Gulf lumber finds strength in metal: New technology enhances endurance of debarker shafts

摘要

A technology developed by the former Soviet Union's Military Industrial Complex is alive and well, and has immigrated to the U.S. Now, this cutting edge technology is making inroads into an age-old industry in the South. Gulf Lumber Co., a southern pine lumber producer in Mobile Ala., has turned to Applied Ultrasonics and its patented Esonix Technology to solve maintenance problems in the debarker. When Birmingham, Ala.-based Applied Ultrasonics asked Gulf Lumber for an opportunity to prove that thetechnology works, Gulf Lumber personnel pointed them toward the drive shafts in the Cambio debarker. When these shafts fail, the pineapple falls into the trough below, requiring two to four hours of downtime to retrieve the pineapple, replace the brokenshaft, and get the de-barker back up and running. As with any equipment shutdown, the resulting labor costs, loss of production, and repair costs are considerable and a major headache for Jack Few, maintenance manager at the Mobile operation.