Large Publishing Facility
Claims Professional, Attorneys, Equipment Damage Experts, Forensic Scientists & Engineers, Businesses
Scenario
This loss involved fire and smoke damage to fourteen (14) commercial printing presses ($15M each) for a company that publishes several international known catalogues and magazines.
Overall the facility was comprised of several buildings totaling nearly 2 million square feet. A fire occurred in one (1) of the presses although during the fire fighting efforts the doors connecting the buildings housing the remaining presses were opened to exhaust the smoke and ensure no other hotspots were presents. Unfortunately as a result, corrosive contamination coated all but one (1) press. In addition, to the presses, a multitude of other pieces of equipment were also contaminated including palletizers, stackers, electrical sub-stations and control panels.
Challenge
Due to the potential size of the loss and the exorbitant business interruption that could be incurred, an emergency site inspection was made. LWG examined the equipment and worked with the insured and the general adjuster on-site to make the necessary arrangements and decisions to return the facility to partial operations as soon as possible. LWG then proceeded to evaluate the presses and develop a program of professional decontamination and repairs necessary to return the facility to a pre-loss condition.
Outcome
In order to quantify the levels of contamination and confirm the levels of exposure, LWG performed chemical analysis to determine the constituents of the by-products of combustion as well as the extent of contamination. This information was then utilized by the consultants to develop recommendations for the proper decontamination of equipment (both electrical and mechanical). Once a restoration contractor was contracted, LWG continued to maintain close quality control to ensure complete removal of contaminants, verifying the equipment is returned to a pre-loss condition with no lasting issues related to the loss. Project is still on-going but based on current progress and projections, total loss will not exceed $10,000,000.