Electricity and Control February 2020

PLANT MAINTENANCE, TEST + MEASUREMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Cableway maintenance Pragma recently secured Table Mountain Aerial Cableway as a new On Key EAMS (enterprise asset management system) client. Jean Goussard, Solutions Engineer at Pragma said, “We are honoured to partner with Table Mountain Aerial Cableway’s Technical team. We aim to help them ensure that the cableway operation remains in tiptop condition to safely glide up and down Table Mountain, providing tourists with a memorable experience.” A modern cableway is a complex system with diverse components which have varying maintenance requirements and replacement cycles. Apart from the general inherent mechanical demands of such systems, the location of the Table Mountain Cableway presents aggravating factors such as the ‘Cape Doctor’s’ gusting winds, the moist environment from clouds billowing over the mountainside, and the corrosive effects of the nearby Atlantic, all of which contribute to its intensive maintenance programme. Weather permitting, the Cableway transports 800 people per operational hour from the base station to the top of Table Mountain. The two cable cars each carry a maximum of 65 passengers per trip, a weight of up to 5 200 kg per car, while the floors of the circular cabins rotate to allow travellers to enjoy 360° views. To best manage these demands and still guarantee the safety of the cableway, an annual shutdown takes place in July/August when scheduled maintenance is performed.

For continuous care and regular maintenance throughout the year, the ability to accurately plan, control and execute refined maintenance schedules will further enhance the reliability and availability of this national asset. For some of the more critical components, the use of modern technologies and tools are key for real-time monitoring of the health of these items. Such technologies will assist with the early detection of potential risks or failures, and data collected in this way can be analysed and used to identify trends that feed into advanced maintenance plans. Emile Streicher, Executive Manager - Technical at the Cableway says, “The On Key system’s superior planning and scheduling functions, along with Pragma’s expertise with implementation and support were pivotal in our decision to select it as our enterprise asset management system. In addition, we plan to implement condition monitoring technologies on some of the critical equipment

to monitor health and provide in- time warnings should preventative maintenance be required.”

For more information visit: www.on-key.com

Pragma is working with Table Mountain Aerial Cableway’s Technical team to keep the cableway operation in top condition.