more responsive to emergencies. by jim harris r …d.pdf · more responsive to emergencies. by jim...

Powerful VisionNational Grid’s COO is focused on making the electrical provider better, safer and

more responsive to emergencies. by Jim Harris

National Gridwww.nationalgridus.comU.S. revenues: $13 billionHeadquarters: Waltham, Mass.U.S. employees: 14,500Specialty: Electricity and gasJohn Donleavy, COO and exec-utive vice president: “Safety is more than a priority for us, it’s a part of our DNA and is ingrained in our business.”

I t didn’t take long for National Grid Executive Vice Presi-dent and COO John Don-

leavy to establish one of his three main operational priorities. Don-leavy joined the East Coast power provider in November 2012, just two weeks after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the region. “One of the first things I was asked to do was to take a look at how our industry responded, and build a model for how it would re-spond to the next Sandy or other major event,” says Donleavy, a more than 35-year utility industry veter-an. His past experience includes ex-ecutive roles at Public Service Elec-tric and Gas in New Jersey, ComEd (an Exelon company) in Illinois and Vermont Electric Power Company. Donleavy worked with the Edison Electric Institute – an association representing all investor-owned electric companies in the United States – to develop a National Re-

42 (energy + infrastructure) winter 2014

Safety is one of National Grid’s highest priorities. The company generates safety reports on a daily basis and conducts root cause analysis investiga-tions following any incident.

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sponse Event Committee (NREC) consisting of senior-level utility exec-utives from across the country. The committee oversees a resource allocation process that can be tapped into by CEOs of affected utili-ties in the event of a “national response event” (NRE) that is forecast to cause or causes widespread power outages in one of several regions. “As an industry, we have the ability to predict the type of damage that could occur, scale up industry resources and bring those to bear to assist utilities across the country,” Donleavy says. In the event of an NRE, a utility company CEO can re-quest the NREC to activate a national mutual-assistance resource team. The team evaluates mutual-assistance requests and assigns resourc-es to affected utilities in coordination with regional mutual-assistance groups. All available emergency re-sources such as contractors and equipment are pooled and allocated to participat-ing utilities, he adds. Prior to the NREC framework, a number of smaller regional mutu-al-assistance groups worked to restore power to more than 10 million cus-tomers following Hurricane Sandy. Drawing from a larger pool enables utilities to have more resources avail-able and allows for better communica-tion across responders, Donleavy says. The new structure has not been used since being established just over a year ago. However, the NREC regularly drills its members in NRE response. National Grid’s personal response to such events has greatly improved. The company – which was highly crit-

icized for its restoration performance following Hurricane Irene and an Oc-tober snowstorm in 2011 – has been acknowledged by state regulators and other officials for its improved

performance. This includes resto-ration work following the February 2013 blizzard and a large ice storm that hit upstate New York during Christmas week 2013. “Our team is re-sponding and restoring power within the top quartile of utility providers in the United States,” Donleavy notes.

A Culture of SafetyKeeping the power on for custom-ers regardless of natural conditions is just one of National Grid’s service priorities. Ensuring the safety of the company’s field employees and public is Donleavy’s top priority. “Safety is more than a priority for

us, it’s a part of our DNA and is in-grained in our business,” he says. “There is nothing more important to us than our employees going home safe every day, as well as the safety of the products we provide.”

National Grid’s safety pro-gram is based on the company’s internal culture. “The program has to build on trust and respect and caring for each and every person who works for us,” Don-leavy adds. The company generates safe-ty reports on a daily basis. Super-visors investigate any incidents within 48 hours using a standard-ized root cause analysis proce-dure. Once the reason the inci-dent happened is determined, it is shared across the organization and procedures are put into place to prevent a recurrence. National Grid’s safety per-formance has improved more than 52 percent within the past 12 months. “I believe that safety is an indication of our overall job performance,” Donleavy says. “If our people are not performing the planning necessary to carry out their work, trust and respect their

leadership or executing properly, that will show up in our safety metrics.”

