UK crane company Ainscough Crane Hire helped Heineken UK replace two 13.5 tonne wort kettles at its Manchester brewery using two recent additions to its fleet: a pair of eight-axle, 700 tonne capacity Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile cranes.
The project took place in February and, due to the complexities of the beer production process and the requirement for silos to fill with grain, there was only a window every 21 days to work on the kettle drums. Ainscough was able to complete the job over five days in total, with Heineken remaining operational throughout.
On site, one of the LTM 1650-8.1s was positioned against a 25-metre-high building and saw Ainscough lifting at a height of 52 metres. A 150 t crane was used to build up the LTM 1650-8.1s.
The team worked on night shifts to accommodate adverse conditions and Ainscough said it benefited from the wind speed capacity tables incorporated into the model’s design. The LTM 1650-8.1 also incorporates VarioBase, which enables each outrigger to be extended to a different length. According to Ainscough, the increased safety and ease of use helped take the strain off the crane driver who could then concentrate fully on the hoist.
Andy Banks, contract lift manager at Ainscough’s Manchester depot, said, “This was a major task to replace tired equipment and ensure the brewery remains efficient. It was only right that our most impressive models were deployed and it’s fair to say that the LTM 1650-8.1 cranes made light work of an intricate job – particularly given the terrible weather.
“This was more than a general maintenance job and required a high level of planning. Leaving a three-week gap between the two replacements ensured that disruption was kept to a minimum and wouldn’t have been possible without these 650t cranes. They afforded significant flexibility and avoided a main road closure.”
The project was supervised by Matthew Baxter and involved two operators – John Day and Ian Stonier.
