In a project that included the installation of a 15,000V substation, Guarantee Electrical Co., St. Louis, recently completed an electrical system renovation and addition at the 170,000 sq. ft. TUMS factory in downtown St. Louis nearly one year ahead of schedule.
Complicating the procedure, however, was TUMS decision to continue production as the renovations were underway. As a result, Guarantee’s electrical team was required to take precautions that included erecting temporary plastic partitions around all production areas and wearing lab coats and hair and beard nets in product-sensitive areas. Although portions of the plant were shut down for short periods of time, at least part of the production continued at all times.
“We were working in a fully functioning facility,” says Steve Briesacher, Guarantee’s project manager. “We took precautions to ensure our work would never contaminate or slow the production of TUMS.”
GlaxoSmithKline, the company that owns TUMS, allotted $1.5 million for the electrical work at the facility. Guarantee provided new power distribution, controls, and instrumentation for the plant.