Process ExcellenceNational Grid seeks to regularly im-prove its performance in not just its safety measurements but also its overall performance. This is reflect-ed in Donleavy’s third goal: process excellence. “I believe in process and continuous improvement and want us to be a learning organization that uses many process tools,” Donleavy explains, noting Six Sigma methodol-ogy is one of those tools. The organization’s process excel-


National Grid uses a number of tools to im-prove its overall operational performance, including Six Sigma methods.

winter 2014 (energy + infrastructure) 45

lence path began in March 2013, when Donleavy and other leaders from across National Grid examined its processes during a two-day work-shop. “We took a look at our busi-nesses, the core of which is electric transmission and distribution and gas transmission and distribution,” he says. “The key for us was to look at how we perform our work today and how we deliver products that result in customer satisfaction and loyalty.” Following the March 2013 meeting, the company established eight pro-cess teams, each of which focuses on a particular aspect of operations.

Facing the FutureNational Grid’s focus on continuous improvement and customer service is

greatly influencing its recent invest-ments and its plans. The company invested $463 million into its electrical infrastructure in Massachusetts in 2013, which includ-ed replacing utility poles and trans-formers. National Grid in October 2013 also opened a “Sustainability Hub” in Worcester, Mass., as part of an ongoing pilot program to bring a smart grid system to the city. The hub spotlights technologies such as smart meters, smart thermostats, smart plugs and appliances. More than 14,000 ad-vanced meters have been installed. Similar pilot programs are antici-pated in other cities serviced by the company. “We’re able through these pilots to bring these emerging prod-ucts right to our customers, so they

can give us direct feedback about what they want in the future, which we will factor into our business plans to make sure we are keeping up with their expectations,” Donleavy says. The infrastructure investments and smart grid projects are a part of what the company calls its “Connect21” vi-sion to better serve the needs of the 21st Century. The vision includes ac-commodating forms of energy beyond its core of electrical and gas power. m

T R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NT R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NT R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O Nm Navigant’s Energy Practice includes more than 375 experts focused on issues across the entire energy value chain including energy efficiency/de-mand side management, demand response, emerg-ing technologies, smart grid, renewables, energy generation, resource procurement, transmission, markets, performance improvement, fuel sourcing, rates and regulation, and market research reports in the areas of clean technologies, smart grid and emerging energy-related markets.


s power demands have in-creased and new genera-tion sources are added to

the electric grid system, fault current

mitigation has become a growing concern for utilities. Fortunately, Applied Materials Inc.’s supercon-ducting fault current limiter (SCF-CL) technology presents a new, viable solution to address this issue for elec-tric utilities around the world. “Applied Materials has developed a superconducting fault current limiter that can be seamlessly integrated into an existing distribution and transmis-sion grid to absorb fault current before a disruption occurs,” says Paul Murphy, general manager of the Applied Mate-rials Power System Group. “It provides

critical impedance on demand capabil-ity, introducing impedance only when the system needs it to protect the grid and improve reliability.” Murphy and a team of engineers, including Director of Technology Kasegn Tekletsadik, began developing the SCFCL in 2009 to target the prob-lems utilities were having with fault currents. By leveraging the compa-ny’s expertise across a range of com-petencies that include high voltage, magnetics, superconductivity, power electronics and systems design engi-

Applied Materials Inc. – Superconducting Fault Current Limiter Projectwww.amat.comFiscal 2013 revenues: $7.5 billionHeadquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.Employees: Approximately 13,700Om Nalamasu, SVP and CTO: “I am excited about using our Precision Materials Engineering core strengths to address critical problems.”

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A Powerful Solution

Applied Materials’ SCFCL project may alleviate a common problem afflicting electric utilities. by Alan Dorich


Applied Materials’ superconducting fault current limiter (SCFCL) can be seamlessly integrated into existing distribution and transmission grids to absorb fault currents before disruptions occur.



neering, the team was able to quickly develop a new advanced SCFCL solu-tion, Murphy says. The company, which primari-ly manufactures equipment for the semiconductor, display and solar mar-kets, recently provided an Applied SCFCL system for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.’s Knapps Corner substation in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The system is designed to reduce the first peak of fault currents on power lines, to limit damage to power equipment and improve system reliability.

