Capital Equipment News December 2015

LIFTING

components, something the Eden mobile gantry cranes are ideally-suited to,” he says.

In addition to its international product of- fering, EMCO has also developed a proudly South African cable-free, battery-powered industrial transfer car. Andeweg points out that traditional, electrically-powered indus- trial transfer cars, come standard with 10 m to 20 m-long power cables, rated at be- tween 380 V and 500 V. These are not only restrictive, but are also a safety hazard. “The cars can only run as far as the cables allow them to, and high-voltage cables run- ning for extended distances across work- shop floors can prove to be hazardous ob- structions to other tasks taking place under the same roof. The battery-powered EMCO industrial transfer car simultaneously elim- inates both of these hazards, while saving on overall energy costs, thanks to the low charging time (three hours) to enable up to ten hours of operation,” Andeweg states. The battery-operated EMCO industrial transfer car also eliminates the risk of using forklifts to move items that they are not de- signed to move. “Forklift drivers sometimes carry uneven loads at high speed to move items from one factory or storage facility to the next. This creates a tipping risk, which in turn creates a safety hazard to everyone in the near vicinity,” Andeweg comments. The concept of a battery-powered industri- al transfer car is still relatively-new on an international scale, and Andeweg is confi- dent that it will be well-received particularly in South Africa, which has well-established heavy engineering and manufacturing infra- structure. “The physical structure of the vehicle re- mains unchanged, and battery sizes range between 12 V and 48 V, depending on the size of the car, which will be manufactured locally. This ensures sustainable job cre- ation, as well as a cost saving of up to ten percent, when compared to standard cars. Bearing this in mind, we have already re- ceived a design request from a large manu- facturing facility in South Africa. This places us in good stead for future growth,” he con- cludes.

Another unique aspect of the cranes is that they can be cabin or remotely-operat- ed. Andeweg says, “Sometimes, operator vision is impeded when working from the cabin. In this case, it is far more effective to operate the machine from another angle using remote control. The cranes also boast advanced condition monitoring systems whereby all data is sent to the manufacturer. This helps to ensure that the cranes are be- ing properly handled, and also simplifies the maintenance process.” The cranes move on either 1,5 m or 2 m diameter wheels fitted with industrial tyres inflated to 10 bar pressure in order to en- sure greater mobility while carrying a load in challenging terrain, even with inclines of up to 6 degrees. The cranes are also modular, and are therefore shipped in standard 20 ft to 40 ft containers, depending on individual customer specifications. Andeweg highlights that highly-qualified and experienced EMCO technicians assemble the crane as part of the company’s value-added service offering. “After the client provides precise crane specifications, it takes between 16 and 20 weeks for the machine to be manufac- tured in Italy, with another five to eight week shipping period, which is competitive. After arriving onsite, it takes around ten days to assemble the machine and to train staff on its operation, including disassembly, in case

the crane has to be moved to another site. We also boast a comprehensive network of service technicians, in the event of any fail- ures,” he notes. Given the truly unique characteristics of the Eden mobile gantry crane range, Andeweg indicates that there is no similar competitor in the local market. Although this represents an industry breakthrough, he does admit that it is a challenge to change the industry mind-set to convert from the current avail- able technology in Africa, to a new and un- familiar one. “In challenging economic times it is difficult to convince operations to spend capital on new technology. However, the long-term cost advantages of doing so far outweigh the perceived disadvantages. With this in mind, I am optimistic that the cranes will be well-re- ceived in heavy industrial manufacturing fa- cilities, where large items of equipment are moved from one point to another, and also in the construction of dams and road and railway bridges across Africa,” he adds. With considerable investment being placed in power generation, Andeweg believes that this industry holds considerable potential. “Once Medupi and Kusile power plants are fully-operational, the older plants can be shut down for comprehensive maintenance, which involves the moving of generators and

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