SCHOLPP engineers were commissioned with moving two huge drum containers into a paper mill in central Germany–a huge challenge given the size and weight of the drums. SCHOLPP responded to this multi-ton, millimeter-precise task with a customized engineering concept comprising a number heavy-duty crane systems and a lifting gantry.
Engineering for heavyweights
The dimensions of the two drums were impressive. One weighed 85 metric tons and was 23 meters long, while the second tipped the scales at 235 metric tons with a length of 50 meters, and SCHOLPP had to handle these heavyweights with a delicate touch. That’s why, as a professional in industrial assembly, SCHOLPP developed an engineering concept for lifting the drums into its customer’s production hall, while also taking into account the local conditions and structural requirements.
“We were lucky that the customer even allowed us to intervene in the ongoing construction,” said Matthias Liebsch, the engineer in charge, praising the customer’s flexibility. The customer provided a large handling area in front of the hall and put its painting, window and foundation work on hold. The paper mill also postponed the scheduled construction of its outbuildings until the drums had been lifted into place. “That was crucial for our plans. If they hadn’t been so flexible, it would have been difficult to get the equipment into the hall at all,” said Matthias Liebsch.
Needle in a gigabyte haystack
Another advantage we had when preparing the engineering concept was that the customer had already given some thought to how SCHOLPP could hoist the drums into the hall. Given their size and weight, that was very forward-thinking of them,” explained the engineer. He also received extensive documentation from the customer about the drums and the conditions in the hall. “I dug through the gigabytes of data to identify the right approach for the engineering concept,” said the experienced engineer, thinking back to the early days of the challenging task. Drawing on pictures, drawings and parameters, he put together a customized solution within one working week.
Communication is everything
Even in the run-up to the project, the SCHOLPP team remained in close communication with the customer on a regular basis. “Communication is everything, at all times,” emphasized Matthias Liebsch. The biggest question was, how could SCHOLPP going to lift the 235-metric-ton pulping drum twelve meters into the air and then bring it into the hall? SCHOLPP addressed the issue with its own expertise and technology, several heavy-duty crane systems and a lifting gantry.
The moment of truth—without a test run
“In any large-scale project, you are constantly operating at the limits of what is feasible,” explained the experienced SCHOLPP engineer. To keep the risk as low as possible, SCHOLPP often conducts test runs in advance. But for the drum installation, the structure and dimensions were too large and there was no suitable test specimen. As a result, the concept had to work on the day without a prior test run. The day of the move went brilliantly. once again proving the experience and engineering competence of the industrial installation specialist. With a wealth of experience, technical expertise, creativity and a keen eye for the feasibility of a project, SCHOLPP is able to find effective solutions for tasks of even giant proportions–safely, reliably and precisely.
Watch our video to see how the huge drums reached their final destination. [1] Click here… [1]