Largest Fire Truck Manufacturer | Mega Manufacturing | Free Documentary

a top-notch

fire

truck

built to prevail in the battle against the Wisconsin flames the USA is one of the

largest

fire

apparatus

manufacturer

s in the world it is a vehicle made from a combination of aluminum and steel tons of life-saving equipment Assembled with millimeter precision and a chassis that allows you to quickly reach the scene of the emergency. The factory is extremely flexible in incorporating customer wishes, but still manages to produce a high-quality product in an impressively short time. Pearse produces its fire

truck

s in the 70,000-population city of Appleton and the state of Wisconsin. More than 1,000 vehicles leave this factory every year.

The models carry names such as Impel Arrow Saber and Enforcer. Customers designed their trucks down to the smallest detail. The letters are made of real gold leaf. Pierce offers everything. From chrome trim to giant rotating ladders and almost everything is hand-built a high-performance pump system is of key importance Pierce also offers extra-large trucks, but one model is the undisputed customer favorite The Executor The cab has eight seats The pump pushes 5,600 meters in the hoses every minute, a 3,000 liter on-board tank ensures that there is enough water to fight the fire. A 33-meter rotating ladder is located on the roof and the heavy truck can corner at up to 90 kilometers per hour.

Project manager Bill Kyle oversees the production of each truck's fire trucks. It is custom designed by the client, so errors can appear quickly, especially in the first stage. The precision of the chassis is vital here because it has to accommodate all the components of the executors. If the assemblers do not conform to the dimensions, the entire production will fail. truck, we start tailoring it to the customer's specifications to make sure that the customer really starts to choose where they want certain things in their truck and we need to land that right here, at the birth of the truck, the initial phase of the build is extremely important because lays the foundation for all subsequent steps.

Todd Limburg assembles 12 meter steel beams for the chassis, as the assembler must ensure that everything is installed absolutely level and with equal spacing. To do this, hold the steel beams in place using hydraulic presses. They prevent the parts from moving. The yellow base frame ensures that the construction is level. Without such aids, the chassis could lose precision and affect production, so once are tight we should be right at 34 inches, otherwise we will pull the frame in or move it or keep it on the big white lift so that in the future everything fits, assembler Todd and his colleagues, both the chassis along with several cross members, this prevents anything from moving, the chassis alone weighs almost four tons, it is the foundation on which the rest of the execution truck will be built it will be another 44 days until construction is complete Pierce employs almost 2,000 assembly workers one of the key elements are installed from the beginning the axle together with the corresponding shock absorbers this component makes it possible to drive at high speeds Even in corners, the axle system is called technology because Pierce builds this component of the fire truck in its own factory ;

A team of three workers is needed to build the technology for the suspensions. Originally the tick 4 was only intended for use in military vehicles. allows fast movement even on rough terrain, the engineers had their colleagues take advantage of its properties for their own requirements thanks to its long-travel suspension, that 4-axle technology offers 25 centimeters of vertical deflection, no other chassis allows such tight corners to be taken As it is able to make a U-turn at a junction without having to maneuver the axle it can also accommodate huge brake discs with a diameter of 43 centimeters they can stop the executor much faster than other axles the customer also has the option of choosing the axles and shock absorbers different axles can be installed on the same chassis thanks to its handling characteristics, Tech 4 is a very popular option but also the most expensive we build our suspension from scratch, many other

manufacturer

s buy their chassis from others Pearce supplier starts from zero, we start framing it, install some of the key components here, we'll pick it up and move it here and install the suspension parts and some of the axles, the equipment. maneuver the chassis into position it must be located exactly at the attachment points the spring eyes offer zero tolerance everything must fit perfectly the subframe is now complete the rest of the components are already being manufactured by other departments the Appleton factory is home The

manufacturing

shop is where the chassis, cabin and body are built. the assembly line is located a few miles away.

