Modern Mining Marchh 2017

PRODUCT News

The use of hoists for vertical transporta- tion of personnel and materials is gaining traction across a wide range of industries, including the construction and mining sectors. Quentin van Breda, MD of SA French, says the increased popularity is because Hoists gaining traction for vertical movement on sites one of the primary challenges on any site is the need to move both people and mate- rials to levels where critical activities need to be performed, and this has to be done safely while maximising productivity.

wide footprint,” Schneiderman continues. “In addition, we enjoy a good relationship with the senior management, which is always available to offer any assistance or advice. The company also has fully-trained and skilled technicians on hand to facilitate any repairs or maintenance.” Goscor Group, tel (+27 11) 230-2600 Vertical transport solutions need to comply with the most stringent safety parameters and the hoists supplied by SA French incorporate advanced security safety including speed regulators and an overspeed emergency braking system. SA French, tel (+27 11) 822-8782 The challenge is to provide safe, efficient vertical travel on a project while it is being constructed. A recent example where a hoist sup- plied by SA French provided a best fit logistical vertical lifting solution is at Kusile Power Station. The company sup- plied man/materials hoists to Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Africa and this purpose engineered single mast hoist is equipped with two separate cages. One has a 2 t capacity to carry personnel, while the other is capable of carrying 3,2 t of material. Significantly, both cages operate simultaneously increasing productivity; while the configuration of the hoist also allows for materials to be loaded by forklift, further speeding up the operation. An example within the mining sector is the recent supply of two 0,5 t passenger hoists to a copper mine in Zambia. These two hoists will be responsible for mov- ing personnel, together with light tools and equipment, up the shaft headgear framework.

Many sites make use of tower cranes to handle heavy loads, and move these across a wide area on the site. This mode of materials handling, however, cannot be justified for smaller components such as scaffolding material and other equipment. Also, tower cranes cannot move personnel to various levels. “The traditional method of moving such equipment manually is not productive at all, and often results in excessive standing time with the associated loss of productiv- ity, and even worse can increase unsafe work practice on a site,”van Breda explains. The contractor’s challenge is to find a piece of lifting equipment that will trans- port both men and materials to various levels on multi-storey constructions, and one that will reduce the manual handling as well as the consequential risk of injury. Hoists not only fit the profile for this type of lifting activity but can also travel at a speed that is effective and safe. “Often the vertical lifting of men and materials is not appreciated in terms of the complexity it adds to logistics on a con- struction or mining site,” van Breda says.

A hoist on display at SA French’s Midrand premises.

Goscor access equipment assists on key projects The modern fleet maintained by Goscor Access Rental, combined with its high avail- ability and uptime, has resulted in Tubular Plant Hire enjoying an important rental relationship with the company since April 2013.

These services focus on mining pro- cesses, the planning, management and execution of turnkey projects, and the supply, installation and commission- ing of electrical and instrumentation infrastructure. “Our rental relationship

Tubular Plant Hire is a division of Tubular Technical Construction, wholly-owned by Tubular Holdings. To date, the company has utilised Goscor Access Rental products successfully at the Kalagadi manganese mine in the Northern Cape and at the Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga. “Our focus, both abroad and within the local marketplace, is aimed predominantly at the manufacturing and construction sec- tors.The group, together with its competent, motivated management teams, is responsi- ble for an array of specialist services,” Craig Schneiderman, Tubular Holdings, Group Procurement Manager, comments.

with Goscor Access Rental focuses mainly on the hire of telehandlers and cherry pickers,” Schneiderman explains. This relationship was established as long ago as April 2013, with the hire of two cherry pickers, namely a Genie S85 RT and a Z135 RT. “What sets Goscor Access Rental apart is also that it is able to provide com- prehensive ser vice and support across its country-

Tubular Plant Hire has utilised Goscor Access Rental products suc- cessfully at the Kalagadi manganese mine in the Northern Cape.

44  MODERN MINING  March 2017