Finest quality travelling crane for Il Cantiere

Il Cantiere recently installed a latest technology overhead travelling crane at its factory in Fiume Veneto. The crane was built by Handel Sollevamenti using a Verlinde electric wire rope hoist.

Established in 2006, Il Cantiere was born of an innovative project devised by entrepreneur Cinzia Palazzetti and designer Gigi Rossi, based on a simple, but revolutionary concept: to introduce the extraordinary properties of cement into sectors where it would have been unthinkable to use it until only a short time ago. All this was made possible thanks to the enormous quality potential of innovative cement mixtures that now offer better performance than ordinary cement while considerably reducing thickness and therefore weight, without compromising resistance and solidity. In particular, Il Cantiere works with a special type of cement, called Ductal, patented by the world's leading manufacturer, Lafarge.

Il Cantiere recently installed a latest technology overhead travelling crane at its factory in Fiume Veneto. The crane was built by Handel Sollevamenti using a Verlinde electric wire rope hoist.

Classified as an "ultra high-performance concrete", Ductal is a product with cutting-edge technology and exceptional technical features thanks to its special composition and the organic fibres included in the paste, which take the place of the usual rebar cages and provide a finished product with performance well above the norm. With a completely mineral composition and no resins, Ductal is therefore ecologically sustainable and has a very fine grain, so that it can adhere to and faithfully reproduce any texture. Its resistance to compression is four to eight times greater than traditional cement; as a result, complex architectural forms can be cast that are also extremely lightweight. In addition, thanks to its ductility, it provides significant resistance to bending stress and withstands deformation better.

Il Cantiere has created and used special moulds made of wood, rubber, resin, steel, polycarbonate, plastic and even Ductal itself, developing know-how about casting Ductal that is unique in the world. In the new Fiume Veneto factory, in the province of Pordenone, every phase of production from the creation of prototypes to industrial engineering is the result of a constant research effort. The company's in-depth knowledge of lightweight metal structures, acquired for the production of moulds, means it can offer an additional turnkey service.

To lift and handle the moulds, Il Cantiere decided to install a double girder, overhead travelling crane built by Handel Sollevamenti of Porcia, also in Pordenone province, using a Verlinde electric wire rope hoist and travelling end truck.

Silent, fast and versatile
Designed and developed entirely by Handel Sollevamenti, the purpose of this crane is to lift and rotate moulds. The travelling crane has a number of distinctive construction features. First of all, with a span of 30 m it is the longest travelling crane in the Pordenone area. At full-load (5100 kg), sag is only 11 mm and the crane has no festoon cables thanks to the use of cable-chain track and radio remote control. In addition, the Verlinde electric wire rope hoist is very fast and silent. "The entire structure between the bulkheads was built in S355 (ex Fe510), ensuring minimum deformation of the beams and optimum structural rigidity. Thanks to reduced deformation, the annoying noises generally made by lifting devices in operation have been eliminated," according to Federico Alcido, the Handel Sollevamenti Sales Manager. "When the crane moves you don't hear it."

"I've known Handel Sollevamenti for some time because I had already worked regularly with them," said Bruno Rivenotto, a qualified industrial technician and the company Buyer and Head of Prevention and Protection at Il Cantiere. "All the same, we conducted a thorough market survey, evaluating technical features and costs before we decided on the product. From a technical point of view, we were attracted to the Handel Sollevamenti solution because it enabled us to match up the functions of the two areas into which our basic plant is divided. The crane turned out to be very versatile and silent, and also means we have the possibility of using higher speeds."

Appearance to the eye was also important: the crane is actually pleasing on the eye and was welded with great care. "Our products for garden furnishing and interior/exterior furniture are linked to our architecture," Rivenotto explained. "Our efficiency in handling the finished products is automatically also transferred to our plant. Attention must therefore also be devoted to all aspects of the plants in order to ensure they are of best quality and reliable when in operation. Our requirements for functionality and total product quality, and of dependability of the fitters in maintenance and technical assistance, led us to choose Handel Sollevamenti. The choice of Verlinde products by Handel Sollevamenti simply confirmed the competence and experience of the company. Before making the final decision, I asked the supplier to see another crane built based on Verlinde components. I saw that the plant I visited was perfectly functional and very similar to what we were aiming for. At that point, we made our decision without any further hesitation."

The Verlinde plus points
Handel Sollevamenti manufacture and install bridge and jib cranes. "We chose Verlinde hoist and end truck because our customers are appreciative of the advantages these products bring: few substitutions of spare parts, silent operation, speed, etc. In addition, the Verlinde wire rope hoist are robust, easy to mount, and maintenance is also very simple. This also makes them suitable for applications that will be sent abroad. The positive factors are thus numerous so that when we install a Verlinde hoist, our customer will generally ask for another when they design a new plant later," said Mr. Alcido.

"There are many types of bridge cranes but those built with Verlinde components are at the top of the range," continued the Handel Sollevamenti Sales Manager. "Since Rivenotto knew and appreciated our company from when he was factory manager for another well-known company in Pordenone, he decided to engage us to produce a safe, long-lasting plant. Thanks to the structure and precision of the parts, the new crane is sure to have a very long service life."

The structure built by Handel Sollevamenti in S355 (ex Fe510) was lowered to reduce manoeuvring space. It took six weeks to fabricate the block, while construction of the crane and assembly at the Il Cantiere factory took less than 20 days.