This is where workers also install electrical systems. Pierce also has a paint shop materials warehouse and proving ground here. The journey of the executors continues in the

manufacturing

workshop every day. One of the components of the executors is manufactured on punching presses like this one. Workers place aluminum sheets on the machine. The press punches the parts according to a computer-controlled pattern. Workers have to produce hundreds of thousands of parts like the parts of a giant clock movement. All pieces are perfectly combined with each other. Bill Kurtz Wiles' team must meet engineers' specifications down to the millimeter.

There is a very small margin of error if you think about whether the piece is bent more than 90 degrees and has to go to another one. part will not fit if it is one-sixteenth of an inch narrow will not fit over the top of another piece invoices workers check each finished piece using gauges plus scanners on the press rolls check to see if everything is within specifications a laser cutter Used for patterns finer cuts because the human eye is too imprecise. The challenge for team leader Bill is not only the multitude of parts, but also the tight production schedule.

When the other plant has some kind of technical problem, they contact us if they have a park that is scratched or damaged or anything that was ordered incorrectly, we can stop production, create a new part, nest it, drill it and send it back In less than 4 hours from the truck door to the hose holder, each part of the fire truck is formed. Aluminum parts are manufactured here and then moved from the manufacturing shop to the other side of the factory, where they are used to build the cabin. Workers now assemble the various aluminum and steel sections.

Everything must fit perfectly. Fixtures are used to precisely align parts. parts that need welding welders used clamps to hold them in place a warped cockpit would affect the handling characteristics of the performers amanda halford oversees cockpit assembly she is not only concerned with the angles and spacing conditions of the individual components Marvin understands the problem that we must make sure that all the welds are smooth, uniform, that they look consistent, that there are no welding defects and then also comply with all those options, that is what will be fundamental for us, the welds do not They must be too thick. or the doors do not close correctly the welds should not be too thin either this would impair the stability the team takes two to three days to build a cabin during this time it remains in the same construction bay this means that it is the responsibility of a principle worker Finally, the cabin of the execution truck now has a roof.

The workers hold on to the rails and handles inside the cabin so that the firefighters can get in and out faster in case of emergency. Each cabin is custom-made according to the client's wishes. The workers They have welded almost three tons of steel and aluminum to form an integral unit. Each cabin must be extremely robust to withstand the rigors of the job. Approximately five cabins leave the assembly shop each day and then move to the other factory where the future will be developed. The fire truck receives its distinctive paint job and a first coat of grey-white primer has already been applied to the bare steel and aluminum in the company's own paint shop to achieve a perfect paint finish.

Workers remove every last trace of surface dust that compresses their weapons. The booth is also cleaned so the paint adheres consistently. The individual nature of each order is especially evident when it comes to the color combination. Pierce offers hundreds of shades of red and there is also a large selection of yellows if the customer still cannot find what they are looking for the company will mix custom colors and the time has come two specially trained painters prepare the paint for this truck fired in manufacturing first they apply another last coat of primer only then the truck cab gets its distinctive fire truck red Pierce and trust this job to humans instead of robots because they apply the paint more evenly.

It takes painters up to an hour to complete each coat of paint. The components are baked in a drying oven at over 150 degrees Celsius and the cabin is ready for the next shot, where it will receive some of its accessories and equipment, the engineers in the 3D design studio determine its appearance in detail, in close consultation with the customer, each truck is custom designed, 11 employees plan each vehicle in detail on a computer with the help of a 3D model all other shops must stick to this master customers expect a lot from their special fire trucks after Everything its quality can be a matter of life or death from the smallest screw to the gigantic turntable everything must fit perfectly the cabin remains in the assembly building for the moment but is moved to another workshop the wiring workshop does not spend much time before the empty cabin is transformed into a command center fully equipped with a warning light system on time thousands of feet of wires are installed throughout the cabin electrician Joe Bauer installs a yellow wiring harness for the airbags there hundreds of wires on each cam so it's vital to keep track of things, you're just doing everything right because everything is custom. made so one company wants this and another wants that, so you have to make sure you have everything in the right order.

