Lifting equipment specialist, Demag Cranes & Components Ltd has won a €4.4 million contract to supply crane systems for a new Airbus facility at Broughton, North Wales. The new 52,300 sq m factory will house a composite wing assembly line for the company’s A350 XWB wide bodied aircraft, which is scheduled to enter service in 2013.
To meet the requirements of the wing manufacturing process, Demag will install twelve multi-span suspension cranes, four of which are rated at 10 tonne SWL and eight rated at 12.5 tonne SWL. The cranes have spans ranging between 16.5m and 17.5m. Demag will also install two 10 tonne SWL double girder overhead travelling cranes with 27.67m spans. The radio controlled crane systems will operate in pairs for the tandem lifting of composite wings systems between various workstations during the manufacturing process. Frequency inverter control in all motions will ensure precise positioning accuracy and eliminate load sway.
The first crane system will be delivered to the Broughton site in October 2009, with installations of the remaining cranes planned at the rate of one per month. The project is scheduled for completion during the fourth quarter of 2010.
The contract for the supply of lifting equipment to the new facility at Broughton is the result of a global tender for the A350 xwb manufacturing project, which will also involve the installation of Demag cranes at Airbus production facilities in Hamburg and Nordenham, Germany. Demag has enjoyed a twenty year relationship with Airbus, which has seen the installation of crane systems at other Airbus facilities at Broughton, Filton and plants throughout Europe.
Andrew Clarke, Demag’s CEO, Western Sales Region, stated: “We are delighted to be associated with such a prestigious project. Winning the contract for the supply of cranes systems for production at the North factory, Broughton, and facilities in Hamburg and Nordenham further cements our excellent relationship with Airbus and consolidates our position as a global leader in the lifting equipment sector”
Demag Cranes & Components Ltd
Tel: 01295 676177
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