Project Profile: Tyco Valves & Controls Machinery Relocation from Grotezenberg, Germany to Reno, Nevada

This project required many hours of pre-planning and trips to Germany to set-up the lifts and cranes that would be required to accomplish the task of removing, disassembly, and load out of the machines.

Our crew and tools flew to Frankfurt, Germany, which is two hours south of Grotezenberg.

Our work included complete electrical and mechanical tagging, disconnection, and disassembly and cleaning of the machines for loading in to containers for shipping.  Also, the machine tooling and parts were packed to protect them from damage during shipment.  The machines we removed were large milling machines, lathes, and CNC machines used in the production of large gate valves used in the oil industry, as well as water and gas processes.  We handled the documentation for the bills of lading, permits, and inventory lists required to move these machines through customs.

Our crew was onsite in Grotezenberg for 22 days working long hours straight through to minimize the downtime of the machines and also offset the cost of working out of the country.

The disconnection, disassembly, and load out was well planned and did not pose many problems.  However, we did run in to a problem we did not anticipate.  One of the machines could not be disassembled to a point where it would be in gauge for trucking the machine and the overseas shipping.  This caused problems due to the height and weight of the machine.  This machine had to be handled completely different than any of the other machines.  Once the problem was discovered, we immediately contacted our shipper to make the necessary changes to overcome the problem in lieu of being disassembled and loaded in to a container.  Due to being overweight and too high, this machine was loaded in to an open top container.  The machine had to be transported to the Rhine River by a special permitted truck where it was loaded on to a barge and shipped to the port of departure.  At the port of departure, the open top container was loaded under the deck for shipment to the United States port in Houston, Texas.  We overcame the problem without losing any time and were able to complete the work in Germany within the timeframe we had allowed as planned.

The containers with the machines arrived in Houston, Texas three weeks after the ship left port in Germany.  In Houston, the containers were loaded on to trailers and shipped by trucks to the Tyco Valves Reno, Nevada facility.  As the containers arrived onsite in Reno, we were prepared to unload the machines and move them in to place.  As the machines were offloaded, we reassembled and positioned each machine.  We leveled, aligned, and anchored where required.  Once the machines were in place and reassembly was complete, we were ready to begin the services connection to each machine.  The electrical connections and power wiring were installed, as well as connection of the mechanical from the building services.  Our crew was onsite at the Reno facility for 28 days working seven days a week to get the machines ready for the owner to be able to do a checkout and start-up of the machines.