Our client’s 75-horsepower compressor failed. Initially, they contacted their normal vendor, who advised after two weeks that it was beyond repair and to replace it. The motor they were going to replace it with had an 8-week lead time. In the meantime, they began to rent a compressor. Ryan Shade overheard the client discussing it and advised TNT MIS can get motors due to being direct with the manufacturer.

 

The client did not have a backup in stock to replace it, which resulted in a portion of their plant being down. This particular compressor holds plant-supplied air that runs their equipment in a specific portion of their pneumatic plant. With it not working, that part of the plant could not operate. Due to the compressor’s irregular 447-frame motor (which are not made any longer), the electrician working on the compressor additionally said it could not be replaced.

 

Ryan got in touch with a company in Chicago that had a 445-frame motor in Chicago that could be shipped to St. Louis, MO the same day. The 445-frames have a 3-inch difference on the foothold. He discussed the issue with one of ACME Constructors’ skilled millwrights that was already working at the client’s facility. Where the motor mounts to the compressor, there’s a set of blocks. The blocks are drilled and tapped, resulting in the feet of the motor being bolted to the top of the compressor. Ryan instructed the millwrights to cut the blocks loose and move them back before laser aligning everything. Once that was completed, the 445-frame motor was drop-in ready.

 

The motor arrived, the millwrights installed it, and the customer was back up and running in three days before the purchase order was even issued. They were very happy, and it opened a lot of doors for TNT MIS. TNT MIS sold the new motor for $13K and the other vendor quoted a motor with the right frame for more than $16K. Normally, that would be a $7K or $8K repair, but the additional cost of the rental compressor had to be factored in. The client had three different electric motor companies looking at the same issue, but TNT MIS were the only ones to come up with the solution.