In the beginning there was an altimeter - Meggitt PLC

TONY’S TOUR
At this point,
claustrophobics
should look
away now
> The pole from which a tank has been hung
throughout its manufacture is removed, its
holes patched and the tank palleted before
being ‘cooked’ in giant autoclaves using
vacuum pressure and heat—up to 300ºF and
pressures of 90 PSI. The largest of these
ovens is over 30 feet long—wide enough to
accommodate fuel tanks and long enough to
accommodate composite ice guard sheaths
for helicopter rotor blades.
Next to the autoclave, rows of tanks lie
in waist-high pools which operators in chest
waders partially submerge and rotate to
remove the disposable tool—the cardboard
mould. “It is not a fun job, but it is what we
do,” says McCann. The only way to remove a
plaster casts—Tony’s ‘one shot deals’—is by
taking a mallet to them.
Operators pump up the now deflated tanks,
testing for leaks using an ammonia solution
before thorough cleaning and meticulous
inspection, especially the inner liner.
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REVIEW | WINTER 2010
At this point, claustrophobics should
look away now. Operators and inspectors
climb inside fuel cells for extended periods
to ensure every centimetre of an inner liner
is flawless. When they find a blemish, they
repair it with cement, buffing and sanding
away every last sharp edge and imperfection.
Any fault in construction could have catastrophic
consequences. McCann reminds us: “Every
piece of material that goes into the construction
of these tanks—every colour coded cement,
fabric and fitting—is fully traceable.”
And this is when the Origami begins. Even
the largest tank can be packed down to around
three feet square for wrapping and shipping.
Health and safety, as with any Meggitt
plant, is taken extremely seriously.
Operators wear air hoods into which
fresh air—and lots of it—is fed when working
inside a tank. Outside tanks, large fans blow
across breathing zones of at least three feet.
“It’s mandatory, even in winter, when it is
cold,” McCann affirms.
Employees use numerous dermatology
facilities offering barrier creams and “tough
towels” infused with alcohol before and after
their breaks. They are encouraged to dispose
of gloves every four hours. The approach
works. McCann says: “When NIOSH came in
here and did a complete study, they told our
guys: you have less dermatological incidents
in your factory than they have across the street.”
Left: Operators and inspectors climb inside
fuel cells with special torches for extended
periods to ensure every centimetre of an
inner liner is flawless.
Above: One shot deals: the only way to
remove a plaster cast from the fuel cell
moulded around it, is by taking a mallet to it.
McCann is delighted to have been
able to work with George Markulis, (Meggitt’s
first group Health, Safety & Environment
director) over the years. Markulis has known
the MPC Rockmart plant since it was sold by
Goodyear Aerospace to Loral, moving with it
when Loral went to K&F Holdings and then
Meggitt. “George was always great coach. He
could always find ways to improve but each
year he had to look harder and harder. When
we were being sold each time, I would ask:
where’s George going? I would not want my
job if I did not have a George Markulis looking
out for me. He is very thorough and looks
beyond the Georgia regulations to keep us
on a standard.”
Rockmart is surprise-audited by
government regulators twice a year on
hazardous wastes (there are 65 at the plant).
Again, McCann is proud of MPC Rockmart’s
record. “Lots of times they bring an extra
inspector in with them because they have
realised over the years, this is how a plant
should do it. It’s a compliment to the team”,
he says and, never complacent, “and an extra
pair of eyes.“
At the back of the plant, a new
explosion-proof test house surrounded by
a leak-proof burm designed to contain the
massive structures that keep fuel-laden tanks
from deforming over 30-day stand tests (or at
high pressure over several hours depending
on the fuel cell and number of fuel fixtures). >