Case Study Highlight: How Kaishan USA Eliminated Downtime and Saved Cornerstone $25K Per Hour

Posted July 29, 2025

Client: Cornerstone Building Brands — one of North America’s largest manufacturers of exterior building products, including vinyl siding, with a major production facility in Jasper, Tennessee.

The Challenge

At Cornerstone’s Jasper plant, compressed air powers critical production lines—yielding approximately $25,000 in product output per hour. Their previous compressor failed catastrophically after just 900 hours, leading to an eight‑month downtime and $30,000/month in rental costs. Shortly after, a second drive failure was estimated to cost $130,000—and the equipment couldn’t even reach the required pressure level (only hitting 95–97 PSIG).

The Solution

Enter Kaishan USA: After local distributor Air & Hydraulic Equipment (Chattanooga) repaired the failing unit at a fraction of the quoted price, Cornerstone selected a 350‑HP Kaishan KRSP2 premium rotary screw compressor with variable-speed drive (VSD). Installed to deliver higher capacity, efficiency, and robust performance, the new unit restored reliability to the plant.

Outstanding Results

Zero unplanned shutdowns (“crickets” was how Cornerstone described the quiet perfection of operation).
Eliminated rental fees and avoided additional repair costs.
The VSD enables significant electricity savings, even though not yet fully quantified.
The compressor operates above the required 110 PSIG, adding margin for extra tasks like water removal before packaging.
Improved plant morale and safety—higher compressed air consistency reduced frustrating downtime and risk during nail gun operation.
Maintenance Manager Konnor Kruse gained credibility within Cornerstone’s operations leadership by resolving chronic compressor issues Kaishan USA.

Why It Matters

This case is a testament to how Kaishan USA’s reliable, high-performance air technology and local service partnerships can minimize costly downtime, cut overhead, and empower industrial facilities to perform confidently and safely.

Stay Connected

Interested in reading the full case study or viewing installation details? You can access the complete Cornerstone Building Brands case study on Kaishan USA’s website.

Full Article Link: https://kaishanusa.com/cornerstone-building-brands/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=2025_Newsletter