Blog

Standardize IAS is known for creating control solutions for industry.  Each installation is carefully designed and programmed to meet the customer’s needs.  So that means each installation is custom—no two are exactly alike. Recently IAS was contacted by a customer to do just the opposite—standardize custom controls on 7 different machines.  The customer has an interest in making the components and the interconnecting wiring identical and modular, so if there is a problem with one part, it can easily be replaced with an identical part.  This will help them lower their spare parts inventory and speed up repairs when they’re needed.               Here you see the prototype control boxes, ready for installation.  Along with foot switches and plug and play wiring, the customer will have identical controls on each machine.  IAS will have to modify the machines’ main control cabinets to accept the modular wiring harnesses. Mike Truninger, a new tech with IAS, has developed the controls and selected components.  He has had to brush up on his German to read the control drawings for the 7 different machines! Please let your customers know that IAS can not only create custom controls, but they can also help standardize controls, for quick repairs and...

Bringing Solutions  Recently we had a customer with a unique power problem—widely varying load, wildly swinging power factor, and a large new load to power up.  This wasn’t a simple solution and how they wanted to provide power to their new load was going to involve a new substation and substantial cost.  IAS reviewed the situation and came up with a unique plan to utilize an existing substation, with new gear added for power distribution, and for power factor correction.  Below, you see Mark Johnson (foreground) and Tim Clark Sr. running conduit to a new main breaker.  Indoors, they have installed a new distribution panel, and will install an new hybrid power factor unit.  The customer will benefit with a good solution at a lower price, and will improve power utilization at their facility with the new power factor correction unit.  IAS and Shaw Electric can bring ideas and solutions to our customers to solve complex problems in cost effective ways.  That’s a way we bring value to our customers and why we have so many customers come back to us for many years of service.  Tell your customers how we can bring cost effective solutions for their electrical needs! Ken Deering 10/22/14...

Outage Heaven ‘Tis the season for outage work for the crews from IAS and Shaw Electric.  Ethanol plants have been doing their annual outages for maintenance, repair, and project work.  They value our expertise, quality of work, and commitment to keep their electrical systems operating reliably, so our customers have kept us busy performing electrical maintenance and construction work. Here, the crew of Mystery Man, Tony ‘Nice’ Nicewanner, and Nick ‘Who Needs a Ladder’ Terry, clean a 15kV distribution switch under the watchful eye of Rick ‘Gray Beard’ Hall. They’re cleaning dust and dirt off the equipment, lubricating, polishing, and looking for any problems.     Our IAS test crew of Jimmy ‘Zapper’ Skadal and Mike ‘M of M&M’ Truninger, is not far behind, electrically testing the switchgear and filling out the paper work.  Jimmy appears to really enjoy getting out of the office – mental note for future manpower assignments…..         Tim ‘Jr’ Clark and Bob ‘Jr Jr’ Shaw and took care of project work, by adding a 15kV switch to an existing lineup for a project now under design and construction by IAS and Shaw Electric.  Don’t drop it, fellers…. Doing a great job and watching out for our customer’s electrical systems is why...