Kier Infrastructure reduces crane downtime by using a bespoke lifting beam
Using the heavy-duty lifting beam increased the maximum permitted windspeed from 6mps to 8mps for standard size formwork, with a further increase when using smaller sized forms.
Kier Infrastructure improves efficiency with britlift
A leading UK construction and infrastructure services company has improved efficiency by reducing crane downtime.
Kier Infrastructure is the major civil engineering arm of Kier Group, operating throughout the UK on standalone major projects and frameworks, ranging between £2m and £2.6bn in value.
In approaching Britlift Ltd., Kier Infrastructure were looking for a specialist design engineer, and manufacturer of lifting equipment, to produce a bespoke lifting beam that was specifically designed to add enough weight to the lifting operation, to increase the maximum permitted wind speed at the coastal site.
As a result of increasing the maximum permitted wind speed crane downtime has been reduced, which increases productivity.
Kier Infrastructure said “To facility construction of a reinforced concrete building the Principal Contractor has provided 4 tower cranes which are between 54m and 68m from ground level.
The coastal environment often means the cranes are non-operational due to high wind speeds.
Initially the maximum permitted windspeed for lifting standard size formwork was 6mps which resulted in the cranes being non-operational 50% of the time.”
The solution was, to “add weight to the formwork to increase the maximum permitted windspeed.”
Winding Off Lifting Beam
Britlift are a leading lifting equipment engineering company specialising in below the hook equipment design, manufacture, certification, testing and supply. The engineering team at Britlift are degree qualified mechanical/structural engineers, backed up by highly qualified coded welders, with third party approved coded procedures, and a UKAS accredited Business Management System.
Initially it was debatable whether the weight of lifting accessories was to be included when calculating the maximum permitted windspeed but through collaboration with the client and their subcontractor it was deemed viable for the accessories to be added to the gross weight of the load.
Heavy-Duty lifting beam
Using the heavy-duty lifting beam increased the maximum permitted windspeed from 6mps to 8mps for standard size formwork, with a further increase when using smaller sized forms.
As a result of increasing the maximum permitted wind speed crane downtime has been reduced, which increases productivity.
Following the initial supply of the bespoke weighted lifting beam, Kier Infrastructure returned to Britlift for a more customised second lifting beam, which provided further lifting efficiencies.
