RGM Cranes has supplied a 30-ton semi-portal crane and two 10-ton single girder cranes to Betterect. The recent purchases stand testimony to the fruitful 20-year relationship between the two companies, which entails the refurbishment of Betterect’s existing cranes, as well as the load testing, servicing and inspection of Betterect’s four cranes every six months and of their lifting tackle every three months.

Betterect has extensive experience in the fabrication and installation of structural steel, plate work, mechanical equipment and piping. “We also have broad installation capabilities and often install free issue equipment and steelwork on large projects. We are able to produce 650 tons of steel/plate work per month with our existing setup and, if required, we have the space and ability to increase this to 750 tons per month for specific projects. We rely on suppliers like RGM Cranes to provide us with solutions that enable us to guarantee these capacities to our customers,” says Francois Herbst, project engineer at Betterect.

The two 10-ton single girder overhead cranes have been installed in the expanded workshop area and will be used to lift various items for the erection of semi-assembled or fully-assembled tanks and skids. “The service we received from RGM Cranes from the enquiry stage through to execution of the installation was extremely professional. We feel confident in any solution they advise us on as they have an intimate knowledge of our specific needs and the team is highly experienced in matching best practice technology to the required application,” says Herbst.

Superior lifting combination

The single girder cranes supplied to Betterect are configured with a GMD-40 hoist unit and a Guralp pivoting end carriage. The GMD hoist unit has a number of features that ensure durability and longevity, including a monitoring system that records amongst others:

• the working time of the unit

• average load lifted and total safe working time

• complete operation numbers when the hook is loaded.

Other beneficial features of the GMD 40 hoist unit include:

• A Guralp electronic braking system, achieving one million cycles before adjustment is required

• Guralp rope guides, which are hard-wearing, easy to remove and replace, and are cost effective

• Overload sensor and hoist limit switch for enhanced safety

• Hoist motor/gearbox which has high-precision, long-wearing helical gears; high start and stall torque; PTC thermistor overheat protection

• IP55 and IP65 Protection Class panels

• Soft start and stop with PLC and variable speed drive control.

The wheels on the pivoting end carriages are manufactured from GGG70 sphero casting to provide high levels of tensile strength and abrasion-resistance. The pivoting pin assists in preventing any premature long travel wheel wear as a result of gantry/rail misalignment.

“The quality and performance of RGM Cranes’ equipment is of such an exceptionally high standard that our uptime on lifts is efficiently maximised. Not only are the cranes characterised by high performance levels, but they also focus heavily on safety in design and operation, which is a critical factor for us given the fact that they are required to undertake heavy lifts in populated workshop areas,” says Herbst.

RGM Cranes provides a full advisory service on fit-for-purpose lifting solutions for a number of industries. Managing Director of RGM Cranes Alex Dowling says: “We have amassed a wealth of experience and expertise in our 30 years of operation and we invite potential customers to put our team to the test.”