50 Years in East Kilbride and Konecranes UK is still growing

What of the next 50 years?  “Who can say?”  said Gordon.   “Twenty years ago if someone had said we would be building fully automated driverless cranes within 15 years I would have called them crazy, but for more than 5 years we have been building highly sophisticated fully automated cranes, working 24/7, no drivers, remote maintenance monitoring, ability to adjust the operating program without going to site, so things do develop faster than was ever imaginable.”

Liebherr Sunderland Works Ltd awards new crane contract to Konecranes UK

East Kilbride based Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply a double hoist 66 tonne CXTD double girder crane for Liebherr Sunderland Works Ltd who build  ship, offshore and special purpose cranes.  The new crane will operate in one of the fabrication bays.

With a 21.9 metre span the crane will be fitted with Konecranes state-of-the-art technology, including DynAMove variable speed on cross and long travel motions and DynAHoist variable speed control on the hoists. Other features include Konecranes Remox Radio control and ControlPro Safety and performance control unit that extends the crane's life, enhances performance and safety and ensures that maintenance requirements are scheduled to suit actual usage, and unscheduled shutdowns are avoided.

The order worth approx. £125k will be delivered and installed in July.

HBK Vastgoed B.V orders Konecranes for its Krimpen facility

East Kilbride based Konecranes UK has been awarded the contract to supply two
64 tonne SMD cranes at 40 metres span to the Hollandia HBK Vastgoed Netherlands site at Krimpen.

The cranes are fully equipped with Konecranes DynA Invertor variable speed control systems on all motions and are radio controlled with a master slave radio control facility which enables one operator to control all 4 hoists on both cranes.

All hoists feature Konecranes ControlPro Monitoring where the unit monitors the hoist operation, providing overload detection, brake wear monitoring, and calculates the crane hoist duty allowing 100% planning of maintenance activities to suit the actual duty. The unit also stores and records the number of cycles, overload attempts and temperature trips.

They are also fitted with overload protection, thermistors, ultimate limit switches on each hoist as well as the normal operating hoist/lower limit switches, 2-step travel and traverse limit switches, along with girder and trolley platforms, festoon cables, floodlights, panel lighting and panel heating.

The order worth €750,000 Euros will be delivered in August.

SELECT PLANT ORDERS FURTHER MODERNISATION AND CRANE MOVEMENT OF 2 X 40T GOLIATH CRANES FROM Konecranes FOR THEIR NEW STEETLY SITE

Konecranes UK to modernise  Bifab’s cranes at Methil 

East Kilbride overhead crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has been contracted to modernise 2 cranes at the Burntisland Fabrications Ltd (Bifab) Methil site.

The contract worth £167k involves the installation of Konecranes DynAHoist variable speed control and a full inspection of the two cranes and a rail survey.

The work will be carried out during May this year.

3 power plant export orders for Konecranes UK 

East Kilbride manufacturer Konecranes UK has secured three power plant orders, two in the Middle East and one in Eire.

The first is for the gas powered power station in Terga, Algeria with six turbine hall cranes.

The cranes have been ordered by Orascom Construction, Cairo, for Alstom who have a 20 year maintenance contract for the power plant.  There are three gas turbine halls and each will have a 70t/20tonne and a 70/20/20 tonne crane each with 30 metre span and working in master/slave tandem control where one crane has a master control radio system unit that can control 2 cranes and the other has a slave radio for control of a single crane.

All are to have platforms on the girders and trolleys with festoon cables, floodlights, anti-collision, variable but fixed hook centres between cranes, pendant back up control, motor heaters, motor thermistors, disc brakes, limit switches on all motions and true vertical lifting.

In addition they will operate with Konecranes DynALift and DynAMove invertor speed control systems on the main hoist, cross and long travel motions. All aux hoists will have 2 speed hoist control.

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro Condition monitoring units on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime.

The order worth in excess of £1.95m will be delivered in October 2009.

The second Middle East contract is another order from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan.  The order is for the supply and installation of a 100t/40tonne SM crane to the Abu Qir power station in Egypt which is owned by the West Delta Electrical Production Company.

The crane, operating on a 29 metre span will have Konecranes DynA variable speed on all motions and True Vertical Lifting.  Other Konecranes UK features and components being fitted include festoon cables, platforms, floodlights, travel rails, power conductors, and radio control. It will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime.

The order worth over £380k will be delivered in May 2010.

The third order is for the Bord Gáis Whitegate Independent Power Plant (WIPP) project, currently underway adjacent to the existing ConocoPhillips refinery at Whitegate, Midleton, Co. Cork. It has been designed and constructed by the consortium of GE (General Electric) and Gama Power Systems. The commercial operation of the power plant is expected to commence in 2010.

Konecranes has already delivered and commissioned the main and aux turbine hall cranes; this new order is for 2 cranes with 5 chain hoists.  One of the cranes is a 4t CTXSe single girder crane, Ex rated and has a span of 19m, one of the chain hoists is also Ex rated. The other crane is a 5T CXTS single girder crane at 12m span.

The chain hoists range for 500kg SWL to 16T. 

This order, worth £111k and will be delivered in May 2009

East Kilbride based overhead crane manufacturer Konecranes UK finished 2008 on a high with over 77% growth and entered 2009 with a healthy backlog of orders and new ones coming in. Part of the global Konecranes group, the UK company exceeded many of the group’s 2008 returns.

Despite the economic downturn in many UK sectors in the latter third of 2008, the company enjoyed a 20% growth in sales of cranes not only to customers in the UK but to a good geographical spread across Europe and Africa. The year's profit came in on target and orders taken were 37% up on previous.

During 2008 the company continued its investment programme which saw over £1.3m spent over 2007 and 2008 increasing its production capability by 50%. Expansion will continue in 2009 with new girder lines being installed and a schedule of other improvements which will enhance the company's output.

