Nestled among the palms and baobabs of coastal Madagascar sit two dryers and a kiln. This type of equipment is Industrial Kiln & Dryer Group’s specialty, but on this occasion it is found in a unique environment where they can see lemurs jumping from the trees and chameleons blending into the rich, red soil. When Carlos Santana and Eric Young arrived in Madagascar after fifty-two hours of travel, they knew that this project would be different. The job was not as complex as others, but the distance, time, and environment made for a challenging experience that allowed our team to show their commitment to serving our customer when we are needed most.
Long distance jobs are usually planned months in advance, but this job had to be planned in a matter of weeks. This put Key Account Specialist Sarah Belew in the challenging position of coordinating the entire trip in a short amount of time. Madagascar is seven hours ahead of Louisville, so Sarah often talked to the customer early in the morning or late at night to plan. Sarah also had to find the best crew for the job. After reviewing the skills and qualifications of the many experienced technicians at IKD, Sarah determined that Carlos Santana and Eric Young were the best employees for the job. Another big challenge was that Sarah had to get all the equipment from Louisville to Madagascar smoothly so that Carlos and Eric could complete the job on time. Because the equipment was being transported through multiple countries, it was important to get all the international shipping paperwork in order. Most of the tools were already in Louisville, but the variable frequency drive was in Alabama and had to be overnighted to get it in time for the trip. Sarah spent countless hours working with everyone to ensure the success of the job.
The trip to Madagascar is not easy. The IKD team traveled over nine thousand miles, across eight time zones, and through three continents to get to their destination. When they arrived in the country, they followed local Covid-19 guidelines and quarantined for several days before heading to their final accommodation. The company wanted grinding performed on their two dryers so that they could restart their operation, which had been shut down for a year due to the pandemic. Our team is adept at grinding in diverse situations and their work in Madagascar showed how adaptable they are. February is Madagascar’s hottest month, with temperatures consistently in the 90s, up to 105° while our crew was there, and humidity over 80%. They learned to appreciate the small air conditioning unit in their hotel.
The equipment needed to perform the grinding was delayed in shipment for nearly two weeks. The team did not look at this as a setback but took it as an opportunity to plan, measure, and build relationships with the customer. They made multiple inspections and measurements to ensure the utmost accuracy in their work. They also gave training presentations for the customer’s employees to increase their knowledge about their dryers and kilns. Once the equipment arrived the IKD team took the information from the detailed inspections of the tires, shells, seals, and intervals on both dryers at the plant that had been performed earlier. They determined that the first dryer needed grinding and a skew adjustment. Project Leader Carlos Santana used TomTom-Tools® to take accurate measurements of the dryer, then ground and shimmed as required to achieve perfection. The second dryer had a loose tire on the discharge end, so the team had to tighten it before they could start the grinding process.
Madagascar is filled with plants and animals unique to the island. Its people, the Malagasy, are welcoming and were hospitable to our team. Carlos Santana said, “It was nice to know this country - its people are very warm and friendly, and we hit it off from the first moment which made the work flow well.” The IKD team spent their personal downtime learning about the native lemurs and turtles, interacting with the local merchants, and watching the sunsets from the nearby beach during time off. All throughout their downtime, our team deepened the relationship they had with the customer. Strong relationships with our customers help us understand the needs of their business and the everyday challenges they face as rotary equipment operators. Armed with this knowledge, we are able to recommend services and parts that will further their success and ease the anxiety that can come with caring for their equipment.
After almost a month in Madagascar, the IKD team finished their project and headed back to the United States. They left behind two fully functioning dryers and a completely satisfied customer. “The guys were very skilled, conscientious, diligent, polite, and did a fantastic job,” said our customer. “I am personally very happy with the work carried out. The support I have received from both the team and Industrial Kiln & Dryer Group has been excellent and hopefully we will work together again soon.” Industrial Kiln & Dryer Group is a global company and our team is willing to go anywhere and do anything to make our customers happy.