MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
LondonWaste has drafted in the expertise of world leading lifting equipment manufacturer, Konecranes, to assess and evaluate the current condition and operational capability of its double gantry cranes deployed within the Energy Centre located at its flagship forty-acre site in Edmonton.
Using one of Konecranes’ latest service processes, a Crane Reliability Study (CRS), LondonWaste is seeking to future-proof its onsite lifting equipment in terms of enhanced safety, improved performance and increased reliability. The CRS also serves to predict and control total future cost of capital equipment ownership.
Engineers from Konecranes’ consultation services operation have already implemented the CRS on two of the site’s 9.5 tonne, cab driven, electric overhead and double girder waste grabbing cranes, with work scheduled to commence on a third shortly.
Using advanced analysis methods to provide a dependable technology roadmap, the CRS delivered on behalf of LondonWaste has centred on techniques such as crane visual inspection analysis (incorporating gearbox inspections, thermal imaging of electrics and acoustic emission checks), service life analysis, undertaking DWP (Design Working Period) calculations, and gearbox oil and vibration analysis. A comprehensive crane information review that centres on interviews being carried out with maintenance and operative personnel has also been undertaken.
In order to optimally assess the condition of the superstructure of the two cranes so far subject to Konecranes’ CRS, a detailed Rail-Q survey was also deployed using 3D graphs of the runway rails to identify misalignment and any other problems.
Commenting on the decision by LondonWaste to utilise Konecranes’ CRS, Mechanical Maintenance Manager, Gustav Woudberg said: “Since the formation of LondonWaste Ltd 1994, the Energy Centre has been instrumental in diverting over nine million tonnes of waste from landfill and successfully produces enough electricity to power some 72,000 homes, not to mention all of the centres on the park itself. It is against this backdrop, coupled with the increasingly important role that the Energy Centre will play in the provision of power for homes across London, that operational efficiency simply cannot be compromised.
“Whilst the cranes have been consistently and very well maintained by our own team of engineers, the fact that the cranes were installed some 46 years ago before being commissioned in the early 1970s was the driving force behind the decision to instruct Konecranes to carry out the survey work. Through the CRS process, Konecranes has provided us with extremely accurate and valuable data relating to their current condition in terms of safety and operating efficiency, and we are now in the process of evaluating a number modernisation requirements that have been highlighted in order to maximise future productivity, whilst minimising downtime,” he added.
Standing as a logical extension to Konecranes’ rapidly expanding service and maintenance product offering, CRS helps prevent against losses in production revenue as the survey safeguards customers against the unpleasant surprises of sudden breakdowns and unexpected expenses for the repair or replacement of equipment.
The CRS is also intended to help ensure customers’ lifting equipment is fit for future production needs. Advanced technology and methods penetrate deep into equipment and uncover problems that standard equipment inspections fail to detect. Addressing such problems in advance prevents unplanned downtime and safety issues from occurring.
The results of a CRS also allow informed decisions to be made on how to maximise the use of equipment and devise a modernisation schedule to increase equipment uptime and improve material handling productivity.
“In the crane and lifting equipment market CRS is a unique service package,” injects Konecranes’ UK Consultancy Service Manager, Lee Thorne. “The crane analysis is based on Konecranes’ bespoke advanced software technology. The crane design life, for example, is a complex matter with duty histories, load spectrums and crane classifications, but CRS delivers them in an understandable manner and provides conclusions based on these results,” he adds.
Anyone seeking further information relating to Konecranes’ Consultation Services should contact Lee Thorne on Freephone 0808 2929256, or visit the website at www.konecranes.co.uk/service/crane-consultation-services.
