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Vanguard Awarded Heavy Transport
Contract By Schenker
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The versatility and modularity of Vanguard’s trailer
demonstrated on-site |
Heavy
lifting and rigging company Vanguard has announced
the completion of a project for German logistics
group Schenker. Vanguard utilised its imported
modular trailer to transport cargo in excess of 300
tons from Richards Bay Harbour to two inland sites.
Vanguard transported a ball mill to a new cement
plant in Randfontein on the West Rand of
Johannesburg, and a kiln to a plant refurbishment
project in Lichtenburg in the North West Province.
According to James Robinson, Vanguard project
engineer, the two items arrived at Richards Bay
Harbour from China. “The cargo arrived in December,
a little later than scheduled. This essentially
meant that due to the load being classified as
abnormal and thus requiring a police escort, we had
to wait until the new year because this type of
transport is embargoed in December due to the
holiday traffic. We needed to come up with an
interim solution.” |
A
12-axle line trailer was dispatched to Richards Bay where
the kiln and ball mill each measuring 18 metres long and 5,5
metres wide, were offloaded from the ship and transported to
a temporary storage site within the harbour.
“The versatility of the trailer system came into play here,
and allowed us to offload the items onto stands without
using cranes or additional equipment. The loads were wider
than the trailers which facilitated the placing of the
pedestals strategically around the trailer. We then lowered
the suspension of the trailer, letting the items rest on the
pedestals, before driving the trailer out.”
In January, Vanguard used its modular trailer once again,
this time configured in an 18-axle line combination, to
transport the kiln and ball mill from the harbour to their
respective destinations.
“We
lowered the suspension of the trailer system, manoeuvred it
beneath the load, raised the suspension and drove off,” says
Robinson.
Vanguard moved one load at a time, with the ball mill
destined for Randfontein transported first.
Robinson notes that the constant rain made conditions
on-site a challenge in Randfontein. “The trailer had to be
driven up a muddy road which was fairly steep. In addition,
the actual space on site was limited and the ball mill had
to be offloaded on a cement plinth while the client readied
its final position. There was also not much space around the
plinth. At the top of the hill, near the plinth, we used the
manual steering capabilities of the trailer to manoeuvre it
and offloaded the ball mill without a hitch.”
The trailer was immediately sent back to Richards Bay to
collect the second load, the kiln, which was transported to
Lichtenburg.
“The modularity and versatility of the trailer assisted us
in successfully completing this job. The use of the trailer
also ensures that we have the ability to adapt quickly to
situations and develop solutions to problems that occur
without downtime or incurring more costs,” Robinson
concludes.
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