist in place can run upward of $50,000, and that’s just for a chain hoist!)
Speaking of risk, Steelhorn’s work has provided peace of mind for everyone in the plant. “Knowing hoists are in safe operating condition (instead of just hoping for the best) is huge. Because people are walking around these cranes or under these cranes every day, and if they fall, then somebody can get killed or seriously injured, and obviously, we don’t want that to happen.”
These increased safety measures make everyone happy; Tony says, “The work with Steelhorn really keeps the safety coordinator off my back, and it keeps my boss’s boss off his back.” If you’ve ever worked in a plant environment before, you know how much of a relief that is!
“Having a major breakdown that causes the machine to sit for hours or days – that’s what we got away from. I need things right and I need it right the first time, and that’s what we get with Steelhorn. They can do what they say they can do.”