Project InceptionThe opportunity to install a SCFCL at the Knapps Corner facility came after Applied demonstrated the SCFCL to Central Hudson and the New York State Energy Research and Develop-ment Authority (NYSERDA), which partially funded the project through its Smart Grid program. The program, NYSERDA Senior Project Manager John Love explains, awards funding for research and engi-

neering studies, product development and projects that improve the per-formance of electric power delivery in New York State. “Smart grids are an important element in Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s agenda to make New York State’s energy systems cleaner, more reliable, more resilient and more affordable.” Central Hudson Vice President of Engineering and System Operations Paul Haering said that the project is a good opportunity to test and evaluate the technology. “The large current ex-perienced during a fault – up to 200 times the nominal current level – exerts excessive forces on power grid com-ponents and connections,” he said in a statement. “By adding fault current limiters in lieu of conventional current limiting reactors, our goal is to length-en the service life of equipment and lower system losses, ultimately lower-ing costs for our electricity customers.”

Excellence in ExecutionThe installation of the SCFCL was completed by Applied this past July with the help of Central Hudson, NYSERDA, superconducting wire manufacturer SuperPower Inc. and Three-C Electric Co., a utility sys-tems integrator.

Murphy says this installation was ac-complished without disturbing reg-ular grid operations and that collab-orative efforts of all the parties paid off when the SCFCL installation was completed ahead of schedule and un-der budget. Overall, Love says, the project went smoothly thanks to strong coordi-nation between the team members. “The only delay was weather related, due to the extremely cold and snowy winter in Poughkeepsie. The weather delayed construction of the founda-tions for the SCFCL and associated support equipment.” Haering adds that the project team ensured it would not compromise the reliability of the equipment or service quality to its customers. “A primary advantage of the application is that it defaults to a failsafe mode from an electric system standpoint.” The project team also worked close-ly together to overcome the challenge of integrating a new technology into an existing substation. According to

The installation of the SCFCL at Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.’s substation in Poughkeepsie went smoothly, thanks to strong coordination between the team members.

T R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NT R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O N



Murphy, the company had extensive-ly tested the system and proactively worked up front to make sure the in-stall went smoothly. “The SCFCL was new for the team members of Central Hudson, but their professionalism and openness to the project ensured its success,” he adds. The SCFCL system has performed well, Love adds. “The device has de-tected multiple fault currents since commissioning, and the SCFCL sys-tem activated and reduced the faults as predicted,” he says, adding it is “collecting valuable operating data that will be useful for other utilities in determining how they will address their current fault issues.” Central Hudson is also proud of the system, Haering adds. “We think the project demonstrates the benefit of working collaboratively with innova-tive third parties in deploying tech-nologies that can be readily applied to

address common issues that face the electric system,” he says.

Proud PartnersThe SCFCL project marks the first time Applied has worked with NY-SERDA and Central Hudson. “We found them to be great partners, and very open and helpful. We learned a great deal from the experience and hope to continue collaborating with them in the future,” Murphy says. Love agrees. “Central Hudson is a very progressive utility, eager to try advanced technologies, and it has the added benefit of being small enough to make quick decisions and execute on those decisions in a timely man-ner. Applied’s engineering team did a great job of keeping everyone in-formed of progress and maintained a fairly aggressive schedule from build to pre-test to install and operate.” Murphy hopes to work again with

Central Hudson and NYSERDA on other programs. He says it is Ap-plied’s goal to develop a program to install a FCL at transmission. He ex-plains in addition to distribution, the SCFCL has been developed to work at transmission levels, where it could be of further benefit to the utilities. NYSERDA also has plans for the SCFCL. “Through the current proj-ect, we hope to demonstrate the ben-efits of the SCFCL product to other utilities, so that they may adopt the technology on their systems without the need for NYSERDA funding,” Love states. Central Hudson is currently in dis-cussions with Applied on other po-tential applications. “Also, we have two projects underway with NY-SERDA, related to smart grid, system modeling and increased integration of distributed resources on the sys-tem,” Haering says.