Rick Roberts is the cabin assembly supervisor. He periodically checks progress. It is essential that each step of the work be done as a whole. sequence to avoid mistakes, we place the harnesses inside, there are certain procedures we must follow to ensure that your dog falls and many KSA there are points of tape or something that tells us where the starting point is, we drag it. through the cockpit we do the drop, all we're really doing is starting to make sure that all the circuits are the correct circuits. The circuits that are dropped in each of these areas we check to make sure there is no damage. the harness after passing it, we also make sure it is secured while passing through the cabin, if there is something passing through the terrain, we make sure that soon all the areas are sealed so that we don't have any leaks in the chaos below, all the wires are protected with a fuse where we are now with it, so right now you just said we just started.

Are you going to make the connections to the bus bars, to the billing panels? Place all the battery cables into the transmission harness. What are we missing so far? Each worker is responsible for different tasks and completes them in strict order. This minimizes errors and maintains efficiency as we move through our stages. We have to make sure everything is in place before moving on to the next stop. because as you go through this whole process, you'll notice that once we have the harnesses on, we make the final connections, wall panels will go in and we'll have some cabinets that come in and we'll have the seats and we won't be able to put them in. do it in a sequence otherwise you will actually have to dismantle the cabin to fit the harnesses or any additional wiring so it is very important that we do it in sequence otherwise there will be a lot of rework and this should be avoided at all costs, of course.

Vending machines are unique to Pierce, located throughout the factory, workers go to pick up work materials, such as drill bits, sealants and even simple brushes, when needed. The Pierce advantage only pays for work materials that are actually used, as long as they are still in the vending machine does not belong to the company Once the fire truck is equipped with fuse boxes radio communication systems are installed hundreds of kilometers of cables in each truck in just four days the equipmentInterior includes seats Customer can choose everything from the type of seat cover material to the logo. There are eight seats installed in each execution truck and a space-saving configuration so firefighters have plenty of room to move.

The cabin is ready for technical acceptance at this time. period, what we're really trying to do is make sure that all of the circuits are working properly, all of the switches are working properly, all of our lighting is working properly just to make sure that when you go to the next stage, the cabin mounts on the chassis that We don't have any problem. It's a tense moment for team leader Rick. All cables have been routed correctly and everything works perfectly. Electrician Marc Moser carries out the check. If the Enforcer cockpit fails this test, a time-consuming search.

Failure will begin Mark uses a software program to help with technical acceptance. He executes all the functions one by one. This time there are no problems. The test passed. That's our ultimate goal here is to make sure that we produce a quality product for our customers. intermediate customers, so a milestone has been reached, this truck is equipped and ready to fire up, but there are still several important steps ahead before the fire truck is ready for service. Work continues in the adjacent area where workers assemble the finished elements onto the Enforcer chassis. in the assemblyIn the area where the huge engine block will now be installed, in this precise location of the chassis, it not only drives the truck, but also supplies power to the pump system and the turntable, as well as to the assembler John Cruel, who You have to be careful that the 500 horsepower motor doesn't get crushed. any cables during installation the technician can only install everything safely with the help of a colleague by communicating with one of the main assembly workers John must screw everything tightly the engine will be in service for several decades for a good cause and this thought motivates to the workforce it's nice, it's a good feeling, it's like a big community or whatever, with all the firefighters and so on, another obstacle has been overcome.

Pearse builds trucks at its Appleton factories seven days a week. Brakes are essential. Each turn has several. Workers bring their own food. and prefer to spend their break time on their smartphones, everyone enjoys the peace and quiet and the otherwise noisy factory, although Peirce offers refreshments in the break rooms, most workers prefer to stay in their workplaces in the assembly building, workers are now installing the performers windshield, this is followed by joining the cab and chassis, this will show if the work so far has been done correctly. Have all workshops strictly comply with engineering drawings. Mechanics must be careful not to crush any of the dangling cables.

