Thad kept the aging control system (1987 ABB PAD 4 Veritron DC Drives with Square D PLC) on my Pilot Paper Machine running well for the last decade with exceptional service and cost. He recently upgraded the system to ABB DCS800 Drives with the ABB AC500 ECO PLC and two ABB 10 inch ECO CP600 Process Panels. The existing cabinets and operators’ stations were reused, rather than replaced, saving time and money. The whole project, including startup, was as smooth as I’ve ever seen. Also, the nice part about this project is that all the ABB software was FREE: Drive Windows Light, Automation Builder and Basic Panel Builder. The AC500 ECO PLC uses the powerful international programming language IEC 61131-3, and in this case, the programming was done using Sequential Function Chart (SFC). We have already begun to seamlessly add process control system loops to the ABB AC500 PLC and look forward to adding more in the future.
Ray Appleby
Director, Pilot Operations
Paper and Bioprocess Engineering Department
State University of New York
College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Thad Szczurek has proven many times throughout the years that he is dependable and knowledgeable. His attention to detail is extremely impressive. Thad is very safety conscious and will readily identify areas of concern (without jeopardizing professionalism and teamwork). He is very experienced with all facets of paper machine drives systems which is enormously helpful during startup and commissioning. In my opinion, Thad is part of the “A-Team”. He has been involved in all of drive upgrades for both paper machines which include the following ABB drives which interface to the ABB AC400 series DCS system: ACV700, ACS800, ACS880, DCS600 & DCS800
Richard Marcin
Senior Corporate Project Manager
Dunn Paper
KTJ Technologies is our Go-To resource when it comes to troubleshooting and commissioning. Thad has helped us out of Jams on many occasions. His knowledge and professionalism are on the highest levels. He was instrumental in upgrading our existing 12 2500 HP ABB ACV700 drives to ABB ACS800 Multidrive for our Rolling Mill which interfaces to our ABB DCS System. He is also very responsive whether quoting new drives, spare parts, ABB factory repairs or ABB low voltage products.
Dan Algar
Rolling Mill Electrical Supervisor
Nucor Auburn
In 2014, the Onondaga County Water District faced a dilemma when our 1960s vintage GE 1250 HP DC drive failed. The failed drive was mated to a finished water pump which supplies drinking water to residents in 5 counties in the Central New York region. Service on the existing drive was expensive and difficult in that replacement parts were scarce as the existing drive components were obsolete. KTJ Technologies developed an economical solution that would replace the existing GE DC Drive with an ABB DCS800 Drive utilizing the existing GE cabinet and footprint. KTJ worked with our controls integrator to design and replace the existing, antiquated pump control valve relay logic which was tied into the existing drive control. The solution utilized remote I/O for the pump control valve and drive control which tied into our existing SCADA system. The solution saved us time, money and provided a more robust and user friendly product.
Jeffrey D. Bookman
Water Plant Manager
Onondaga County Water District
KTJ Technologies, has been my “Ace in the hole” for many years and for many issues. Thad is very safety oriented and has no problem adhering to our policies. Thad’s knowledge and understanding of so many different drives, including commissioning new drives, re-commissioning old drives, the use of specialized equipment to “dig deep” into a problem, the ability to remote in and help over the phone really saves time and money by eliminating travel time and expenses. I highly recommend having him as a solid resource for complex system issues.
Bruce Miller
Nucor Florida
Rolling Mill Electrical Lead/Automation Engineer
For nearly 20 years Thad Szczurek has helped us resolve countless system breakdowns. He is always reachable any time of day or night and even on weekends. Thad’s knowledge of our ABB ACS800, DCS800, ACV700, DCV700, ACS500, and DCS500 drives enables him to walk us through the necessary steps of troubleshooting, and in most cases we can resolve issues over the phone. Many years ago we had a problem with intermittent phantom stops for Stands 7-14 (ACV700 2500 HP Drives) and Thad set traps in the APC (PLC) which triggered necessary data to determine the problem so that it could be corrected. The problem was eventually traced to a communication watchdog timer that was set to low between the ACV700 drives and the ABB AC450 Distributed Control System. With his assistance we have been able to significantly reduce mill downtime while properly maintaining and upgrading equipment.
Jim Schramek
Controls Engineer ll
Charter Steel
Cleveland, OH
KTJ (Thad) has provided great service for ABB model DCV700, DCS800 & ACS800 series drives.
KTJ provides remote diagnostics – quick response time – day or night – if problem not resolvable Thad will travel 3 hours to location. Many years ago I sent Thad all of the plants DCV700 and ACS800 drive drawings. (Over 40 drives) In PDF form – this allows access to the schematics thus reducing downtime. {Instead of sending the drawings when the problem arises.}
Over the years I have allowed Thad access to our laptop that has the connection device to the various drives thru a product called Team Viewer. Thad can review the events, alarms and settings as if he was onsite. He then Informs me as to what needs to replaced or tested. This provides a quicker up-time.
William Zilgme
Republic Steel
Blasdell, NY