Applied Materials – Building a Better FutureBased in Santa Clara, Calif., Applied Materials started operations in 1967 and has since grown to have a global reach, with 84 locations in 18 countries throughout Europe, India and the rest of Asia. It is the largest manufacturer of equip-ment for the semiconductor, display and solar industries. The industries Applied works in are dynamic and always changing, says Om Nalamasu, senior vice president and CTO. To address these industries’ critical inflections, he maintains that Applied constantly innovates and develops new solutions to what were once intractable problems. Applied adheres to the philosophy that understanding and solving its customers’ toughest challenges as quickly as pos-sible is key to creating a better future. “At the core of enabling major advances across the semiconductor, display and solar industries is Applied’s expertise in precision materials engineering (PME),” Nalamasu says. “Also critical to the company’s growth strategy and success is our ability to identify critical global inflections in multi-ple new industries and to utilize our core strengths in PME to develop time and cost effective solutions.”

New MarketsApplied invests more than $1 billion annually in research and development. Part of the funding is targeted for new mar-kets where it can apply its diverse technical expertise. “The fault current limiter [FCL] is a good example of how we use our engineering prowess to develop robust, highly reliable systems to address fault currents of the electric grid,” Nalamasu says. He believes that Applied’s SCFCL solution represents an important opportunity to address the utility industry’s critical need while creating a potential new market for the company. Nalamasu believes in a strong future for Applied, which will continue investing in growth and finding ways to solve its customers’ toughest challenges in the markets it serves today as well as the needs of new markets.


Bringing BenefitsApplied Materials consulted with nu-merous power generation and trans-mission facilities worldwide prior to starting the SCFCL project, Director of Global Business Development for the FCL program John Ludlum says. This effort included examining a full range of value propositions the SCF-CL may provide utilities. The advantages that may accrue to Knapps Corner are considerable, Murphy says. Among them is in-creased safety. “Lower fault currents may make working in the live sub-station environment safer by dimin-ishing the likelihood of arc ignition, plasma injury and system catastroph-ic failure,” he says. Murphy asserts that the SCFCL also can reduce costs by decreasing the fault current rating on breakers

and associated bus-bar works for fu-ture upgrades, as well as the need for a new substation. The SCFCL may further provide Knapps Corner with more voltage sta-bility. According to Murphy, conven-tional fault current reduction methods that use high impedance transformers and series current limiting reactors can lead to stability problems. A SCFCL can minimize or elim-inate voltage stability problems by minimizing or eliminating the need for high-reactance devices, he says. Low impedance transformers with no additional series of current limit-ing reactors, he adds, can be a common configuration with Applied’s system. “This new topology can minimize the shift in the phase angle of the source and load, improving voltage regula-tion and transient stability.”

According to Murphy, the SCFCL also can address the issue of voltage dips. He explains that when a fault current is present, the voltage magni-tude will dip at different locations on the grid based on this occurrence. The rapid insertion of impedance enabled by the SCFCL can reduce these volt-age dips helping the customers ride through the event. The SCFCL system is also very useful to the overall durability and reliability of networks and substations, Murphy says. High fault currents heat up the underground cables, he says. Such ther-mal stress can degrade the dielectric strength of the cable insulation. He continues to explain that high electromagnetic forces generated during high fault currents also can cause rupture failures. However, when the SCFCLs reduce the fault currents, they minimize or eliminate aging factors, thermal stress and me-chanical fatigue. With the wear and tear and fast-er aging electromagnetic forces and thermal stresses can cause, limit-ing fault currents is vital, Murphy says. He estimates a 50 percent cur-rent reduction, for example, reduces stresses by 75 percent, and the aging factor can almost be eliminated. SCF-CLs also support adding more power transfer with existing systems with-out impacting the life of the system. “The minimization of VAR compen-sation requirements in substations brings significant capital savings as well as potentially allowing for great-er real power transfer and increases the overall efficiency and effective-ness of the transformers and circuits,” Murphy says. “The elimination of 10 percent to 25 percent impedance from the system bring significant sav-ings for the utility as well as overall better potential network stability.” m

T R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NT R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NT R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NSuperPower President Yusei Shirasaka (left to right) and Director of Research and Development Drew Hazelton stand with Applied Materials Corporate Vice President and General Manager Gary Rosen, Central Hudson Vice President of Engineering and System Operations Paul Haer-ing, NYSERDA Senior Project Manager John Love and Three-C Electrical Vice President of Technical Business Development Scott Secrest at the proj-ect’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.