Managing Director, Gordon Adie said, "While there have been noticeable declines in demand from some industry sectors like Automotive, others continue to expand for us. The Power sector continues to grow and we are also seeing an increase in Waste to Energy projects both here and abroad."

Recent Waste to Energy orders received include cranes for: Newhaven near Brighton and Riverside at Belvedere, London; two goliaths for the Thames Jetty to bring in waste for the Riverside plant; and cranes for a WTE project in the Netherlands.

President and CEO of the Group, Pekka Lundmark in his 2008 report, said of the future, “….we are not immune to a recession. However, we see the situation as a great opportunity to further strengthen our relative market position, on our journey toward our vision of holding a 30 percent global market share.”

Gordon Adie agrees, “There is no doubt that there is going to be shrinkage in many sectors, but we, in the UK, see many opportunities, not just to sustain our performance to date, but to grow in those sectors that are gearing to respond to the environmental demands with the new technologies and manufacturing skills that we at Konecranes can deliver.”
 

A similar SMD crane to the ones bound for Emile Huchet and Rijnmond II

Alcoa Fjarðaál expands with another crane from Konecranes UK

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won a contract from Alcoa Fjarðaál, Iceland, to supply another crane for its expanding aluminium smelter.

Click on picture for hi res photo to download
 

Konecranes UK reported record profits for 2007 and promised that the good times are continuing to roll at the end of a bumper year for the East Kilbride based overhead crane manufacturer.

The company’s total orders received during the year are the highest ever and well ahead of the target for the period. Its invoiced sales were on target and 2008 has started with a very healthy backlog with more than 50% of projected turnover already to hand.

Managing Director Gordon Adie said the company would probably continue with its programme of investment. "We finished the year having invested over £1/2 million in our East Kilbride offices and factory with new computer design capabilities and increased capacity in the factory," he said.

The company’s profitability has undoubtedly enjoyed the investment programme having finished the year well ahead of target.

The sectors that contributed most to the year’s turnover were Power, Waste to Energy and general industry where Konecranes UK’s larger heavy duty cranes excel. The smaller Standard crane market held its own with little growth on the previous year.

Konecranes UK, based in East Kilbride in Scotland, will supply two cranes to operate on the Konecranes 1995 installed rails; one 8 tonne GL9 unit with waste handling 'orange peel' grabs and the other a 5.5 tonne GL7 crane that will lift the slag with a clamshell grab which will increase the site's waste handling capacity. As with the previously supplied Konecranes, the 8 tonne crane will dig, mix and load general household waste into a furnace hopper that will burn the waste to create steam that in turn will turn a turbine to create energy - which is sold into the national grid and the 5.5 tonne crane will handle the after burn residue.

Both cranes use Konecranes range of DynA Invertor control on all motions and they will be fully automated, but can be manually or semi automatic controlled.

The contract will be delivered by the end of 2007 and the cranes will be commissioned during March 2008.

A similar crane to the one currently ordered by Siemens for Marchwood
(Click on picture to download a hi res print edition)

All hoists feature Konecranes ControlPro Monitor where the unit monitors the hoist operation, providing overload detection, brake wear monitoring, calculates the crane hoist duty allowing 100% planning of maintenance activities to suit the actual duty. The unit also stores and records the number of cycles, overload attempts and temperature trips.

They are also fitted with overload protection, thermistors, ultimate limits on each hoist as well as the normal operating limit switches, travel and traverse limit switches, Zone limits with indicators for the out reach hoist in the Gas Turbine building, along with girder and trolley platforms, festoon cables, floodlights, panel lighting, motor and panel heating.

The contract includes the supply of five CXTS cranes of 16, 10, 3.2 and 1.6 tonne capacities. The 16t, 10t and 3.2t cranes have CXT hoists. Each featuring KONECR5ANES DynADrive inverters variable speed on cross and long travel motions and 2 speed hoists. They have festooned long and cross travel conductors with ControlPro hoist monitors fitted along with motion limit switches, ultimate limit switches and all are pendant controlled. The 1.6t model is an Explosion Proof rated (Eex) for use in the gas compressor room and it has 2 speeds on all motions.

The final crane in the contract is a 32 tonne SMD Goliath with 30 metres span and a 1.5m cantilever. This crane is also fitted with Konecranes DynA inverter drives on all motions and ControlPro condition monitoring, platforms, festoon cables and also in included in the contract is the supply and installation of the long travel rails.

The order worth over £1.15m also includes a 2 year service contract. The cranes will be built in 2007 for installation early 2008.

Konecranes UK who won the prestigious contract from BAE Systems to refurbish cranes in order to meet the new regulations required for building Britain’s new generation of nuclear submarines are well underway with the required modernisation work at BAE’s Barrow-in-Furness yard in Cumbria.

Click on picture to view/download a hi-res edition
BAE construction hall	Astute Class Submarine	From the left: Jim Strathie Konecranes UK; Ian Gowans, BAE Systems; Graham Kirkwood, Konecranes UK and Phil Foley, BAE Systems

BAE Systems are contracted to build Astute Class Submarines for Britain’s Royal Navy at their yard at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. BAE Systems employ over 3,000 staff at their Barrow yard, many of whom work in the main construction hall. The hall measures an incredible 60 metres wide and 50 metres high. All major crane manufacturers in the UK were considered for this £7.5million contract. These were then narrowed down to three with Konecranes UK scoring highly on all criteria. Of particular note was their design experience relating to this type of crane and also the fact that Konecranes UK enjoy the reputation of previously being the UK’s most experienced constructors of large single girder cranes and BAE were highly impressed with Konecranes UK’S corporate approach and the depth and strength of their organisation.

