Two Pelloby 35 tonne double girder cranes have been installed in a large press shop at the BMW Group’s Swindon MINI Plant. This represents the next stage of a drive to upgrade older lifting systems within the plant following a similar Pelloby installation in December 2015.
Large double girder design
The two cranes have considerable total spans of 21.8 metres, and provide a 9.8 metre height of lift. They run off different gantry rails at separate locations within the press shop and the end carriages are fitted with anti-collision/slow down units which eliminate the possibility of the system coming into contact with a neighbouring crane by shutting down the power once they enter a predefined distance of one another.
The double girder design allowed a travelling Verlinde crab unit to sit on top of the beams on each crane. The VT5 electric wire rope hoist crab units feature digital load displays and true vertical lift which prevents any lateral movement for an improved hoisting performance.
Safety first
In addition to designing, manufacturing and erecting these two 35 tonne double girder cranes, Pelloby were also contracted to provide a series of follow up servicing visits over the 48 months following the installation.
To help carry out maintenance both sides of the cranes were fitted with a walkway running along the entire span. A Metreel safewire fall arrest system was fitted to both walkways on each crane as a precautionary feature in the event of an accident and even the access gate on the 1.1 metre safety rail had a self-closing mechanism.
Emergency stop buttons were also accessible on the walkways to allow engineers to shut down the movement of the crane or crab unit manually if needed and, to improve visibility, both cranes featured five LED floodlights.
Pelloby managed all aspects of this project from design through to final commissioning, even providing operator training for BMW staff and removal of the old crane during the installation phase.
If you would like to know more about how a Pelloby heavy duty capacity crane can help your business, get in touch today by calling 01952 586626 or emailing sales@pelloby.com.