Scrap & Demolition Australasia Summer 2015

SCRAP & DEMOLITION AUSTRALASIA

SUMMER 2015

Big wins at the World Demolition Awards!

Aussie and Kiwi demolition experts show the world how it's done

Ausdecom awarded for innovation Complex pellet plant demolition at Whyalla steelworks gets international spotlight

Next-gen fuel saving machines from Liebherr arrive New LH series materials handlers boast clever energy recovery technology

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EDITORIAL & CONTENTS

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Punching above our weight Eleven awards, 21 shortlisted finalists, four Australasian contenders and three out of four came home with 2014 World Demolition Awards trophies. Now that's a pretty phenomenal strike rate for the innovative demolition industry in our part of the world.

Congratulations to Australian Decommissioning Services (Ausdecom) and Ward Demolition for their hotly contested category wins and to Liberty Industrial who, in addition to claiming their category, also won the prestigious overall World Demolition Award for 2014; the first time this `best of the best' gong has been up for grabs. Congratulations also to New Zealand's Nikau Contractors who couldn't build on their successes with the silverware from previous World Demolition Awards this year, but were still shortlisted in an impressive three separate categories. That's a sure sign that they continue to operate at the leading edge.

PUBLISHER

Cameron Officer Limited 19 Konini Road

Ausdecom grace our cover this month and we detail their complex demolition of a redundant pellet plant at the Arrium Mining steelworks in Whyalla, South Australia. This young company ± headed by a team with real experience ± has certainly made the grade on the world's stage. Ward Demolition won the Urban/Confined Space category with a remarkable demolition project within the bustling Auckland University campus; one that was executed brilliantly thanks to a great partnership between Ward Demolition and Fletcher Construction.

Titirangi, Auckland 0604

Finally Liberty Industrial's double win is a massive achievement whichever way you slice it. The project they were nominated for was a massive undertaking as well; with more than 7000 tonnes of industrial plant and equipment from a disused smelting facility in Western Australia dismantled.

cameronofficer@gmail.com

With this sort of innovation on show, 2015 promises to contain some enthralling and awards-worthy projects in our part of the world. We're looking forward to discovering them in the months ahead.

phone: +64 (0) 22 435 5421

phone: + 64 (0) 21 1606 175 EDITOR

Cameron Officer phone: +64 (0) 21 1606 175

ADVERTISING SALES

Amanda Gilroy amanda.gilroy1@gmail.com SUBSCRIPTIONS

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cameronofficer@gmail.com

News Briefs

phone: +64 (0) 21 1606 175

Goings on from Australia, New Zealand and around the world

PRODUCTION

2014 World Demolition Awards

Design: Richard Walker

Our extended coverage begins...

Printing: Client Focused Solutions Ltd +64 (0) 27 255 1818

Australian Decommissioning Services This innovative company made their mark, winning the Contract of the Year ± Under $US1.5m category

Ward Demolition New Zealand's Ward Demolition took home a deserved win in the Urban/Confined Space award category

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Contributions are welcomed.

Please contact the editor before sending them in.

Articles in Scrap & Demolition are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part

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Nikau Contractors

without permission of the publisher.

New Zealand's Nikau Contractors were shortlisted for an incredible three awards

Opinions in this magazine are not

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Liberty Industrial

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Mataura Demolition

Australia's Liberty Industrial bagged two awards including the prestigious World Demolition Award

It's a long way from Whanganui, but Jurgens Demolition has settled in well at Mataura

necessarily those of the publisher.

SCRAP & DEMOLITION AUSTRALASIA

SUMMER 2015

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Shear Delight A LaBounty history lesson, courtesy of David Embrey

Macaulay's Tin Lizzie Wellington firm turns 1931-era scrap metal into a vintage marvel Sc

Liebherr LH Series New materials handler line-up from Liebherr features fantastic fuel-saving tech

Hyundai R210W-9 Popular construction and forestry supplier enters the materials handler market

Scrap & Demolition Summer 15 Section 1.indd 1

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10/12/14 2:04 pm

Scrap & Demolition magazine is the official magazine of AMRIA, the Australian Metal Recycling Industry Association.

ISSN 2253-5063

ON THE COVER: Ausdecom's award winning demolition project at the Whyalla steelworks.

Technology & Advertisers Index SUMMER 2015

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NEWS BRIEFS

Detroit to sell copper for millions

Remote control demolition in Christchurch a major step Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) contractors used remote-controlled excavators in a series of demolitions on Crown-owned properties in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner during November.

CERA’s Port Hills Land Clearance Project Manager Brenden Winder says the clearance of five dwellings in Clifton Terrace was a major step in clearing damaged and dangerous buildings from Port Hills’ properties that were zoned red due to the life risk from cliff collapse.

“This is the result of the Crown working closely with insurers so the work is carried out in a safe, efficient and coordinated manner, minimises the impact on the surrounding neighbourhood and the environment, and is cost-effective.”

Winder said the clearance work on the five properties is expected to take around four months and the results of the project will assist with deciding on best methods when clearing other Crown-owned properties in the Port Hills red zone.

“Due to the precarious location of these properties on Clifton Hill, our contractors used remote-controlled excavators so the work was undertaken without putting any crew into extreme-risk areas.

“CERA, the insurers involved and our contractors are very grateful to the residents for their continued support and understanding during months of preparation works.

“Our contractors and staff are working hard to minimise the disruption to all residents as much as possible during the clearance works,” he said.

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Detroit has turned to selling its supplies of copper in a bid to generate more cash following the city’s bankruptcy and expects to make at least US$25 million from the sale of copper in underground and overhead electricity lines during the next six years.

The amassing of copper will begin as the city privatises and decommissions its electricity delivery services, a top financial consultant to the city testified at Detroit’s bankruptcy proceedings.

Detroit owns an estimated 13.5 million pounds of copper, the consultant, Guarav Malhotra of Ernst & Young, said in confirmation hearings before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes.

The city ultimately could fetch as much as US$40 million from the copper, Malhotra said.

The sale of copper would represent a turnabout for Detroit, for years plagued by scrap metal thieves who steal copper from public lighting and electricity lines. The city estimated it was losing as much as US$1 million a year because of illegal copper scrapping.