T R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O Ns a full-service power de-livery contractor, Edison Power Constructors’ jobs

run the gamut from overhead and un-derground distribution for residen-tial and commercial clients, to major long-haul 525 EHV transmission lines and up. Edison Power, along with its sister companies within PLH Group, has the capacity to design, construct and service a broad range of light, medium and heavy transmission and switchyard substation projects throughout North America. The company is a member of PLH Group of Irving, Texas, a $1 billion construction and specialty contrac-tor that serves the electric power line, pipeline, oilfield electrical ser-vices and industrial markets. Formed in 2009, PLH Group has assembled a North American team of top-quality companies that service its customers’ needs. Those needs range from pipe-line construction and related direc-tional drilling, right-of-way clearing/restoration and engineering to elec-tric transmission, distribution and substation construction, including specialized foundations and helicop-ter airborne operations.

Energy BuildersEdison Power Constructors thrives in North America, with a range of services and expertise in remote and difficult helicopter lift operations. by Jeff Borgardt

Edison Power Constructorswww.edisonpower.comHQ: PhoenixSpecialty: Full-service contractor for power delivery projectsMike Stefanik, president: “We see tremendous growth opportunities not only in the U.S. but also in Canada.”

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With help from its parent company, Edison Pow-er Constructors is growing to become a leader in the power delivery industry, serving clients such as CenterPoint Energy and General Electric.




PLH is, in turn, owned by Ener-gy Capital Partners of Short Hills, N.J. The $13 billion firm invests in the power generation, midstream oil and gas, electric transmission, envi-ronmental infrastructure and energy services sectors of North America’s energy infrastructure. “We have tre-mendous financial backing,” says Mike Stefanik, president of Edison Power, who has worked for more than three decades in the energy business. Phoenix-based Edison Power was established as a viable national oper-ation more than one year ago. With excellent ongoing support from its parent organization along with its industry leading management, the company is rapidly growing to be a recognized leader in the power deliv-ery industry. Throughout their careers, Stefanik and his team have overseen numerous projects throughout North Ameri-ca, across a wide variety of terrain and customers such as CenterPoint Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., General Electric, the Bonneville Pow-er Administration and the Western Area Power Administration. Others include Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, Salt River Project, Kansas City Power and Light Co., PacifiCorp, Public Service Elec-tric and Gas Co., Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Xcel Energy Inc., American Transmission Co., American Electric Power, PPL Electric Utilities and CPL Retail Energy, to name a few.

Challenging and Difficult ProjectsA major part of these projects have utilized helicopter operations which can range from fairly straightforward to extremely complex and difficult. Prior to forming Edison Power, Ste-fanik recalls a project where he uti-

lized a AS332 Super Puma helicop-ter for medium lift operations along with an Erikson S-64F Air-Crane for a large number of exceedingly com-plex sectionalized heavy lifts for lat-tice structures on the Public Service