In order to meet the stringent safety requirements for nuclear related facilities a periodic review was undertaken by BAE Systems to ensure that the existing construction of the cranes would meet modern nuclear safety requirements. The safety review showed a shortfall against the new requirements and the cranes needed strengthening. The original cranes were supplied by J.H.Carruthers, now part of Konecranes UK, in 1984 whose original designer, coincidentally, still works for Konecranes UK. Now young designers are following in his footsteps, and at least one of the original fabricators is also still involved. In addition, Konecranes UK’s Managing Director, Gordon Adie, was in charge of the original contract on the old Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering site when they were building Trafalgar Class Submarines. Currently our biggest single contract in the UK, Konecranes UK has placed a dedicated team on this.

Konecranes UK is one of the few companies that can support this kind of contract with the Enhanced security features that need to be used. The contract is to provide five modernized enhanced security cranes, cranes that will not collapse when carrying a sensitive load or during certain seismic events. These comprise two 150 tonne (2 x 75t) cranes (which can be used in tandem to lift a 300 tonne load) and three 12.5 tonne cranes. The larger cranes are referred to as “A Type” cranes and the smaller as “B Type” cranes. This is purely a means of categorisation and not a reflection on performance or quality. Enhanced security features include strengthening to withstand a seismic event and also decreasing capacity of the Type B cranes from 30t cranes to 12.5t cranes to increase safety margins. The cranes employ a “positive capture” system and minimized drop stops designed to prevent the derailing of the crane gantry or the trolleys under seismic fault conditions. The type A cranes run on multiple wheels for better weight distribution and these are drop forged steel instead of cast SG iron to prevent fracturing at low temperature. The gearboxes are also now all fabricated steel rather than made of cast material. The original main hoist rope drums on the type A cranes were for multi-layering of the ropes, however the new drums will be single layered to protect the ropes and provide better speed control in tandem lifting. PLC Control systems incorporate hard wired backup systems for safety, and the cranes have monitoring systems designed to trip the system in the event of an emergency.

Three independent braking systems can be employed on the main hoists, with one set acting on the rope drum in an emergency. In addition to the hard wired back up systems, additional safety features also include accurate load monitoring. The basic structure of the cranes remains but will be specially strengthened to meet new standards and to provide a robust safety. However, the cranes will have new trolleys, cabins and all new electrics; long and cross travel drives, hoists and controls. Not forgetting a new coat of paint, also part of the contract. The cranes are designed to industry standards but will withstand extreme seismic, temperature and wind speed hazards.

All five cranes will be ready by end 2006 early 2007 with construction being a staggered process with the smaller B type cranes currently being commissioned with final hand over at Christmas 2006. The upper A cranes have a 58.84 metre span with double 75 tonne trolleys and drivers cabins, weighing approximately 310 tonnes. The lower B cranes have a 57 metre span with single trolleys and no cabins and weigh approximately 105 tonnes. They are all Monobox or torsion girder cranes. The trolleys are so designed that the units will not detach itself from the girder in the event of a fault condition including a seismic occurrence. BAE Systems vertical build system has accelerated the whole process of building submarines and means the cranes can be used in much wider applications. Both A and B type cranes are used for vertical fitment.

Close co-operation is essential and Jim Strathie, the Senior Project Engineer in charge of the project spends four days a week in Barrow as part of the continual monitoring process. This close cooperation between BAE Systems and Konecranes UK has been critical in a project of this magnitude. BAE Systems have employed two consultant companies assigned to the project to undertake the structural design. Both companies have concentrated on both time constraints and project management. BAE Systems were anxious to update crane technology in assembly areas. For example, Konecranes UK’s DynAHoist inverters were examples of the modern and precise control technology to be employed, along with specially designed micro drive units for special lifts due to the high lifting height being required, (it takes 10 minutes to cover 2 metres – 3 hours from floor to ceiling, so some components are being specially developed i.e. micro drive system which is remotely selectable). Along with the addition of Konecranes’ DynAC inverter control on the travel and traverse motions, rewiring and other related changes have been done. A lot of other work has been in structural area of the cranes involving extra retention and stiffening.

Konecranes UK is constantly developing their knowledge of cranes for the nuclear industry. Such specialist knowledge gives the group a distinct advantage when working on specialist projects in the future. The contract has to meet Construction, Design and Management regulations. This is challenging in terms of health and safety due to working in an operational construction hall and at height. Konecranes’ quality systems were audited by BAE Systems but revealed no significant weaknesses. Following a rigorous QA process of approval, Konecranes UK is now on the preferred suppliers list. Konecranes UK will have to satisfy the directorates of the Health and Safety Executive including the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate before the cranes can be used for nuclear purposes. BAE Cranes Safety Case and Design Manager, Phil Foley says “This is a very dynamic project and it has been a challenge to incorporate all the design requirements within the timescale allowed. A massive amount of cooperation is needed to reach the mutual goal. Regular, daily, sometimes hourly dialogue is the order of the day so that there are no surprises and problems are dealt with ASAP. Communication, although informal, has been regulated. Face to face weekly and monthly meetings are conducted with the whole team coming together every month.” Ian Gowans, Nuclear Facilities Design Authority at BAE Systems says “Konecranes UK experience in specialist crane construction is second to none.” Graham Kirkwood, Modernisation Group Manager, adds the comment: “This has been really useful for Konecranes UK as it affords young designers a valuable learning experience.” Emphasis moves from design to installation early this year for final staged handover later. This is Konecranes British unit’s biggest single refurbishment contract order.

AGGREKO ORDERS Konecranes FOR ITS DONCASTER DEPOT

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply 2 cranes to power hire supplier Aggreko for its Doncaster depot.

The cranes will both be CXTD models of 10 and 40 tonne capacities.  The 40t crane will be a Goliath model with a 25 metre span and the 10t crane is with overhead standard design.  The cranes will have REMOX radio controls, and will be fitted with Konecranes renowned state of the art crane technology components including Konecranes DynA inverter variable speed control on the main motions, girder and trolley platforms, ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist, festoon cross cabling, hoist limit switches and motion limit switches on all crane motions.