Detroit battled back against scrap metal thieves in mid-2014 with legislation approved that cracked down on illegal scrapping by, among other things, mandating a three-day waiting period before people selling the most commonly stolen items are paid by scrap yards.

Judge Rhodes will now decide whether the plan is fair to creditors and reasonable, and whether it provides a feasible option for Detroit to restructure its debts and city operations over the next few years.

Source: Detroit Free Press

Multi-agency investigation reveals truth about stolen car exports Police have released to Australian media the results of a special multi-agency investigation; set up to find out what happens to thousands of vehicles stolen that disappear in the state of Victoria every year.

The investigation – codenamed Discover – found that well-organised syndicates were moving spare parts and scrap metal overseas and were using the industry to launder money.

“They are well cashed up and are paying over the market rates on a ‘no question asked’ basis. Organised crime is exploiting loopholes in the industry,” Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Stephen Fontana told media.

Police say 2562 passenger and light commercial vehicles (PLC) were stolen in 2013 and never recovered.

“The number of unrecovered PLC vehicles in Victoria has increased 21 percent over the last five years due to the ability of vehicle thieves to profit from the growing demand for spare parts and scrap metal,” the Discover report found.

Other investigation findings include evidence that stolen cars are being crushed and sold as scrap metal to China, with spare parts also ending up in Malaysia and the Middle East.

Mr Fontana also told media some syndicates ran “pop-up shops” – spare-part businesses that would be open for only two months before closing and setting up in another location.

“We are looking to working with the industry to close down the loopholes. There is more that can be done,” he said.

Source: The Age

THREE GENERATIONS OF EXPERIENCE IN DECOMMISSIONING Ausdecom is one of Australia’s leading providers of industrial decommissioning, demolition and remediation services. Having completed some of Australia’s largest high risk projects we are continually refining our technology lead and safe-work procedures to ensure we remain at the leading edge.

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NEWS BRIEFS

Microchipped rubbish bins proposed for Auckland A new “pay-as-you-throw” system featuring microchipped waste bins is being proposed to standardise rubbish collection across Greater Auckland.

Under the new system aimed at reducing waste and standardising collections city-wide, households would be charged only when the rubbish bins were cleared. The council rubbish bins would replace rubbish bags and stickers used in several pre-Super City council areas.

Ian Stupple, Auckland Council’s solid waste manager, told reporters the new bins would come with microchips, allowing collection trucks to be able to record each time a bin was cleared, with households being charged through their accounts.

“It’s done on a pay-per-lift basis, so if you put out the bin then you pay for it and if you don’t then you obviously don’t,” Mr Stupple said.

“There’s potential to offer different sized bins for households and it’s charged only when it’s emptied.”

The proposed charge was $2.50 for an 80-litre bin, about the same rate households currently paid.

Currently households in Auckland’s North Shore and Waitakere districts pay $2.25 for each 60-litre rubbish bag they put out. In Papakura, at the southern end of the city, the cost is $1.95 while those living in the Franklin area pay $2.20 for a rubbish sticker to place on bags purchased separately. Central and South Auckland residents have their rubbish collections fully funded by rates.

Mr Stupple said the new system was expected to be introduced by 2016 but details were still being worked out.

There is no indication yet, for example, whether Aucklanders whose rubbish collection is currently paid through their rates would get a rates reduction under the proposed system to offset the user pays charge.

A 14-week food rubbish trial was run on the North Shore last spring, where 2000 households were given 23-litre bins for collection.

It is estimated that an average Auckland resident sends 80kg of organic waste to landfills each year.

Source: New Zealand Herald

New ISRI publicity campaign highlights recycling industry value With the aim of highlighting the positive value and impact the recycling industry has on society, the US Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has launched a new series of public information videos.

Three videos were released during late November, highlighting the overall impact of the recycling industry on society, and one each on paper recycling and ferrous metals recycling. Videos detailing the benefits of other recycled commodities, including non-ferrous metals, plastics, electronics and rubber will be released in early 2015.

“These videos showcase many of the great accomplishments of the recycling industry,” ISRI president Robin Wiener told media.

“This series will draw attention to and help educate the public on the many environmental, economic and energy-saving benefits recycling offers.”

The video detailing the overall impact of the entire industry is a visual presentation of the ISRI Scrap Yearbook, ISRI’s jobs and economic impact study and other ISRI resources that are designed to educate people – from school children to legislators – on the role that the recycling industry plays in their daily lives.

Take a look at the video series at www.youtube.com/user/ ISRI1987 SOURCE: Recycling International

Don't pulp Kim Jong-un, authorities warn Authorities in North Korea have banned the public from recycling newspapers bearing the image of their leader Kim Jong-un, Radio Free Asia has reported. The ban was sparked by students taking part in a ‘Kids Plan’ paper recycling campaign which, according to an inside source, required the students to collect an “unreasonably large” amount of paper for recycling. Required to meet a large quota of recycled paper, the students allegedly resorted to handing in plentifully-available copies of the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, leading to the pulping of a prominently displayed portrait of Kim Jong-un.

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The anonymous source told Radio Free Asia that the government ordered an investigation of all of the recycling plants in South Hamgyeong province’s Hamhung city, where the images had been discovered sent as waste paper.

In areas of the country where paper supplies are scarce, children have no other option than to submit for recycling whatever they can find, the source explained. “People can’t even print schoolbooks due to a shortage of paper.

The government can push students to collect waste paper all it wants, but where will the waste paper come from?”

Source: Recycling Today

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SUMMER 2015

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NEWS BRIEFS

Philippine phone recycling drive aims at reducing e-scrap build-up A leading telco in the Philippines, Globe Telecom, has launched a major mobile phone recycling programme in an effort to stem a massive build up of e-scrap.

Because of an increasingly large proportion of the population in the Philippines are replacing their mobile phones on a yearly basis, Project 1 Phone has been launched in an effort to make it easier for consumers to donate unused, non-working or damaged phones and tablets, mobile phone batteries and even personal computers.

All of the collected devices will be sent to e-scrap recycler TES-AMM Philippines for recovery of both precious metals and plastics. No phones or accessories collected will be refurbished for resale or cannibalised for usable parts.

Formed in 2005, Singapore headquartered TES-AMM provides reuse solutions and recovery of precious metals from end-oflife electronics such as computers, cell phones, peripherals and television sets.

