Just off a busy roadway in South Charleston, W.Va., one of Appalachian Power Company’s (APCo) most valuable resources, the Central Machine Shop (CMS), works behind the scenes to help deliver safe, reliable electric service through efficient operations and in-house expertise.

CMS supports critical generation and transmission equipment through specialized repair, maintenance, machining and field services for APCo and other AEP operating companies.

Established in 1974, the facility has expanded several times to meet the growing needs of the company. It now includes 230,000 square feet of floor space, 200-ton overhead crane capacity and 100-ton machine lathe capacity.

While much of the work CMS employees perform happens out of sight, customers benefit when equipment is repaired quickly, plants operate efficiently and crews have the tools they need to restore service safely.

Innovation that restores service faster and delivers savings

The skill and expertise of CMS employees make them a trusted resource for solving some of the company's most complex operational challenges. From repairing critical equipment in power plants to fabricating components in-house and supporting crews in the field, their work helps keep operations running efficiently while reducing delays and controlling costs.

When CMS saw an opportunity to work with the transmission team to solve a long-standing challenge, employees got to work. The result was the Emergency Restoration Structure Container (ERSC) program, designed to give transmission crews quick access to the numerous tools and equipment they need when responding to damage in remote locations.

Transmission repairs often take crews off the beaten path, into outlying areas far from APCo’s service centers and storerooms. While crews may know damage exists, they do not always know the full scope of repairs until they arrive on site. If additional tools, materials or equipment are needed, retrieving them can mean a lengthy trip before work can continue, adding valuable time to the repair process.

To help address that challenge, employees from APCo's CMS, led by Senior Coordinator Aimee Pyles, developed the ERSC program. Each 20-by-8-foot container is stocked with up to 18,000 pounds of tools and equipment commonly needed for emergency transmission repairs, giving crews quick access to critical materials when and where they are needed most.

Preloaded and ready to deploy, the containers can be delivered directly to a job site, giving crews immediate access to critical materials, reducing travel time, helping speed repairs and supporting cost-conscious restoration work.

Transmission Line Manager Austin Harris has seen the value of the tool and equipment containers firsthand.

“Due to the nature of our infrastructure, assets are exposed to extreme weather, and failures can happen with little to no notice,” Harris said.

“Our goal is always to restore service as safely and quickly as possible for our customers,” he added. “The ERSCs provide the materials we need in a timely and organized manner. They reduce the time and cost of locating materials across our storeroom network and give crews a single source that is readily deployable to the job site.”

Pyles said the containers also help deliver savings to customers. “Because we are an internal source for these materials, we can provide what crews need more quickly and pass along the cost savings of doing that work in house,” she said.

Delivering value for customers

For customers, the value of CMS comes down to reliability and affordability. By performing specialized repair, maintenance and machining work in-house, APCo can reduce reliance on outside vendors, shorten repair timelines and manage costs responsibly.

That behind-the-scenes capability helps keep power plants operating efficiently and critical equipment ready when customers need it most. Faster repairs, fewer delays and well-maintained equipment all support the dependable electric service customers rely on.