The order worth over £160k will be delivered in May and June this year.

Konecranes UK WINS UPM KYMMENE CONTRACT

UPM Kymmene, one of the world's leading producers of printing papers, has awarded East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK the contract to supply a new replacement crane for its Dry End operation at its Shotton paper plant in North Wales.

The crane, which will work over the Paper machine (PM2) will be a 75tonne SMD crane with 3 trolleys and a span of 26.38 metres. The two outer operating trolleys will be 37.5t capacity and the centre trolley will be 75t capacity.

A similar crane to the one ordered by UPM Kymmene
Click on picture for a downloadable print quality edition

The crane will have REMOX radio controls, 2 sets to be fitted to provide back up operation and a pendant is fitted for use on the bridge for roof and light maintenance. The will be fitted with Konecranes renowned state of the art crane technology components including Konecranes DynA inverter variable speed control on all motions, girder and trolley platforms, ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist, festoon cross cabling, ultimate hoist limit switches and motion limit switches on all crane motions. Tandem control is provided between the 2 outer trolleys and the middle trolley will automatically position itself on the cross travel when the other trolleys move.

All crane functions are controlled through a crane board PLC, however all stop and limit functions are also hard wired.

The existing Dry end crane will be moved along the rails to the wet end of the paper machine, where the existing wet end crane will be taken down and removed from site by Konecranes erection engineers.

The contract, worth in the region of £300k will be delivered in July this year.

A similar crane to the one currently ordered by Siemens for Karsto
(Click on picture to download a hi res print edition)

The order is for a 370 tonne crane with 20 tonne and 2 tonne auxiliary hoists and a 100 tonne crane with a 3 tonne auxiliary hoist. Both cranes will have 28 metres span, REMOX radio control with pendant back up will be fitted along with Konecranes renowned state of the art crane technology components including Konecranes DynA inverter variable speed control on all motions, girder and trolley platforms, ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist, festoon cross cabling, floodlights, ultimate hoist limit switches and motion limit switches on all crane motions.

The 370 tonne crane will have a load limiter which is linked to cross and long travel zone limit switches to ensure the 370t load can only be lifted in designated areas in the turbine hall.

In addition to the two large cranes, two CXTS models have been ordered, 1 x 12.5 and 1 x 5 tonnes, both at 10m span. Each CXTS crane has Konecranes DynADrive inverter variable speed control on the cross and long travel motions, REMOX radio control with pendant back-up, 2 speed hoists, ControLPro condition monitoring, festoon cross crane cables, cross and long travel limit switches, ultimate hoist limit switches and hoist and lower limit switches.

The order worth €1m will be delivered in June 2006.

AL EZZEL POWER PLANT IN BAHRAIN TAKES DELIVERY OF Konecranes

CLICK ON THUMBNAIL PHOTO FOR A DOWNLOADABLE HI-RES EDITION
The Al Ezzel power plant in BAHRAIN takes delivery of two 115/16/12.5 tonne cranes for the turbine hall complete with a 200 tonne lifting beam and master/slave tandem control, additionally a number of Konecranes CXT type cranes from 1tonne to 16 tonnes are being supplied for the various support functions.

 Konecranes UK generates an F.G. Wilson crane order 

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won a contract to supplya crane to F.G. Wilson, the largest generating set manufacturer in the UK and one of the largest in the world, with the capacity to manufacture over 50,000 generating sets per annum. They are one of the largest employers and exporters in Northern Ireland with over 90% of their generating sets exported to over 180 countries worldwide.

Konecranes will deliver: a 50 tonne 27 metre span CXTD double girder crane with two 50 tonne hoists.  The cranes will have radio control and Konecranes DynA family invertor speed controls on hoist, cross and long travel motions along with True Vertical lift and load summation between the hoists to ensure that the combined 50 tonne load is not exceeded. 

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist to allow planned maintenance down time and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime.

The contract, worth £121.5k will be delivered in November this year.

Alcan awards Konecranes UK Locharber Aluminium contract 

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won a contract fromAlcan Primary Metals Europe, to supply a 50 tonne CXTD double girder crane to its aluminium smelter in Locharber, Fort William.

 The crane with a 19 metre span is to replace an existing crane which Konecranes UK will remove.  It will have a platform on each girder, a hoist platform.  DynAC invertor variable speed control systems will operate with true vertical lift and overall control  by Konecranes RemoX joystick radio.

 To aid the installation of this crane Konecranes UK will use a specially developed lifting system whereby erection will be by a single jacking tower with a slewing ring which will enable the crane to be jacked from below and then turned into position. This is to be used as roof removal is not possible and the headroom is limited.

The contract worth £90k will be delivered in October.

Steel contract for Konecranes UK 

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract from John Chorley for two 10 tonne double girder cranes with 27.8 metre spans for its Warrington facility in Chesire. 

The cranes are to have variable cross and long travel, 2 speed hoists, safety warning horn and RemoC pushbutton radio control.  The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime.

 Another Konecranes ordered by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for Eire Power Station 

East Kilbride based Konecranes UK has secured another order from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan.  The order is for the supply and installation of 3 cranes to the Huntstown Power Station in Eire.  This is Konecranes  UK's sixth power station order this year.

The order is for a 115 tonne SM double girder model with a 30t auxiliary hoist and a 70 tonne SM with a 25t auxiliary hoist, both with 42 metre span. The third crane is a 2 tonne CXT single girder model. 

The main cranes will have DynAC variable speed on all motions and True Vertical Lifting. Other Konecranes UK  features and components being fitted include festoon cables, platforms, floodlights, travel rails, power conductors, and radio control.All of the cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime. 

The order worth £550k will be delivered July 2006.

