Unplanned downtime due to equipment failures and unanticipated steam demands are among the reasons industrial boiler owners find themselves seeking new or rental equipment with a short turnaround time.

A year after introducing its Quick Ship Xpress program, Rockmart, Ga.-based Miura says the program has helped buyers with quick-turnaround needs.

 “The program [has already helped] customers who may have waited too long to order a new boiler, and instead find themselves constantly patching up an old, inefficient model while trying to avoid downtime costs,” says Paul O’Donnell, Miura’s vice president of strategic development.

Unanticipated steam demands due to increasing production is one reason companies have taken advantage of the QSX program. David Flowers, sales and engineering manager at Combustion & Control Solutions (CCS), Chattanooga, Tenn., added, “We first used Miura’s QSX program with a customer who was unable to meet production requirements. The boilers helped the customer out of a significant bind, while negating costly rental boilers.” According to Flowers, Miura shipped the boilers within 48 hours, and CCS was able to have them up and running in the matter of a few days.

Another reason its customers opt for the QSX program, says Miura, is to expeditiously replace an inefficient, failing unit. “We received a call from a popular soft drink manufacturer in Southern Florida,” says Jason Bell, Miura’s regional manager for the Southeast. The company had waited too long to change out a problematic boiler. “The customer asked if there was any way to get a new boiler delivered and installed in less time than the industry-standard of a few months. They were really in a bind, since their current boiler was scaling up badly, and causing them all sorts of issues.”

“It took a moment for the plant manager to realize that we could meet his expectations and have a new Miura boiler shipped and installed in the time it normally takes for a rental,” says Bell. “I still remember his big smile.”

Natural disasters can wreck even the best-laid plans: Weather-related conditions such as hurricanes and floods can render boilers useless. “Providing essential energy for processing, heating and other applications quickly after first responders have done their work, and it is safe to enter areas that have suffered disasters, gives us a great sense of pride,” adds O’Donnell.