Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd. (RSS) has combined with Gemmak Engineering Ltd. to provide a bespoke steel gantry system, which is installed in a basement-level plantroom at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot facility, one of the UK’s largest and most significant steel manufacturing sites.
RSS and Gemmak, which serves as the manufacturing division within the company’s engineering services department, collaborated to design and manufacture a gantry that provides a safe and reliable lifting solution for handling two 1t pumps during maintenance operations, minimising downtime and supporting efficient access for engineering teams.
RSS provides a comprehensive range of lifting and rigging equipment and services to joint ventures, consortiums, major infrastructure projects, and blue-chip organisations. Gemmak, meanwhile, is principally used to design, manufacture, fabricate and repair a range of runway beams, swing jibs, lifting platforms, pipework and other products.
RSS and Gemmak accepted a full scope of work to design, manufacture, and install a system for safer handling of pumps during shutdowns. The solution was based on seven weldments, which combine to create a gantry with runways and beam clamps. Each of the parts were lowered through a small opening in a floor prior to installation. RSS also supplied chain hoists and lifting tackle that are used to rig the pumps to the gantry system.
Morgan Hutin, contracts manager at Gemmak, said: “The end user was previously using a temporary scaffold with a sling and chain block whenever a requirement presented itself to lift the pumps for routine maintenance. However, Tata sought a more efficient, engineered system, which was to be bolted to the plantroom floor.”
Confined space
Hutin pointed to two notable challenges in lowering items through the small opening in the floor to access the plantroom space; and then working around the amount of existing live pipework, meaning the Gemmak design had to be built to precise measurements. In turn, RSS had to provide lifting products that could be utilised with the material handling concept that kept the system and the pair of pumps clear of existing plant works.
Steve Hutin, managing director at RSS, said: “This case study is another good example of RSS and Gemmak joining forces to present two sets of expertise to the point of use. Heavy engineering environments, such as steel works, place enormous demands on lifting equipment. In these settings, sourcing reputable, quality-branded gear is not simply a procurement preference; it is a critical safety decision.”
The continued expansion of Gemmak has brought with it the challenges that accompany sustained growth. Alongside its core expertise in designing and manufacturing bespoke equipment, the company is continually producing runway beams, lifting brackets, and engineered products for the steel, shipbuilding, petrochemical, and wider heavy industries. RSS complements these capabilities by supplying the rigging equipment required to support complete lifting solutions, enabling customers to source engineered products and associated hardware from a single, trusted partner.