Diesel Progress North American

POWER GENERATION
important in the growth and develop-
ment of Blue Star.
“Customization and flexibility are
really our key strengths. It is what sets
us apart from other manufacturers. We
can build standard gen-sets or we can
custom design packages and systems
to meet nearly any requirement.”
That flexibility is likely to be
enhanced by the new facility, which
allows for a more process-oriented
workflow, with assembly areas pro-
ceeding toward testing, painting and
final assembly. All of Blue Star’s gen-
sets go through a range of tests to
ensure they meet industry and cus-
tomer requirements.
“In our old facility, we were often
assembling in one area and then test-
ing in the same area,” Prange said.
“You can end up spending more time
moving things around than you do
producing product. The new building
gives us the space to have a place for
every process, as opposed to sharing
space as we did in the other facility.”
Fahrforth said he was initially hesi-
tant to purchase the new facility. As
it was previously owned by a manu-
facturer of pharmaceutical products,
the layout of the building was not
conducive to Blue Star’s manufactur-
ing needs. However, after a second
look, he decided that with some minor
renovations and additions, the build-
ing would be able to meet the growing
company’s requirements.
“This building will increase our pro-
duction capacity and allow for us to
build larger units more efficiently,”
Prange said. “Our product line goes
up to 2. 5 MW, but the old facility
was limited as far as headroom, floor
space, etc., which really made it dif-
ficult to assemble larger units. Here,
however, we have plenty of head-
room, and at some point we are look-
ing to install a large overhead hoist
throughout the building.”
Another important component of Blue
Star’s growth is its recent UL Listing
certification. The company received the
UL Listing for its 30 to 500 kW diesel
product line and 25 to 200 k W gaseous
See us at WorkBoat Show Booth #3403
product line. There is also a subsequent
project being launched in 2011 to com-
plete the UL Listing for the remainder of
the product lines, Prange said.

Blue Star sells its gen-set systems through a network of approximately 60 distributors throughout North America. “This new facility makes us even more credible from both the engineer’s and customer’s points of view,” Prange said. “It’s a completely different ballgame having a potential distributor visit this new facility as opposed to our old facility. Also, it is extremely advantageous for existing distributors to bring customers and engineers to our new facility and show the quality and craftsmanship of our work. They are able to confidently say, ‘This is who we represent.’” dp

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