Tyler, Texas - February 2021
East Texans aren't accustomed to or prepared for multiple days below 32 degrees, muchless more than 7 inches of snow and below zero temperatures for 5 days.
Moreover, buildings in East Texas are not built to withstand heavy snow, ice, and freezing temperatures.
Throughout East Texas, extreme weather conditions wreaked havoc on homes, schools, and businesses.
Trane Technologies was no exception. The largest producer of HVAC systems, building management systems and controls in the United States, experienced an event causing a complete halt in production.
The roof of their 115,000 square-foot manufacturing plant collapsed; leaving a myriad of strategic problems to be solved. The path to resuming production and putting people back to work was complex and filled with intricate details.
"Pulling up to the collapsed building on February 18, 2021, was a day I will never forget… Others in our industry told us to run for the hills. We just couldn’t do it. Jobs were on the line. Production ceased. We had to rise to the occasion."
- Sherrill Construction Co. President, Wes McClure
It wasn’t just a demolition project- it was a recovery project.
The heart-beat of the production line: 7 critical pieces of equipment, vital to the production, were housed in that very building, but now covered by frozen rubble, snow and ice.
First up, disconnect utilities and lines that threatened the sister structure attached to the collapsed building.
Each step we took demanded a structured and well thought out reaction.
It took determination, imaginative thinking, and the ability to work under extreme pressure.
Each piece of equipment was strategically removed with the implementation of four heavy cranes, extraordinary cooperation, and precise communication.
This job took our construction management skills to an entirely new level requiring:
Stand by EMS.
On-site strategical engineers
Full-time safety personnel
Full-time security
There was a tremendous amount of risk for injury.
And each day that passed was downtime that resulted in lost cash for employees and the company.
"In my 20 years of doing this, I have never seen anything like this, and I probably never will again."
- Sherrill Construction Co. President, Wes McClure
We troubleshooted challenges to successfully recover all valuable assets, built two temporary production lines, and now, they’re ready to start production in their new facility.
It took extreme and extraordinary actions. We didn’t need one band-aide throughout the entire project.
Thankfully, people are back to work and Trane is back in operation.