Plastics recycling confusing, US poll The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and environmental recycling website Earth911.com have released the findings of a joint poll conducted in the United States regarding plastics recycling.

The results of the poll suggest that more than 60 percent of more than 1,100 respondents do not understand what plastics are recyclable.

ISRI says the poll results highlight the need for US municipalities to better educate consumers about how to collect and handle recyclables.

“With more and more plastic being produced, it is essential that plastic products that have reached end-of-life enter the recycling stream,” says Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “As long as confusion reigns, consumers are apt to throw away plastics that should be recycled. The Earth911/ISRI Opinion Poll demonstrates a strong need for additional education, particularly by municipalities, on what can be recycled and how to do it.”

When asked “What do you find most confusing about recycling plastic?” poll respondents revealed little understanding of what types of plastic their specific municipality accepts in its kerbside recycling program, little knowledge of where plastics can be recycled and little knowledge of how much food contamination is acceptable in recycled plastics.

ISRI says it is developing plastic scrap specifications and hosting educational workshops as ways to improve the situation in the United States.

Source: Recycling Today

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Globe Telecom has also encouraged entities such as schools and government departments to adopt recycling bins. The company has pledged that the proceeds will go towards building schools in the Aklan area of the country.

“Being a communications provider, Globe takes responsibility in educating the people on how to dispose of their old mobile devices and computers, as well as end-of-life mobile battery packs and chargers, in the best way possible,” Yoly Crisanto, senior vice president of Globe’s corporate communications told media.

Source: Recycling International

New guide to managing tyres released Australian recycling advocate group, Boomerang Alliance, has just published the first ‘how to’ guide detailing how the Australian tyre industry can manage tyres safely and meet high environmental and operating standards.

Jeff Angel, National Convenor at Boomerang Alliance, says every hard copy of the new guide also comes with free access to a web based electronic copy, regulations update and management tools.

The group says that with headlines in the last 12 months about illegal tyre dumps and fires, the public health risk stemming from illegally dumped tyres, fines, clean-up notices and prosecutions – responsible tyre stewardship by tyre dealers, collectors and recyclers is now essential.

Regulatory changes are coming for Australia, with tougher regulations and pressure from brands, governments and the community to safely dispose of tyres.

The Boomerang Alliance says Tyre Life will be an important guide for any tyre store, local council, fleet owner, planning and waste consultant, miner, recycler or government agency.

Visit www.tyrelife.org.au for more information.

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SUMMER 2015

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NEWS BRIEFS

AUSTRALASIAN WASTE & RECYCLING EXPO 2014 PLANTS SEEDS FOR INDUSTRY GROWTH The Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo wrapped up for another year on Friday October 10 and event organisers, Diversified Communications, concluded this year’s show with the announcement that two thirds of the show floor has already been booked for AWRE 2015 (66 per cent) – a testament to the quality of this year’s event for business development.

Leading local and international product and service suppliers including the likes of Meinhardt, PakMor and Wrightway Products used AWRE to unveil the latest technology, equipment and solutions available on the Australian market to the expo’s influential visitors. Australian manufacturer of municipal equipment MacDonald Johnston also used this year’s show as a platform to unveil its international rebrand to Bucher Municipal to the trade audience.

Brett Judd, Exhibition Director, said AWRE again cemented its position as Australia’s most highly established waste and recycling trade show with industry professionals from as far as South Korea converging on Sydney Olympic Park’s Dome.

“We received a record number of individual registrations for AWRE in 2014 and feedback from the show floor from exhibitors was that the quality of the event for genuine business opportunities and lead generation, has never been greater,” Mr Judd said.

Val Southam, WMAA CEO, said each year AWRE provides an important opportunity for industry members to immerse themselves in the various new technologies and products on the Australasian market.

“In an industry where innovation is so rapid and there is significant new technology year on year, it’s essential that we have events such as AWRE in order to keep abreast of the latest happenings,” Ms Southam said.

The AWRE seminar program and the annual WMAA workshops were big drawcards featuring some of the industry’s most influential thought leaders including Barry Buffier, NSW EPA Chair and CEO, and Stephen Holland,

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Waste Management Association of Australia Operations Manager.

This year’s AWRE Innovation Product Award recognised leading designers and manufacturers of refuse compacters, Garwood International for its new Garwood Miner – the world’s smallest rear-loader garbage truck for tight access areas.

Meanwhile Lane Cove in NSW was awarded this year’s AWRE Innovation Council Award for its RecycleSmart initiative. The RecycleSmart online program allows residents to sign up for an individual account to monitor their recycling progress. The program provides real-time feedback on the individual’s recycling behaviours and offers tips to avoid recycling mistakes. Since the program’s inception, Lane Cove Council has diverted around 10 per cent of waste from landfill.

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WORLD DEMOLITION AWARDS 2014

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WORLD DEMOLITION Award event photography courtesy of D&Ri/KHL Group and Vervoort Communicatie

AWARDS 2014

OUR EXTENDED COVERAGE OF THE BEST OF THE BEST INCLUDES... n Australian Decommissioning Services rewarded with first international win, p12 n Ward Demolition showcases urban demolition at its best, p15 n Nikau Contractors project update, p16 n Liberty Industrial celebrates two monumental wins, p17

O

ver 130 delegates gathered at the Krasnapolsky Hotel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in November for the 6th World Demolition Summit. Not only did industry representatives from all over the world hear presentations on the current demolition market and important recent demolition projects, attendees also gathered to celebrate the outcome of the deliberations of judges in the 2014 World Demolition Awards. With entries from four continents, 2014’s event was the most internationally flavoured yet. What’s more the Australian and New Zealand contingent left their mark on the occasion with an impressive haul of silverware and plaudits from the judging committee.

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WORLD DEMOLITION AWARDS 2014

(L-R) Jim Moore, Jared Roberts, Sam McKellar and Henrik Bonneson (judge)

AUSDECOM WIN

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION Just a year after launching Australian Decommissioning Services (Ausdecom), general manager Sam McKellar and his team have taken home the company’s first international award win at the 2014 World Demolition Awards in Amsterdam.