The precision work carried out in the previous stages has borne fruit. In parallel, one of the most important components of the fire truck is being built in a sister factory eight kilometers away, in the north of the city. Pierce Pump purchases pumps from specialized suppliers. Here they are prepared for installation. The pump is the core component of the executor. It is securely anchored directly behind the lid and roughly in the center of the vehicle's connections leading from the pump to the massive water tank. When operating, the pump pushes up to five. sixteen hundred liters of water in the hoses every minute to do this, it is necessary to support it on a sturdy frame, the so-called pump house, this ensures that the truck does not start to shake under the enormous forces and that the performance of the pump is maintained stable in In cities, the pump is connected to a fire hydrant, distributes water between hoses and controls the pressure.

An onboard tank serves as a reserve. However, some jobs require not only water but also foam, which is generated by the foam system when mixing. water with air and a concentrate firefighters can adjust the exact composition of the foam using a control panel assembler Jamesville Brick now installs connecting tubes to the fire truck's water tank pump. It takes a lot of experience to get the position right. Don't fight a fire if you can't turn on the water, the control levers are installed by the fellow specialists next door, yes, there is a stack, everything you have right, Vince and the pipe, we stack everything together and then we take it away, it Which one am I going to do?

I do it right now and I take it to mark that he's there, TIG welder and he'll take it all. He comes back like this and puts it back. It's a complicated and time-consuming puzzle with each station contributing its own piece after the welding is complete. The job is completed The workers spend hours connecting the hoses and valves The pump spends about a week in operation before being released for installation Special care must be taken during this production step because if the pump does not function properly it is costly Fire truck is not fit for purpose and is absolutely useless for fighting fires.

The completed pump house is transported to the other side of Appleton for installation at the assembly plant. His home is behind the cabin. Brian Venters is responsible for ensuring it is installed correctly. It needs to be mounted perfectly square and level, making sure it's positioned correctly, making sure it's balanced, so that we hang it over the chassis, we get it down nice and level, especially for the quality, we don't want to damage anything. Each pump is custom made for a real challenge for Brian so there are a lot of different weight variations on the pump so I use Kama Long's and weighted sandbags to make sure I can level it out because there are different weight distributions because all the pumps our customer assembler has to fit Brian. exactly only then will you be able to lower it onto the chassis if mounted incorrectly the pump could unbalance the entire truck affecting its firefighting capabilities the pump is not yet positioned correctly it protrudes too far from one side of the black chassis Assembler Brian makes the necessary adjustments millimeter millimeter finally Leave the bomb on the ground.

Everything is in the right place. What I'll do is drop the cabin. The cabin will be quite close to the pump house. Here the pump house is on some insulators and I want to grab some. measurements to make sure we're the same distance on each side, making it square here so that when he comes down the line we don't have any problems with the fact that he's not afraid, it will soon become apparent. If the enforcers pump house is in the right place, there has to be a two inch gap between it and the cabin, and there it is.

Bryan has installed the pump exactly according to plan, very pleased that the pump followed the planned path with the square. Outside the cabin, so when you get down to the line, the body will be nice and square. The chassis has already been coupled with the cabin. The engine and pump house. Our fire truck is now taking shape, but the enforcers have the entire turntable. The ladder still needs to be assembled. This is where the so-called torque box comes into play. This is a tubular structure made of thick steel sheet. It forms the connection between the chassis and the rotating ladder.

The torque box stabilizes the truck when the antenna is in use. Provides storage for floor ladders. At the rear there is a large pedestal where the ladder will then sit. A team of three workers assembles the torque box onto the fire truck chassis. It is so big that one person cannot monitor everything at once. Two cranes lift the seven-ton monster into position while the black box still floats above the chassis. Workers snap the hydraulic hoses into place. They connect the engine to the turntable's pedestal, allowing it to move independently of the truck and gain access. Even in the most difficult fire scenes, time and again technicians have to intervene to ensure that there is no interference with the chassis, but in the end they get it in the correct position.

