KWS Saves $960,000 in Downtime with Delivery of Special Drive Shaft for Charcoal Manufacturer

Challenge

Charcoal manufacturing is a hot and abrasive environment. Equipment for conveying and processing ingredients for charcoal must be designed to hold up under the most extreme conditions. A drive shaft for a critical screw conveyor failed unexpectantly and shut down the plant. Downtime costs were over $40,000.00 per hour. A new drive shaft had to be machined and delivered as soon as possible.

KWS Advantage

The local power transmission account manager was at the plant working on another application when the shaft failed. Measurements and a hand sketch of the failed drive shaft were sent to KWS and work began immediately on a new drive shaft. KWS worked around the clock to machine the new drive shaft using high-strength material to prevent a future failure. The new shaft was delivered within 24 hours and the plant was back up and running at full capacity, saving 72 hours of downtime.

Cost Savings Calculation – Downtime Avoidance
$40,000.00 per hour X 72 hours = $960,000.00