Ausdecom were recognised for their work on a large scale dismantling project for Arrium Mining in Whyalla, South Australia, winning the Contract of the Year Under $US1.5 million category at 2014’s World Demolition Awards after being shortlisted alongside finalists from the UK and USA. Of course, the company might be relatively new, but the McKellar name has been synonymous with demolition, recycling and land remediation since the early 1900s. Sam himself launched Ausdecom in 2013 after departing his role with the Alex Fraser Group, which he and his family have also enjoyed a long involvement.

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Ausdecom has been positioned by Sam and his experienced team the Whyalla steelworks in early 2014. The overall project has been within the burgeoning decommissioning and dismantling business as active since 2009.

“The Whyalla project was a very interesting one as it contained many a leading force for innovative partnerships in mining, petroleum and challenging facets. But it was also one of those projects that provides for manufacturing.

Sam says the company maintains a concentrated focus on high tech, a real sense of satisfaction at having completed it successfully. innovative solutions, offering open communications with clients and “The working environment was quite a sensitive one, not only a ‘safety first’ approach. because other sectors of the site remained operational while our teams were in there, but because there “International recognition isn’t anything we’ve actively sought out, ™The c ompany maintains a concentrated was a lot of publicity around the project. but it’s certainly fantastic to have focus on high tech, innovative solutions, “The Whyalla steelworks are at received it,” says Sam. “This recognition vindicates the centre of the Whyalla Township, offering open communications with our focus on, and our innovative so there was a lot of pressure on our guys to ensure the right controls approach in working very closely clients and a `safety first' approach.∫ were in place at all times to ensure with clients on safety and the dismantling process was well managed – especially the environmental communications. It’s how we plan and execute all of our work.”

Ausdecom was shortlisted in the Contract of the Year Under impact. We absolutely understood expectations were high.” $US1.5 million category for its project work for Arrium Mining Safety and strong communications were integral to the successful delivery of the project with many structures requiring dismantling in Whyalla, South Australia, where the Ausdecom team completed using heavy lifting and specialised demolition equipment. The largest the third phase in the dismantling of a redundant pellet plant at

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single lift was an 114t rotary dryer which was located 18 meters in the air on concrete plinths, located within metres of existing operational plant.

Ausdecom’s submission was selected and awarded based on its strength and focus on safety, the complexity of the project and its successful delivery on-time and on-budget.

The project was completed without incident or injury within the four month agreed contract timeframe.

Ausdecom handle a wide variety of projects for a multitude of clients, including Orica, Caltex, Shell / Viva Energy and Pentair. Sam says the Ausdecom team has been deployed Australia wide and into New Zealand as well.

Other large scale project work the company has capabilities and experience in executing include the decommissioning and demolition of redundant tank farms and associated refinery infrastructure and obsolete industrial and commercial sites.

Ausdecom also engage in multi-level and high rise industrial facility demolition, the deconstruction and eventual demolition of sensitive heritage and hazardous legacy sites including the management of a broad range of legacy waste materials (including asbestos). The Ausdecom business integrates decommissioning, demolition and remediation of brown and black-field legacy sites, as well as mine site decommissioning and strategic closure costing.

Vessel dismantling and transport, sale or destruction at the company’s specialist tank destruction facility are also available to clients, as are high risk cranage and rigging deconstruction project work and the removal, decontamination and remediation of hazardous materials including lead, mercury, PCB’s and radioactive material.

TOP: The complex project required a multitude of machinery including (above and right) Ausdecom’s high reach excavator.

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WORLD DEMOLITION AWARDS 2014

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COLLABORATIVE APPROACH DRIVES WIN FOR WARD An extremely technical demolition project right in the heart of New Zealand’s largest University has won Peter Ward and his team international recognition at the World Demolition Awards. we visited the project site in early 2014, the two obvious challenges surrounding the project were its placement right in the heart of Auckland’s CBD and the fact it was attached to a working university and science lab.

“The next challenge was that the building had major asbestos through it, which ATL [Group] removed. We ended up finding more in air-conditioning piping running right through the top of the beams in major columns, which just changed the whole methodology drastically.”

Dealing with hazardous materials is part and parcel of demolition work, but bringing down an old science lab also raised a whole new set of chemical conundrums.

Because of the University’s science experiments in the building, they have Cobalt60 [radioactive material] in the bottom of it, meaning for Ward Demolition the narrow project parameters had to narrow even further.

“Effectively, we had to keep the bottom of the structure intact; that’s all staying in there for the new science centre. We took everything down to the foundations,” Peter told us.

The Ward team had to cut and crane masses of steel work and concrete off the top of the building, completing separations as they descended utilising a Komatsu PC600-8 Super High Reach. Two 4.5 tonne Bobcat excavators with breakers and jaws were used to rubble material down before reaching a level where it was right for the super highreach methodology. Breakers, pulverisers and

grapples utilised on the project were all A-Ward Attachments equipment.

“We’ve experienced situations in the past where the main contractor can’t wait to get you out of the way to start their build, regardless of the complexities of the demolition work. It’s a real ‘master and slave’ sort of atmosphere, which doesn’t work well,” Peter concludes.

“But I’m pleased to say that this was a case where the prime contractor completely trusted the demolition contractor: we worked as one unit to achieve the milestones we needed to on the site. We all went into this on the same page, which was brilliant and that’s why it was a success.”

Photos by Gabe Andrews

Some months back in Scrap & Demolition Australasia, Gabe Andrews reported on a unique project in Auckland’s CBD that involved the demolition of a science laboratory within Auckland University’s busy campus.

An intensely technical project, the collaboration between main contractor Fletcher Construction and Ward Demolition, has paid off as Ward took home the 2014 Urban Demolition Award at the World Demolition Awards in Amsterdam.

“To be honest I don’t think we expected to win,” Ward Group director Peter Ward says.

“But the fact that we did is completely down to the incredible partnership we had with Fletcher Construction on this project.

The professionalism and communication between their team and ours really was second-to-none.

“What we pulled off on that project between Ward and Fletchers was massive.

To get international recognition for our efforts is the icing on the cake.”

Ward Demolition was up against contractors from the United States, England and India in the urban/confined space category at the 2014 awards.

Bringing down the University of Auckland’s old science lab, on the corner of Symonds Street and Wellesley Street East in Auckland within the three months allotted certainly threw some interesting challenges in the way.

As Peter pointed out to S&D back when

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WORLD DEMOLITION AWARDS 2014

A FEAT WORTH CELEBRATING Nikau Contracting continue their work at the massive Port Taranaki Power Station through the summer. This multi-phased project saw them nominated for three separate categories at the 2014 World Demolition Awards.

