Posts Tagged ‘Egan Mechanical’

Complexity in Nature Calls for Specialty Systems

Tuesday, December 7th, 2021

Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s (HCME) Project

Combine a unique set of project specifications, sophisticated systems, a strict construction deadline, and what do you get? An opportunity to play to the Egan advantage and complete the new, one-of-a-kind Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s facility in Minnetonka, Minn. The brand-new facility will serve the surrounding communities by providing answers that would otherwise not be determined.

From every angle you look at this recently completed 64,000-square-foot project, it provides a unique set of characteristics. The $53 million dollar facility was efficiently designed in part by the Medical Examiner’s staff themselves with the goal to make the process simpler and decrease autopsy times.

UNIQUE PROJECT SCOPE

When it comes to a Medical Examiner’s office, the details are imperative. Considering the weight of the work completed within a multitude of research labs, precision is of the utmost importance.  Providing a wide variety of plumbing systems and more, Egan’s scope of work included a complete mechanical build out of the building.

From the coroner’s office to research and development labs, a variety of different systems were designed and installed to meet the needs of this project. The intricacies of this nature of work are immense – especially when it comes to the complicated drainage, sanitary, ventilation, and redundancy systems. The team was able to install elaborate systems from the autopsy room and tables themselves to precision air valves throughout the facility and large exhaust fans and air handling units to ensure proper ventilation and drainage.

This project speaks to the testament of “it’s all in the details”. When tasked with the opportunity to provide new, innovative solutions, the team always stepped up.

“From my perspective, Egan has been a top performer on the HCME project since day one.  I’ve been extremely satisfied with the work that Egan has completed to date and their willingness to work as a team to provide innovative solutions to challenges as they arise,” shared Kris Rubenzer, Knutson Construction Senior Project Manager. “HCME is a very challenging and complex project, and we’ve been fortunate to have a reliable partner like Egan on board to provide the mechanical expertise that was needed on this project.”

One great example of this is seen in the autopsy tables. These state-of-the-art tables are equipped with the necessary tools, including automatic height adjustment features. The sheer complexity of scoping the piping below required a great deal of accuracy. Similarly, the floor drains are not your average drain, rather, they have a distinctive design that allows them to “flush”.

Even when it comes to the award of this project itself, our team was uniquely positioned for the opportunity thanks to our relationship with Knutson Construction, the General Contractor.

“This project took a great deal of pre-planning, coordination, additional design and accuracy,” said Ian Wilson, Egan Company Senior Project Manager. “With the help of our partners at Knutson and our amazing field foreman and modelers, we were able to install this project with accuracy and efficiency.  In our industry, it is not everyday that we get to work on and build a project of this scale and importance . . . we are very grateful to have been given the opportunity to be  a key partner on this project.” 

For more information on the new Hennepin County Medical Examiners, see the recent media coverage: Star Tribune or Kare 11. Further project details can be found on the featured project profile.

Fire Impact Requires Rapid Response from Egan Trades

Monday, December 28th, 2020

For over 75 years, Egan Company has committed to providing exceptional service and keeping our promises to our customers, no matter the time of day nor the severity of the need. When a fire destroyed part of Burnett Dairy Cooperative’s Grantsburg, Wisc. plant this summer, Egan was consulted immediately to develop a plan to get the plant fully operational as soon as possible. 

UNDER AN ‘AS SOON AS POSSIBLE’ DEADLINE

Known for producing award-winning, high-quality cheese products for over 120 years, and with customers waiting for products in their stores, the need to get the plant fully operational as soon as possible was of utmost importance. Working around the clock, multiple Egan crews comprised of six different trades partnered with Burnett Dairy and additional contractors to demolish and rebuild the infrastructure that was damaged in order to get the production lines back up running.

“We’ve worked with Burnett Dairy for the past few years and have formed a strong relationship,” said Dan Reintjes, Egan Company Project Manager. “When the call came in that we were needed to help after the fire, we were there as fast as possible to get the infrastructure and  production lines in perfect working order again.” 

The fire is believed to have started in the boiler building, which will require a complete rebuild. In the meantime, a temporary operation was conceived and constructed to ensure cheese production and assembly continued.  Egan’s process controls team worked late into the first night getting power to three of the plant’s electrical services and started a complete demolition of the fourth 2000 amp 5-section service gear which was then designed, built, installed and operational in nine days. The ammonia compressors were also powered up with generators on the first day in order to get Burnett Dairy’s warehouse coolers running to save all the products that were  already produced. Egan’s Mechanical team worked to make damaged piping safe and get temporary water piping installed as well as planning for a temporary boiler installation.

