Design and engineering fabricator quickly achieves ROI with new cutting, handling machine
Above: An automated Watts cutting machine reduces pipe fabrication time
September, 2023: Design and engineering fabricator quickly achieves ROI with new cutting, handling machine
Mechanical contractor Harris Co.’s operations in Bellingham, Washington, have grown fast in recent years. Garett Andersen, director of the fabrication shop and field operations, says that as a result, “we needed to gain efficiency, and we knew that we needed an automated pipe cutting machine to do that. We had an old Vernon machine with problems. One of our other shops [of 15 around the country] had an older Watts Specialties machine, and they were getting the efficiency that we lacked.”
Having spent more than two decades in the welding and fabrication industry and supervising projects ranging in complexity from multiple material grades and wall thicknesses to nontypical fit ups, Andersen understood the shop’s must-have requirements. The company, which has more than 300,000 sq. ft . of fabrication space, first consulted with Watts Specialties, then “looked at three other manufacturers. All three were either priced too high or their machines did not have the features we wanted,” according to Andersen.
QUICK START
St. Paul, Minnesota-based Harris Co. specializes in design and engineering construction, building automation and end-to-end building of commercial and industrial projects. The company, employing over 2,000 people, has been working with customers since 1948. Its projects include the ESPN studio hub at The Linq Hotel in Las Vegas, the design-assist mechanical contract for the Minnesota Vikings’ $1 billion U.S. Bank Stadium project, and the HVAC and plumbing package for the new Churchill Downs race and gaming facility in Oak Grove, Kentucky.
Watts’ Eco Series includes computercontrolled pipe-cutting machines that convey and rotate material
“We decided to take a small group to the Watts Specialties facility in Puyallup [Washington] to meet the Watts team,” says Andersen. At that location just outside Seattle, Watts produces 3D profile cutting machines for round pipes, tanks, dished-ends, square and rectangular pipes and steel beams as well as automated welding solutions for tough metalworking industry requirements.
“We met a couple of the owner/managers, which was good, but then we met with a few of the machine technicians and support team,” notes Andersen. “We were impressed with the machine guys, and we walked away knowing that we were going to move forward with Watts. Seeing how they [custom] build each machine was also impressive. The personal contact with their service and support team was huge if or when we have any issues.”
Watts’ W-244-Eco immediately provided efficiencies on pipe fit-up because of its accurate cuts.
Harris Co. originally sought a larger machine, “but our need for an automated solution outweighed our ability to wait for a machine to be built,” says Andersen. To meet the company’s need for a machine more quickly, Dave Dunham, managing director of U.S. operations at Watts, offered to rent a machine to Harris so it could get started quickly and see the benefits before making a large capital investment.
INSTANT PAYBACK
That machine, a W-244-Eco with a 24-ft .-long bed, immediately provided an unexpected benefit on pipe fit-up. “The cutting accuracy, the quality of the bevels, joints and olets saved us on prep man hours. We would typically transport a cut pipe to another fabrication station for prep and fit-up, but that prep work was reduced dramatically,” says Andersen. Harris also uses Stratus, making it possible to “import pipe data directly into the machine through the Watt s 3D-Profile Plus software. We are extremely happy with the 3D-Profile Plus software. The software is easy to learn and easy to use. Importing data through Stratus also reduced the learning curve,” he notes.
UP AND CUTTING
A Watts service technician “came to our shop and trained our machine operator, who began running the machine in a day and a half. The operator inputs the data with Stratus into 3D-Profile Plus, and the machine starts cutt ing,” Andersen says. “We quickly saw the ROI with this machine; the efficiency in cutting and handling was immediate. No more measuring and marking pipe. The operator inputs the data, and the machine makes all the cuts. We realized immediately additional ROI by not having any hand cutting for olets [selfreinforced branch connections] or saddles [support bases].” Harris Co. is considering the possibility of extending the W-244E with a 40-ft .-long cutting bed and logistics options. “The economy version came without loading racks. Adding loading racks will make material handling far more safe and efficient,” Andersen remarks.
Harris Co., 651/602-6500, http://harriscompany.com/
Watts Specialties, 253/848-9288, http://watts-specialties.com/