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’Twinkle Toes’ gets down to business taking apart interior components of the power station with a little help from the MS130 jaw.

984; the largest high-reach excavator in the Southern Hemisphere, now resident at the New Plymouth site. Naturally it’s only fitting that the Mantovanibenne MS130 Multisystem jaw the company has fitted to the 984 is... you guessed it; the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. We hope to take a closer look at this awesome attachment (supplied to Nikau by importers AdvanceQuip) in the next issue.

With the enormous Port Taranaki Power Station project continuing on into 2015, you’d have to suggest the odds are firm Nikau will be recognised at next year’s World Demolition Awards for an undeniably unique, truly mammoth effort.

Photos courtesy of Nikau Contracting

When Scrap & Demolition Australasia interviewed Diana Stil from Nikau Contractors a year ago, she mentioned that one of the company’s proudest moments was being judged the best in the world in 2013, when Nikau Contractors won the coveted Contractor of the Year Award at the World Demolition Summit in Amsterdam.

Shortlisted for a grand total of three awards the year before that, the Nikau team must have felt like history was repeating to a certain extent in 2014, when they were again shortlisted for three separate categories at last November’s World Demolition Awards.

Nominations for Contract of the Year – Over $US1.5 million, the Industrial Demolition Award and the Safety and Training Award were all down to the company’s submission based on the phenomenal multi-million dollar contract Nikau has with Port Taranaki Limited to demolish the decommissioned Port Taranaki Power Station.

The project is a multi-faceted operation and involves the demolition and removal of many of the power station’s buildings and structures, together with all associated equipment, plant and machinery.

The site is large and complex, but the Nikau team approached the project in a unique way, basing their methodology for the demolition of the site on the methods employed to construct the power station in the first place. In other words; reverse the process and approach the demolition in a similarly phased approach to those that built it.

The contract is Nikau’s largest single demolition project, both in terms of the scale of the demolition work and in the volumes of scrap metal to be recovered and disposed of.

While the scrap material salvageable from the site provides for a return, the Nikau team say the successful demolition of the site – bringing the various components down safely, especially the five enormous top-hung boilers approximately 50m in height and central to the site – has been their key motivator.

Everything about the project is massive including the gear Nikau has employed to complete the work. Scrap & Demolition Australasia readers will be familiar with ‘Twinkle Toes’ the company’s Liebherr

WORLD DEMOLITION AWARDS 2014

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Liberty Industrial's Clinton Dick with awards judge John Woodward and Simon Gill, also from Liberty Industrial

LIBERTY GOES DOUBLE DUTCH, TAKING HOME ULTIMATE ACCOLADE In a comprehensive performance at the 2014 awards night in Amsterdam, Liberty Industrial took home both the Industrial Demolition category award and the overall 2014 World Demolition Award.

Photos by AJ Carter

Sydney-headquartered Liberty Industrial celebrated in style at the 2014 World Demolition Awards, taking home two trophies for their work on a large scale demolition project in Western Australia, including the very first overall World Demolition Award; the evening’s highest accolade.

The overall 2014 World Demolition Award win came shortly after Liberty Industrial had won the Industrial Demolition category award, both received for the company’s innovative work on the demanding deconstruction of a smelting facility in Kwinana, Western Australia.

Liberty Industrial directors Clinton Dick and Simon Gill were both on hand at the awards evening to be presented with the awards. The

awards were presented by one of the judging panel, John Woodward, immediate past president, Institute of Demolition Engineers & Consultants for C&D Consultancy, UK. In addition to the Industrial Demolition category win, Liberty Industrial were awarded the highest accolade a demolition contractor could receive, taking out the 2014 World Demolition Award, an award recognising the ‘best of the best’ across all 2014 award categories.

New to the format for 2014, the award is the result of a request from the judging panel at the end of the 2013 event. The judging panel asked for the creation of an award that – based on their assessment of all the submitted entries made that year – they could present to the entry that shows off the industry at its very best.

“This award is intended to recognise the single entry from all those submitted in a given year that the judges consider shows the demolition industry at its very best” commented Lindsay Gale of Demolition & Recycling International.

“To have taken the 2014 World Demolition Award in its first year of existence is a true testament to your company’s capabilities.”

The night cemented another first for Liberty Industrial, which was also the first Australian company to reach the finals of the World Demolition Awards in 2012 (when their Boodarie HBI closure project was shortlisted). They’re now also the first company in the world to have won the overall World Demolition Award.

Liberty Industrial’s HIsmelt closure project was delivered safely and sustainably with optimal outcomes delivered for all project stakeholders.

The large scale dismantling and salvage operation was hugely successful with around 40 percent of the plant methodically deconstructed and transported to China for reuse. Innovative asset and resource recovery solutions saw 108,000 tonnes of material recycled.

Read more about Liberty Industrial’s multi-award winning project over the page.

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AUSTRALIAN DEMOLITION

GRAND PLAN

What does it take to win the prestigious World Demolition Award?

A dedicated team, some innovative technology and an ability to plan and complete complex disassembly and deconstruction programs on a vast scale. Words and images supplied The deconstruction of Rio Tinto’s High Intensity Smelting (HIsmelt) facility in Kwinana, Western Australia proved an award-winning project for Liberty Industrial.

It was also the first of its kind, involving both the dismantling and relocation of almost half of the plant. Needless to say, a complex deconstruction program of such significant scale and complexity had ever been attempted in Australia before.

Deconstruction works commenced in January 2013 with the dismantling phase of the project. In total, more than 7000 tonnes of industrial plant and equipment – including four bulk shipments of over 18,000 cubic metres and 280 shipping containers of plant and equipment – were salvaged and shipped 7600 kilometres away to Shandong Province in China.

Over 2000 bulk units were methodically dismantled, cleaned to export standard, match marked, labelled, recorded and packed, with each item given clear instructions on how to be reassembled in China.

The salvaged items included the 65 metre high, 1200 tonne coal drying and grinding structure, the Flue Gas Desulphurisation plant, Hot Metal Handling equipment including an 80 tonne induction furnace, the Hot Metal Desulphurisation plant, Off Gas Scrubbing and Cooling infrastructure, and a 25 megawatt power station.

