Vulcan hammers found themselves used literally all over the world; here are a few photos showing them "doing their stuff."
Internal Pile Hammer IPH-16
If you've looked at a conventional Vulcan, Conmaco or Menck air/steam hammer package for offshore use, you've noticed the hammer is surrounded by the leaders, which align the hammer to the pile. But what if the hammer could be self-aligning? In 1968 offshore contractor McDermott Inc. wanted to find out just that, and commissioned Vulcan … Continue reading Internal Pile Hammer IPH-16
Construction Assistance Vehicle (CAV)
Without a doubt the most intriguing "special product" Vulcan's West Palm Beach facility produced was the Construction Assistance Vehicle (CAV). The purpose of this was to provide an underwater craft to transport personnel and materiel during underwater construction. The CAV was capable of transporting one U.S. Ton (2000 lbs.) at a speed of 2 knots. … Continue reading Construction Assistance Vehicle (CAV)
Offshore Technology Conference
"Our feet are tired, our stomachs upset; our desks are ladened with work abandoned...our personal lives are in shambles, and, at the bottom line, our billfolds are empty." (Petroleum News Southeast Asia editorial on attending trade shows, February 1986) The official OTC logo. One of the industry events that Vulcan participated in over the years … Continue reading Offshore Technology Conference
It’s in the Details
Vulcan hammers were justifiably admired for their simplicity. However, many of the keys to success were in two fields: their design and construction, and; how the hammer was equipped with its accessories. Here we feature a few of both; one or more of them may appear on or with your Vulcan hammer. For more practical … Continue reading It’s in the Details
Service: “Have Hammers, Will Travel”
Field service at Vulcan grew out of its offshore involvement. Up until the mid 1960's Vulcan relied on its dealers to service its equipment, but the specialised nature of the product and the demands of the application--especially the expensive downtime of an idle barge offshore--demanded that Vulcan keep on call service representatives willing and able … Continue reading Service: “Have Hammers, Will Travel”
Sales: Meeting the Customer’s Needs
Selling pile driving equiment--especially offshore--requires its own set of skills. Pile driving equipment is a "need-driven" product, i.e., a customer will not consider its purchase without a definite requirement for it. With this, a salesperson must have two attributes for success: a) a thorough knowledge of the product, its application and configuration, and b) a … Continue reading Sales: Meeting the Customer’s Needs
Herman Hasenkampf: A Tribute
Many of the documents we feature at vulcanhammer.info have a Gulf of Mexico chart at the top. That reflects the importance of the Gulf Coast region in general and the offshore oil industry in particular, for which we feature Vulcan: The Offshore Experience. We are saddened to note that perhaps the central figure in that … Continue reading Herman Hasenkampf: A Tribute
A Few Words About the Telex
Real time, text communications are not the invention of email. In the 1960's and 1970's, long distance was expensive and fax very slow. Vulcan needed an alternate method to communicate in real time for the following reasons: The two offices needed written communications on production schedules and preparation of quotations. For example, the factory was … Continue reading A Few Words About the Telex
Chattanooga Plant Expansion
By the early 1970's, the lack of capacity for the machining and assembly of the offshore product line was evident. Unfortunately, the cyclic nature of the business did not make expansion of the facility an obvious choice. Nevertheless, in 1978 the management decided to expand the facility to enable the company to produce its entire … Continue reading Chattanooga Plant Expansion
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