The Handel Sollevamenti philosophy is to manufacture top quality products with great attention to detail, even if the price is higher than those of its competitors. "Note that our products are present all over the world," said Mr. Alcido. This success comes from the attention we devote to our customers and their requirements. "Anyone can get on in selling, but not everyone can give advice," he emphasized. "Our father's idea when he founded the company was that the customer must get full satisfaction. To be sure that we respect this principle, we do everything as if it was for ourselves. That's because when we do things for ourselves, we always do them better." And that is why we choose Verlinde, whose products have been known for their high quality standards for 150 years.

For further information, e-mail: jean-yves.beaussart@verlinde.com  Refer to page 60

OMS manages pipe measurement and fit-up logistics for Subsea 7

Specialist pipe measurement technology company for the oil and gas industry, Optical Metrology Services (OMS) Ltd, has completed a pipe measurement and fit-up project for Subsea 7 on the Exxon Mobil-operated Oso gas/condensate field off the coast of Nigeria.

Using its groundbreaking Smart-FitÔ software, OMS avoided any pipe fit-up problems, providing Subsea 7 with fast, good pipe fit-ups ready for the welding stage. Smart-FitÔ uses pipe measurement data to predict and control fit-up, before the pipes are brought into the bead stall for welding. This prevents production delays due to poor fit-up and manages the assembly of problem pipes to maximise welding productivity.

Onshore in Nigeria, two OMS engineers used OMS' PipeChecker^TM laser-based measurement tool to measure the geometry of the internal walls of more than 1,500 pipe ends.

The pipes were then delivered by barge to Subsea 7's pipe laying vessel, Polaris. Onboard, OMS engineers used Smart-FitÔ to sequence the pipes for best fit-up.

Pipe measurement data was made available to a Smart-FitÔ station onboard Polaris. This comprised a laptop located prior to the firing line. Each pipe in turn was identified and logged into the software, which then analysed the fit-up, enabling OMS engineers to mark the best rotational (and datum) position on each pipe end. In the bead stall, these marks were aligned to achieve the best rotational position so that pipe misalignment was minimised. Any problem pipes that would not have fitted at the specified Hi-Lo were also indicated in advance so that they could be re-sequenced or removed. Production delays due to mismatched pipes were therefore avoided.

Dr Richard Gooch, Director of Technology at OMS commented: "In order to meet stringent acceptance criteria for the welds on this project, Subsea 7 asked OMS to manage pipe measurement and fit-up, both onshore and offshore during the pipe laying process. We are very pleased to report that this project was extremely successful. Everything worked perfectly and we managed to avoid any pipe fit-up problems, which resulted in no delays to the pipe welding process or repairs."

This project consolidates OMS' position as the leading provider of solutions for pipe fit-up, including stringent CRA applications.

The Oso oil field is located offshore in the Bight of Biafra and is Nigeria's largest offshore gas/condensate project. Offshore facilities include 8 platforms. A 35-mile seabed pipeline transports the condensate to storage tanks located onshore at the Qua Iboe Terminal.

Optical Metrology Services in profile
Optical Metrology Services Limited (OMS) is a market leader in the provision of pipe measuring products and services. The company specialises in measuring equipment and consulting services for use within the pipe manufacturing and pipeline construction sectors, both onshore and offshore. A key focus for OMS is in the dimensional measurement of oil and gas pipes or other structures such as military gun barrels, processing industry tubes or manufactured cylindrical objects, where dimensions are critical.

OMS prides itself on finding out what clients require and delivering it. OMS was recently recognised by being awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation Category, the company's second award in 2007 (the first award being the Pipeline Industries Guild Award for Land Based Technology).

The OMS Pipe Checker™ range of tools provides dimensional checks on all aspects of manufactured pipe. These tools are used throughout the world for onshore and offshore projects and in pipe mills.

For further information, email: denise@optical-metrology-services.com  Refer to page 57 

VERLINDE hoist for helicopter dummy

Danish Crane Building A/S, DCB, has supplied a crane equipped with a VERLINDE EUROBLOC VT3 hoist for a helicopter dummy, which the Martec training centre has currently installed in the indoor swimming pool in Sæby, Denmark.

The equipment is to be used for safety training for offshore personnel, in which a simulated helicopter crash forms part of the programme. The training is intended to prepare offshore personnel to get safely out of a helicopter which has gone down in water: "To practise this situation, the crane drops the dummy into the water, where it is turned on its head. The trainees task is to swim out from the helicopter dummy as quickly as possible, after which it is lifted up from the swimming pool again," says DCB sales engineer Kristen M. Jensen.

Danish Crane Building A/S, DCB, has supplied a crane equipped with a VERLINDE EUROBLOC VT3 hoist for a helicopter dummy.

The crane is a suspended wire pulley running on a track which stretches across the swimming pool. This type of crane is also used in many industrial applications, but the type of steel, the casing and the finish have been upgraded in this case to safeguard the crane from corrosion in the chlorinated environment of the swimming pool.

The VERLINDE EUROBLOC VT3 crane has a lifting capacity of 2 tons, which comprises the dummy itself, weighing 1,200 kg and 800 kg payload. " VERLINDE EUROBLOC VT3 wire rope hoist was selected due to the environment with extreme saline conditions and by using stainless steel components for rope, hook block and panels we found a solution suitable for public swimming centre.

"In addition a parking bay for the helicopter dummy is built into the crane girder, where it can be retracted when not in use. The bay is designed so that the dummy can be pulled up under the cover without any load on the crane's moving parts, whilst at the same time the swimming pool users can safely move around below the dummy," explains Kristen M. Jensen.

For further information, e-mail: jean-yves.beaussart@verlinde.com  Refer to page 60