December 6 - Thirsty South African beer drinkers will thank Vanguard, a heavy lifting and plant installation specialist, which has completed the second phase of Heineken's Sedibeng, Gauteng province development project by rigging of several pieces of spec
Vanguard was awarded the contract by client Krones, a German packing and bottling machine manufacturer.
Peter Lovemore, site manager, Vanguard, says: "We have a well-established relationship with Krones, having completed numerous projects for them in the past. They have confidence in our expertise and well-trained staff, and they trust that we have the equipment and workforce available to complete large, complicated installations."
The first part of the project consisted of installing four brewing kettles. Each kettle comprised two pieces, with each assembled unit weighing eight tonnes and measuring eight metres in height. "The kettles were destined to sit between the ground and first floors of the cellar. To enable this placement, they had to be lifted through an open area in the brewery's roof.
Vanguard was also involved in the installation of two spent grain silos. Each silo arrived on-site in 18 separate pieces and had to be assembled before rigging could commence. Upon completion, the silos weighed nine tonnes each and measured 18 m in height. The silos were then top and tailed from a horizontal to a vertical position and moved 50 m into final position, using Vanguard's 33-tonne specialised pick-and-carry crane.
Apart from rigging the brewing equipment, Vanguard was also involved in the de-stuffing and re-packing of 40 containers on-site, including the mechanical installation of the malt handling equipment in Heineken's cellar and stayed on call following installation for any necessary technical assistance.
Lovemore says: "Being one of the biggest plant installation specialists in South Africa with a large support base allows us the ability to deliver complete, application specific, solutions in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. Our large base of resources also enables us to solve unforeseen problems quickly."
