The Marathon Petroleum Detroit Heavy Oil Upgrade Project (DHOUP) was a major project for the past two years. It employed thousands of contractors and brought the promise of a new facet to the oil refining industry in Detroit.
During the expansion, Marathon was also upgrading its existing facility, and R.L. Bondy was performing piping and equipment insulation for that portion. The R.L. Bondy teams worked efficiently and established a solid working relationship with the Marathon workers and management.
When the contractor that was insulating in the new expansion area began to fall behind, R.L. Bondy was called in to take over and complete the critical project on time. R.L. Bondy brought the necessary components to the table, including profound enthusiasm for the project.
“I think everyone was really excited to be involved with the project,” says Jay Bath, President of R.L. Bondy Insulation. “Projects of this size and scope don’t come around that often and everyone enjoyed the personal challenge of tackling a project of this magnitude and making it successful.”
Keeping it coordinated, keeping it safe
A job of this size takes a great deal of planning and highly trained personnel. R.L. Bondy was up to the challenge. Brad says, “R.L. Bondy provided a full-time staff devoted strictly to this project. Our driven office staff coupled with excellent labor management and commitment at the foreman level was the key to success.
Jay notes that R.L. Bondy’s close working relationship with the local unions was a key part of completing the project in a timely and safe manner. “Because of our relationships with the unions, we have the availability of a large pool of highly skilled workers,” he says.
That access to workers was essential, Brad says. Over the course of the project, R.L. Bondy completed 250,000 man-hours, and at the project’s peak, they had nearly 200 workers on-site. ”We hired people from everywhere — they came in from nearly 30 different states to work on this job.”
With this many people and this much equipment, safety was one of R.L. Bondy’s primary concerns. “Coordination of this kind of project isn’t about just getting people on-site,” Jay says. “It’s about keeping our workers safe and making sure we don’t have any lost-time injuries.”
Jay is justifiably proud of the great safety record that R.L. Bondy achieved over the course of the project, which lasted two years. Brad notes that R.L. Bondy adopted the culture of safety that Marathon Petroleum had established for the entire site, and that consistent safety practices made this environment one of the safest in the country.
Focusing on the customer’s needs
R.L. Bondy always focuses on meeting its clients’ specific needs. By providing quality work, a highly skilled workforce, a dedicated management and administrative staff, and an emphasis on safety, R.L. Bondy builds solid, trusting relationships with its clients.
DHOUP was no exception.
The results for both Marathon Petroleum and R.L. Bondy have been so advantageous that Marathon Petroleum has hired R.L. Bondy for additional capital projects and provided valuable recommendations for other jobs.
R.L. Bondy is always ready for a challenge — no matter the size or duration of the project.
The Macomb Group works with customers and contractors to be sure every job is the best it can be. Learn how we can use our expertise to provide the solutions you are looking for. Contact us by email at info@macombgroup.com or by phone at 888-756-4110. And if you have any questions about pipe insulation, you can contact R.L. Bondy Insulation directly atinfo@rlbinsulation.com or 248-547-8616.
