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October 18 2023
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Cowin Moves Into Its New Facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The entrance receives a fresh look, and a reconfigured parts and rental counter greets customers as they visit the rebuilt Cowin Tuscaloosa branch.
In July 2017, Cowin Equipment Company opened the doors on its new location in the Tuscaloosa, Ala., market. The branch was thriving and truly was “hitting a its stride” when a devastating electrical fire broke out just four years after opening. The electrical fire started in the office area and spread throughout the ductwork and destroyed the entire facility. The Cowin staff immediately put in a portable trailer on the equipment yard adjacent to the burned facility to serve as parts and sales offices and rented an available shop nearby for service work. Staffers all pitched in to move anything that was salvageable to storage while some of the service work that needed immediate attention was completed outdoors with the technicians braving the elements. After the fire, the structure was completely gutted and stripped down to a steel skeleton, and the interior was redesigned with extensions to the building incorporated into the design. In the rebuild, the entrance area was completely reconfigured to include extra room for the rental department and parts and service desk, and a bit of room for a showroom and some front-line product racking area, as well as more accessible sales offices. see COWIN page 2
Wet weather impacts have been significantly less during this summer, as compared with the previous two.
By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Enviva Inc., a leading producer of sustainably sourced woody biomass, has selected the remote town of Epes, Ala., for its largest wood pellet production plant to date. “We don’t even have a caution light, that’s how rural we are,” said Epes Mayor Walter Porter. “Our population is about 400. There isn’t a retail store here, so this new plant brings real opportunity.” The project was announced almost four years ago. Enviva acquired more than 300 acres in the Epes Industrial Park, located next to the Tombigbee River in Sumter County. “We began construction last year in what will be a 1.1 million metric tons per year nameplate capacity plant,” said Mark Coscio, Enviva chief development officer and executive vice president. “We believe this plant will increase our production capacity by approximately 18 percent. “The rich fiber basket and supply in Alabama, along with favorable transport logistics and a great local workforce, are some of the key factors, which initially made the project sustainable and attractive.” The company chose to repurpose a former business site
and construct a new manufacturing facility to jumpstart economic growth and bring employment opportunities back to Sumter County. Once operational, the Epes plant is expected to support approximately 100 direct jobs and 250 indirect jobs, including through adjacent industries, such as logging, trucking and shipping. “Our wood biomass provides a sustainable substitute to fossil fuels for power and heat generation and is part of an all-in renewable energy strategy aimed at reducing carbon emissions on a lifecycle basis and limiting global dependence on fossil fuels,” said Coscio. “The key driver of demand is the global energy transition mega trend; that is, the transition away from an economy that has been primarily powered by fossil fuels to one based on renewables and clean energy alternatives. What we’re seeing around the world, including here in the U.S., is a global effort to change the outcomes of the way energy is sourced and produced.” Gov. Kay Ivey and Rep. Terri Sewell were among those turning out for the official groundbreaking for the new plant, which is expected to be in service by mid-2024, with production fully ramped by 2025. see ENVIVA page 6
Page 2 • October 18, 2023 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
New Volvo excavators of many sizes are on the lot and ready for delivery.
Some of the people keeping the various departments rolling at the Tuscaloosa branch (L-R) are Matt Sanders, product support manager; Clay Jones, rental manager; and Joel Pearce, parts manager.
Cowin Equipment Rebuilds Following Devastating Fire COWIN from page 1
To accommodate the staff, a large breakroom and a technician locker room were added. The two-story parts storage area was completely revamped and now provides extra room for racking smaller items and common use products such as filters on the lower floor, and everything else on the second-floor parts mezzanine. For power outages, a generator system was added to serve the entire facility on a moment’s notice, and a fire suppression system was installed. The service area was substantially expanded to include one more bay with a higher roofline with two-bay doors to accommodate the larger off-road trucks and excavators and is served by a 7.5-ton overhead crane. A spacious covered outdoor open air shop area was created to the rear of the facility to allow for overflow service and covered machine storage. The rebuild gave the company the opportunity to address some needs for expanding and for adding a bit of a more “modern touch” to the Tuscaloosa facility. Plans that had already been on the drawing board were incorporated after the fire. A few months ago, the temporary trailer was removed and the Cowin – Tuscaloosa branch staffers began the process of moving things into the new facility.
According to Cowin Product Support Manager Matt Sanders, “We have a great group of selfless guys that braved a lot of events during the rebuild of the facility. It wasn’t the most ideal situation to do business. Despite all the madness, we were able to have our best product support year ever, and business was good throughout the whole rebuild and move in.
“We’re in a really nice facility now and fortunate to work for a company like Cowin. Can’t say enough about how grateful we are to Jamie Cowin for his commitment and investment in us and the Tuscaloosa market,” added Sanders. CEG (All photographs in this article are Copyright 2023 Construction Equipment Guide. All Rights Reserved.)
A devastating fire occurred just two years ago.
The new parts racking system on the lower level of the parts area.
