Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd has taken delivery of a new 1,000t Sahm Splice hydraulic press that will increase its machining capability and enable the business to manufacture 55t safe working load slings, with the oil, gas and crane rental markets in mind.
The new press was delivered to lifting and rigging company Rope and Sling’s Bridgend, Wales headquarters this month (December) where it joins an older unit, made by Talurit, that is used to manufacture 35t safe working load slings. The Talurit unit could work with 52mm diameter wire rope but the new machine can handle rope up to 64mm in diameter.
The new unit from Sahm Splice is one of the biggest in the UK lifting industry and puts on the shop-floor over 50 years of German engineering expertise. Sahm-Seilklemme, known only as Sahm Splice since earlier this year, has produced and distributed products complementing the mechanical splicing of wire ropes since 1961.
Delivery represents a significant milestone for the company, which is preparing to mark 10 years since managing director Steve Hutin took the business over in 2006. The Talurit press has been onsite since around the same time.
Hutin said: “The decision to order the new press in October was led by capacity on two levels. First, the existing press is in constant use and it made sense to have additional machining capability but, more importantly, the new press takes our status as a below-the-hook equipment provider to a new level. The rope we will use for 55t capacity slings will have a breaking strength of over 300t.”
The new press, which Hutin acknowledges is one of the biggest in the UK excluding the heavy-lift industry in Aberdeen, will be used every day with 10 qualified employees—25% of the company’s workforce—manufacturing bespoke slings to meet customer specifications. The company also carries an inventory of slings, shackles and other rigging equipment for hire from a variety of manufacturers that are often specified by end users.
The 1,000t Sahm Splice hydraulic press enhances Rope and Sling’s ability to serve key markets such as oil, gas and the crane rental market. They are sectors integral to the company’s growth that already consume a variety of equipment, including spreader beams, hired out nationally. Hutin, who has led the company to national recognition among these key markets from humble beginnings as a small, regional business, explained that the company’s largest beam is 250t, while it has also fulfilled orders for slings up to 210t capacity.
He said: “We probably have the capacity to hire out at least 100 spreader beams at any given time. We now have up to date systems in place, experienced staff and unrivalled service. Combined with equipment like the new Sahm Splice press, we are very excited about the short and long-term future.”
Rope and Sling has additional facilities in Scotland and two in England, covering both ends of the country, but plans are afoot to open up to six additional Rope and Sling facilities across the UK over the coming five years. By the end of 2016, Hutin anticipates that the company will be operating 10 accredited below-the-hook training courses.
