Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental, has played a critical role in the renovation work being carried out at the ArcelorMittal plant in Dunkirk, France. Sarens has been the responsible for the installation of the new overhead crane to carry the steel ladle.
To carry out this work, for which the crane had to be assembled outside the building prior to installation, Sarens used a combination of SPMT's (Self-Propelled Modular Transports), as well as different jacking systems and support beams with a spam of 40 m and different support structures. The decision to assemble the crane outside the main building drastically reduced the downtime, facilitated the movement of cranes and equipment moved to the site and improved the safety of the operation, as it did not take place in a building subjected to extremely high temperatures.
The first phase of this work required the lifting and positioning of the box beams, for which the Sarens technical team decided to mobilize two 200-ton capacity telescopic cranes. Then, an SPMT equipped with four Sartowers and eight 185-ton strandjacks were used to pick up, jack up and transport the overhead crane.
A lifting beam had to be designed and manufactured, as well as a connecting plate for the Sartowers and strandjacks to work together. This system proved to be the most useful for the work of picking up the fully rigged overhead crane and box beam for a low height and then lifting it up to approximately 30 meters.
To make the job a success, Sarens set up two lines of 22-axle SPMTs and assembled a two-level steel structure on the trailer. The first level was a jacking system with a double Sarlift 2500 system, prepared to lift the overhead crane. Second level was composed by a structure of steel built with MB 1500x600 and BS 610 columns, all braced with the BS 324 system. Sarens had to build a lifting beam and connection plate for the Sarlift system, as well as connection eyes for bracing that could be bolted to the modular beam. The final result was a strong and stable setup for lifting approximately 800 tons.
The overhead crane to be installed was built completely outside the hall in which it would be used. Taking advantage of the 30-hour window in which the plant reduced its activity -estimated time to reduce the operating temperature in the building and to increase the safety of both Sarens and ArcelorMittal operators, who were able to move to other areas of activity during this time-, Sarens jacked the overhead crane at the front of the hall, to exactly match the correct level so ArcelorMittal staff could pull the new overhead crane out and roll it directly on its rails.
This is not the first project Sarens has carried out for ArcelorMittal. Among other projects, in 2019 Sarens carried out another relocation of the 360-ton overhead crane at the Dunkirk plant using CS1000 and a CS250 cranes and 12 axle lines SPMT’s and one PPU (Portable Pilot Unit). In 2014, Sarens worked together with ArcelorMittal in the jacking and transport of a 410-ton torpedo in Fos-sur-Mer using 4 PJ 50 units. Also in 2014 and in Fos-sur-Mer, Sarens installed the 360-ton overhead crane in the ArcelorMittal plant with a Sarlift 2500 unit and 26 axle lines SPMT’s.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/