Carrying out lifts of up to 108 tonne, the dismantling process relied heavily on complex engineering lifts using large crawler and mobile cranes.

Throughout the project Liberty Industrial managed multiple crews across

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multiple workfronts within a small footprint.

The project workforce hit its peak in the dismantling phase of the project at 60 personnel including significant senior management and supervisory team of two project managers, three safety managers, five supervisors, and three leading hands, supported by a team of five project engineers.

Liberty Industrial then commenced demolition of the major structures, utilising engineered induced collapse methods to demolish the larger structures, including the 75 metre tall, 1700 tonne Preheater structure.

The company utilised ASI Extreme Loading software to 3D simulate the induced collapse methods to ensure they were satisfied with the mode of failure, pre-failure structural stability and the effects of wind on the weakened structure.

Modelling the structure and simulating the proposed demolition methodology allowed Liberty team members to refine the methodology and demonstrate a successful, safe and controlled outcome to Rio Tinto well in advance of executing the task. The application of this innovative technology was a key factor in mitigating and managing the potential risks associated with the task, ensuring the structure was demolished in a safe and controlled manner.

Once the higher structures were at ground level the demolition of the plant and infrastructure was undertaken with Liberty Industrial’s heavy duty customised 230 tonne Liebherr 994 (Australia’s largest demolition excavator).

to bring taller structures to ground level. Working in combination with a smaller fleet of excavators equipped with shear attachments, the 230t and 120t excavators pulled the structures apart.

Liberty Industrial significantly minimised the amount of waste disposed in landfill from the site too, with 108,000 tonnes (or 97 percent) of the site’s 111,000 tonnes of waste recycled. Only 3000 tonnes (three percent) of all waste went to landfill.

In addition to the 7000 tonnes of plant and equipment items salvaged and 12,000 tonnes of scrap metal recycled, Liberty Industrial found

"Carrying out lifts of up to 108 tonne, the dismantling process relied heavily on complex engineering lifts using large crawler and mobile cranes."

This monster machine was assisted by a large fleet of support machinery, including a 120t Hitachi, two 46t and five 36t Volvo excavators, two semitippers, two telehandlers, a 40t dump truck, water truck, service truck and various sized boom lifts.

Various structures including the Off Gas Hood, Smelt Reduction Vessel and the Lock Hopper were collapsed using controlled cut-and-pull demolition techniques, whereby engineered pre-cutting and inertia is utilised

resourceful solutions to dispose of 25,000 tonnes of concrete, and waste products from the HIsmelt process including 50,000 tonnes of slag waste, 7500 tonnes of dolomite and 5000 tonnes of large irons skulls, sourcing buyers and processing materials to their specifications and consulting geotechnical engineers and blending fill materials.

Liberty Industrial say they delivered the project in accordance with Rio Tinto’s world class standards and compliance requirements for the management of health, safety, environment and quality performance and were able to realise maximum value from a number of reusable plant, process equipment and scrap materials and deliver a cash positive project outcome for the client through efficient demolition, and innovative asset recovery and resources recovery solutions.

Liberty Industrial successfully completed 115,000 man hours of work on the project without a single lost time injury, recycling over 108,000 tonnes of material.

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NEW ZEALAND DEMOLITION

MATAURA MOJO Words and images by Peter Owens

Occupying a narrow strip of land and with a refurbishment occurring simultaneously to demolition work, Whanganui-based Jurgens Demolition had their hands full pulling down the old Alliance Group sheep processing facility in Mataura.

Aaron and Cameron Jurgens of Jurgens Demolition are site managers for one of the most difficult demolition projects in New Zealand; the demolition of the sheep processing facility at the Alliance Group’s Mataura plant.

In 2012, Alliance Group moved its sheep-processing facility from Mataura to its sister plant at Lorneville, near Invercargill. It spent $15 million upgrading beefprocessing facilities and increasing capacity at Mataura, which now processes beef only. The project to demolish the old base began in February 2014 and is scheduled to be finished by the time you’re reading this.

Based in Whanganui, brothers Aaron and Cameron are managers for Jurgens Demolition, which is a third generation family-run demolition company undertaking work all over New Zealand. It specialises in large industrial demolition and undertakes projects of all sizes including internal and partial demolition projects. The company is also a fully-certified asbestos removal specialist and carries public liability insurance cover of $10m.

Although a complex project, Aaron and Cameron say they weren’t at all fazed by the Mataura job. Among the challenges to overcome during the demolition work were that the plant to be demolished (much of which was around 120 years old) was several storeys high and sandwiched between the main railway linking Southland with Otago and Canterbury and the Mataura River.

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When Scrap & Demolition Australasia visited, over three-quarters of the work had been completed, with the old freezers now being demolished, including the mutton slaughter board. The former sheep yards and the rendering and fellmongery departments had also been demolished and work is now concentrated on the third stage of the project. This involves the demolition of the multi-storeyed main block where lamb and sheep processing was undertaken.

The demolition crew have had three stoppages since starting work in early February, mainly due to the fact it was demolishing plant faster than the company could re-route services to make way for the work, Alliance’s plant manager Tony Gilder says. “They actually pulled it down at a faster rate than we expected them to”.

The last stoppage, of four weeks, was in mid-May to mid-June.

Despite the stoppages, co-manager Aaron Jurgens says the demolition project was on schedule to be completed by mid-December.

"It's a major demolition project for New Zealand, not just for Mataura. It's unique," he says.

Aaron explains that the long narrow site situated between the railway and the river has caused a few problems, with another unusual aspect of the project being that the Alliance Group was working on refurbishing its beef plant as the demolition work continued.

This meant that Jurgens Demolition had to carrying on with the demolition while not touching hot water pipes needed for the refurbishing work. The Jurgens team also needed to avoid damage to the Alliance Group’s electric power generator which is driven by the Mataura River, on which the plant stands.

Cameron Jurgens says his company has a very highly skilled staff of 14 on the Mataura project. He says the company retains staff because it recognises the vital skills many of these workers bring to their work. He emphasises that the days of the “cowboy” demolition operator is now over. Cameron says the industry is now extremely expensive and competitive and there’s simply no room for casual operators.