Electric and Gas Co. section of the Susquehanna to Roseland 500KV Electric Transmission Line project. “This simply was one of the most challenging and difficult projects imaginable due to not only the tech-


nical difficulties we encountered, but the environmental aspects and adverse weather conditions we endured,” Ste-fanik says. “If fact, right at the start of the project, we had Hurricane Sandy hit and it went from there. Fortunate-ly we had the backing of an excellent team with PSEG and the helicopter operations were a true success.” Through this period “we were able to cultivate and build an excellent team who are now at Edison Power. We have been able to build on this core group and develop tremendous capacities regarding planning and oversight of helicopter operations,” he says. Edison Power provides this service throughout the country, often as a consultant, Stefanik explains. Edison Power has worked on other large projects including the Path 42 Transmission Line Rebuilding Proj-

ect in California’s Coachella Valley, which it is currently engaged in. Edison Power has also completed many projects in the Houston area. “We are looking to manage projects throughout the country both large and small,” Stefanik says. “Business is good, really good. We see tremendous growth not only in the U.S. but also in Canada.” The company is currently recruit-ing new talent, including community liaisons because it is focused on good community relations. “We build power lines with the community in mind and do all we can to establish as many part-ners as possible within the local com-munity and with minimal impact to the environment,” Stefanik says. “We are not a typical contractor who leaves a big scar on the environment. We don’t believe in slash and burn; we make the least possible impact on the environ-ment and community.” For example, Edison Power emphasizes the non-de-struction of plant life on its projects, and when that is impossible, it replants affected greenery.

T R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NEdison Power explains that a significant number of its projects have utilized helicopter operations, which can range from fairly straightforward to extremely com-plex and challenging.

“WE ARE NOT A CONTRACTOR WHO LEAVES A BIG SCAR ON THE ENVIRONMENT. WE DON’T BELIEVE IN SLASH AND BURN.”



Top PrioritySafety is a top priority at Edison Power. So much so that it hired a highly regarded and experienced profession-al who previously worked for Kiewit Corp. as Director of Safety. “As far as we are concerned, [Kiewit] sets the standard for construction safety across a wide range of industries,” Stefanik says. The bottom line is that Edison Power recognizes that safety stems from proper train-ing. “You don’t just send someone out there to figure it out,” Stefanik says. “We have an extremely robust safety training program.” Edison Power also believes that hir-ing experienced personnel contributes to greater safety on the job. The company certainly has its work cut out for it. As Stefanik describes it, the country’s power infrastructure is “a robust, living machine in dire need of repair.” Edison Power, therefore, will continue to find creative ways to do business that are economical and environ-mentally sensitive. m

T R A N S M I S S I O N & D I S T R I B U T I O NWhen building power lines, Edison Power keeps the community in mind, establishes as many community partners as possible and aims to en-sure minimal impact to the environment.

Energetic FutureSherman + Reilly’s new designs continue the company’s reputation for quality while

setting a new technology benchmark for the utility industry. by Jim Harris

Practically every product or piece of industrial equip-ment used in almost every

industry has evolved significantly during the past 40 years. The impact of new technology on business cannot be overstated, particularly when it comes to the way information and commu-nications are t r a n s m i t t e d and received. In the eyes of Sherman + Reilly, a leading manufacturer of

power line stringing and installation equipment for the utility and tele-com industries, change wasn’t coming fast enough to its core market. “For the most part, the utility industry has been stagnant when it comes to the

design of the equipment used to string electrical distribu-

tion and trans-m i s s i o n

l i n e s , ” s a y s M i k e

Dunn, se-nior vice

president and general manager. “Most of the equipment being used in the industry was designed and engineered in the 1960s and 1970s, and it hasn’t changed much from that point in time to today. “If you look at every other industry and compare where they were in the 1960s and 1970s to where they are to-day, you won’t find anyone who hasn’t advanced or changed and it meant it was time to take a hard look at our-selves and our industry,” Dunn con-tinues. “But that came with a huge business challenge.”


Sherman + Reilly recently researched ways to make its power line stringing equipment safer and more productive.



Sherman + Reilly’s desire to change the way the industry thought about stringing equipment meant it had to base its conclusions on research and the learnings of other leading equip-ment manufacturers. Over a two year period, the company met with lead-ing heavy equipment companies, gov-ernment agencies and consultants to determine what the next generation of products needed to look like and what benefits they would have to deliver. Operator health, safety and productivity were at the root of the

findings, leading Sherman + Reilly to launch a ground up redesign of all of its

products, from under-ground pullers to

distribution and transmission class

pullers and ten-sioners.

