News and What We are Up To.
SWEET WORK!
Some times in life, reality and fiction blend together. And this is one of those times. In this reporter’s humble opinion, there is a remarkable resemblance in these pictures. Mars, Inc, may have their M&M’s, but so does IAS. In our case, it’s Mike and Mark, or M&M. Mike Truninger, on the left, and Mark Johnson, on the right. Mike and Mark, tackled the control panels heading for Eric Holst’s Dyersville project, and finished them up in good quality fashion. Thanks for the good work, fellas! This project is a fast track project with a tight construction window. Eric and his guys are getting creative, coming up with ways to push the electrical and controls portion of the project along as much as possible, so when the mechanics are ready to have the equipment wired, the electricians will be right there ready to wire it up. Josh Kruse is the engineer on the project, designing the controls and electrical system, writing the programs, and checking out the controls when it is time for startup and commissioning. This is another big project for Josh this year, in a year of big projects. Thank you, Josh! Please let your customers know that from engineering, to panel building, to installation, IAS and Shaw Electric can bring quality projects in on time. And M&M’s work will put a smile on their faces! The IAS Story Ken Deering 7/30/14...
read morePre-work Makes Quick Work
Pre-work Makes Quick Work If this were Christmas time, you might think this is an elf organizing Santa’s sleigh load. But no, this is our own Jimmy Skadal, programming electronic overloads for a Shaw Electric project outage! Having the devices programmed to the customer’s specifications ahead of time will make quicker field work for the electricians and the customer. Jimmy labeled each device for each MCC bucket, so all the electrician has to do is install them in the right spot, and it is ready to run. This will also save the customer’s process control technicians lots of time during a critical outage, so they can focus on what they need to. Shaw Electric’s customer is replacing their process control system during a major outage. Shaw electricians are re-wiring cabinets, replacing network wiring, and performing other major electrical work. Having the overloads labeled for each bucket so there is no question where it goes saves time, eliminates confusion, and let’s them focus on wiring and terminating. Please tell your customers about Shaw Electric’s and IAS’s planning and pre-work capabilities, to help ensure their outages are a success! Having a successful outage leads to happy customers, better production, profitability for the customers and Shaw Electric, and future work for all of us. Thank you, Jimmy! Ken Deering 5/27/14 ...
read more4160V Repairs
4160V Repairs Is it the new T-Rex fossile being moved to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History? No, just The $40,000 Mouse. This toasted little critter had been living in a 4160V chiller starter. He made a wrong move, and had a very bad day. Unfortunately, so did the starter! The mouse caused an arc flash explosion, which destroyed the contactor assembly, connecting rods, and assorted other damage. The explosion was heard across a noisy process building in a control room, and gave the operators a wide eye experience! The customer called on IAS to repair the unit, if possible, before cooling season was on them. With a new unit delivery too far out, it was Stephen Mahieu to the rescue. You can see Stephen’s handiwork, below. Tell your customers we can do some mighty creative repairs! Ken Deering 4/15/14 ...
read moreDesign / Build
As part of a larger Shaw Electric project, IAS has a design/build portion for electrical and controls. This project has a tight timeline and high expectations, reasons why the customer chose Shaw Electric and IAS to do the job. Josh is designing the electrical and controls system for a new grains receiving, drying, and storage facility. Here you see Mark Johnson wiring up a large control panel for the project. The panel will be checked out and verified before it goes to the field, so it is ready for field installation and terminations. Please relay to your customers that Shaw Electric and IAS can handle all their electrical and controls design and build challenges! Ken Deering 3/19/14 ...
read moreSun Power!
SUN POWER! As many of you have noticed, our Shaw solar panels are up in front of the building on a ground mount. Even though the cold winter winds were breathing down their necks, Bob and Eric got the panels swung up into place. I don’t know about you, but it seemed to me that they worked quicker in cold weather! In the next picture, Bob and Eric are mounting the inverter to a back plane, getting it ready to mount on the wall by Eric’s office. The next time you stop by the office, take a look at the inverter and you can see how much power the panels are generating. You can also see historical performance on the computer, or even on Bob’s phone! For a peak behind the curtain, look out my office window to see the back of our array. Remember to mention to your customers that Shaw Electric can install solar PV systems, large or small! You never know who might be interested in harnessing power from the sun. Ken Deering...
read moreCertified Substation Technician
Certified Substation Technician! Congratulations are due for Mark Johnson. He is now a Certified Substation Technician! Mark has been working towards this certification for 3 years now. Taking classes through AVO at their training institute, Mark has completed coursework on: Switchgear Maintenance Circuit Breaker Testing Battery Maintenance Relays Ground Testing Transformer Testing CT’s and PT’s Electrical Safety and Regulations Personal Protective Grounding Energized Work Mark took the substation technician test last week and passed it. Congratulations, Mark! If you have customers with transformers or substations, IAS can provide maintenance and testing services for them. Please let your customers know that Shaw Electric and IAS can take care of all their electrical needs. Ken Deering 1/28/14 ...
read moreYear End Reflections – 2013
Year End Reflections – 2013 I appreciate this special time of year, including the stories in the media about what happened in the past calendar year. You realize how much really happened and you can put the stories into a larger frame of reference. Looking back on the past year for IAS, we had many, many good jobs with good customers. From control panels and programming for large local customers, to power system designs, breaker testing and repairs, industrial service work, arc flash studies, and high voltage maintenance. To our good customers, great staff, office support staff and our Shaw Electric electrician friends, thank you for the very successful year. Let’s have another successful year in 2014! Ken Deering 12/23/13 ...
read morePower to the Process
Power to the Process An industrial customer recently decided to expand their plant, which required more electrical power distribution. In addition, the customer wants to plan for future additions, that will require even more power. In order to do accomplish this, a design had to be put together to determine overall power flows, capacities, where to feed the new power from, and how to feed future expansions. With load flow studies and designs in hand, Shaw Electric electricians were put to work, adding high voltage cables, switches, transformers, grounding, and cabling. Shaw electricians were led by Bob “Jr Jr” Shaw, Lee “I Can’t Sing” Luett, and John “Bear Mania” Green. Apprentices Mark “Nick” Gnatovich and Chris “Nice Beard” Girod were getting good experience with their guidance. Creating good designs and meeting a tight project timeline with excellent quality work are hallmarks of what customers get from IAS and Shaw Electric. Please contact IAS if you are someone that may be in need of engineering, drawings, project management, or electrical work. We can get the job done, and done well. Ken Deering...
read moreBring Ideas To Life
You may have noticed a new face in the IAS department. That smiling face belongs to Steve Garthaus, who joined us in September. Steve is a design/drafting professional who has 12+ years of experience. Steve comes to us from the architectural/engineering world, where he put electrical designs into CAD. Steve also does mechanical designs, isometrics, etc. He can design mechanical parts, building layouts, etc, and enjoys the challenge. Steve’s hobbies include the restoration of a 1964 Ford F-100, target shooting, motor cycling, and car shows. His Ford truck restoration has turned into a rather large undertaking, but he’s learning all kinds of new things and is enjoying the ride. As you can tell, he’s a motorhead kind of guy. Steve and his wife would like to buy a house in the area some day. Stop by and introduce yourself to Steve when you have a chance. He’s an interesting chap that is quite proficient at what he does. And by all means, let your customers know that IAS can provide professional drawings and CAD models for most anything they may...
read more