One of America’s largest manufacturers of exterior building products, Cornerstone Building Brands makes vinyl siding products at its Jasper, TN plant. Compressed air drives most of the filling and production feed equipment at the plant, which produces $25,000 worth of products in an hour.
“If we lose air, we lose the plant,” said maintenance manager Konnor Kruse. “The plant can’t run.”
In the first “Oh, shi—” moment, a new compressor’s main drive failed after 900 hours of service. The unit was down for eight months while the vendor waited for parts, with rentals costing $30,000 monthly. Then, after it was back in service, a second moment occurred: the main motor went out, and the vendor estimated repairs at $130,000.
In addition to the constant repairs, the unit was only reaching 95-97 PSIG in pressure, well short of Cornerstone’s needs. “Our basic requirements weren’t being met,” Konnor said.
At the suggestion of Sid Green, his maintenance planner and scheduler, Konnor connected with Clay Broadus in the service department at Air & Hydraulic Equipment, an independent Kaishan distributor in nearby Chattanooga. Clay fixed the ailing unit for a fraction of the estimated cost, then worked with Konnor to find a permanent replacement.
Konnor said he was looking for increased capacity and wanted a reliable, efficient, heavy-duty compressor with good performance. Clay played a significant role in his decision to purchase a 350-HP Kaishan KRSP2 premium rotary screw compressor with a variable-speed drive, Konnor said.
“That’s the best endorsement you can get. When you get a new compressor in and there’s ‘crickets,’ that’s a good thing. The result speaks for itself.”
— Konnor Kruse, Maintenance Manager, Cornerstone Building Brands
SIZE AND SCALE
compressors are
manufactured every year