Metal Fabrication Facility Fire

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On October 10, 2022, a manufacturing company specializing in metal stamping and custom sheet metal fabrication suffered damage when a fire broke out in a dust collector located outside the facility. The fire caused smoke, soot, and fire extinguishing affluents to spread throughout the building.

The biggest concern was that the two critical machines closest to the dust collector, which accounted for over 40% of the company's business, were severely affected by the smoke and chemicals. These laser metal cutting machines (103297-G2R0) were crucial to the company's operations as they could operate continuously without supervision, except for ensuring that they were loaded with sheet metal.

After experiencing a loss event, a senior staff member at the facility was unaware of equipment decontamination procedures. AREPA arrived on-site within a week of the loss, and the Project Manager took the initiative to guide them through AREPA's processes and explain the steps the team would take for each component. This extra effort helped alleviate the stress caused by the situation.

The client requested four separate on-site visits by AREPA, which were conducted without any disruption to the facility's production operations. In phase one, the AREPA team successfully rectified the initial loss resulting from an emergency agreement to decontaminate two laser cutting machines and a turret punch press. The team worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure that all aspects of the decontamination process were completed to the highest standards. During this period, the manufacturing staff was able to be temporarily reassigned to another department, ensuring minimal disruptions.

Phases two through four of the project were scheduled and completed at the discretion of the facility's senior leaders. Throughout the four phases of the project, AREPA decontaminated about one hundred different machines, including over 500 sub-components.

By opting for restoration instead of replacement, the facility was able to save a significant amount of money – approximately $9.5 million of the $10+ million cost that would have been incurred by replacing the laser cutting machines and ancillary equipment – making it a cost-effective and time-saving solution.

Most notably, the Project Manager of AREPA was able to gain the trust of the staff, which facilitated the smooth flow of the project. As a result, the business operations achieved the best possible outcome.