A piece of a slug catcher is held by a crane at Taylor Forge on Monday. Several pieces of metallic coil used to line similar pipe recently were stolen from the industrial site at 208 N. Iron St. (Photo by Gene Morris / gmorris@miconews.com)
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Police look into $100,000 Taylor Forge theft
Twenty-five to 35 metallic coils of welding material taken from industrial plant sometime within past two months
By Brian McCauley, bmccauley@miconews.com
The recent completion of the largest project ever tackled by Taylor Forge Engineered Systems of Paola has been followed by an internal and police investigation into the theft of about $100,000 worth of material.
President Mike Kilkenny said 25 to 35 metallic coils of Inconel welding material were taken from the industrial plant at 208 N. Iron St. sometime during the past two months. The coils were being used to line the inside of pipeline manifolds that are connected to create a slug catcher, which is one of the company’s main products.
A slug catcher is used to connect offshore pipeline to land, and it separates the gas and oil, Kilkenny said.
The company has spent more than two years working on its most recent project, which currently is being shipped to Qatar in the Persian Gulf. Kilkenny said the project is worth about $25 million.
Kilkenny said the employee who typically keeps a close watch on inventory recently was gone for surgery, opening the door for the apparent theft. Kilkenny was told earlier this year that it appeared the company would not have leftover coils as anticipated, but he became even more suspicious after discovering that the company had just enough coils to complete the project, but the rest were taken.
He assumes that the increasing price for nickel got the best of one of his employees.
“When we started, it was about $20 a pound, and now it’s over $40 a pound,” Kilkenny said.
The coils are nickel-based, and they weigh about 120 pounds, which is why Kilkenny thinks they were stolen in small increments over time.
“If I was stealing them, I wouldn’t steal them all at once,” he said.
The Paola Police Department has gotten involved in the investigation, and Kilkenny hopes that a few early leads will result in the apprehension of the thief. He recently heard from a scrap dealer in the Kansas City area who said someone was inquiring about how much they could get for about 30 pieces of Inconel material, but he still has not tracked down a name.
“The dollar value bothers me, but finding the right person is more important,” Kilkenny said.
Anyone with information about the theft can call the police department at 259-3640.
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President Mike Kilkenny said 25 to 35 metallic coils of Inconel welding material were taken from the industrial plant at 208 N. Iron St. sometime during the past two months. The coils were being used to line the inside of pipeline manifolds that are connected to create a slug catcher, which is one of the company’s main products.
A slug catcher is used to connect offshore pipeline to land, and it separates the gas and oil, Kilkenny said.
The company has spent more than two years working on its most recent project, which currently is being shipped to Qatar in the Persian Gulf. Kilkenny said the project is worth about $25 million.
Kilkenny said the employee who typically keeps a close watch on inventory recently was gone for surgery, opening the door for the apparent theft. Kilkenny was told earlier this year that it appeared the company would not have leftover coils as anticipated, but he became even more suspicious after discovering that the company had just enough coils to complete the project, but the rest were taken.
He assumes that the increasing price for nickel got the best of one of his employees.
“When we started, it was about $20 a pound, and now it’s over $40 a pound,” Kilkenny said.
The coils are nickel-based, and they weigh about 120 pounds, which is why Kilkenny thinks they were stolen in small increments over time.
“If I was stealing them, I wouldn’t steal them all at once,” he said.
The Paola Police Department has gotten involved in the investigation, and Kilkenny hopes that a few early leads will result in the apprehension of the thief. He recently heard from a scrap dealer in the Kansas City area who said someone was inquiring about how much they could get for about 30 pieces of Inconel material, but he still has not tracked down a name.
“The dollar value bothers me, but finding the right person is more important,” Kilkenny said.
Anyone with information about the theft can call the police department at 259-3640.