Way Back When Article, The Journal Record, July 1983 World Knocking at VMI Door for dredges

   

World Knocking at VMI Door for dredges

Courtesy of The Journal Record, By Jan Blake, Journal Record Staff Reporter, July 1983 

Bethany Firm Started by Maitlen Family with $8000 Deal

In 1972, Gene Maitlen was president of Oklahoma City Tractor Co. when a young man asked if he would assemble a dredging machine for him. Maitlen asked: "What is a dredge?" Since then, Maitlen has learned a lot about dredges. As a result, dredging equipment assembled at VMI, Inc. of Bethany is known worldwide.

VMI dredges and injection plows are used in places as far away as Tahiti, Pakistan, Colombia, California and New York, as well as nearby places like Dallas and Clinton, Okla. The dredges are used to bring solid material, such as debris, sewage or sand, up from under water by dairy farms, exclusive Tahatian resorts, a coal mine in West Virginia, the Erie Canal and a ditch in Africa.

Maitlen is president of VMI, Inc., which was started in 1977 after about $300,000 in research and development. VMI, Inc. manufactures and assembles about six dredges and sludge injection plows a year, with annual gross sales of about $1 million.

All that was started, because that young man's deal in 1972 "sounded pretty good," said Maitlen. The tractor firm was going to be paid $8,000, and the "young man" was going to sell it for $16,000 to the city of St. Louis, MO.

The oldest son, Randy Maitlen, secretary treasurer of VMI, was working in the welding shop of the tractor company at the time. A younger son, Tony Maitlen (who joined the company a year later), was still in school.

Randy Maitlen and one other tractor company employee were given the job of assembling the dredge. "It didn't work," said Randy Maitlen simply. When the machine was turned on, it went straight up in the air. The suction and balance caused the toe-end to go under water, slapping the back of the dredge straight  up. Workers were sent scrambling for safety. "They finally got the pump turned off," said Gene Maitlen. "Then they sent it back."

After 30 years in the equipment business, Gene Maitlen said he just "couldn't resist the challenge" of letting the dredge get the best of him.

"Randy liked steel and engineering," said Gene Maitlen. Both were beginning to see a market for small dredging machines that could be used by cities, governments and private industry. "We started out with about $100,000 of our money and borrowed money," said Gene Maitlen.

While developing the dredge, Randy Maitlen began working on an improved cutter-head, because competitors held the patents on those then in existence. This is the part of the machine that goes under water, churns the debris or other materials and sucks it up. (The cutter-head looks a bit like an oversized vacuum sweeper head except where the bristles would be are large shark shaped steel teeth.)

The VMI patented device churns the debris into the suction area. The mouth of the suction area ranges from 5 feet to 10 feet wide, depending on the size ordered and the type of work expected of the machine. "We get higher percentage of the solids than our competitors," said Gene Maitlen.

The company also manufactures a sludge injection plow that tills the waste into sites approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. This machine buries the waste and covers the area with soil at the same time. There is little or no odor after the process is completed, said Maitlen. The combination allows VMI to offer a complete package of dredging and disposal equipment. Before VMI, there was only one company making the injection plows, said Gene Maitlen.

When fully assembled, the VMI dredges will float in as little as two feet of water and clean an area to a depth of 15 feet. Larger VMI dredges need three feet of water and clean to a depth of 30 feet. "Our machines are in between the really big machines and the guy who stands on the shore and reaches out with a boom, said Gene Maitlen, "A ship can come right in behind one of our machines."

In 1977, the fledgling company proved its worth with its first job. Olen Chemcial Co. of Louisiana had been given a short time to clean an area by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "The acid was so high the birds couldn't land," said Gene Maitlen. "EPA was going to fine them $10,000 per day if it were not neutralized by July 1." "We took lime from a pit and had it neutralized in three days."

Although the first job is one of the more memorable, Tony Maitlen prefers working for the Bali-Hai Hotels in Tahiti. The dredging equipment was purchased by the owners to restore the beach fronts of the four hotels after storms. During the hurricane season the waves wash the sand back into the ocean. "They have the only dredging machine in the South Pacific," Randy Maitlen said. The hotel owners, including three Americans and one Frenchman, now rent the dredge to other companies.

It is not only the hotel owners that are profiting from the equipment. The San Joaquin Valley of California has approximately 4,000 dairy farms in a 200 mile radius. The waste from cattle is washed into sump tanks. "After eight or ten year," said Tony Maitlen, "the sump tanks full up."

