Alexis Fire Equipment — Waterjet Helps Emergency Vehicle Manufacturer Respond to a Crisis

Fire fighters are used to responding to emergencies. But it turns out that the OMAX waterjet in use at Alexis Fire Equipment manufacturing plant in Alexis, Illinois, responds pretty well in a crisis too. Recently, the OMAX waterjet played a key role in helping the company rescue an aerial fire truck involved in a wall cave-in.

According to Mike Shull, Alexis Vice President, “One of our vehicles responded to a fire in Galesburg, Illinois. In order to get access to water, the fire fighters parked the truck close to the building and during the fire, one whole wall of the building caved in. Fire engulfed the custom-made aerial truck, incinerating everything on the driver’s side. The warning lights, the console, all the plastic components were melted -- it was that hot.”

Once the vehicle was returned to the plant in Alexis, Illinois, the Alexis team, who specializes in high quality, custom rescue apparatus, went to work using their OMAX 80160 waterjet to recreate many of the parts that had been destroyed.  “Basically, we rebuilt the vehicle from scratch. It took us about three months, because of the testing that had to be done, particularly on the aerial device, given the amount of heat it took,” said Mr. Shull.

Alexis has been custom building emergency equipment for fire departments since 1947.

Alexis Fire Equipment specializes in building custom fire apparatus, such as pumpers, rescues, tankers, aerial rigs, as well as some unique specialty vehicles like ATV incident response units, dive team vehicles and command centers. Started originally as a small
family business, the company now delivers approximately seventy-five vehicles annually to fire departments throughout the mid-West.

The OMAX 80160 has been central to Alexis’s manufacturing process since its purchase a few years ago.  Shull says Alexis uses the waterjet for all kinds of things on emergency vehicles. “We use it to make just about all the body skins, the wheel wells, the control panels, the custom consoles for the cab, any pump mounting brackets – and those we cut out of half inch thick steel.”

Prior to buying the OMAX, Alexis was machining components for their vehicles with a CNC plasma cutter. “With high temperature plasma, we battled heat distortion, of course.”  Shull says that the waterjet’s lack of heat-affected zones has been a boon to their production     process. “The majority of our parts are aluminum – I’d say 80% – and the rest are steel sub-frame parts and some stainless steel. Plasma warps and just will not hold the tolerances we need.  We like the waterjet because it’s more precise.  It holds greater tolerances and we like its performance on so many of the smaller holes that we put in for fasteners.”

Unlike larger manufacturers, Alexis prides themselves on their ability to completely customize each vehicle ordered by a fire department.  “They all have their own specific requirements for their equipment. That’s where the waterjet really helps out,” Shull says. “Because it’s so much easier in the setup, the OMAX allows us to go from aluminum to steel to plastic. You don’t have to change gases, consumables, or anything else. You just go.” According to Shull, the waterjet’s speed definitely contributes to their reputation for customization and service.  “At Alexis, anything is possible on our end. A company like ours has to be more flexible to make changes.”  The flexibility Alexis is known for providing fire departments means that their machining operations have to be flexible too:  “The waterjet makes custom work easier to deliver.  It cuts down on time to deliver the finished part – not to mention the amount of mistakes that can occur.”
               
Alexis has also been able to speed up their return-on-investment by providing waterjet services to other job shops. “We make parts for companies in the fire service industry. We also do lots of stainless parts for nearby machine shops. We originally bought the waterjet for vehicle bodies but since we have some excess capacity, we also do jobs for other shops and that way we get more usage out of waterjet.”

For their core emergency service vehicle business, Shull says that it’s all about the waterjet’s ability to deliver whatever the customer wants.  “The misconception is that you walk in off the street and say ‘give me a fire truck’. Every fire department has their own way of doing certain things.  Do they want roll up doors or hinge doors?  How are the valves controlled?  Everything is up to the fire department we’re working with.  For us, everything starts with drawing, and then the majority of the production runs through the OMAX.”

The bottom line for Alexis Fire Equipment?  “We wouldn’t hesitate to expand with another waterjet, if business calls for it,” says Shull.