Industrial Acoustics awards Konecranes UK crane contract

 East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won a contract from Industrial Acoustics of Winchester, the world's leading supplier of noise and acoustic control products, structures and test facilities, to supply 3 cranes for their Winchester plant. The cranes will be additional and also part of a renwal plan that will see some old cranes being removeed by Konecranes at the same time as erecting the new cranes.

 The 3 cranes will be 5 tonne CXT single girder models.  All will be pendant controlled and will feature some of Konecranes renowned state of the art crane technology components including anti-collision, ControlPro condition monitoring, and DynA invertor variable speed control systems on cross and long travel motions and the hoists will have 2 speed controlThe contract worth £36k will be delivered in November.

Konecranes UK forced to pick up high road costs!

East Kilbride based Konecranes UK is furious about an apparent roads cock-up that has cost them over £30,000 just to deliver a customer's order!

Konecranes UK completed the manufacture of the longest single piece cranes they've ever built for delivery from East Kilbride to ODENSE Shipyard in Denmark a few weeks ago. The 4 girders involved measure 185 feet (56 metres) long and weigh 64 tonne each. The previous record for length was an order for Norway in 2001with 48 metre/30tonne girders. They were ready to be taken by road to Grangemouth for sea transportation to Denmark, but things went badly and expensively wrong!

Konecranes UK, who are well used to the necessary arrangements for moving large items from their factory, applied to the Scottish Office for the required license some time ago. The Scottish Office granted the license on 18th April for the new A77/M77 link leading to the M8 to be used. The company contracted to undertake the transportation were Mar-Train who are one of the leading experts on the haulage of very large machinery and components.

(Photo of the long girders ready for transport can be viewed/downloaded at: http://www.Konecranes-uk.com/PressRoom.htm)

The company responsible for the road’s construction, Connect, part of Balfour Beatty, denied having been advised of the movement order requirements, despite the fact that the DTI and the Scottish Office had written to all concerned on 2nd February this year advising of the imminent license requirement and asking for any objections to its issue. No objections were received. Balfour Beatty had said to Konecranes UK some months ago that it wouldn’t be a problem for the transportation, even if the road wasn’t finished.

The problem only came to Konecranes UK’s attention when they were ready to move the girders and discovered that Connect hadn’t and wouldn’t remove street lights to allow the load to manoeuvre. No help was forthcoming from Connect and Konecranes UK was forced to cancel the ship waiting at Grangemouth with a cancellation fee costing £12,500!

Konecranes and Mar-Train then had to try to sort the costly mess out and, getting no help from Connect, they turned to AMEY Highways who look after the trunk roads through East Kilbride who agreed to remove obstructions at roundabouts along the route, but Konecranes UK had to pay a bill of £16,500 for this!

The transportation of the girders took place nearly 2 weeks later than originally planned overnight Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th May, by a route advised by the police via A726, A725, M74 and M73. Konecranes UK’s task force had to dismantle some obstacles along the way!

Speaking of the situation, Konecranes UK Managing Director, Gordon Adie said, “This has been a real screw up and I am naturally fizzing at what has happened! We went through all the correct procedures, got the correct paperwork issued and now we have unforeseen costs of nearly thirty thousand pounds to pay, plus we’ll be getting a late delivery bill from our customer in Denmark!

I am now pursuing this through official channels to find out just how a situation like this can happen and how we might obtain some recompense for footing bills like these because of stupidities out with our control!”

32 Konecranes ordered by Siemens for Middle East power stations

East Kilbride based Konecranes UK has secured two contracts from Siemens for the supply and installation of 32 cranes to two power stations in the Middle East.
The Al Ezzel power plant in BAHRAIN is to have two 115/16/12.5 tonne cranes for the turbine hall complete with a 200 tonne lifting beam and master/slave tandem control, then a number of Konecranes CXT type cranes from 1tonne to 16 tonnes will supplied for the various support functions.

A similar crane to the 120t and 130t turbine hall cranes ordered by Siemens (Click on picture for a higher resolution file)

The 2nd contract is for Ras Lafan power station in QATAR where the main turbine hall crane is to be a 130/25/12.5 tonne double girder SpaceMaker crane with a 12 metre span. The support functions will be carried out by a number of Konecranes CXT cranes from 1 t onne to 50 tonnes.
All the SpaceMaker double girder cranes will have DynAHoist inverters on each hoist and DynAC inverters on travel and traverse. Other Konecranes UK hi tech components being fitted include load and condition monitoring, festoon cables, radio and pendant control, tropicalised electrics, disc brakes, limit switches on all motions and heaters in panels, motors and conductors.
All the CXT cranes will have 2 speed hoists and variable speed travel and traverse through DynADrive, load and condition monitoring, festoon cables, pendant control, panel and motor heating and heating through the long travel power supply.

Konecranes UK will work with the local KCI service partner in each country to organise the installation and testing of the cranes.

The 32 crane contract worth circa €2m will be delivered May to November this year.

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply 7 cranes to the new factory that is being built for Bendalls Engineering.

Bendalls are a division of Carr's Engineering.  Based in Carlisle, they design and manufacture specialist steel fabrications and assemble electro-mechanical equipment for industry worldwide.  Their new custom built factory will also be in the Carlisle area and will be fitted with 7 new cranes from Konecranes UK.

The cranes, which are CXT single and double girder models, are specified as two 35t, two 20t and three 10 tonne cranes.  Some cranes have radio control with pendant back up and others are pendant controlled and will feature some of Konecranes renowned state of the art crane technology components including platforms on the double girder cranes, ControlPro condition monitoring and DynA invertor variable speed control systems on cross and long travel motions.

All hoists are two speed operation and all cranes have cross and long travel motion limiters and cranes on common rails also have long travel anti-collision built-in.

The contract, worth circa. £190k, is to be delivered and installed during March and April 2005.

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has received an order to supply Sutton Bridge Power Station with an additional crane.

