Galvanizing Line Upgrade – Blytheville, AR
At a steel mill in Blytheville, Arkansas, Byers was contracted to execute the electrical interconnections for a galvanizing-line upgrade, including a new coating pot and premelt pot, lift system, bogie travel system, isolation transformer, water-pump modules, and control panels. The effort was organized around a planned outage, with mobilization ahead of the shutdown and continuous 24/7 work during the outage window to meet the restart date. Milestones targeted mobilization, shutdown start/finish, and final completion shortly thereafter, with pre-shutdown tasks advanced on straight time to de-risk critical path activities.
Scope included 480-V power and control wiring from the plant switchboard to the main system enclosure, hydraulic power unit, lift motors, operator stations, valve stands, and multiple junction boxes on the lift assembly; PLC-to-device control circuits for e-stops, power supplies, pot covers, alarms, drain manifolds, bath-level lasers, and water-system interfaces; and new 4.16-kV services between generator, automatic transfer switches, switchgear, transformers, and low-voltage power supplies with grounding and tray extensions/new tray as required. Additional work covered water-system feeders to control panels, pump modules, emergency solenoids, and instrumentation tie-ins, plus assistance with installing cable tray and water-cooled leads to the pots. All conduits routed through foundry areas were rigid, with tray/rigid transitions at vaults and terminations.
Execution followed the bid package and drawings with clear change-control procedures, daily coordination meetings, and testing responsibilities to streamline commissioning. The schedule provided for seven-day, 24-hour periods during the outage, with provisions to add overtime, shifts, or workdays if recovery was required. Document precedence, RFI handling, and progress controls (sign-offs, time sheets, inspections) were defined to ensure a clean, code-compliant installation and on-time turnover of the upgraded galvanizing line.
