Christy has been blessed with an array of extraordinary customers from widely varied industries across the globe. While the type of work we do with them differs significantly from client to client, our approach is always grounded in our “super powers.”
Responsiveness ∙ Speed ∙ Reliability
SITUATION
The pottery industry overall was facing a problem with glazed bodies as the gypsum in the clay dehydrated during firing and rehydrated in the atmosphere. Those conditions resulted in swelling and caused the glaze to “pop” thus scrapping the piece. Through discussions with customers and investigation of pottery that was sent to us for failure analysis, we discovered that the white grain remaining in the popped area would aggressively react with lime-based muriatic acid. We also noticed that this grain was always at least 0.5mm (500microns) in size which correlates to a US 30 mesh screen.
Only on very rare occasions had we ever seen a pop-out with a grain smaller than 0.5mm. At the time, many pottery clay manufacturers were using our Hawthorn Bond 35 mesh size, which has a high percentage of particles greater than 30 mesh in size. We spoke with customers about changing the Hawthorn Bond 35 mesh to a finer product to eliminate the pop-out problem. However, we ran into considerable push-back because they required a coarse fireclay for its “tooth” in certain bodies and applications.
SOLUTION
To resolve the dilemma, we developed an entirely new product, Hawthorn Bond 40 mesh, which eliminated particles greater than 30 mesh in size. After some trials and testing by our customers, the product proved to be highly effective, and it became widely accepted throughout the industry.
IMPACT
The pottery industry generally feels that their raw material suppliers do not focus much on their needs because they are small in comparison to the larger industrial ceramics manufacturers. Through this year-long process, we engaged in productive technical discussions with many different leaders in the industry. Taking the time to listen to their needs, researching and developing a new product, and educating our customers on a successful solution, we were able to isolate the problem and provide a significant innovation – and we built a strong bond of trust throughout the industry in the process.
SITUATION
A maintenance contractor located in Texas had a contract to maintain a thermal oxidizer for the incineration of explosives, rocket propelled missiles and other munitions that have expired dates on their use.
The end user discovered a 1-inch wide crack in the oxidizer that needed to be repaired immediately. They have a maintenance technician who has been trained by the manufacturer and performed internal repairs on this component previously, but they did not have any repair material on hand. The manufacturer is in Europe, and it was going to take too long to get repair materials from them. The contractor reached out to Christy to see if we could offer a rapid solution.
SOLUTION
We could see from photos that they had shrinkage of the blanket in many spots. We recommended some moldable AR and SuperWool Sealcoat products, which would provide a quick fix to hold them over and prevent any loss of time until they could do a complete repair during a shutdown scheduled later in the fall.
They accepted our recommendation, and within a day, we expedited them to the end user’s site. They quickly began the repairs by coating the KaoWool with Moldable AR and stuffing it into the cracks. They then filled in the remaining gaps with the SuperWool Sealcoat and then applied the moldable AR back over the top for a tight and smooth finish.
IMPACT
After the repairs were made, they brought the unit back online at 2000*F for two weeks before they brought the unit down to check the durability of the repair. They were happy to report that it was still solid with no issues. The customer said the support and recommendations from Christy Refractories saved them thousands of dollars, and they were be able to properly use the unit until their next scheduled shutdown.
SITUATION
Christy’s CATCO division got an urgent call from our marketing partner in Australia saying that a fertilizer manufacturer based in Perth needed 100 tons of ½” T99 alumina balls in a matter of days. To deliver such a large amount of that specific product in such a short period of time was going to require quick action, close cooperation and flawless execution.
SOLUTION
The only option was to work through our operation in Shanghai, and they took on the challenge without skipping a beat. First, they had to locate the product, which they had to consolidate from a number of our warehouses in northern China to a central point for export via air freight. Within a day, the order was confirmed, and the purchase order was issued.
By 5:00 p.m. the following day, the product was packed, and shipping documents were prepared. By 10:00 p.m. that same night, it was on the road being trucked to Shanghai where it had to arrive by noon two days later in order to clear customs and get on the plane to Perth.
IMPACT
Despite the extraordinary demands and circumstances, we were able to get the product to Perth nearly a full week ahead of the required delivery date. Our marketing partner in Australia congratulated our team in a letter with the following comments:
“Each member played their part in enabling a rapid response to the customer within such a short timeframe. Actions like these reinforce Christy’s credentials as a leading player in the inert support media market. The hallmark of a quality supplier is one that is able to respond quickly and assist customers in times of urgent need.”