Big Lift Lifting Equipment, Safety and Training

A small team from Biglift is making plans to participate in a UKTI trade mission to Vietnam early in 2012.  Preparations have already included attending a seminar in Manchester which offered an opportunity to meet with the Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK, HE Vu Quang Minh.  Biglift’s Nigel Simons was then nominated to attend a UK-Vietnam Business Forum in London  in early December, and received an invitation from HRH Prince Andrew to attend this event at Buckingham Palace.  The Forum took place on 9th December, and was attended by a wide range of UK business leaders together with a major trade delegation from Vietnam led by HE Nguyen Sinh Hung, President of the National Assembly of Vietnam.  This offered a unique opportunity to learn more of the rapid economic progress made by Vietnam in recent years, and to network with others already working in a promising market.  A report on the trade mission will follow early in 2012.

In an indication of Biglift’s commercial expansion into the application of leading edge technology to meet industry needs, we have just secured a significant contract to design, install and support an RFID-based asset management system for a major public utility contractor. This new work confirms our commitment to devising and commissioning highly effective, cost-efficient solutions to meet clients’ needs.  RFID systems permit the ready identification and tracking of equipment in difficult operating environments, and have the potential to drive major improvements in inspection regimes, record keeping and capital equipment planning.  We confidently expect this aspect of our business to grow, and plan to play a key role in the further development of RFID technology through our partnerships with manufacturers and the university sector

A team from Biglift has recently returned from a two week assignment in Uganda, working in a joint venture with Eskom Limited at their Kiira and Nalubaale Power Stations near Jinja.  The contract involved the application of Biglift’s expertise in three key areas of activity.  Firstly, the team was responsible for commissioning and safety testing the plant’s new lifting beam, previously designed and supplied by Biglift.  This work included the supervised lifting of a series of test weights to check the stability and strength of the new beam – successful completion of a lift weighing 154 tonnes confirmed this, in what was almost certainly Uganda’s biggest lift to date.  Secondly, the Biglift engineering team undertook a detailed inspection of two large cranes at the power station site, accompanied by functional and load testing to confirm their continued fitness for purpose and maintenance needs.  Finally, specialist Biglift trainers were employed to deliver a range of technical training courses to Eskom staff, ensuring that they have appropriate knowledge and skills to operate the lifting equipment on site in complete safety.  Successful completion of this major contract confirms Biglift’s capacity to deliver a wide range of expert services in the international arena, and represents a significant contribution to ensuring that this key hydro power installation can continue to operate efficiently and safely.  We confidently expect to undertake further specialist work with our Ugandan partners Eskom, with whom we have deservedly built an excellent working relationship.

We have recently acted as consultants to Seadrill (Brunei) to advise on the practicality of using textile slings to replace existing wire rope equivalents for the dismantlng and re-erection of an oil rig derrick.  After detailed research, Biglift’s advice was to employ polyester slings (100 tce capacity), and these have now been procured and shipped.  These are now in use, and are proving a highly effective substitute – they are lighter, stronger and easier to handle than conventional wire slings.  We confidently expect more orders to follow.

As part of our ongoing partnership with marine geophysicists RXT, Biglift recently delivered a significant project in support of the offshore oil industry in Cameroon.  This wide-ranging work involved a combination of training for on-board operators in lifting gear examination and marine crane inspection, together with specialist training in the operation of marine cranes.  This work confirms the high demand for rigorous inspection of equipment operating in the most demanding of conditions offshore, together with the recognition that there can be no compromise in the training of operators responsible for heavy lifting equipment in hazardous and remote locations.    Biglift also delivered aa comprehensive safety audit of the full stock of ship marine lifting equipment whilst on board.  Working offshore is by no means an easy option, and the success of this contract demonstrates Biglift’s ability to meet demand in areas where others might choose not to operate.

We have well-established credentials in the Middle East and North Africa, and in spite of recent political events, we continue to serve the needs of this resource-rich part of the world.  Our MD Sean McLaughlin delivered a two week training programme in February 2011 for our clients Alec Group, leading to Crane Appointed Person certification.  This aspect of Biglift’s work confirms that the construction sector continues to expand internationally, and that there remains strong demand for the training of crane operators and supervisors.

Biglift Managing Director Sean McLaughlin was recently interviewed for a two page article in Hoist magazine, published in February 2011 and aptly titled “Biglift in a Big Pond”. This illustrated the growing profile of Biglift as a specialist supplier of ttequipment, training and inspection services around the world – indeed, the interview was conducted while Sean was working in Angola.  The article highlighted Biglift’s unrivalled knowledge base and the way in which it is being applied to often challenging natural resource projects in developing countries.  The clear message is that Biglift can offer high quality services in environments that many other providers tend to ignore, and that there is a real demand for our expertise.

The article also highlighted Biglift’s role as a technical innovator in the delivery of training to an industry that often works  in remote, hazardous and inaccessible locations.  Sean spoke in some depth about our work in developing simulator-based training solutions, and the creation of academic-industry partnerships that underpin this initiative – more to come in future posts !

We have recently completed two highly successful projects in West Africa, working in partnership with Bureau Veritas.  Both involved sharing our expertise with local staff working for the oil industry, and focussed on lifting gear examination – a vital ingredient in safe and cost effective working where regular assessments of hard working, high value equipment must be carried out.   Similar work was also undertaken in Angola during February 2011 – a second component of both projects was an intensive training programme in offshore crane inspection, recognising the need to maintain lifting equipment in peak condition, especially where is it working in tough environmental conditions.  Both projects illiustrate Biglift’s growing international reputation for serving the needs of the energy sector – see also our report on Cameroon.