Aaron spent some years in the Australian demolition industry and thought it was very advanced in its equipment and methodology compared to New Zealand. On his return to New Zealand in 2001, he and his brother took over the management of the company from their father and uncles. Benefiting from Aaron’s Australian experience, they upgraded their equipment and operations. This included introducing a company-wide health and safety upgrade. He believes this was essential at the time and since then has been very beneficial to the company and its workers.

At the same time Jurgens Demolition re-tooled with what the new co-managers considered to be the most suitable plant and machinery for the type of business they were conducting. They decided on Hitachi machinery purchased and serviced

by CablePrice. Indeed most of the machinery owned by Jurgens Demolition is now Hitachi, which the company has found to be ideal for their operations and very dependable.

“We treat each job as a unique situation. Every aspect of the demolition is considered. Who are the right people for the job? What are the appropriate tools to be used? And most importantly what are the correct health and safety protocols to ensure everyone’s well-being,” says Aaron.

Both brothers agree most emphatically that all of these factors are considered in planning to ensure the work is completed on time and on budget, as it looks like the Mataura project will be.

Cameron and Aaron Jurgens

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SHEAR HISTORY LESSON - SHEARS

SCALE

How Roy LaBounty came up with a concept, realised its application and then found a firm manufacturing partner in Australia... all while changing the face of heavy industry attachments as he went along. Words Cameron Officer /Images supplied So what does an American bridge builder and inventor with a mate who wanted an effective way to pull engines out of cars have to do with the history of shears in Australia and New Zealand?

Quite a lot as it turns out.

The bridge builder and inventor in question was Roy LaBounty who first developed a grapple in 1973 for picking up and stacking rocks – a process he called ‘Rip Rap’ which became used in rock beaching or breakwater building.

Eventually Roy’s early invention led to the grapple shear. Armed only with the tools and materials at his disposal in his home workshop in the early 1970s, he finessed this in order to help his pal remove the engine and oily bits from old cars.

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“What Roy came up with was actually a shear mounted to the back of a grapple,” David Embrey of Embrey Attachments tells me.

“On paper that sounds pretty basic, but it was effective enough. Using this tool, the wiring, driveline and other connection points could all be cut and the engine of the car pulled out. But what Roy had effectively also invented was the world’s first mobile shear.”

In fact most would agree that with this kernel of an idea, LaBounty had just created the entire mobile shear market.

Up until this point, stationary shears were the order of the day; electrically-driven hydraulic arrangements fixed to a mounting point in the yard that required material to be transferred across to them.

“Roy took the shear technology and made it mobile. He really is the father of the mobile shear as we know it today,” says David.

LaBounty’s idea became prototypes and the prototypes became models, all of which were what was known as a slipper shear during the early 1980s.

Rather than the separate complete body attachment used today, the first shears used to ‘slip’ over the end of the dipper arm like a shoe, utilising the excavator’s existing hydraulics in order to operate. It would be around 1984 before LaBounty introduced the first complete selfpowered shear attachment to the market.

Step back half a dozen years from that point though, and David’s father Earle Embrey is flicking through an industry magazine while on a break from his job at the Melbourne offices of Bofors AB, the giant Swedish steel

and arms manufacturer.

Coming across a classified advertisement for an American-made rock grapple, Earle’s mind fizzed with the possible applications for such a piece of equipment in Australia. He soon sent off a letter to the grapple’s manufacturer, Roy LaBounty.

LaBounty wrote back and by the late 1970s a partnership had been formed.

While today LaBounty is owned by the Stanley Infrastructure group – and the shears, processing heads and pulverisers carry the Stanley-LaBounty name – this close manufacturing partnership is still going strong over 30 years later.

“Earle hit a rich seam of interest as the 1980s progressed, but it was a slow start,” continues David. “This was new technology after all and it took a wee while for local companies to catch on.”

The first company to purchase a LaBounty shear in Australia was Port Melbourne-based Whelan the Wrecker.

“Miles Whelan bought the very first one – an MSD216. Interestingly enough that shear is still going strong today at a scrap yard in Mount Isa, Queensland. That’s a pretty good indication of how fit-for-purpose Roy LaBounty’s design was from very early on.”

Three more shears soon sold in quick succession (to Sims) and Earle Embrey’s operation, with the LaBounty name out front, was on its way.

When you look at the history of the shear alongside something like the excavator it’s attached to, this vital component’s development path has been rapid. But that’s not to say the manufacturing process has had little time to evolve; it has, and today companies such as Embrey make good use of high tech engineering solutions in building

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

shears and other attachments.

“Today we have an engineering shop that’s about 20,000sq ft and incorporates some very sophisticated equipment; we are manufacturing using state of the art CNC machine centres,

horizontal borer and plasma flame cutting,” says David. “We have a very specific set-up, but we’ve invested in the best possible manufacturing equipment and processes. We have a lot of pride in what we manufacture in Australia and we

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continue to work very closely with our American counterparts. “It’s a good mix and we’re confident the histories of the Embrey and Stanley-LaBounty names both have a long way to run yet.”

you can’t argue with quality

SCRAP & WASTE GRAPPLE SPECIALIST

AUSTRALIAN MADE

DISTRIBUTORS FOR:

www.embreyattachments.com.au CONTACT:

David Embrey, sales manager

MOBILE:

+61 (0) 438 342 988

OFFICE:

+61 (0) 3 9504 5008

EMAIL:

david@embreyattachments.com.au

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HISTORY LESSON ± FORD MODEL AA

DOUBLE

A, OK

When Gary Cawthra initially joined Wellington’s Macaulay Metals, he had a very specific (not to mention rather unusual) job description; restore a 1931 Ford Model AA truck to better-than-showroom condition.

Not a bad KPI as far as they go, although the job took Gary two years and a fair bit of detective work.

“It took that long, not because finding parts was a hard ask, but because we really went to town on the detail stuff. There isn’t a nut or bolt on the truck that hasn’t been replaced or re-machined.

“There are a couple of really good veteran Ford parts specialists in the States that came through for us time and again. They must have made a fair few of these things because, aside from some individual items like the suspension and wheels, most components were available off the shelf.”

Gary says that, even when he came up against a part that couldn’t be easily sourced, fabricating a replacement wasn’t too difficult after a bit of research, thanks to the same specialist shops usually having archive diagrams and exploded views of components to draw out the details from.

