Specialty
Bar Products Inc.
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Specialty Bar Products Inc., Greenville, S.C. |
| PRODUCT: |
Manufacturer of specialty fasteners for power generation |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
3 |
| EMPLOYEES: |
43 |
| SITUATION: |
Specialty Bar Products provides special shafting and fasteners for
power generating equipment. One of their largest customers required nickel/cadmium
plating for lubricating purposes on specific areas of large stainless steel
fasteners. The plating process had inherent environmental and health hazards,
while the replacement needed to be a simple application, free of objectionable
materials. Seeking technical assistance with this situation, company officials
contacted the Southeast Manufacturing Technology Center in Greenville and
were referred to the Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT). |
| PROJECT: |
An ORCMT chemical engineer contacted Specialty Bar to discuss the situation
and then investigated a suitable substitute material and process to meet
the company's needs. After bench testing the substitute, a recommendation
on the new lubricant material was made to the company. Full-scale testing
of the replacement lubricant is under way. |
| RESULTS: |
Don Rothrock, vice president of manufacturing operations, said that
the technical assistance through ORCMT will have greatly aided in eliminating
the use of an environmental hazard, while saving Specialty Bar $235,000
per year in plating costs and $29,000 in transportation costs. The
substitute lubricant may also save the end user cycle time during assembly
by allowing the fasteners to be delivered with the lubricant already applied,
he said. He rated the technical assistance as "excellent." |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
|
SMTC