Egan was one of the contractors that was onsite within 18 hours of the fire trucks leaving the scene and didn’t leave until the plant was fully operational,” said Dave Gaiser, Burnett Dairy Cooperative CEO.  “With their help, Burnett was able to get our retail store back open within a few days so we were able to open for the weekend after the fire.  Within seven days, they assisted with getting one of our packaging lines operating so we could package cheese from other manufacturers and begin shipping to our customers. Egan worked 24/7 coordinating with other contractors to get Burnett running within two months of a fire impacting all utilities servicing the plant.

Beyond the initial scope of work that was completed to get the plant operational, additional projects were finished in order to restore complete operation to the plant. Egan engineers designed and programmed a new control system for the milk transfer and CIP systems that were lost in the fire, and additional electricians were tasked with installing new power distribution panels and feeders as well as installing the new milk transfer and CIP control panels and interconnect wiring.

Working alongside the controls electricians, Egan’s Mechanical trades were tasked with setting up the temporary, 900 horsepower self-contained boiler.  The team was also responsible for hydro testing and repairing all existing piping to ensure functionality and safety due to the fire.

BACK UP AND OPERATIONAL

The plant was back up and operational in 62 days, processing milk from 150 farms, and bringing 300 people back to work.

Burnett Dairy is currently operating with a temporary boiler trailer in place and due to the work of many contractors working within a tight timeline. Next steps for the plant include the design, engineering, and construction of the new boiler building; Egan’s full-time maintenance presence at the plant will continue, and any additional help the site needs as it starts the process of rebuilding from the fire.  

“Egan is a valuable business partner and the accomplishments of the past couple of months would not have been possible without them,” said Gaiser.

MULTI-TRADE PROJECT TEAM

  • 35 Egan onsite electricians
  • 15 Egan controls and mechanical engineers contributed to the needed design and engineering
  • 31 Egan plumbers, pipefitters, and sheet metal workers were onsite
  • 5 limited energy technicians delivered network installations with all new data cabinets and cabling for the plant
  • 10 control panel technicians built eight U.L. 508A control panels on a tight turnaround

KEEPING OUR PROMISES AS ONE EGAN COMPANY

Wednesday, July 8th, 2020

If you’ve been in the industry a while, you may remember a few of our former names – Egan Companies or The Egan Companies. If you’ve really been in the industry a while, you might recall our original name, Egan & Sons Plumbing and Heating Company which was founded by Joseph Egan and his sons Bill and Costney.

For 75 years, Egan Company has offered an array of specialty trades and professional services across the industry; and for many of those 75 years, the diverse skills and trades were divided into a number of individual companies and brands. Egan Company as we know it today is only 15 years old!

Over the years, Egan diversified and merged with existing mechanical, electrical, automation, technology, controls, and a number of other specialties. Each specialty then had its  own unique brand. The brands below consolidated to one corporate identity Egan Companies, Inc. in 2002 before evolving to simply become Egan Company years later:

  • Egan Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
  • Egan-McKay Electrical Contractors, Inc.
  • Egan Automation, Inc.
  • InterClad, Inc.
  • E&S Insulation Co.
  • The Egan Companies

This consolidation and positioning triggered an opportunity to develop a new brand promise and logo that would encompass all of Egan’s specialty trades and services—and represent the only company in our local markets with capabilities and services that are unmatched by anyone.

Fun Facts:

  • Egan’s old familiar logo was the letter “E” constructed of two triangles and three rectangles.  Depending on the entity, the logo was either black, red, green, blue, or maroon and was the Egan brand for almost twenty years.
  • The base of our current Egan logo was formed by three grids that represent the mechanical, electrical and systems business functions. This joined frame structure emphasizes the fact that each of our business groups is dependent on the others working together and doing its separate and combined job to support the Egan brand. Supported by this grid base, EGAN stretches across all three grids linking them together as one.
  • To ensure our dedication to our customers and community was highlighted as well, a new tagline was added, Building on Promises Kept. This reflects our long history of building in the Midwest and our commitment to keeping our promises, always. It serves to remind us to focus on the integrity of doing what we say we will do and when we will do it each day. It also serves to communicate to everyone who sees our logo that Egan stands behind our word, our promises.

2018 Finance and Commerce Reader Rankings Announced

Friday, October 5th, 2018

For a second year, Finance & Commerce readers voted Egan Company as a top choice within the Best Electrical Contractor and Best Plumbing Company categories in the 2018 Reader Rankings.

Several hundred votes were cast and winners were selected in more than 60 categories. The full list can be found here! Thank you – and, congratulations to all who made the list!