John Sutch Cranes recently completed a sophisticated lift-and-replace operation at a Halton based Energy from Waste (EFW) Facility, demonstrating the precision required for critical infrastructure maintenance in this sector.
The project involved the replacement of two economisers from production lines 1 and 2 at the facility – a complex operation requiring careful coordination between multiple phases of lifting, transportation, and installation. Economisers play a crucial role in energy recovery systems, making their replacement a time-sensitive operation that demanded minimal disruption to facility operations and our client needed experts who could handle it - that's why they called in us.
John Sutch Cranes deployed our Liebherr LTM1450-8.1 mobile crane for the operation, configured with 134 tonnes of counterweight and a 28-metre luffing fly jib – a setup that provided the necessary reach and lifting capacity for the demanding vertical lifts required within the facility's confined operational space.
The operation began with a dedicated rigging day, where the crane was precisely configured and positioned for optimal performance throughout the multi-day project.
Each redundant economiser was carefully lifted from its operational position within the EFW facility and placed vertically into a specially designed transport frame, where it was secured. The units were then repositioned horizontally using a 'top and tail' manoeuvre before being loaded onto John Sutch Cranes' own transport vehicles.
The removed economisers were transported to a local storage facility, where they were offloaded and stored according to environmental regulations.
Simultaneously, new economisers were transported to the rigging area, where the process was reversed – units were offloaded, repositioned vertically, lifted from their transport frames, and precisely installed into their operational positions within the EFW facility.
The entire process was repeated for each economiser across both production lines, ensuring continuity of operations and maintaining the facility's energy recovery capabilities.
The success of the operation was down to our team.
'Big Dave' operated the 150 Liebherr crane during the critical rigging day, while 'Big Ian' took control of the LTM 1450-8.1 throughout the lifting operations. The team was supported by Appointed Person Jimmy Napier and assistant Thomas Meecham, who ensured all safety protocols were maintained throughout the complex operation.
"This project perfectly demonstrates our team's ability to handle intricate lifting operations in challenging industrial environments," said Tony Shackleton, Technical Sales Representative at John Sutch Cranes.
"The coordination between our crane operators, appointed person, and support staff was exemplary. Ian's precision in the LTM 1450-8.1 cabin, combined with Big Dave's expertise during rigging, and the oversight provided by Jimmy and Thomas, ensured we delivered exactly what Viridor needed with zero incidents."
Following the successful installation of all replacement economisers, the crane was de-rigged and removed from site, marking the completion of a project that exemplified the intersection of heavy lifting expertise and industrial maintenance requirements.