The crane, which will work alongside an 8 year old Konecranes 100 tonne crane in the turbine hall, is to be a 20 tonne CXT Double girder model with 29 metres span.

It is to be radio controlled and will be fitted with Konecranes DynAHoist and DynAC invertor variable speed control systems and it will also be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro Condition monitoring system.

The order, worth £60k, will be delivered in December.

More and more new and existing Konecranes UK customers are having their old cranes modernised, taking advantage of Konecranes advanced technology without the full cost of a new replacement crane being incurred.

Speaking of his modernisation division, Konecranes UK'S MD Gordon Adie said, "When we started our modernisation service some years ago, it was on the basis that we, at Konecranes UK, had researched and developed a number of innovative advanced technology components which could be fitted to an older crane thereby vastly improving its life and performance at a fraction of the cost of a brand new crane.

Since then, we have developed so many more new hi-tec products, for example our recently launched DynAPilot anti-sway control, that it has become all the more attractive for some of our customers to look at modernisation of an old KONECRANE or any other make as a very attractive option to new buy."

Current modernisation orders are from various sectors of industry.  Iggesund Paperboard at their Workington plant has placed its third modernisation order worth £75k which involves the addition of Konecranes DynAHoist and DynAc
systems to a paper mill crane.

Corus UK is having a crane in its Port Talbot Strip Products Division improved at a cost of £80k by the addition of new long travel motors and DynAC variable speed controls fitted along with new brakes. And in another plant at Port Talbot, three other existing Konecranes are also being modernised.  They were originally installed in 1992 and are 20 tonne capacity with magnet control.  The work includes increasing the speed and throughput by fitting a new SM trolley to each crane along with Konecranes DynAHoist and DynAC invertor variable control systems.

The crane cabins are to be repositioned and all mechanical parts such as the travel wheels and drives will be replaced.  All three cranes will also be fitted with Konecranes DynAPilot Anti-Sway and ControlPro Condition monitoring.  This modernisation contract is worth £400K and will be carried out in January next year.

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won a contract from the previously named Short Brothers, recently acquired by Brambles Ltd, to supply a crane to their scrap processing plant at Corus's site at Port Talbot and to modernise 3 existing Konecranes at the site.

Brambles/Short Brothers is a leading provider of industrial services to the steel industry in the UK and has a major presence in three key Corus sites. For this plant Konecranes UK are to supply a 20 tonne SMD Double Girder
crane with A8/M8 classification.  It will work alongside three other previously supplied Konecranes handling scrap material.

The cabin controlled crane will have a 20 metre span and will be fitted with Konecranes DynAHoist and DynAC invertor variable speed control systems and it will also be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro Condition monitoring units on each hoist.  Additionally, Konecranes new DynAPilot Anti-Sway system will be fitted which will automatically dampen sway and reduce operator fatigue, stress in structures and mechanical components.

The three existing Konecranes are also to be modernised.  They were originally installed in 1992 and are also 20 tonne capacity and equipped with magnet control.  The work includes increasing the speed and throughput by fitting a new SM trolley to each crane along with Konecranes DynAHoist and DynAC invertor variable control systems.

The crane cabins are to be repositioned to one end of each crane and all mechanical parts such as the travel wheels and drives will be replaced.  All three cranes will also be fitted with Konecranes DynAPilot Anti-Sway and ControlPro Condition monitoring.

The new crane order worth £150k will be delivered in December and the £400k modernisation work will be undertaken in January.

Alcan Gwent order for Konecranes UK
East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract from Alcan to supply a specially designed crane to its facility at Rogerstone in Gwent.

The order is for a 17 tonne coil handling crane with 17 metres span.  The crane is fitted with control a cabin that travels with the trolley will be fully equipped with Konecranes cutting edge technology such as DynAHoist variable speed control and DynAC Invertor variable speed controls on cross and long travel motions and with Konecranes own ControlPro Condition monitoring.

True vertical lift, floodlights, girder and trolley platforms, all motion limit switches, totally enclosed live axle transmissions and festoon cables are to be fitted. The crane will also be equipped with rotating coil tongs which are controlled via a motor driven cable drum mounted on the trolley.

The crane's performance will be enhanced by Konecranes new DynAPilot Anti-Sway system which will automatically dampen sway, reduce operator fatigue, reduce load damage and reduce stress in the structure and mechanical components. The system is also equipped with position memory where it can be taught to go to preselected positions for load pick up or drop off.

The order, worth in excess of £200K is to be delivered and commissioned during the Christmas shutdown this year.

Increased Alstom Power contract for Konecranes UK

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has had its contract with Alstom (Switzerland) increased by £219,000 worth of ancillary lifting equipment for Alstom's Cartagena Power Station project near Valencia in Spain.

The original order  was for six cranes, each 70/20/2 tonne models with 30 metre spans.  This has now been increased with the ordering of a supply of  single girder CXTS cranes, CXT wire rope hoists, XN Electric chain hoists and KM hand chain hoists, all in the capacity range of 300kg to 10tonne.  They will operate with Konecranes DynADrive invertor speed control systems and will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro Condition monitoring units on each wire rope hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime.

The full order will be delivered by December this year.

The three permanent 20 tonne Electric Overhead cranes, fitted with special end carriages designed to travel round the continuous circular storage ring at the Diamond Synchrotron Light Source project at the Harwell/Chilton Science Campus, were installed this month (July), arriving by road from Konecranes UK in East Kilbride with a police escort due to the +30m girder lengths, and lifted into place by a 400 tonne mobile crane.

