Williams Bulk Transfer
Challenge – Protecting equipment from the elements
Solution – Two Hercules Truss Arch Buildings
Sizes – One 38′ wide x 100′ long, one 24′ wide x 168′ long
Application – Covered truck scale and thaw shed for railroad cars
Williams Bulk Transfer (WBT) is a state-of-the-art materials-handling terminal on the north edge of Williams, IA that can handle up to 700,000 tons of coal per year. General Manager Cory Hoffmann oversees the day-to-day operations at WBT and its seven employees. As general manager, Hoffmann must make important decisions regarding the company, so it’s understandable that he was put in charge of finding a way to cover their truck scale building and railroad cars.
WBT needed to protect their truck scale from the elements, but also needed a way to thaw out their railroad cars safely. Hoffmann explains, “The scale was open to the elements causing freezing and precipitation build up.” He found the solution to this problem one day when he drove by a ClearSpan Hercules Truss Arch Building and called the company for more information. WBT purchased two fabric structures from ClearSpan. One is being used to cover the truck scale, while the other acts as a thaw shed for the railroad cars that carry coal to the facility.
Hoffmann is pleased with how the ClearSpan structures have solved their problems. “The freezing issues with the scale have been eliminated and our new thaw shed encloses the cars so that heat sources can safely be used to thaw the product. This allows for a more complete emptying process and less maintenance,” he says. Hoffmann continues, “We can also utilize the extra space in the scale building for additional storage, which was something we hadn’t anticipated.”
The many options ClearSpan offers helped WBT customize their buildings to their unique needs. The truck scale enclosure had to have different sized doors in order to let trucks enter and exit, as well as allow employee traffic in and out of the building. ClearSpan was able to accommodate WBT, providing buildings that are exactly what the facility needed to operate their business successfully.
