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Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Case Study

BROADWAY ELECTRIC DELIVERS SOPHISTICATED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR KANSAS CITY FEDERAL RESERVE BANK WITH ADVANCED THHN WIRE

                    Southwire’s NoLube™ SIMpull THHN® makes installation faster, easier, cleaner

Federal Reserve bank Kansas City, MO
John Stetter, CEO Broadwas Electric
"I would highly recommend this wire over any wire we have pulled"

 

With its state-of-the-art security system and highly automated vaults, the new Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City, Kansas, required a sophisticated electrical system. The job of building that advanced system was entrusted to Broadway Electric, one of the region’s leading electrical contracting firms.

In keeping with this high-tech facility, Broadway Electric relied on a new, state-of-the-art feeder-sized building wire from Southwire that requires no lubricant to install. NoLube SIMpull THHN incorporates a breakthrough, patent-pending technology to reduce friction and with it the mess, labor and cost associated with lubrication.

NoLube SIMpull THHN from Southwire enabled Broadway to reduce its labor costs on the project in excess of 20 percent, according to John Setter, sr. project manager. "Southwire SIMpull THHN has far exceeded all my expectations," he says.

The 630,000 square foot Kansas City facility, which covers about 15 acres, was "a very large, very heavily involved job electrically," explains Jeff Porter, Broadway’s foreman for wire pulling on the project. "Generally it would probably have taken six or seven guys to do the pulls, but with SIMpull THHN we were able to do some of them with three people."

During more than a year of field trials, millions of feet of NoLube SIMpull THHN have been installed in projects across the country. Without exception, contractors have been amazed at the speed and ease of installation.

In 2004, Southwire introduced Romex™ SIMpull™, a non-metallic cable for residential construction that pulls easier and faster. As a result, Romex SIMpull is now the preferred wire for residential construction. SIMpull THHN uses similar technology to transform the installation process for commercial, industrial and institutional applications.

Broadway electrician Ron Jarrott is a convert. "If I was using regular THHN wire, then we’d have to have another man do what we call soaping the wire. We’d have to lube that real well before it enters the pipe we’re pulling it through. And then it’s cleaning up the mess after it gets to the other end, as well as the end we’re pulling from. It saves a lot of man hours there."

In addition to being able to install the wire with smaller crews, Setter says SIMpull THHN saved the company time and money in other ways. "We probably saved over $10,000 in wire lube that we didn’t have to buy. We didn’t have to do the rags, put the soap on or take it off."

"It’s easier on everybody," adds Jarrott. "That’s the key. It just makes it easier on production and everything. I would highly recommend this wire versus any other ones I’ve ever pulled."

Given the temperature extremes of the weather in Kansas City, Setter anticipates another benefit from doing away with lubrication. "If you’re in a freezing situation, trying to pull wire when it’s freezing, the soap will freeze up on you. It’s going to make a huge difference, pulling SIMpull THHN in freezing temperatures.

Southwire developed NoLube SIMpull THHN in response to contractor requests for a feeder-sized THHN that was easier to install. By eliminating the dirty, messy job of lubricating wire to pull it through conduit, independent testing has confirmed that SIMpull THHN reduces total installation time by an average of 30 percent, as well as eliminates equipment needed to apply lubricant.

By reducing friction and improving nylon toughness SIM Technology®, developed by Southwire, also makes pulling more consistent, reducing the likelihood of nylon tearing.  "SIMpull THHN is yet another example of our commitment to continuously develop innovative products that provides electrical contractors more efficient ways to install wire and cable," said Stuart Thorn, president and CEO, Southwire Company. "Southwire listens to contractors, and then we innovate to give them products that will make their processes safer and more efficient and their businesses more profitable."