(Photos below are available for download in print quality format.  Click on thumbnail for larger version)

Each crane has Konecranes state-of-the-art technology with true vertical lifting, REMOX Joystick radio control, back up fixed pendants, festooned cross crane cables, end girder cross walks, girder platforms, safety escape reels, safety harness latch system around each crane, and Konecranes own DynA Invertor variable speed control on all motions. They are also be fitted with anti collision sensors and cross travel limit switches.
Each crane has a Konecranes CXT hoist which has Konecranes own ControlPro monitoring system to minimise maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.
Diamond's trademark ring is now a complete circle, with the last steel rafters being lifted into place this month. About half of the experimental hall roof has been fitted, built up from 55 metre aluminium panels extruded on site and 30% of the experimental hall floor slab has been concreted. Successive sections of the ring will be handed over for fitting out with the machine before August 2005, with the first section gearing up for handover within the next couple of months.
The main contractor, Costain, are continuing to install the 1,350 precast concrete roof beams enclosing the storage ring tunnel. The beams are manufactured off-site in numbered batches to ensure that each one fits snugly next to its neighbour without any gaps. Work is also progressing well on the key mechanical and electrical services for the storage ring.
In addition to the three 20 tonners, Konecranes are to supply a single girder XNS crane complete with gantry for operation in a different location in the project.

Wind Power order for Konecranes UK

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply a 40 tonne CXT 24m span double girder crane to Vestas-Celtic Wind Technology's production facility at Campbeltown in Argyll.

The crane will have REMOX radio and back up pendant controlled, festoon cabling, floodlights, anti collission detection with existing cranes, 2 step load limiter to minimise the wheel loads on side hook approach, overload protection, disc brakes and limit switches on all motions and Konecranes DynA family invertor variable speed control on cross and long travel motions.

The CXT hoist has as standard 2 speeds of operation via a 60%ED hoist motor, hoist and lower limit swtches, phase reversal limit switch in case of phase mismatch and ultimate hoist limit trip.

The crane will be fitted with Konecranes own ControLPro condition monitoring to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

The contract was installed on 4th July 2004

A special job for Konecranes at Timpkin Special Steels

The Konecranes UK modernisation team is moving into the Timken Desford Special Steels plant to renovate an DC powered existing crane. The work involves fitting Konecranes DynA Vector Inverter Drive technology to an existing DC powered crane by replacing all motors with AC units and the addition of anti-collision control..

This will include DynAHoist Invertor control for hoist and DynAC on the long and cross travel motions. An amount of rewiring will also be undertaken when the new AC control panels are installed.

Konecranes Inverters have been utilised on many new and existing cranes for many years where performance improvements have shown that this is the way forward in crane control. The use of Konecranes Inverters reduces stress in both mechanical and structural elements of any crane, increasing a cranes lifetime and reducing maintenance costs.

Timpken Steel, like many of Konecranes customers, has discovered that from performance upgrades to fully engineered comprehensive structural and mechanical modernisations, Konecranes renovation of existing cranes can be an extremely attractive option when compared to the cost of a new replacement crane.

Modernisation by Konecranes provides the benefits of new technology. The crane's lifetime will be extended, and at the same time higher capacity can be achieved and the duty cycle may be improved. Furthermore modernisation can increase safety, bring older cranes into compliance with new regulations and
substantially reduce maintenance costs.

The contract, worth £58½k, will be completed by July this year.

NEL power order for Konecranes

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply a 20/5 tonne CXT crane to NEL for NLC SNC Lavaland's power plant project at Aughinish in County Limerick in Ireland.

The crane will be pendant controlled and will have platforms, festoon cabling and Konecranes DynA family invertor speed controls on cross and long travel motions.

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

The contract, worth £56k will be delivered in August this year.

Five additional Konecranes for Stainless Steel facility

Outo Kumpu Stainless Steel of Sheffield have ordered a further 5 cranes from East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK. The previous order was for single 50t Billett crane to replace an existing 40 tonne crane giving Outo Kumpu all the benefits of Konecranes state of the art technology.

The five additional cranes are 1x10t, 2x6t, 1x2t and 1x3t. Each will have cross and long travel operated with Konecranes DynADrive inverter control.

Konecranes own ControlPro monitoring will allow planning of maintenance downtime and plot the cranes' performance over their expected lifetime.

The order, worth £53k will be delivered by August this year.

Three Konecranes cranes ordered for CORUS, Port Talbot

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won a further contract to supply three cranes for the CORUS Concast Maintenance facility at Port Talbot.

Konecranes will deliver: 1 x 50 tonne SMD, 1 x 25 tonne SMD; and 1 x 5 tonne CXTD, all double girder type.

The 50 & 25t tonne SMD cranes will have floodlights and radio control with back up pendant. The 5t unit will be pendant controlled and all will have girder platforms, festoon cabling and Konecranes DynA family invertor speed controls on cross and long travel motions.

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime.

The contract, worth £170k will be delivered in August this year.

Alstom Power contract for Konecranes UK

Alstom Power contract for Konecranes UK

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply six cranes to Alstom (Switzerland) for their Cartagena power station near Valencia in Spain.

The six cranes are each 70/20 tonne models with 30 metre spans where 3 of the cranes have an extra 2t Aux hoist. The cranes, to be used in pairs will have Konecranes Remox radio control where 1 crane has amster control unit that can control 2 cranes and the other has a slave radio for control of a single crane.

All are to have platforms on the girders and trolleys with festoon cables, floodlights, anti-collision, variable but fixed hook centres between cranes, pendant back up control, motor heaters, motor thermistors, disc brakes, limit switches on all motions and true vertical lifting.

In addition The will operate with Konecranes DynALift and DynAMove invertor speed control systems on the main hoist, cross and long travel motions. All aux hoists will have 2 speed hoist control.

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro Condition monitoring units on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over their expected lifetime.

The cranes will be delivered in pairs over October to December this year.

Konecranes for Stainless Steel facility

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply a 50/10 tonne LV Billet crane to Outo Kumpu Stainless Steel of Sheffield.

The new crane will replace an existing 40 tonne crane and will give Outo Kumpu all the benefits of Konecranes state of the art technology.

