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Overview
Project
Manage blasting operations for a large-scale storage tank facility.
Location
White Castle, Louisiana, USA
Task
Test GMA NewSteel™ against waste slag.
Challenge
Low productivity and high consumption
Challenge
Apache Industrial Services has been a leading industrial blasting and coatings contractor for more than three decades. With a long list of world-class clients and rigorous quality standards, the company has earned its strong reputation in the petrochemical, industrial and energy sectors.
Throughout 30 years in business, Apache has seen the industrial landscape continually evolve. With project timelines tightening, waste slag's performance issues had become major roadblocks to productivity and profitability.
Recent OSHA regulations and supply shortages only heightened the company's concerns about their current abrasive. Apache also knew its techniques and equipment were keeping its blasters from optimizing their productivity and costs. But like any high quality contractor, Apache wanted to know exactly what would be gained before switching its blasters from one abrasive to another.
As Apache was mulling a switch, its team was contracted to oversee blasting operations at a large-scale storage tank facility—a high-profile project with a razor-thin timeline.
Seizing the opportunity to test alternatives to waste slag, Apache contacted GMA. We were ready to illustrate exactly how GMA NewSteel™ and Black Beauty Fine stacked up.
15%
Savings
Using GMA NewSteelTM
Blasting Trial
The most effective, objective way to compare the performance of any two blasting abrasives is by conducting a trial. That's exactly where we started with Apache. GMA's Technical Experts organized a full demo blasting trial for Apache's Site Manager and Maintenance Manager. The trial design mirrored the requirements of Apache's upcoming job: three blasters on an eight-ton pot with a required profile of 2mil to 4mil.
When GMA performed this side-by-side, real-time comparison of GMA NewSteel™ and Black Beauty Fine, the results were clear. While both technically delivered the required profile, GMA NewSteel™ produced a 2.8mil profile, while Black Beauty Fine nearly overshot the profile.
Discover proven performance
“In one day with GMA Garnet™, we completed the amount of work that would normally take a week with Black Beauty Slag."
Clay Donaldson
Site Foreman Apache Industrial Services
On-Site Situational Analysis
After earning Apache's trust with the comparison trial, GMA Technical Experts conducted an on-site situational analysis to identify both challenges and opportunities for optimization. Like many contractors, Apache struggled to manage multiple blasters around a large tank. Other challenges included coordinating the start and stop time of blasters, and preparing equipment on time. One by one, our Technical Experts helped Apache resolve these on-site risks. Our situational analysis also noted frequent equipment mismanagement. By ensuring the proper type and use of abrasive metering valves, resolving issues with coiled hoses and identifying compressors that weren't operating properly, we helped Apache reduce risk and avoid downtime.