Thanks to a non-traditional approach by some SCE&G linemen,
SCE&G's Materials, Equipment and Standards Department and
Shakespeare Products Group
in Newberry, a security light nestles in the shrubs and ivy at the
Ketchens
home. Unobtrusive by day, at night it bathes all the dark corners in
crime-deterring
light.
"It was well worth the money I spend a month for the
security I get. Having a light will make burglars think before breaking
in when it looks like
broad daylight," Mrs. Ketchen said.
SCE&G lineman Roberrt Boozer, at
left, and
Hal Bickley had no trouble hoisting a 25-foot utility pole onto their
shoulders to carry into Marita Ketchen's Shandon backyard. The reason:
the pole is made
of fiberglass and only weighs 90 pounds. The fiberglass poles are being
produced
at Shakespeare Products in Newberry based on suggestions made by four
linemen
and others at SCE&G.
How was the pole installed inside the ivy-covered fence which defines
the Ketchens' yard from the neighbors? It was simple. The linemen
carried it in
on their shoulders and used posthole diggers to place it in the ground.
The normal route would be to truck in a 25-foot wooden pole
on a longbed truck. Linemen would then bring in a truck equipped with
an auger to dig the
hole. Sometimes the heavy trucks leave ruts which SCE&G is then
responsible
for repairing.
But some yards are not accessible to the longbed trucks or
other vehicles. Then special arrangements would have to be made.
The Ketchen household was fortunate that a new type of
backyard lighting pole is now available at SCE&G. The fiberglass
pole, weighing 90 pounds, is carried into the yard on two linemen's
shoulders instead of a big truck.
Mrs. Ketchen said she did not know a fiberglass pole was
going to be installed, but she is pleased with its appearance. "It's
more attractive than
a wooden pole," she said.
SCE&G Journeyman
Lineman
Robert Boozer gives ideas on how fiberglass pole should be built.
Other customers also prefer the virtually indestructible fiberglass to
wooden
poles, which get scarred and weathered over time, according to four
SCE&G
linemen who helped develop the pole.
The fiberglass poles are smooth and straight and from a
distance look exactly like the wooden poles.
Larry Frazier, Bruce Corbett, Hal Bickley and Robert Boozer
were invited by Shakespeare and SCE&G to help design "the pole of
their dreams."
SCE&G Materials, Equipment and Standards Manager Jim
Kirby said Shakespeare,
a fiberglass manufacturer, approached SCE&G about producing a
fiberglass
utility product for the company.
"They asked if there was anything we had a need for. We
started discussions, and our folks came up with the idea of a
lightweight tall pole that could be carried into a backyard," Kirby
said.
Frazier said initially he was highly skeptical of fiberglass
poles. His
experience in working with fiberglass in the past had been negative. If
you
touch it, fibers get on your hand, and they get itchy and you have to
go
wash them."
The problem of fiberglass deteriorating or shedding fiber
strands is called blooming, which was Frazier's main concern when he
was asked to participate
in the fiberglass backyard pole project.
But the Shakespeare pole, made with some of the same
materials as the Stealth bomber, does not bloom, he said. "Shakespeare
told me they would buy
me a car if I could find where one of their new poles bloomed, and I'm
not
driving that car yet."
The four linemen met regularly with Shakespeare Marketing
Director Lynn Derrick, SCE&G Lighting coordinator Bill Yarborough
and Wayne Berry of
Materials, Equipment and Standards to be brought up to date on the pole
they
helped develop.
The backyard pole project addresses several key elements of
good customer service, according to Senior Vice President of Customer
Operations Jim Young.
First, it represents employee teamwork and empowerment at
its finest, he said. Empowered employees, such as the linemen who
developed the pole, are free to make decisions and act in the
customers' best interest as needed.
Also, the new pole clearly is a customer satisfaction
success. Customers like the appearance, and problems from trucks
damaging lawns are avoided.
SCE&G Journeyman
Lineman
Bruce Corbett gives ideas on how fiberglass pole should be built.
The pole project also meets SCE&G
criteria of controlling
costs. While the pole costs more than wood, the labor and equipment
costs
associated with storing, transporting and installing it are
significantly
less.
Finally, Young said, the pole meets SCE&G's objective of
operating in a manner that is sensitive to the environment. The
fiberglass pole has virtually no environmental impact. And it is fully
recyclable.
SCE&G's Materials, Equipment and Standards Department
has completed its final approval process for the fiberglass poles,
according to Kirby. They
are being placed in the company storerooms and training is being
scheduled so the linemen can learn about installing and climbing them.
Climbing a pole is
Bruce Corbitt.
Obviously, the traditional climbing boots and hooks will not penetrate
fiberglass.
Based on the linemen's recommendations, the poles are climbed using a
16-foot
ladder and removable steps.
While the fiberglass poles are ideal for inaccessible areas,
they also are very useful in subdivisions with underground lines, Kirby
said.
Lines for electricity can run through the hollow fiberglass
pole. Running the lines on the inside of the pole reduces the risk of
damage from weather or the great enemy of all utility poles -
automobiles which run into them. And the poles are designed to
withstand wind pressures of more than 200 miles
per hour.
After SCE&G employees began using the new poles for
backyard lights, they found them to be useful also as "lift" poles,
which are sometimes used
to carry service from the main line to the customer's home.
Shakespeare's Lynn Derrick said his company specializes in
customized products like the backyard pole designed for SCE&G. The
Newberry plant produces products from fishing rods to hammer handles to
equestrian buggy whips.
Karl Fields
produces fiberglass
utility poles for SCE&G at Shakespeare Products Group in Newberry.
The
poles are being used primarily for backyard lighting.
The company markets other fiberglass poles
internationally,
with its largest customers in Japan, where wood is in short supply.
Shakespeare plans to market the pole designed with SCE&G
to other utilities. Increasing production will reduce the cost of the
pole, which now
sells for $200 as compared to $80 for a wooden pole.
The SCE&G linemen suggested SCE&G work with
Shakespeare to develop a 35-foot fiberglass pole, and Kirby said the
project is underway.
While the approach of bringing the linemen to the "drawing
board" was new for SCE&G, Kirby said he hopes to see the company
pursue more projects like this in the future.
Photos by Mary Green Brown.
