Industrial Rigging Expertise for a 72-unit Generator Plant

Intermountain Rigging and Heavyhaul went above and beyond during an industrial rigging project at a high-profile generator plant in West Jordan, UT. The generator plant sits on a data center campus and consists of four separate buildings, each housing 18 engines and alternators.

At the start of the project, the IRH team was tasked with providing rigging services to set multiple generators weighing 42,000 pounds each, selective catalytic reduction (SCR)s, mufflers, and plenums for both exhaust and intake—tasks critical to ensuring the facility’s 72 engines and alternators continued to run seamlessly.

As the job progressed, the scope of the project expanded. IRH’s team of millwrights and fabricators (MIST) as well as their crating division stepped in to provide additional support. Under the customer’s supervision, the IRH team will also be supporting the commissioning of engines weighing 52,000 pounds each in the coming months.

Throughout this project, the IRH team has shown exceptional leadership, a commitment to safety, and proactive support to ensure the project could move forward without delay.

Project at a glance:

• Specs: generators: 42,000 pounds, 20 feet x 7 feet, engines: 52,000 pounds and 27 feet x 7 feet, SCRs, mufflers, and plenums
• The Job Site: A generator plant powering a data center. The plants consists of four separate buildings, each housing 18 engines and alternators
• The Task: Setting generators, SCRs, mufflers, and both exhaust and intake plenums. Additional services provided include: fabrication of a custom, steel plate, crate building, and commissioning of engines.

Integrated Industrial Rigging Services and Fabrication Workflow

IRH deployed a multi-departmental team to address both the planned rigging and the emerging workflow challenges.

Establishing a Safe Job Site

Setting up for safety: As with any rigging project, safety is the first and highest priority for the protection of the job site and crew. The IRH rigging team began work, establishing high safety standards with the use of site-wide signage. 

Rigging and Setting the Generators

Expert Moving: To set each engine or generator into place, the crew first backed a semi truck loaded with the unit down a dirt road to a 275-ton crane IRH provided through their subcontractor.

The crane then picked the unit using a custom spreader bar provided by the manufacturer. From there, the crew lowered the front end of the unit onto rollers and the back end onto the forks of a 60k Versa-Lift. They were then able to push the unit into place and use jacks to bring it down onto pads.

On-Site Fabrication Keeps the Project Moving

Ancillary Support: At one point midproject, the customer had an issue with a specialized machine component and the entire operation faced a work stoppage. The IRH team stepped up, calling in their MIST team, who fabricated a custom steel plate with picking eyes so work could resume.

IRH’s crating department also provided added support by designing and building custom crates for the engines and generators as well as temporary doors to close housing cells, protecting the equipment against weather conditions.

Ongoing support: As the project progressed, the scope of work grew and the customer has entrusted the IRH team to support the commissioning of engines under their supervision, as well.

The Results: Coordinated Rigging for a Complex Data Center Project

By combining engineered rigging expertise with proactive project management, the IRH team transformed a high-risk logistics bottleneck into a seamless, ahead-of-schedule success story. 

• Accelerated Project Timeline: Through proactive planning and efficient equipment positioning, the project is currently nine months ahead of schedule, significantly reducing site congestion and overall operational costs.
• Zero-Incident Safety Culture: Implemented rigorous site safety protocols and high-visibility signage that earned praise from site managers. 
• Turnkey Adaptability and On-Site Fabrication: Handled expanded scopes and unexpected real-time job-site requirements outside the original plan, preventing downtime and keeping critical path schedules intact.
• Seamless Multi-Team Coordination: Synchronized heavy rigging, equipment delivery, and alignment efforts with general contractors and on-site trade crews, establishing a solid operational partnership.

“Props to IRH. It’s little things like this [safety signage and proactive site awareness] that can have a big effect on culture.”

— Project Client

As the project enters its final phases, IRH continues to deliver ongoing rigging and installation support, maintaining the same standard of precision, safety, and adaptability that brought the build this far ahead of schedule.

Data Center Rigging and Heavy Lift Services

How can we help support your data center project? Trust the expertise, experience, and dedication to safety that the IRH crew brings to every job. Get in touch with our team today for a custom proposal.

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