When a client running a major project in the Middle East suddenly found itself in need of an incredibly specific generator set, they didn’t have much time to search: before too long, serious downtime costs would derail the project. One call to Depco, and they had a unit located in less than two days.
The Challenge
On a Sunday afternoon, right before Memorial Day, Depco received a call from a client needing a Caterpillar 3508 Marine Generator Set for an offshore project in the Middle East. The problem was that the customer needed it fast, or else they would start facing massive downtime expenses.
As an added challenge, the specific model the client was looking for needed to be marine-certified. Because there are only a handful of companies in the world that issue marine certifications, the generator set would be more expensive and more difficult to find, especially on a holiday weekend.
The Solution
The team got to work right away, leveraging the full network of sources in the Depco database. Emails and calls went out to every potential supplier who might have the specific marine-certified Caterpillar genset that the client was looking for.
Within hours, the Depco sales team had identified a small pool of leads who might have the 3508 unit. By Tuesday, only two days after the initial call, the team had located a unit that checked all the customer’s requirements at a nearby company that doesn’t typically work in generator sets. Depco sent a mechanic right away to perform an onsite inspection of the unit.
Even though the team had found the right unit in record time, they needed to guarantee that the unit was ready to go for the client in need. After the initial inspection, Depco purchased the unit and started working to bring it up to standard, following the Depco Way standards: an 8-step process to ensure a high standard of quality performance.
Depco mechanics and engineers carefully inspected and tested every inch of the 3508 genset, making sure it performed according to manufacturer standards. Then they began a series of repairs to make sure the unit was up to snuff:
- Replaced all belts
- Fixed any leaks
- Radiator removed, inspected and painted
- Oil pan changed to deep marine pan
- Valve lash and injector timing checked and adjusted
- Engine completely serviced
- Unit cleaned and painted
Within a few short weeks, the newly refreshed unit was ready to ship to the Middle East via air freight. A process that can often take several months to complete has been performed in less than three weeks from start to finish, helping an international client power their world with confidence on a tight schedule.