David Hellmers, Author at Power Post

ESL Acquires Our First State-of-the-Art Robotic Welder

January 22, 2020January 22, 2020David Hellmers

ESL embraces a life-long goal of investing in our customers, employees and the growth of our organization. As a newly held 100% employee owned company, ESL’s most recent investment has been the purchase of a brand-new state-of-the-art robotic welder.

With a commitment to continuous improvement, ESL is dedicated to increasing value to our customers. As projects and work demands increase, capacity becomes an issue. Because of this, ESL decided to investigate the benefits of welding automation. When it comes to welding there are many variables to consider such as amperage settings, filler metal, shielding gas, heat application, and training. The goal of our preliminary research was to determine if robotic welding could increase capacity, cycle time, and quality.

Initial exploration indicated a robotic welder is consistent, wouldn’t take days off (no calling in sick or taking vacations) and would work diligently even at the busiest of times. It could weld twenty four seven, three sixty five!

After pulling 3 years of data on ESL fabricated enclosures and comparing the information to welding automation, it became apparent that the return on investment for a robotic welder would be a clear winner. ESL determined the investment would be cost effective, improve customer relationships, reduce risks and improve on-time delivery. The conclusion; bringing in ESL’s first robot would be monumental for the growth of our organization.

For projects that don’t fit the robotic welder criteria, ESL is still committed to manual welding quality. ESL’s valued manual welders work side by side with the new robotic champion to come up with better ideas when tacking and prepping parts for the robot. Recognizing that certain products could be redesigned for the robot to weld, ESL’s fabrication shop and engineering team are now brainstorming and redesigning key items so that robotic welding is achievable with even more enclosures.

Learn more about our fabrication shop capabilities and take a virtual tour of our company.

Shore Powered Telecommunication Systems

March 13, 2014August 23, 2017David Hellmers

When military ships are at berth, standard practice is to power down their engines and run utilities from shore side power. Waterfront Telecommunication Systems, such as Pier Riser Telecom Stations, are one of several utilities that are connected to pier side power.

Tips to Perform Maintenance Checks on Reefer Outlets

January 8, 2013August 23, 2017David Hellmers

One thing many of us have in common is the tendency to procrastinate – like avoiding trips to the dentist. As we all know, not routinely taking care of those chompers will more than likely result in added cost and agony later down the road, but we still might choose to skip the appointment. Neglecting to routinely maintain electrical equipment, such as reefer outlets, can also result is the same negative consequences – added cost and severe pain.

Specifying Reefer Outlets for Container Port Terminals

August 21, 2012April 15, 2025David Hellmers

In the design of tomorrow’s port terminals that are destined to handle intermodal container cargo, it is important to consider the needs and impacts of the refrigerated containers (aka Reefers) that will pass through the terminal.

3 Benefits of Well Written Specifications

July 23, 2012August 23, 2017David Hellmers

Whether you are an engineer, end-user, manufacturer, contractor, or distributor, the process of composing or evaluating bid documents can be quite complex and time-consuming. Keep in mind that the end goal is to deliver a high quality product at a fair price that meets or exceeds customer expectations. However, without clear guidelines, many items might be left open to interpretation. At the end of the day, one bidder is quoting a blue minivan and another a red sports car when the customer was really wanting a white pick-up truck. Meanwhile everyone involved is pulling their hair out trying to determine what to offer or attempting to evaluate dissimilar bids. Sounds all too familiar, right?