Over the summer we had the opportunity to work with a long-time Michigan company, E&E Manufacturing in Plymouth. We’ve been proud to be E&E’s construction partner on a number of large machine foundation and press pit installations over the years but this job was particularly exciting for us.
E &E Manufacturing of Tennessee was installing the first integrated Schuler servo press in North America, a new 1405 ton Schuler press at their Athens, Tennessee plant and they picked us to handle the design/build of the machine foundation and press installation.
This was a unique job in many ways, but one thing that stands out was we had to call in a geologist to assist with the pre-planning to ensure the pit we had designed would be on a firm footing.
There’s a lot of limestone in Tennessee and we knew we’d need demolition, as some of it would interfere with the design. But we also needed to make sure there were no underground streambeds, caverns or other unplanned interferences that would make the pit installation unstable.
For the whole story on this installation and what we did to create a perfect fit for the new Schuler press that even impressed their German engineers you can check out our feature story in FF Journal.
Bringing in the geologist and putting together CAD drawings before we started the job that took into account the plant workflow to create as little interruption to their operations are all part of the million and one things that go into a proper press pit installation like we addressed in our last article.
Are you looking for a machine foundation contractor that will be your partner?
As a family-owned company for over 20-years our commitment to our customers is our number one priority. Our growth and expansion into three states over nearly two and half decades is directly attributable to creating long-term partnerships with each of our customers. We’ll work with you through the pre-planning & design all the way to the completed build and aesthetic finished product. You may not see all the points we do that make your job’s finish as exact and detailed as the starting blueprints but we will. Please feel free to ask our engineering team a question about any industrial construction job you’ve got on the line up. From concrete flat work, steel fabrication and construction to trenching and press pits you’re welcome to request a proposal 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Or feel free to call us at 586.598.3725.
Over the last 30 years we’ve seen a lot of changes in how parts manufacturers, metal stampers, metal forgers and other industrial companies and production facilities get bids for machine foundations and other construction jobs.
There was a time when the person we most often worked with was the operations or plant manager who knew quite a bit about what would be needed when installing a new machine foundation. Because he worked in the plant and knew the operations intimately he could ensure they got the most complete and accurate bids from vendors.
What we see today, more and more, are finance officers and purchasing managers handling the whole bidding process. They know the basics of what is needed and have a budget but don’t usually have nearly the level of operations knowledge they could have.
On the surface this may not seem like a big change, but in practice it can result in time and cost overruns or unnecessary delays in furnishing complete bids. There’s nothing worse than getting what you think is a “low” bid that didn’t include all the work that would be needed because the right questions weren’t asked or known.
We’ve found that to provide you with an accurate and competitive bid we need to help you understand your exact machine foundation installation needs.
It’s not just purchasing that needs to know these answers
Even if you’re the plant manager, the truth is, you’re not in the machine foundation installation business and don’t know all the construction requirements needed on every job you need done. You just know you want it done right and done fast.
Every job is different, every plant has its own constraints and as we say, installing a machine foundation “Isn’t just digging and pouring.”
That’s the reason for this article.
We know if we help you ask the right questions when requesting proposals or quotes we can give you a bid and timeline that gets your job done on time and on budget.
No matter if you’re in purchasing, finance, operations or engineering knowing the answers to these questions will go a long way in getting the right bid, the right vendor and the right job done.
Machine Foundation Installation Checklist Question #1:
What type of equipment are you installing?
- A new stamping press?
- A Milling or Boring Machine?
- A Measuring Machine?
Machine Foundation Installation Checklist Question #2:
What type of application will the equipment be utilized for?
- Stamping
- Try-out press?
- Heavy Stamping?
- Production Stamping?
- Forging?
- Machining
- Low Tolerance Fine Milling?
- Rough Milling?
Machine Foundation Installation Checklist Question #3:
Where will the equipment be located within your facility?
- Will you have proper clearances to accommodate the equipment?
- Will existing building column footings interfere with new install?
- Will there be enough power and utilities in place to operate the new equipment?
- How will you bring new utilities to the equipment?
- Overhead?
- Floor trenching with cover plates?
- Underground conduit?
Machine Foundation Installation Checklist Question #4:
Do you have manufacturer drawings of the new equipment?
- General assembly drawing
- Recommended foundation drawing
- Associated equipment drawings
Machine Foundation Installation Checklist Question #5:
Will a whole new foundation be required?
- Can the new machine sit on top of the floor slab itself?
- Will a simple thickened slab be sufficient?
- Will a recessed pit foundation be needed?
- Will there be material scrap that needs to be handled?
- Can scrap be handled at floor level in hoppers? or
- Will an underground conveyor system be needed?
These are just a few of dozens of questions we ask ourselves before we put together any proposal. They’re questions that if you know the answers can save you wasted time and money.
Some of them may seem obvious or like it shouldn’t matter for a simple job like a thickened slab, but the truth is not asking the obvious questions can cost time and money on even the “easiest” construction jobs.
Hopefully there are a few things you’d not thought about and will ask yourself before your next machine foundation installation. We’re pretty confident that by knowing the answers your next RFP process will be that much smoother and accurate.
Ready to install a new machine foundation?
Our engineering team will help you ask all the right questions and work directly with the equipment manufacturer and your company to design and construct a foundation specifically tailored to your plant and the new equipment. You can always ask our engineering team a question about press pits or machine foundations or request a proposal for an upcoming construction job you’ve got planned. Or feel free to call us at 586.598.3725.
