Having the right equipment and manpower to complete a job is on every utility construction manager's mind as he or she is handed a new project. But, what if you are planning the construction of a multiyear, fast-track project on a site that spans several hundred acres?

That was the case when Azco Inc. (Menasha, Wisconsin) was awarded a contract to install conduit, piping infrastructure and other auxiliary plant equipment for the new MidAmerica Energy generation facility at Council Bluffs Energy Center (Council Bluffs, Iowa). The entire 790-MW coal-fired generation project is expected to require an estimated payroll of more than $300 million and more than 1000 workers to construct.

MidAmerica Energy (Des Moines, Iowa), Iowa's largest energy company, provides electric service to 689,000 customers and natural gas service to 669,000 customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota. When completed, the Council Bluffs project will be the first electric generation plant to use advanced supercritical technology in the United States. The design calls for creating steam at higher temperatures than a conventional facility and, at the same time, significantly reducing emissions by more efficiently converting coal to electricity.

Expansive Delivery Area

Azco was awarded the MidAmerica contract not only to install the underground electric utilities and conduit, but to construct all turbine and steam piping, boiler piping, bottom and top ash and AQCS piping systems, and the setting of pumps, tanks, blowers, heaters and all of the auxiliary plant equipment on the job site.

To ensure smooth and timely completion of the project, Azco's project managers met with their fleet maintenance department to determine if the current fleet was adequate for the job. It was important on such a massive job not to have crews standing around waiting for supplies and materials. A shortage of material-handling equipment could cause crews to waste valuable production time. Management also noted that a job site covering several hundred acres would require some unique equipment.

The project team was satisfied with the majority of Azco's fleet, which consisted of several forklifts, aerial boom lifts, cranes and welders. But, they decided that Azco's crews would need an additional, higher-capacity material handler to keep the job running smoothly and efficiently.

Azco contacted NCS Equipment (Lincoln, Nebraska) to help determine the right unit for the job. NCS had been a dependable source for equipment and supplies for Azco for several years, and specializes in selling and renting aerial-lift equipment.

After discussing the size of the job and the material that needed to be transported, Azco decided to take a look at one of NCS's largest and most mobile forklifts, the Mustang 1155 Telehandler.

Equipment Solution

The Mustang 1155 has an 11,000-lb maximum lift capacity, which was larger than any of the forklift units Azco owned. This unit also features a lift height of 55 ft, making it possible to deliver materials to higher destinations than with Azco's existing units. The spacious, air-conditioned cab feature also was considered a plus for operators who would be expected to spend many hours behind the wheel in the highly demanding job of handling supplies and materials.

Even though the unit is large and has higher reach capacity, it has a tight turning radius for placing materials in confined areas and maneuvering safely around job-site obstacles. One of the Mustang 1155's impressive features is its highly mobile capability. With a job site such as Azco's that could require a need for quickly transporting a bundle of conduit from point A to point B, which could be as far as 0.25 mile, mobility was a key factor in Azco's decision to acquire the model 1155 Telehandler.

Azco also was satisfied with the stoutness of the unit, which features a heavy-built frame and drive train powered by a John Deere motor.

Rent Versus Buy

A question Azco had to answer was should the company rent the machine or buy it? Several factors pointed to renting it. First of all, renting meant that the responsibility for maintenance would reside with NCS, not with Azco. Azco knew NCS had a good track record of providing after-sale support. And the two companies had worked together on previous jobs, so Azco's management felt comfortable allowing NCS's crews access to the job site for parts delivery and maintenance. That would ensure the Mustang unit was maintained and repaired properly and on schedule. NCS also has six full-time mechanics and two on-site service personnel to quickly remedy problems that arise and to handle all routine maintenance tasks.

Parts availability was another important factor in determining whether to rent or buy. The rental package includes timely parts delivery to the job site. NCS's policy for breakdowns is to correct equipment failures within 24 hours.

Long-term need for the large piece of equipment was another question mark. As with many big projects, Azco could not immediately determine how long it would need the forklift during or after the MidAmerica Energy job. All of these factors pointed to Azco's decision to rent the unit rather than purchase it.

Getting the Job Done

Renting the large Mustang Telehandler is paying off. With the new forklift on the job, the foreman in charge has become confident that when a pallet of conduit fittings is loaded on the machine at the lay-down area, it is going to be quickly delivered to the crew laying the duct run. The foremen communicate by radio with the operator of the strategic piece of equipment, telling him where to get materials and where to deliver it.

Installation of underground utilities is well underway. Most of the electric lines and fiber-optics have been pulled. Fabrication of the boiler top girders have been completed, and the lifting of the girders was scheduled to follow the installation of support steel in the boiler building. Structural and secondary steel was erected in March 2005, and the decking and railing also was being installed, and the auxiliary boiler foundation was being poured.

Renting heavy-built equipment such as the Mustang Telehandler, which comes with 24/7 parts and service backup, has minimized the potential for major breakdowns. With a completion date scheduled for 2007, Azco's crews look forward to several more years of high productivity and on-schedule completion dates for their portion of the new facility.

Devin Benson is the rental manager for NCS Equipment. NCS Equipment is the largest rental equipment dealer in Nebraska with five locations. Aerial-lift equipment has been one of the company's specialties since it began business eight years ago. devin@ncsequipment.info