There was a lot happening in front of the new extruder hall last week. The street was completely closed. A 500 ton mobile crane was driven up and set up in front of the logistics center, 35 m away from the means of entrance (a hatch in the roof). It is one of the largest of its category with a height of about 50 m. The installation needed an entire working day. An additional load of more than 100 tons ensured workplace safety for the following day. Additional bottom plates and the backfilling of sand made sure that no damage could occur to the foundation. Several lorries were required to deliver the crane and other materials.
The following day the re-chromed and completely refurbished JBL flaker roll was lifted over the 15 m high hall roof to be “blindly” slotted into place on top of the two new 3 m high bases. With its 8.5 ton weight and its value of about 3 million euros, the crane operator had to work with the utmost care. In addition a new turbo mixing container for a better and fully automated processing of raw materials was lifted into the hall. It is operated by a 17 inch touch panel. With such a flaker roll JBL is able to produce more than 2 tons of flake food a day. The work platform around the flaker roll and the turbo mixer provides a working area of approx. 50 m2. Finally the extraction hood was placed over the roll and other small components were lifted inside through the hatch in the roof. This was really precision work. The crane operator had to carry out the work blindly and was dependent on his two helpers via walkie-talkie.
In the following video you will find our summary of this eventful day:
