ACE Update – July 2019

Equip Zone I I access equipment

50 july 2019 ACEARCHITECTURECONSTRUCTIONENGINEERINGUPDATE

A

ccess equipment comes in diverse types which have

specific features that make them more or less desirable

for different applications. They are generally used

for temporary, flexible access purposes such as maintenance

and construction work. The key difference is in the drive

mechanism which propels the working platform to the desired

location.

Enhancing uptime and efficiency

In large construction projects, many adverse conditions prevail

• skill levels and improper maintenance contracts being some
  of the factors affecting work. In this context, even the uptime
  of equipment becomes a critical factor for productivity.

“Today, 90 per cent of the access equipment in India are

refurbished and do not adhere to the latest international safety

standards. Thus, in order to enhance uptime and efficiency of

the access equipment, three very important factors have to be

kept in mind, such as the equipment needs to be able to work

on a rough terrain and adhere to international standards of

safety. The equipment has to be backed up by maintenance

contracts on a timely basis and training has to be provided to

the operators on safety and handling of the access equipment

on site,” says Anil Lingayat, Executive Vice President and

Business Head, Godrej Material Handling.

As there are constant changes in the technology it is

the responsibility of the final users to embrace it and

use it to their advantage and in the last 10 years many

conventional access items like scaffoldings have been

replaced, but when these old systems are replaced with

new mechanised systems, tremendous amount of time and

money is saved.

“Once new systems have been out in place it is important

to make sure that they are up and running till they are

needed and to make sure this criterion is met a small

amount has to be factored in while purchasing these

machines to keep them in a good shape and take care

of the wear and tear that will occur as the machine is

used over time,” says Sunil Malhotra, Managing Director,

Appletree Building Maintenance Pvt Ltd.

Selection criteria

Choosing the appropriate equipment according to the

scope of the project is of utmost importance as it helps in

adhering to the timelines set for the project. Height being

a major factor, it should be considered while selection of

the access equipment. In addition to height, reach is also

as important as sometimes you would require a ‘boom’ in

order to do the job.

Machine uptime, efficiency

depends upon the way it is

used and maintained.

Continued to 52 g

Improving equipment effectiveness

in large projects