Another important step has been achieved. The fire truck is still missing its rear structure. called body, this is made in the sister factory in the fabrication shop, this shop makes the body from pre-cut aluminum sheets similar to the cab, workers clamp the sheets together to form the large side panels, this is called a lot of welding work follows. One day of work later and both side panels of the Enforcer truck are finished. Workers have to strictly respect the dimensions of the panels so that everything fits in the end. They use the detailed construction master plan as a reference.

The body needs a lot of storage space. For firefighter tools and hoses, the water tank will be installed in the middle protected by the side panels. The production manager's invoice is present for the body installation. It will now be determined if all teams have followed the 3D design specifications. studio and most of it on the chassis, all of our Moni angles are level and ready to go, so we're at that point in the shutdown phase where we're ready to pick this up and mount the body to the chassis for Bill, It's like a large puzzle made up of many individual pieces that gradually come together to form a complete picture.

The executor enters the decisive stage of final assembly. We are making sure that our platform at the back is level with the platform at the front so that We have the body level on each side and from front to back, we will make sure the body matches the pump and the cab, once it reaches that point, another critical moment for your colleagues in the manufacturing shop Complete your work accurately. The six-meter-long component sits correctly, well, production manager Bill directs his colleagues with centimeter precision. A small gap is desired between the cab pump and the body. He makes the Executor more flexible on rough roads, but the design as a whole doesn't include much forgiveness.

Finally, the body fits and is waiting for the next component to be installed. This task is performed by foreman Brock Rosendale. His job is to mount the Enforcer's 3,000-liter water tank into the body. If the tank swings uncontrollably toward one of the side body panels, it could be damaged. Brock takes it in stride, if all the dimensions are correct, it's not a difficult task for him, but care must be taken here as well. The cradles tolerance is only half an inch larger than the tank, so it is with the walls so close and so close. Well, Vince, inside the walls, it's pretty precise, so we're going slow and slow with the crane so that the bodywork, including the water tank, has been successfully installed, the fire truck is ready for the final steps and most important parts of the assembly, which include the application of the lettering and emblem of the future owners and the main sales territory of North America.

Great importance is attached to visual elements. A lot of time and attention to detail goes into this step. The design workshop creates all logos by hand. The letters are not simple. It is applied with normal paint, but is decorated with real gold leaf only if the client requests it. Of course, the executor is still missing a crucial component. The rotating staircase is built in the so-called aerial shot. The 33 meter long staircase is mounted on the pedestal of the torque box depending on the customer's order a large work platform or a remotely controlled nozzle is mounted on the tip new ladders are delivered to the aerial workshop several times a week a supplier located about 100 kilometers away in Kewanee Wisconsin manufactures revolving ladders.

All that arrives are the individual ladder segments, however, workers have to run all the wiring and install them ready for deployment in terms of floor space. The aerial workshop is the

largest

workshop in the entire factory. Jeremy Pahokee is responsible for the final assembly of the delivered ladder elements who directs his team the cables and control technology for each ladder Jeremy and his colleagues need an entire day to work the rotating ladder is a complicated and important component of the executor the elements of the ladder should not tip any cables Jeremy must also ensure that the ladder can move

free

ly and has enough play Pearse guarantees his clients that the 33 meter ladder can be extended in less than a minute it is very important that we test this ladder we put it and we take out we check all the experiences we have people observing all along the staircase everything as clear as possible and We will do this a couple of times and we will make sure that everything is correct;

Otherwise, we will make corrections and test the ladder on the ground beforeMounting it on the fire truck is important to detect any faults as soon as possible because making corrections is very difficult once the rotating ladder is mounted on the truck. Pearse offers a 20 year warranty on their revolving ladders, so things are going great with this one. They have a very simple design, very easy to assemble. For me, there aren't too many problems. He bumps into him. Pierce applies six different ladder lengths and, again, customization is key. The customer can also choose the color, control technology and type of tip he wants on his ladder.