Another Grove crane rental prepares to depart the Tuscaloosa yard.
The shop addition meshed well with the previous facility design.
Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • October 18, 2023 • Page 3
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Page 4 • October 18, 2023 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • October 18, 2023 • Page 5
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MOBILE 30950 State Hwy 181 Spanish Fort, AL 365277 (251) 626-5100
OXFORD/A D/ANNISTON 2300 Hwy 21 S Oxford, AL 36203 (256) 831-4104
THOMASVILLE 2501 Joe Davis Industrial B Blvd Thomasville, AL 36784 (334) 636-0420
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BIRMINGHAM 2401 Pinson Highway Birmingham, AL 35217 ( ) 841-8601 (205)
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Contact youurr Thompson TTrractor sales rep,, visit the store location nearest to you o or go to our website: thompson ntractor.com. © 2023 Caterpillarr. All Rights Reserve ed. CA AT, CATERPILLAR, LET’S DO THE WORK, their re espective logos, “Caterpillar Corporate Yellow”, the “Power Edge” and Cat “Modern Hex” trade dress as wellll as corporate t and d product d t id ide entity Caterpillar tit used d hherein, i are ttrademarks d k off C t ill and d may nott bbe used d without ith t permission. i i www.cat.com t m / www.caterpillar t ill r..com
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Page 6 • October 18, 2023 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Enviva’s New Manufacturing Facility Due to Open in 2024 ENVIVA from page 1
“It was exciting to celebrate with so many friends and stakeholders alike at the groundbreaking ceremony,” said Coscio. “We expect to play an important role in this very special community for many years to come. We expect our Epes plant will be one of the largest taxpayers in the county, resulting in economic stimulation for the community, leading to prospects such as funding for programs like road maintenance and schools, as well as safety and emergency services.” The EVA-1100 design has a vertically integrated milling, pelletizing and pellet cooling process, which is entirely enclosed in a 120-ft. tall steel building, which also houses the control room and lab. Because of the number of interfaces between construction crafts and the vertical nature of the project, the longest path of construction runs through erection of the structure and the equipment inside. “Our greatest challenge is ensuring our suppliers meet their delivery dates and contractors meet their installation schedule,” said Coscio. “The construction industry is very
A total of 208,000 cu. yds. of dirt will be relocated around the property to provide a safe working area and promote stormwater drainage.
busy right now, and the availability of qualified construction personnel is also something that has to be actively managed.” Currently, contractors are performing earthwork activities, installing storm water piping, underground utilities and foundations and renovating existing facilities. Already crews have cut and placed 194,000 cu. yds. of dirt, and installed 1,186 rigid inclusion piles, along with 51 drilled shaft deep foundations, 80 ft. of electrical duct bank and 325 ft. of underground pipe. Workers also have completed the first concrete pour. Tasks remaining include underground utilities, foundations, structural steel erection, mechanical equipment setting, as well as electrical and controls installation and commissioning. “The previous owner hosted an auction to sell most of the onsite equipment,” said Coscio. “Enviva contracted construction crews to help facilitate clearing and grubbing of the new woodyard area, structural demolition and demolition of unusable utilities. Enviva has also partnered with the county to dredge the existing barge slip area, which had significant silt accumulation.”
A total of 208,000 cu. yds. of dirt will be relocated around the property to provide a safe working area and promote stormwater drainage. Heavy machinery and materials being used on the site include dozers, trackhoes, off-road dump trucks, triaxle dump trucks, water trucks, a 100-ton crane, a 65-ton crane, pipe fusion machines and welding machines. Coscio said that wet weather impacts have been significantly less during this summer, as compared with the previous two. “The past months have been very dry. Although the dry weather has helped with minimizing downtime, the soil conditions in this site require water to deter dust and loosen a subsurface chalk layer that’s unique to this area of Alabama. It’s called the ‘white cliffs of Epes’ because this chalk layer is visible along the banks of the Tombigbee Waterway.” Sumter County Commissioner Marcus Campbell said the impact of the new mill can’t be overstated. “It’s a huge deal for Sumter County. We’re looking forward to the boost in employment in our region and are excited at the prospect of a new revenue base. Sumter County will also have additional opportunities to form strong ties and partnerships with Enviva, which will cultivate opportunities for additional partnerships with other companies, as well as foster continued community support. Everyone is full of excitement and optimism.” “The community, local agencies and organizations alike have welcomed us with open arms from the start,” added Coscio.“We’ve gone through a
Enviva chose to repurpose a former business site and construct a new manufacturing facility to jumpstart economic growth and bring employment opportunities back to Sumter County.
pandemic together, and while we know there were doubts about the plant construction plans becoming a reality, we can’t thank the Epes community enough for its strong support.” CEG (All photos courtesy of Enviva Inc.)
Enviva acquired more than 300 acres in the Epes Industrial Park, located next to the Tombigbee River in Sumter County.
Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • October 18, 2023 • Page 7
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