News


Inspection, repair, maintenance all bread-and-butter work for Skyriders

November 2021 News

What do a leisure complex, a 50-storey skyscraper and shopping centre and a major food-processing plant have in common? These are all unusual projects where leading rope access specialist, Skyriders Access Specialists, was called upon to carry out a range of inspection, repair and maintenance services.

“This is a major growth area for us, especially as ordinary maintenance schedules still have to be adhered to for maximum productivity and efficiency, despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” comments marketing manager, Mike Zinn.

Skyriders is able to field small, flexible and dynamic teams that can offer a range of services while being fully compliant with all Covid-19 regulations. “Building a massive scaffold structure takes considerable labour, while rope access only requires a small team,” explains Zinn. “The same applies to our drone department, where a two-person team can visually inspect the entire furnace area of a boiler without the need for scaffolding.”

While the Montecasino leisure complex has its own maintenance team and specialised contractors, it sometimes encounters specific issues that require work at height and in a confined space, which is where Skyriders’ expertise is best applied.

Recent work undertaken at Montecasino was to replace an anchor system on a bell tower, used to suspend advertising banners. Due to wear and tear, some of the anchors had started to come loose and the whole system therefore had to be inspected for safety reasons. Rope access meant that this could be done without extensive scaffolding.

A particularly tall feather in Skyriders’ cap was its work at the Carlton Centre in downtown Johannesburg on behalf of a third party tasked to carry out load testing on four winches in the food court area. However, the inaccessibility of the winches posed a major challenge and subsequently the company partnered with Skyriders to provide its rope-access expertise.

Often called upon to conduct maintenance, repair and inspection services at large-scale industrial structures such as smokestacks and petrochemical tanks, Skyriders has even carried out general routine cleaning in inaccessible areas at a major food-processing plant. A six-person team oversaw the fast-track project over a two-day period, deploying high-pressure washers using food-safe detergent to adhere to the strict hygiene and health and safety standards of the food and beverage industry.




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Helping mines get results from water improvements
News
South African mines operate under constrained, water-scarce conditions where every investment must be justified. Xylem’s Chetan Mistry explains how the right water technology partner helps mines prioritise high-value water systems across the mining lifecycle.

Read more...
From solar to water, onsite plants are the next big industrial resilience shift
News
South African industrial operators who secured their energy supply with onsite solar generation now face the same imperative with water. Robert Erasmus of Sanitech argues that onsite water treatment is the next essential pillar of business continuity.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: Pushing engineering to the limit
Technews Publishing News
Among the many things robots can do, it’s a lot of fun to follow how fast they are. They go from the Boston Dynamics cheetah, which first reached a record-breaking speed of 45,5 km/h, to the robot Charlie ...

Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme for energy and industrial tech startups.

Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.

Read more...
Sustainable solutions for sugar
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG News
BMG received a Special Commendation Exhibition Stand Award at the South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress, where it showcased an integrated turnkey drive solution designed to simplify the upgrading of ageing crushing-mill drive systems.

Read more...
Measure, Manage, Maintain: The operating model behind SA’s water resilience
Siemens South Africa News
South Africa’s growing water crisis is putting pressure on infrastructure, municipalities and the economy. Siemens highlights how digital technologies, smarter operations and safe water reuse could help shift the country from crisis response towards a more resilient and sustainable water future.

Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.

Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme.

Read more...
RX Africa and Messe Muenchen India join forces to strengthen business platforms in Africa
RX Africa News
Messe Muenchen India has announced a strategic partnership with RX Africa to strengthen the scale, reach and market impact of its premier co-located trade fairs, analytica Lab Africa and IFAT Africa, ahead of their 2027 editions.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved