Collaboration = Success
A
major project like the High Street Outfall Project in Denver, CO
required lots of engineering, planning and coordination. In this case it
also required the collaboration of 3 distinct organizations; BT
Construction (BTC) the Henderson, Colorado company that was awarded the
project, Wylaco Inc., the Denver-based representative of the sliderail
system that was integral to the success of the project and Griswold
Machine and Engineering (GME) the Union City, Michigan manufacturer of
the sliderail system. In case you're not sure what a sliderail system
is, here's the scoop:
A
slide rail system is a dig and push style system. With its modular,
flexible design, the system can comply with a wide variety of shapes and
sizes. Installed from the top down and removed from the bottom up, the
system minimizes excavation size, soil disturbances, restoration time
and cost. Installation is done with low vibration, providing soil
support for excavations, adjacent structures, and existing utilities.
The link above will take you to the detailed article about this project. What you will learn is that this was not only a complicated engineering feat but that it was also a case study in how contractors, suppliers and manufacturers can and should cooperate.
There
is no question that the sliderail shoring system was exactly the right
solution but it is equally true that, like almost every project, this
project had its share of "curveballs."
On this project, the curveball came in the form of an adjacent project whose completion was impacted by the BTC project. The customer, in this case the City and County of Denver, asked BTC to come up with a solution.
BTC
worked with GME and their local representative, Wylaco, to come up with
a pit of slightly smaller dimensions, 40 feet long and 36 feet wide, to
better utilize the available resources. Engineers were also able to
design one strut cart to have the capability of being modified in the
field and be used in both pits at different phases of the job.
The
success of this project was a direct result of this cooperation. Of
course it helped that the 3 parties had a history of collaboration. The
lesson learned here? Choosing collaborators that you know can deliver on
their commitments is the key to success.
Wylaco was proud to work with BTC and GME to help deliver a solution that met the project requirements.