The Pierce staircase can reach the tenth floor of a building. Made of high strength steel, this means it can withstand high loads on the tip of the antenna The robust construction of a ladder makes it heavy at the same time The torsion box structure transfers all air loads to the stabilizers The stabilizers maintain the truck in its proper position while operating the aerial device the Enforcer fire truck is now ready for the final step installation of the ladder this task is performed by Steve Auction well right now the most important part of all of this is to make sure that we do not We twist the ladder when lifting it under its own weight and keep our area safe, make sure no one walks under it in case the cranes fail anyway.

Steve and his colleague Cody Dean hang the 33 meter long ladder from two cranes. The installation begins although the size of this component requires millimeter precision to install it successfully. Steve has to insert a thin anchor cable into the swivel anchor at an angle. particular has no devices to help him only the experienced and attentive eyes of his colleague Cody a doubt First, the assembler lowers the swivel ladder until it is approximately in position, then begins to make fine adjustments so that he can place the swivel anchor in the swivel anchor point, so I'm just trying to get the right angle between the front and back.

In order to start lowering it, it would be bad if something broke, these pieces are very expensive. The electrician starts to lower the platform very slowly because it is a matter of millimeters. Colleague Cody tries to find the correct position of the upper platform of the ladder to fit into the anchor pins of the rotating module I lift the front well the installation fails in this last critical point it is a matter of millimeters things go better the second time but the connector cable is causing problems it does not work with these spacers I can never see, even if I lower it a little and then the advance, the ladder cable is inserted into the correct connection of the rotating module of the torsion box twenty minutes later, the ladder sits majestically on top of the executor.

I mean, we had a little problem. I tried to get the swivel anchor up to the swivel but everything went very well, the team still has to make the cable connections and firmly screw the ladder into place, but then the executioner truck is custom finished according to the wishes of the customer. It's a very nice challenge. It's great to be a part of doing something a little different every day. We design it for clients. the right framework for this particular truck and make sure we meet what the customer is looking for before the executor is handed over to the customer for its first test, the company has its own proving ground for this purpose in this engineering manager of construction Dan Reiter tests the executors pump, runs it for two hours at maximum power, an incredible 5,600 liters of water flow through the connecting pipes every minute, this is the volume that each pump must deliver when fighting a fire and it continues to do so for many years, but it stops working.

Raid will start investigating it if we have something that is not connected properly. Is there a flaw in the palm? Something is not connected properly so we started doing a little research to see why it is not pumping correctly, the water being pumped through the system is not. It is wasted but the sensors recirculate detect any irregularity in the pumping operation but everything runs smoothly with the executor Today, a momentous occasion, the fire truck is about to leave the factory grounds for the first time. One of the most important features of this fire truck is the special axle suspension system is designed to allow emergency services to reach their destination faster because it allows cornering at higher speeds.

Today's host is David Hutchins. He drives the enforcer around Appleton for a test drive and then heads to the gated testing area. Here, a bumpy, bumpy obstacle course awaits the technician. Does it meet the promised suspension travel of 25 centimeters? The expensive axle system fully meets expectations. The second important test for the final task is passed. The David tester connects the executor to a water supply to the pump. He engages the torque box stabilizers, now it's time for the rotating ladder and the remotely controlled nozzle at its tip. David controls the ladder as he would during a real emergency from the turntable control panel, it should take less than 60 seconds.

To fully extend the ladder, all cables are properly secured. Everything must work perfectly to work when it matters. The ladder is extended gently during this test. David and his colleague maneuver the ladder into position for the final test. The pump is working. The flowing water. David sprays. water comes out of the remotely controlled nozzle in different configurations and we have no leaks the ladder is working well the long rotating ladder works perfectly in all configurations and has no defects the colleagues at the aerial workshop have done their job well a new fire The truck passed its third and final test and will be delivered shortly to the client.

The Enforcer is finished as planned and performs well in every test. It took approximately three months to build and Appleton's new truck will be handed over to another group of brave souls. firefighters and can expect to save lives in service for the next 25 years.