The re-search that was

conducted led Sherman + Reilly to base its new designs on five criteria including pre-

serving the health of the operator through

control of noise, vibration, diesel fumes and weather conditions, all that affect operator health and atten-tiveness during machine operation.

It also included machine interface design that allows an operator to be-come effective in the operation of the equipment quickly and safely, help-ing to address the expected turnover of linemen over the next few years. The company’s Safe-Zone™ opera-tor cabs, introduced last year, feature digital controls, joystick operation, digital recording of job performance and on-board diagnostics. “These take a lot of the guesswork out of trying to understand what’s happening during a pulling operation,” said Steven For-rester, director of transmission busi-ness development. In addition, he noted that the cab’s systems record speed, pulling or tensioning force and resistance every 10 feet. In addition to featuring the latest technology, the Safe-Zone cabs also offer health and safety enhancements to operators. The company recently unveiled its new line of products during its “Breakaway Road Tours,” during which they visited 13 cities in the Western United States and 19 cities in the Eastern United States, completing them in October. “We felt the offer-ing was a game changer and the best way to show it was to bring the equip-ment to the customers.,” Dunn says. “It’s the first time we’re aware of that any company in our industry took six pieces of equipment in a caravan to 32 cities to demo its new equipment line. The reaction has been fantastic.”


Sherman + Reillywww.sherman-reilly.comHeadquarters: Chattanooga, Tenn.Employees: 130Specialty: Distribution and trans-mission stringing equipmentMike Dunn, senior vice president and general manager: “We’re proud of our brand and what it means to the linemen that use our products everyday.”

m Yale Cordage is a custom and specialty rope manufacturer that designs application-specif-ic ropes. Yale Cordage is pleased to work with Sherman+Reilly as a trusted partner to provide a wide range of pulling lines for their transmission and distribution stringing equipment. Yale brings nearly 60 years of quality rope making technology to provide leading edge products for industries that demand high performance products. This has allowed Sherman+Reilly to continue to design new equipment to service the challenges of modern electric construction and support their requirements of world class safety and value.


A Reputation for QualityInnovation and reliability have been hallmarks of Sher-man + Reilly’s equipment since the company first entered the utility market in the 1970s. The company was estab-lished in 1927 as an engineering and consulting company that initially worked on bridges and other publicly fund-ed jobs before beginning to partner with utility compa-nies in the 1950’s. The company’s presence in both the distribution and transmission sides of the utility industry has helped it weather many of the market’s ups and downs. The 2008/2009 recession and housing market crash greatly affected the distribution market, which is closely tied to housing, but did not severely impact transmission Sherman + Reilly’s product line includes distribution and transmission class pullers, tensioners and reel carri-ers and is also the leading producer of single and multi sheave blocks and tools to support the utility industry. “The company has been rewarded by the market,” Dunn says, with double digit revenue growth over the past four years. “With this growth the company continues its ag-gressive development of new products and the study of lineman health and safety.”

Part of the FamilySherman + Reilly’s reputation for quality led it to be acquired in 2013 by Greenlee, a Textron Inc. company. “Sherman + Reilly is an acknowledged leader in heavy pulling products for distribution and transmission appli-cations,” Textron Industrial Segment and Greenlee Pres-ident Scott Hall said in a statement. “Like Greenlee Util-ity, the company has a strong brand, built on innovation and service to the utility professional. S+R is a logical complement to our Greenlee Utility® and Gator® prod-ucts and will significantly expand Greenlee’s presence in the utility segment.” Sherman + Reilly has joined other Greenlee brands in-cluding Klauke and Greenlee Communications, as well as other of Textron’s affiliate companies. Sherman + Reilly op-erates as a separate business unit of Greenlee and Textron. Mike Dunn added that the sale of the company to Textron was a difficult one to make, but he and partner Doug Diamond were convinced that having access to the deep resources of Textron in technology, manufacturing and global business could all contribute to the long term growth and stability of Sherman + Reilly. “Since the acquisition, business continues to grow and the Textron support has been incredible,” Dunn says. m


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