Working-at-height safety solution

April 2018 System Integration & Control Systems Design News

Rope-access specialist Skyriders has provided a working-at-height safety solution for a contractor undertaking maintenance at the Sappi Ngodwana pulp and paper mill in Mpumalanga. It follows an earlier successful project in 2016 whereby Skyriders undertook inspection and repair work on the ducting between the boilers and the smoke stacks as well as platform installations inside a smoke stack at the mill.

Marketing manager Mike Zinn explains that the rope-access specialist was called upon to assist a contractor undertaking maintenance on a tower crane platform. Due to the height of the platform, a working-at-height safety solution was necessary.

A senior Level 3 rope access supervisor and technical manager were dispatched to site to create an optimal solution. “We had a bracket system designed and then fabricated that was strapped to the vertical column of the tower crane itself, which the team could hook onto,” elaborates Zinn. “Thus they could undertake all of the necessary maintenance while attached to this temporary lifeline system that was essentially just bolted onto the tower crane.”

In addition, Skyriders briefed the team on basic working-at-height safety requirements, and how best to use the customised system it had devised for Sappi. The project was completed in January and represents an ongoing involvement with the pulp and paper giant.

Zinn comments that rope access has allowed Sappi to achieve significant cost-savings in terms of its maintenance and repair requirements: “Scaffolding on the other hand is costly and time consuming, and disproportionately expensive compared to the scope of the work.”

Given the successful working relationship between Sappi and Skyriders to date, Zinn is confident of Skyriders’ continued involvement with, and further diversification into, the pulp and paper industry. Additional projects include work on a new cellulose plant, as well as a recovery boiler.

For more information contact Mike Zinn, Skyriders, +27 (0)11 312 1418, [email protected], www.ropeaccess.co.za

Further reading:

The state of the SI industry remains strong and is expanding
System Integration & Control Systems Design
The system integration (SI) industry is expanding with the adoption of AI, automation and data sharing, allowing companies to improve operational efficiency and competitiveness across diverse sectors.

Read more...

---

The symbiotic relationship between OEMs and SIs
Schneider Electric South Africa Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
While businesses tend to turn directly to original equipment manufacturers OEMs or vendors when embarking on IT projects, the role of the SI as a key facilitator and partner cannot be overstated.

Read more...

---

Flexible and precise dispensing technology
Beckhoff Automation System Integration & Control Systems Design
The Scheugenpflug ProcessModule axis system forms the basis of Atlas Copco’s dispensing and screwing cells and a flexible integration platform for general contractors and machine builders. Precise process sequences are ensured by TwinCAT CNC and servo drive technology from Beckhoff.

Read more...

---

Big themes for 2025
Editor's Choice News
2024 was a year of unprecedented innovation and global upheaval. As we look ahead, Amy Webb, CEO of the Future Today Institute asks which technologies will reshape our world in 2025?

Read more...

---

Celebrating 65 years: rebuilding and redefining its legacy
Editor's Choice News
Founded in 1959 by Neill Simpson, Axiom Hydraulics has grown into one of South Africa’s elite hydraulic companies. Over the past six and a half decades they’ve weathered many challenges, but none as devastating as the fire of 2023.

Read more...

---

Young robotics team takes world title
igus Editor's Choice News
In an inspiring demonstration of innovation and teamwork, Texpand, a young South African robotics team, recently made history by winning the 2024 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships.

Read more...

---

The time is now for systems integrators
Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
Integrators combine sophistication regarding technology innovation with practical, hands-on experience. Collaborating with systems integrators is the means to significant productivity improvement, powered by the convergence of automation and information and operations technology.

Read more...

---

Festo makes strides in establishing Fourth Industrial Revolution technical labs
Festo South Africa Editor's Choice News
Festo has long been referred to as the leader in industrial automation and technical education, but the role that they keep playing in driving educational transformation proves that they have earned and deserve their title.

Read more...

---

System integrators are a diverse market
Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
System integrators (SIs) combine expertise on emergent technologies with real world experience. Working with SIs, it’s inevitable that at some point someone will say, “We’re not a typical SI.” And in many ways, it’s true. SIs come in all shapes and sizes.

Read more...

---

Avoiding the pitfalls of PLC and scada control system integration
Iritron System Integration & Control Systems Design
Upgrading your control system by integrating PLCs with scada systems should be a simple seamless process. Regrettably, the industry is plagued with control system integration and upgrade myths and misconceptions that can lead to liability issues, project delays, cost overruns and decreased plant performance.

Read more...

---