Imagine a sprawling surface consisting of five separate roofing systems in place, thousands of different penetrations, three shifts working 24 hours a day and when it rains…over 300 locations in the plant with leaks ranging from minor to major concerns. This was the case at the Kelly Springfield Tire Plant located in Tyler, Texas. Kelly Springfield is a division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

The roof leaks were causing the floors to become wet, creating unsafe working conditions, finished inventory in the warehouse getting wet and at times, causing interruptions in the plant processes. In addition, the many leaks were beginning to affect the attitudes and moral of the employees and management of the plant. Leaks were becoming a major problem to contend with and something had to be done.

The plant management had called in roofing contractors from Tyler and surrounding areas of Longview and even Dallas, located some 90 miles away. Every time a contractor was called they had a solution to the problem, but it would be different from the others contacted. Unfortunately, after approximately 15 attempts to correct the situation, the leaks continued. Some contractors had advised the management team that repairs could not be done while it was raining and that repairs would have to wait until the rain stopped before anything could be done.

After trying everything known to do, Joe Gagliano business center manager for Plant Facilities was ready to concede that the only solution to the problem was to replace the roofing systems. The expense of this project would obviously cost millions of dollars. Gagliano began the process of obtaining cost estimates from various roofing contractors to replace the existing roof.

"It was at this time that I first met Roy Edmonds of American Tri-Star Corporation when he came to the plant to review the facility along with Jimmy Durham, the maintenance manager planner," said Gagliano. "After close examination, Edmonds indicated that the roof did not have to be replaced just managed. I told Edmonds that I had heard the same recommendation before from others, and that I was skeptical of anything short of replacing the roof", says Gagliano. Edmonds developed a multi-phase plan to address the Tyler Plant problem.

• Prioritize the roof into areas that had to have the leaks stopped first, starting in the production areas of the plant.
  
  
• Make repairs using the correct materials, and make the repairs a permanent fix to reduce the long term cost of roof maintenance.
  
  
• Be accountable for the leaks in the prioritized areas identified.
  
  
• Assign one manager from American Tri-Star to work jointly with a manager from Kelly Springfield and communicate with each other as needed.
  
  
• Design and present a training program for Kelly employees responsible for roof protection, reporting, and roof top safety.

Although Gagliano heard what Edmonds was presenting, he told Tri-Star that he would consider what was presented and would contact them in a few days.

That night, a terrible rainstorm occurred that created a very serious leak in one of the plant inventory control systems. Not knowing what else to do, Gagliano picked up the phone and called American Tri-Star and advised them of the situation and asked for their assistance.

Within 30 minutes of the phone call, Tri-Star production manager W.G. Edmonds and a crew arrived at the plant and were successful in getting the leak stopped. The response and repair time took place during a major thunderstorm. Not only did the crew demonstrate service when needed, but they also proved that repairs could be done while it was raining. For Gagliano, there was now hope that the plant roof could be saved instead of having to spend an unbelievable amount of money to replace it. Thus began a lasting relationship that has provided results.

For the first time in memory, Gagliano had found a solution to a roof related problem. He saw no reason to wait the few days to pursue further conversations with American Tri-Star. Edmonds was requested to make contact with Clint Robbins, a Corporate Facilities Engineer from the Goodyear Offices located in Akron, Ohio. Robbins had just recently visited the Tyler Plant to assist in finding a solution to the roofing situation and Gagliano felt that these two men needed to discuss options for future work. After numerous telephone calls and sending fax messages, Edmonds and Robbins hammered out the specifications for the roof management plan.

"The next step in implementing the plan was for Edmonds and me to customize the plan and develop a mentality that would allow us to act, not react, to items and concerns related to the roof," states Gagliano. "Our relationship with American Tri-Star Corporation has been an amazing success story. We have gone from approximately 300 leaks covering our massive roof to less than 20 leaks per rain. Our goal of course is to have zero leaks during a rain, and we will continue to work toward that objective."

"We have made tremendous progress which could not have happened had we not had the dedication and skilled talents of those working for American Tri-Star," concludes Gagliano.

"I will never forget the first meeting with Gagliano and the Kelly Springfield management team. He had very poor success with past contractors and he felt he had no reason to believe that American Tri-Star was any different than others he had encountered," says Edmonds. "All we wanted was an opportunity to demonstrate what our abilities were. I never thought however, that I would be thanking Mother Nature for the thunderstorm she gave us that first night."

Congratulations need to be given to Gagliano and the Tyler management team for having the courage to develop a plan and then executing that plan; to Roy and W.G. Edmonds, of American Tri-Star Corporation for their professionalism in the roofing industry; and finally to Kelly Springfield and Goodyear Corporate Engineering officials for their commitment to working with local contractors in the locations of their various plant facilities.