en.Wedoany.com Reported - Hoist & Winch Ltd has supplied a turnkey package comprising eight electric chain hoists and wire rope hoists to a seed crushing and refining plant at a UK dockside, supporting critical equipment maintenance operations as part of the facility's multi-year improvement plan. These high-performance hoists serve a variety of maintenance functions across indoor and outdoor process areas, covering the dock pump station, an ATEX-certified mineral oil extraction zone, and multiple general production locations.
Following close consultation with the customer, Hoist & Winch selected models from three European manufacturers, specifying different hoist designs based on the operational requirements of each location. In one of the most challenging applications—maintaining process water pumps located below sea level at the dock—the company supplied two GIS electric chain hoists, each with a safe working load (SWL) of 6 tonnes. These hoists feature dual-speed motion, cross-travel limit switches, and wireless remote control, and are equipped with weatherproof canvas covers and galvanized steel parking enclosures due to the exposed dock location.
In the mineral oil extraction zone, maintenance activities must be carried out in potentially explosive atmospheres. Hoist & Winch specified an Italkrane YY Series 2-tonne SWL electric chain hoist, which is ATEX-certified for Zone 1 II B T4 areas. The hoist features explosion-proof electrical protection, anti-corrosion coating, and spark-proof components, including brass trolley wheels, hooks, and anti-tipping devices, along with a low-headroom design, dual-speed operation, cross-travel limit switches, and wireless remote control, suitable for lifting container covers and other equipment. A CompEx-certified engineer from the company handled all ATEX electrical connections.
For indoor and outdoor process equipment locations, Hoist & Winch provided Stahl ST Series electric chain hoists with an SWL of 3.2 tonnes, offering maintenance teams a means to lift equipment between ground-level and elevated work areas. Another standalone maintenance location required significantly higher lifting capacity, leading to the specification of a Stahl SH Series wire rope hoist with an SWL of 9 tonnes, configured with a low-headroom design to maximize available lifting height. These hoists are also equipped with dual-speed operation, cross-travel limit switches, and wireless remote control systems.
The power distribution systems were customized for each installation area. In general process locations, conductor bar C-rails were installed alongside the runway beams; while in the dock and ATEX installation areas, a special conductor bar trolley arrangement running along the lower flange of the runway beam was adopted to accommodate beam configurations and headroom requirements.
After installation, Hoist & Winch conducted comprehensive testing and certification of all lifting systems. Each hoist and runway beam passed LOLER inspections, dynamic load tests, and 125% proof load tests, with the company issuing detailed inspection reports for all systems. On-site work also included operator training covering safe equipment use, operational controls, limit switches, emergency stop functions, daily inspections, lubrication requirements, and annual certification obligations.
"Every area of this facility presented its own technical challenges, from dock lifting operations and ATEX requirements to low-headroom maintenance applications," said Andy Allen, Director of Hoist & Winch. "By selecting the most suitable hoist technology for each location, we were able to provide the customer with safe, reliable, and long-term lifting solutions to support efficient maintenance across the entire plant."
