Tag: #marinerepair

MTI Blast and Paint: Adding Value in the Home Stretch

Posted on by Michael Lively

What makes the Blast and Paint operation such a vital part of MTI’s production capability? Well, without paint, a manufacturing process is simply incomplete. If contractors want their plants to be known as “turnkey” operations – a highly coveted label – they must be able to consistently deliver according to customers’ paint requirements. Painting is often the final item of successful delivery (not including testing, of course). The topcoat not only “finishes” the end-product, but multi-part paint systems also ensure the quality of the application protects the customers’ investment for years to come. So it is critical to ensure metrics are in place to meet compliance with our customers’ technical specifications. Metal Trades, Inc. promises quality and compliance to meet the customers’ requirements from delivery of raw steel to final testing and delivery.

MTI: Investing in Blast and Paint Talent…

Metal Trades, Inc. recognizes the importance of coatings, establishing relationships with multiple paint vendors, creating relationships with subcontractors to assist on time-critical projects if needed, and we invest in Blast and Paint Infrastructure to support this critical aspect of the job’s life cycle. MTI offers exceptional in-house Quality Assurance oversight on every project. We have on-staff certified NACE Inspectors and an expert team that repeatedly accomplishes painting quickly, efficiently, and in compliance with specified requirements. When required, our crew works day and night to meet critical deadlines.

…And Blast and Paint Technology!

Metal Trades, Inc. boasts one of the largest indoor blast and paint booths on the East Coast—in total our main blast and paint building is 200 feet x 40 feet wide. This capacity is due to the width of the door opening, which will accommodate structures 35 feet wide. Each booth (blast and paint) is 100 feet long with accordion doors that allow products to easily move from one bay to the next. The doors open in a way that allows the flexibility for overhang when necessary. Our heavy lift equipment can easily drive through the building to transit large structures and modules in and out of our booths.

“Small” Booth, Big Production Flexibility!

MTI also has a “small” blast and paint booth that is 20 feet x 40 feet (each booth). This smaller booth is great for jobs such as hoppers and platforms. This booth also helps MTI accommodate various product lines that are in high-volume production. Our “small” blast and paint booth connect to our main fabrication building, which also allows our heavy lift equipment and MTI’s own tractor trailer access for easy loading. MTI can accommodate delivery by land or deep-water from our heavy lift loading pier and/or our marine railway. Our “small booth” stays busy supporting our Power Generation Division but is ready to support additional capacity and our “big booth” is ready for more work too!

blast and paint

blast and paint

The Final Step of a Turnkey Operation

After all the assemblers, welders, fitters, and crane operators have done their job, your MTI structure has been transformed from raw iron and steel into something that closely resembles the vessel you ordered. But it’s not done yet. The talent and technology of MTI’s Blast and Paint operation provide the finishing touch that brings it all to life. Now THAT’S turnkey skill, convenience, and quality!

MTI specializes in new construction and maintenance and repair. Think of Metal Trades when you have a large blast and paint job! We would love to support your next project.

Visit the MTI website or call 843-889-6441 and ask for Business Development or Estimating Department.

US Army Shipyard Support Contracts: MTI for the Win!

Posted on by metaltrades.com

Metal Trades, Inc. closed out the month of January 2021 with two major IDIQ/MATO awards from the US Army Watercraft Sustainment Maintenance (AWSM) Program, which is managed by the US Army Contracting Command- Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA). The shorthand, straight-to-the-point details announced that:

MTI was awarded two of the three zones that were competed to Industry to include:

  • Zone 1 (CONUS Support) for a ceiling value potential of $255 million over the next 5 years, and
  • Zone 3 (OCONUS Support) for a ceiling value potential of $155 million over the next 5 years.

It’s great news for the entire MTI family but to fully appreciate the importance of these awards – and how we earned them – it’s helpful to ponder MTI’s capabilities, spirit of innovation, and decades of service to the Army as well as the value we bring to each project.

Maintaining the Army’s Brown-water Navy

Fun fact: the US Army fields more boats than does the US Navy. Known as “brown water” boats, they ply shallow waters such as rivers and coastal channels. Many of the boats in the brown water fleet were designed and built for a 40 year lifespan and a good number of them are approaching or have passed that milestone.

How does a boat remain relevant and effective throughout a 40-decade lifespan and beyond? Superior design plays a part, but expert maintenance is critical. Every three years, these boats must return to a shipyard for regular on-condition cycle maintenance, or OCCM.

US Army Support Contracts

MTI: Comprehensive Marine Maintenance

Metal Trades, Inc. is one of the Army’s most trusted OCCM providers, and has been for over 25 years. We have dedicated an entire business division to maintaining and overhauling government boats. MTI is an incumbent on the contract to service certain boats such as the LCU (Landing Craft Utility.) In fact, we lead the field in number of LCUs overhauled at 120 and counting.

OCCM is comprehensive, top-to-bottom service. When boats come in for refit, MTI pulls it into our railway/dry dock. We overhaul the engine. We pull the drive shaft. We replace propellers. We check all electrical systems. We repair and paint the hull.

These are only some of the routine steps in our overhaul process. But it’s the non-routine aspects of OCCM where MTI truly adds the kind of value that keeps the Army coming back.

Capability, Craftsmanship, and Continuous Improvement

First, as we reported in our last edition, MTI’s railway and machine shop are large, capable, and continuously improving. Metal Trades is a turnkey facility, able to anticipate and meet customer requirements from the everyday to the extraordinary. Ours is also a team that does it right the first time, so quality warranty claims are truly rare.

Second, knowledge and experience. Our team includes craftsmen with decades of experience in marine electrical and machining, whose knowledge is sought after throughout their fields. Their intimate familiarity with these boats and their components has led to some impressive maintenance feats.

Innovation through Reverse Engineering

Technology, mission requirements, and threats evolve. 40-year-old components become obsolete, spare parts impossible to find. Not a problem for MTI; our team can easily reverse engineer and fabricate the part required for the system to perform its task as designed. Moreover, our familiarity with the system allows us to question whether the 1980 way of doing things is still the best way. If not, we innovate. In fact, some of our retrofit solutions have become the new standard for these systems, making MTI an official OEM provider.

For these reasons, Army designs and equipment scheduled for retirement are being tasked to keep sailing, because MTI craftsmen and innovations make it possible to do so!

Supporting the Mission, Protecting the Warfighter

MTI is proud to win these IDIQ/MATO awards, as we have won them in years past. But we are not complacent. These are awards we covet and compete for because they help us stay in business and keep craftsmen employed. They allow us to keep doing a job we love. And they enable MTI to fulfill our primary mission: delivering reliable, superior functioning boats to help our warfighters do their jobs and come home safely.

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Did you know MTI also provides COMMERCIAL craft maintenance & repair services? We invite you to take a look at our capabilities, then give us a call!  


Metal Trades, Inc. (MTI) is a family owned business located just south of Charleston, South Carolina operating with deep water access on the intracoastal waterway. We have been in business since 1962 and have extensive past performance in Heavy Steel Fabrication, Manufacturing, Machining, Vessel Construction and Vessel Maintenance and Repair for both commercial and Government customers.

” J.E. Corbin, Jr. founded Metal Trades, Inc. in 1962 with a pickup truck, a welding machine, and years of metal fabricating experience. Since that time MTI established a solid reputation for its multi-skilled work force and strong commitment to high quality.”

 

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