The crane will be Remote radio controlled and Cabin controlled. The two
seater cabin is to have air conditioning with air filtration for the comfort and well being of the operators. The crane will also feature PLC control of all main functions and there will also be ether net radio linked to the facility's mill-wide system.

As the crane will operate in high temperatures to 85°, all cables are rated to accommodate this, as are the controls. Heat resistant paint is also a feature on the exposed lower sections of the crane girders and lifting beam.

This is a 7 day operation with the crane available 24 hours, therefore the crane is to be A8/M8 Duty classification.

The cross and long travel will operate with Konecranes Dynac control and will the trolley has a special 'slew' facility to enable a 90° alignment of the billet rails from the output to the input stations.

There will be platforms on each girder, floodlights, access lights, emergency escape lights and accurate load weighing in 20 kilgram increments. A CVT facility will ensure continuous back up of the crane systems and anti-collision will operate to fail safe against existing same bay cranes.

A feature is to be a reeved in lifting beam for use with lifting dogs for the
billets which will also have a 50 tonne hook for maintenance.

Konecranes own ControlPro monitoring will allow planning of maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

Ten Konecranes cranes ordered for Allerton Engineering

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply 10 cranes for the new Allerton Engineering fabrication facility at North Allerton in North Yorkshire.

Konecranes will deliver: 2 x30/5 tonne, 2 x 25/5 tonne CTD; a 20 tonne radio controlled CXTD; 2 x 10 tonne CXTS models and 3 x 3 tonne CXTS Semi-Goliaths.

All of the double girder cranes will have platforms, festoon cabling and pendant controls and Konecranes DynADrive invertor speed controls on cross and long travel motions.

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring on each hoist to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

All cranes will feature festoon cables, cross and long travel limit switches, upper and lower limit switches, galvanised load ropes, 60% ED hoist motors, disc brakes on all motors and true vertical lift on the 30t and 25t cranes.

The contract which was won against stiff local and international competition will be delivered in July.

 Qatar contract for Konecranes UK

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply two cranes to Air Products of Walton-on-Thames who have ordered the equipment for their Middle East Oryx GTL Liquid Nitrogen Gas Compressor House project in Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar

The two cranes are each 55 tonne CXTD models with 8.7 metre spans. They will be Remox radio controlled and are to have platforms on the girders and trolleys with festoon cables. They will operate with Konecranes DynADrive invertor speed control on cross and long travel motions.

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro Condition monitoring to allow planned maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

In addition the cranes have cross and long travel limit switches, upper and lower limit switches, true vertical lift, tropicalised panels and motors, disc brakes on all motions, back up pendants, galvanised load ropes and long travel conductors.

Konecranes supplied cranes for 2 similar contracts for Air Products in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

The order worth £100k will be delivered in August this year.

Konecranes UK's modernisation team revitalise jib from quayside crane

ABP at Ipswich contracted Konecranes UK's modernisation team to upgrade the jib of one of their dockside cranes.

Photographs show the crane jib being worked on
at Konecranes UK East Kilbride factory
(click on a photo to view larger format)

The project required Konecranes UK to remove the jib from the crane and take it to their East Kilbride workshop. There, the jib was overhauled with new structural members and repainted before being returned to site, refitted, tested and commissioned at Ipswich.

The jib refurbishment work costing over £42k was completed in November 2003.

International Bechtel Ltd specify Konecranes UK

East Kilbride crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply nine cranes to international Bechtel Ltd who ordered the equipment on behalf of Alba Aluminium in Bahrain for their Potline 5 expansion project.

The cranes are from 2 - 33 tonne capacity and with varying spans upto 32.5m. 6 are SMD models and the other three are CXT single and double girder models also 5 of the SMD cranes have 5t aux. hoists All will have Konecranes state-of-the-art technology with true vertical lifting, REMOX Joystick radio control, back up pendant control, long travel conductors and Konecranes own DynA Invertor variable speed control on all motions.

Four of the SMD cranes will have motorised rotation on the main hooks. Each crane/hoist will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro condition monitoring system to minimise maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

Delivery of the cranes starts in June and ends in July this year.

Siemens AG order a further 6 Konecranes
Siemens AG of Germany have ordered another six cranes from Konecranes UK of East Kilbride for their power station project in Az Zour, Kuwait. This will bring the total Konecranes operating on this site to 27.

One is specified as an explosion proof CXTDEex crane and the others are normal CXTD models. Their capacities and spans range from 3 * 5 tonnes and 6 * 17 metres. All will be pendant controlled and are to have platforms on the girders and trolleys and will operate with Konecranes DynADrive invertor speed controls plus true vertical lift and long and cross travel limit switches.

The cranes will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro monitoring to minimise maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

The order worth £180k will be delivered in March this year.

Konecranes to go around at the Diamond Buildings Project

East Kilbride based crane manufacturer Konecranes UK has won the contract to supply three rather special cranes to Costain Ltd for the Synchrotron Building which is part of the diamond Building project at Didcot in Oxfordshire.

The three cranes from Konecranes UK are each 20 tonne capacity with 30 metre spans. They will be installed on a single circular track and will have specially designed travel wheels set at a tangent to the track diameters where the inner wheels will revolve at different rate from the outer wheels, allowing the crane to naturally follow the circular track.

They will have Konecranes state-of-the-art technology with true vertical lifting, REMOX Joystick radio control, back up pendants, festooned cables, end girder cross walks, girder platforms, safety escape reels and Konecranes own DynA Invertor variable speed control on all motions. They will also be fitted with anti collision sensors and cross travel limit switches.

Each hoist will be fitted with Konecranes own ControlPro monitoring system to minimise maintenance downtime and plot the cranes performance over the expected lifetime.

In addition to the three 20 tonners, Konecranes are to supply a single girder XNS crane complete with gantry for operation in a different location in the project.

The cranes will be installed and commissioned in July this year.