COMPANY PROFILE
“Our facility is very computer-oriented and modern,” said
production manager Donna Rousse. “The shop is complete
and we manufacture almost everything here. We design it,
we program it and we make it.” She adds that customers can
expect a four- to six-week turnaround on orders. “Because we
handle all the manufacturing aspects, we can be very responsive
to customers that may require modifications or faster
service.”
According to Frank, they have taken things to a new level
with the recent ISO 9001:2008 certification. She says that a
leading reason for TEI obtaining ISO certification is the ability
to work directly with other manufacturers. TEI supplies
drill rigs and components to OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
suppliers, the United States Military and partners
for special projects with contractors. “The ISO certification
means that all of the parties involved are “equal” and use the
same documentation method enabling the most efficient
integration of all the pieces. TEI can email a print to another
manufacturer and they can incorporate the print to make the
initial drawings. They have the comfort of knowing that all of
TEI’s processes are documented similar to their own,” said
Frank, noting that the certification task was spearheaded by
Rousse and took five years of commitment from the company
to achieve the goal.
“We have grown a lot since I started in 1988. But now with
the ISO certification we will move even further in market
expansion because of the increased confidence in our consistent
quality,” she said, thinking back to earlier days when
the shop used manual machines rather than CNC. “Now
everything is completely automated and computerized for a
greater standardization and overall quality control.”
According to TEI’s vice president marketing Joe Patterson,
the company does about 70 per cent of its business on the
excavator side of things. In fact, the HEM Hydraulic Excavator
Drill is the most popular drilling attachment manufactured
at TEI Rock Drills. The stable excavator platform combined
with the long boom form an excellent drilling platform.
“Part of our success is that we have patented technology
that gives us an edge over our competition,” he said, commenting
that TEI solely uses their patented hydraulic drifters
and feed systems to build the excavator drill. These unique
drifters have an internal dampening system that only allows
full percussion power when the drill string is engaged.
TEI is also a leading player in limited access drills.
“We make drills that allow workers to get into places that
once would have only been possible with hand equipment,”
said Patterson.
He mentions a recent job where TEI teamed with GeoFirma
LLC of Nashville, Tenn. The project consisted of the construction
of a new, 13-mile-long by 20-inch diameter, natural gas
transmission line. GeoFirma was called in to create a stable
land area for the pipeline. GeoFirma called in TEI to assist
with the right equipment to drill into difficult terrain.
“Our dilemma came from trying to decide on whether to
have a custom-built wagon manufactured for our existing
Skid Steer drill and dealing with the issues of the long hydraulic
hoses and a remote hydraulic power pack, or mounting
a diesel engine on the wagon and routinely changing the
mounting angle of the engine to match the slope angle,” said
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Precision machining
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