Bring L&M your wacky, your weird, and your downright complicated cooling challenges – and they’ll bring you an entirely unique and elegant radiator fitted exactly to your application.
For decades, Mesabi® radiators by L&M Radiator have led the pack in customizable cooling solutions for heavy-duty equipment. That’s why OEMs such as Caterpillar, Komatsu, Liebherr, Hitachi, and more have made Mesabi standard on many of their machines.
Now that cooling packages are growing more complex and cooling solutions are diversifying into electric power, the landscape is changing once again, but the leader hasn’t changed. L&M Radiator engineers stay at the top of the pack.
“We don’t turn away weird projects,” said Brian Pierzina, design and applications engineer at L&M Radiator. “We really care about the radiators that we design for our customers. In the end, we’ll do just about anything to make a cooler design work for a customer. We want them to have a system that works perfectly for them and works right the first time. We’ll dig into any project.”
In the case, for example, that a piece of equipment is multiple decades old (L&M engineers have reported seeing Mesabi radiators that are more than 50 years old still in use) and the OEM no longer supports the radiator in the piece of equipment, L&M Radiator can easily and tactfully retrofit a new cooling system. “When customers can’t get a radiator anywhere else, we’re there to help them out,” said Pierzina.
Even though each solution is unique, the process of getting there is relatively universal. Here’s how they do it at L&M.
Step 1 – Gather Information
“First, we’ll ask the customer what type of coolers they need, sizing requirements, the heat rejection of every cooler, flow rates of the fluid that’s running through the coolers, the max allowable temperature of each of the different fluids, the ambient condition, envelope restrictions – how wide, how tall, how deep can it be – how much power the fan can consume and more,” said Pierzina. “It’s important to have all the information to create the best solution possible.”
Step 2 – Zoom Out
One of the most important puzzle pieces to perfecting a heating or cooling solution is understanding what obstacles a machine will face in its environment.
“Is corrosion going to be a problem? How about vibration?” said Pierzina. “Are there any noise limitations where the equipment will be operating? Anticipating obstacles before they arise is the best way to ensure longevity – one of our strong suits here at L&M Radiator.”
Step 3 – Size Individual Coolers Within the System
Next, engineers size every individual cooler that might be needed within the system.
“If we’ve been given an envelope, we do everything we can to stay within those limitations. If we can’t fit within that envelope, we’ll go back and forth with the customer until we find the best solution,” said Pierzina. “Regardless, we always communicate with the customer thoroughly before quoting to get the details exact.”
Step 4 – Check In
Whether the customer is a municipality, an OEM, or a mine, the old alliteration rings true every single time: communication is key. L&M engineers communicate with the customer the entire way through the design process to make sure there are no surprises when they see the final design.
“I always like to make sure that the customer knows what the package is going to look like, especially if it’s a weird or goofy design that’s out of the ordinary,” said Pierzina. “That especially helps to ensure the heating or cooling component fits seamlessly with the rest of the machine’s design. All of this happens before quoting.”
Step 4 – Quote and Purchase Order
Then, L&M sends the customer a quote and waits for a purchase order.
Step 5 – The Team Assembles and Production Begins
After the purchase order comes in, L&M assembles a team of application engineers, drafting personnel, purchasing team members, customer service representatives, and production experts to set a ship date and start the building process.
Step 6 – Testing
The L&M team tests every single radiator that leaves the L&M shop floor prior to shipping it to the customer. This ensures that each radiator is ready to take on whatever environment it may encounter in the “outside world” – be it at the top of a mountain, deep in an underground mine, in the blazing South Africa heat or freezing cold of the Arctic Circle.
Step 7 – Delivery
Then, the Mesabi radiator is delivered and installed. Often, L&M sales representatives will accompany the radiator to its destination to ensure smooth arrival and train the team on how to clean and repair (if necessary) the Mesabi radiator.
Depending on the size and complexity of the order, the timeline from the first phone call to the new radiator’s arrival at its destination can be anywhere from two months to one year.
Mesabi Radiators by L&M Radiator: Perfect Cooling Solutions for Any Problem
To read more stories similar to this one, visit the blog page on www.Mesabi.com.