Richard Lolmaugh, owner of Agri-Till with offices in California, purchased one of the VMI dredges for $106,000. He has reported revenues from cleaning the dairy sumps and fertilizer sales of $2,500 a day. "We can't believe all the needs for these machines," said Gene Maitlen. "We've even had calls from Alaska about using them to look for gold, and yesterday there was a call from Singapore."

Way Back When Article, Dredging + Port Construction, November 1989 VMI Pump/Dredge/Pipe Solves Health Hazard Problems in Colombia

  

VMI Pump/Dredge/Pipe Solves Health Hazard Problems in Colombia

Courtesy of Dredging + Port Construction, November 1989

VMI pump/dredge/pipe solves health hazard problems in Colombia

The city municipal government (EM-Cali) of Cali, in the Central American Country of Colombia was recently faced with a serious wastewater health hazard, when two flood control lagoons within the city boundaries were filled with raw sewage as a result of flooding combined with open trench sewage canals surrounding the area.

The lagoons covered a 35 hectare area and to intensify matters, many of the poverty striken residents of the city had established make-shift dwellings on the edges of the lagoons. This situation demanded immediate attention and the city turned to the environmental engineering firm Ingesam Ltd., headed by Mauricio Guerrero, to research a solution. It was determined that the sewage could be discharged into the nearby Rio Cauca river if careful attention was paid to the discharge rate and BOD load. The next step was to devise a cost effective means of removing the sewage from the lagoons and discharging it into the river.

Having read about dredging projects, Mr. Guerrero contacted Mr. Henry Boschen, export manager of VMI, Inc. of Cushing, Oklahoma, about the possibilities of using a dredger. After a trip to Colombia to view the situation it was determined that the dredging was indeed the only practical method.

The system requirements demanded using a minimum of equipment plus offering flexibility to reduce costs and to use the dredging equipment for other tasks at a later date. Saa & Angulo Construction firm of Cali was awarded the contract to dredge the lagoons. After meeting with VMI it was determined that the model MD-E615HN dredge along with a matched booster pump built by VMI would do the work.

The pipeline to be used was 8 inch polyethelene pipe, butt-fused wherever practical. The situation required the material to be dredged from the lagoons and discharged at a distance in excess of 4000m. The poly pipe was chosen for several reasons. The poly pipe offers strength but is light in weight. It can be curved to follow the contour of the ground and make turns where needed. By using a butt fusion machine the pipeline could be installed rapidly and also, when time came to remove the pipe, it could be cut in the desired lengths and reused at a new location.

The VMI MD-E615HN dredger used for the project offered numerous advantages. It is a one piece load and requires no disassembly to transport. The dredge uses a submerged pump with recessed impeller design. Composed of hi chrome material, the pump is extremely durable and its design is claimed to offer the ultimate in solids removal.

As is common in sewage, entrained gases present a problem with most pumps. This pump however has been tested and is capbale of handling in excess of 30 per cent entrained gases. It is highly effective in soilds removal and when combined with the VMI patented horizontal flow through full width suction cutter head provides excellent results in any type of sludge application.

The dredge travels by means of hydraulically driven treble sheave tracking on a small cable stretched across the lagoon as is common with most horizontal cutter dredges. All functions of the dredge are hydraulically operated being powered by a 234 horsepower diesel engine.

The dredge pump and the booster pump used were identical, as were the diesel engines, to minimise spare parts. Each pump is capable of 220' of head at 1750GPM. The discharge rate into the river was estimated to be 900 GPM so as not to exceed the allowable BOD load. Because the pumps are driven by variable speed hydraulics, the flows can be altered in virtually any flow rate within the pump curve, without reducing the engine speed below an acceptable level.

Upon completing the assembly of the dredge, booster pump and pipeline discharge package, VMI arranged shipping and the equipment was ocean freighted to Colombia. Upon arrival of the equipment in Cali, Henry Boschen of VMI arrived in Cali to assist in set up of the equipment and to train personnel.

The pipeline was the first item to be placed. To start the project to the near end of the first lagoon required the placement of over 2km of pipe. The pipeline was placed and the dredger was in position to operate after only one and a half weeks. With the system in place the first tests began. The initial test was to see if the dredger alone could flow the required amount without using the booster. The tests proved completely successful. Samples of the material were gathered and the percentage of solids obtained exceeded the highest expectations.

With the dredging project underway and going well it is estimated the project will near completion in 14 months. Although this type dredging is quite common in the many countries it was considered a first in Colombia.