Working-at-height safety solution
April 2018
System Integration & Control Systems Design
News
Rope-access specialist Skyriders has provided a working-at-height safety solution for a contractor undertaking maintenance at the Sappi Ngodwana pulp and paper mill in Mpumalanga. It follows an earlier successful project in 2016 whereby Skyriders undertook inspection and repair work on the ducting between the boilers and the smoke stacks as well as platform installations inside a smoke stack at the mill.
Marketing manager Mike Zinn explains that the rope-access specialist was called upon to assist a contractor undertaking maintenance on a tower crane platform. Due to the height of the platform, a working-at-height safety solution was necessary.
A senior Level 3 rope access supervisor and technical manager were dispatched to site to create an optimal solution. “We had a bracket system designed and then fabricated that was strapped to the vertical column of the tower crane itself, which the team could hook onto,” elaborates Zinn. “Thus they could undertake all of the necessary maintenance while attached to this temporary lifeline system that was essentially just bolted onto the tower crane.”
In addition, Skyriders briefed the team on basic working-at-height safety requirements, and how best to use the customised system it had devised for Sappi. The project was completed in January and represents an ongoing involvement with the pulp and paper giant.
Zinn comments that rope access has allowed Sappi to achieve significant cost-savings in terms of its maintenance and repair requirements: “Scaffolding on the other hand is costly and time consuming, and disproportionately expensive compared to the scope of the work.”
Given the successful working relationship between Sappi and Skyriders to date, Zinn is confident of Skyriders’ continued involvement with, and further diversification into, the pulp and paper industry. Additional projects include work on a new cellulose plant, as well as a recovery boiler.
For more information contact Mike Zinn, Skyriders, +27 (0)11 312 1418, [email protected], www.ropeaccess.co.za
Further reading:
Understanding the role of AI in generative engineering design
System Integration & Control Systems Design
When a design engineer sets out to design a new part, component, or assembly, the intent is to meet the design requirements for fit, form and function, and also incorporate a certain degree of innovation and elegance to the overall design. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel by introducing a new design.
Read more...
PCS stays up so you don’t have to
PCS Global
System Integration & Control Systems Design
Maybe it’s time to look at a solution that stays online 99,99999% of the time so you don’t have to. This the world of Stratus computer platforms, tailor-made for your critical applications.
Read more...
Four ways the global parts shortage has led to innovation and openness
System Integration & Control Systems Design
For those who use automation parts, the unpredictable nature of the supply chain is one of the biggest problems faced today. The shortfall has impacted every industry, but automation components have been especially affected.
Read more...
Iritron’s year of consolidation
Iritron
Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
Despite the multiple challenges faced by businesses in South Africa, the buoyancy of the technology sector worldwide has produced some green shoots for automation specialist, Iritron.
Read more...
Five edge opportunities for SIs to maximise revenue in 2024
Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
System integrators continue to face the challenge of doing more with less – supporting complex operations, while meeting production schedules with limited resources, and innovating to increase efficiency, maximise safety and reduce risk.
Read more...
Condition monitoring in a forging press retrofit
Beckhoff Automation
System Integration & Control Systems Design
Significantly increased vibration on machines can result in many forms of negative impacts such as reduced system performance or damage to the machine and foundation. Using the example of retrofitting a forging press with a maximum press force of 2000 tons, Wölfel Engineering explains how efficiently the process was tailored and implemented with PC-based control and measurement technology from Beckhoff.
Read more...
ABB and Gravitricity to collaborate on energy storage systems
ABB South Africa
Editor's Choice News
ABB has signed an agreement with UK-based gravity energy storage firm Gravitricity to explore how hoist expertise and technologies can accelerate the development and implementation of gravity energy storage systems in former mines.
Read more...
System integration in the digital age
System Integration & Control Systems Design
To meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace, many manufacturers (end users) must focus on their core competencies and outsource the rest to experts.
Read more...
Schneider Electric connects to the future
Schneider Electric South Africa
Editor's Choice News Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric had a major presence at the recent MESA Africa International Summit, which focused on ‘accelerating the journey to smart manufacturing’. SA Instrumentation & Control’s editor caught up with Dr. Suven M Ramsunder, Digital Transformation Expert, Anglophone Africa, to find out how the company is approaching the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into the manufacturing industry, both in its own factories and for its customers.
Read more...
Choosing a system integrator
Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
Automation is an essential part of manufacturing today. Whatever the size, an upgrade or migration project can be complex, and the risks can be high. This is where system integrators (SIs) can help. They can bring together complex subsystems or components of a larger system and make them operate as a whole.
Read more...
printer friendly version