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Aguirre worked with Konecranes to put Aqualectra’s
cranes back into top working condition. When asked After surveying the damage, JEP’s Maintenance Manager
about the most challenging aspect of doing business in Robert Spence contacted Konecranes. According
the Caribbean, Aguirre was candid about the need to to Ojeda, a technician was dispatched from Miami to
promote consistent preventive maintenance. Jamaica within 24 hours, arriving on the scene a scant
48 hours later.
“According to OSHA standards in the United States,
plants are required to have their cranes inspected at least “Because of Konecranes ‘whatever it takes’ approach to
once a year,” Aguirre said. “Some of our customers in the customer service, we put a technician on a plane on the
Caribbean have not been required to do that in the past, basis of one phone call,” said Ojeda. “I can safely say there
but now it is part of the service we offer in our operation is not another crane service provider in the Caribbean who
and maintenance contracts. It is our job to support our could have gotten to the site faster.”
customers to enjoy the value of “by the book” maintenance
procedures. With proper preventive maintenance, we can Parts were expedited to repair the damaged crane,
help them achieve a higher level of reliability and availability and Konecranes quoted a new custom-made CXT to
for literally millions of power customers.” replace the crane that was beyond repair. Ojeda started
the paperwork on the replacement 5-ton hoist and 111-
Both Wärtsilä’s Fernando Aguirre and Konecranes Rafael foot electrification system before actually receiving any
Ojeda stressed the value of formal crane operator training, payment from the customer.
both to improve safety and to extend the useful life of
crane equipment. After undergoing repair on its engines and the surviving
crane, Doctor Bird II was able to resume operation two
“A properly trained crane operator creates a safer work weeks after the fire. A replacement CXT crane was built
environment for everyone, reducing downtime and for the barge and was installed in March. While engine
possible serious injuries to personnel caused by improper maintenance operations had been possible with only
crane operation,” Ojeda stated. one crane, now things are back to normal on the power
station. The second crane ensures a fail-safe if two power
engines go down and require repairs at the same time.
FIRE RECoVERy In JAmAICA
“Of the various scenarios that bring Konecranes to a “Our new crane is working fine,” says JEP’s Robert
customer’s door, an emergency call-out is never good Spence. “Although it came from Europe and had to be
news,” says Rafael Ojeda. “Our goal is to make the built from scratch, overall Konecranes response time in
customer whole again as soon as possible and work with this emergency situation has been very good.”
him to prevent any recurrence,” he continued.
According to Spence, the largest problem he has
The largest of three independent Jamaican power with his cranes is parts sourcing, as the Konecranes
providers, Jamaica Energy Partners (JEP) owns and products keep evolving and improving, and the new
operates two barge-mounted power stations, the Doctor crane is substantially different from earlier models. Rafael
Bird I and the Doctor Bird II. When the $96 million Doctor Ojeda offered a solution for this customer and for other
Bird I was built in 1994, it was the most advanced floating Konecranes customers in the region.
power plant in the world, generating 74 MW of output.
Doctor Bird II was commissioned in 2006, adding another “A fire that completely destroys a custom crane is not
50.2MW of capacity. Both power barges are located on something you can quickly fix. But for the vast majority
the seacoast at Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine, about 40 of situations, having a strategic spares package for the
KM west of Kingston. customer’s specific crane on hand can get a customer
back up and running in hours or days instead of weeks
In September of 2013, Doctor Bird II caught fire when a or months,” Ojeda says. “One of the services we offer is
connecting rod piston was thrown from one of its power to specify a strategic spares list that the customer can
generation engines. All three of the engine generating purchase and store at their facility. That way they are
sets on the barge experienced damage, but only one was available whenever they are needed. This approach can
completely non-operational. Of the two 5-ton Konecranes save customers countless dollars in unplanned downtime
CXT maintenance cranes servicing the generators, the cost.” Some of the parts customers typically add to their
fire totally destroyed one, and the other had significant critical spares inventory include brake assemblies, brake
damage. disks, pushbutton pendants, and wire rope. Depending

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