“The brakes were hard to find because on the trucks they were supersized for commercial purposes. If we were restoring a car, that part of the rebuild would have been a lot simpler. But then a car of 1930s vintage wouldn’t have fitted the bill for a metals recycler quite as well.”

Macaulay Metals’ managing director Jeff Harris liked the idea of an old truck as a calling card for the Wellington-headquartered firm and had been looking

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Materials handlers, forklifts and shredders might be the order of the day in most scrap metal recycling yards, but Wellington’s Macaulay Metals also reserves space for one very special older piece of equipment.

Words and images by Cameron Officer

on and off for awhile when the Ford surfaced.

“I was very keen on getting a ute or small truck because when I was a young fella running around collecting scrap, I did so initially with a ute,” Jeff tells me.

“Okay mine wasn’t quite as old as our one, but when I found it I really liked the look of it. It had been sitting for years and years in a shed near Whanganui and it was certainly in a bit of a state.

“Another chap started the restoration for us, but he had to depart when a contract came up, so Gary came along and took over.”

Rather than find the project daunting, Gary – who used to run his own American muscle car importation business – relished the chance to give the rebuild a go.

“Before the truck came along, the oldest car I’d ever restored was a 1959 T-Bird, so this was a bit of a step back in time. But I really enjoyed the process.”

Gary says he initially had visions of turning the truck into a rat rod, but Jeff was keener on the original look. Even so, Gary still managed to get creative and design a unique mod that helps with driver comfort while sitting in modern day Wellington traffic.

“Originally these trucks would arrive in the country with a backless, threesided cab fitted; this was a pretty standard configuration through the 1920s and ‘30s. Often a back wall and even roofs for the trucks would be constructed out of the packing cases the trucks arrived in.

“Our truck happened to come with the back half of an old Essex as part of

the bargain, so we grafted this onto the back of the original open Model AA cab, essentially creating an extended cab. That also meant we could push the seat back a bit – they used to be a bit skinnier in the 1930s and the steering wheel and seat were very close together – so it’s a comfier drive.”

The truck draws plenty of admiring looks and waves, although the extended cab in particular draws quite a few double-takes from vintage car enthusiasts.

“We take the truck along to parades and show days and things like that. You always see guys scratching their chins and trying to place exactly what’s different about the silhouette of the truck. Still, it looks period correct, so I think we did a good job on it.”

Gary tells me his personal transport features a few more horses under the hood than the 40-odd horsepower the Model AA boasts. In fact, in addition to a Dodge Ram and 1980s-era Corvette, he also runs a Ford Falcon coupe drag car.

“The truck is pretty comfortable at about the 35mph mark so yeah, it’s a bit different to the other cars I drive,” he laughs.

“But you know what? It’s still great fun; just a different kind of fun. My daughter and I drove the truck in the Petone Christmas parade recently and we had an absolute blast. It’s great to drive along with people giving you a wave, regardless of how fast you’re going.

“I think people appreciate the truck because even if you don’t know much about it, you can tell it’s a survivor and it’s well-looked after. A lot of pride went into rebuilding it and there’s a lot of pride in driving it too.”

TOP: Two years worth of hard graft got the Model AA to this fantastic stage BOTTOM: Macaulay Metals’ truck before the project started

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

JEFF HARRIS The 20 years since purchasing Macaulay Metals has seen periods of both growth and consolidation for Wellington’s Jeff Harris.

His experiences in the industry have taught him that the future remains unwritten.

Ask Macaulay Metals managing director Jeff Harris what his metals market predictions are for the next 12 months and his response reminds you that, regardless of experience there’s no accounting for a volatile environment.

“You ask yourself the same questions every financial year, you do your best to forecast ahead, you do your research but really; it’s an unknown.

“People often ask me ‘When do you think ferrous scrap prices will go up again?’ I remember a time when steel scrap was $90 a ton and even lower. We’re currently sitting at around $300 a ton so things have been a lot worse. But people remember the good times and there’s always an expectation that things ‘need’ to be better.”

The good times referred to still register for long term players such as Harris though; a time when the market was just as volatile, but trending along what was a steadily rising trajectory.

“Back before the Global Financial Crisis in 2007, I remember the pricing doubled between January and July that year. The price of steel scrap went from $360 a ton to $720 a ton. I doubt we will ever see that sort of rise again though.”

Harris is in a good position to review such spikes over a long period of time though, having been involved with Macaulay Metals since buying the operation from Bill Macaulay in 1995 and working in scrap yards and selling scrap since he was a kid.

“My father worked for a scrap metal company, so the industry has been a constant my entire life.

I did summer stints in scrap yards as a teenager and even bought and sold scrap while I was at University completing my accountancy degree.”

After tackling corporate business development roles for the likes of General Motors and Telecom, a chance phone call brought him firmly back into the scrap metal industry.

“I heard through the grapevine that Bill

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Macaulay was thinking of selling up. I had known Bill since I was a kid and, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, I bought the place at the age of 25. Under Bill’s stewardship we went from there.

“At that stage we had the one operation – a corner site in Petone – and seven fulltime employees. I guess I could see there was scope to expand and so we spent the next few years doing just that.”

Today Macaulay Metals is New Zealand’s largest privately owned scrap metal recycling business, employing 85 people across four sites, including the bustling main yard in Seaview, Wellington. The company also brokers bulk scrap deals, non-ferrous loads and takes on entire demolition projects.

The level of expansion is obvious at a macro level,

but Harris points out that it hasn’t always been a straightforward experience for him and his team.

“Despite our size we’re as exposed to negative market forces as anyone. We bought our Bay of Plenty operation in 2007 as the market was going up and up, but then the bottom fell out of pricing and we had to adjust and consolidate. We’ve done the hard yards and we’re constantly looking to adjust and refine as a result.”

Harris was Vice President of the Scrap Metal Recycling Association of New Zealand for seven years, assisting then-President Trevor Munro in successfully lobbying against the Waste Minimisation Bill on behalf of the Association;

a process he says was as enlightening as it was daunting.

“We pushed hard in lobbying every major and minor political party to achieve the best result for our industry. Given the timeframe we were working within, we achieved a pretty dramatic win.

“Here was something I think was considered a sleepy old Bill that would be easily passed in the middle of the night by a Government that hadn’t really considered the opinion of an industry group; an industry group which saw this as dangerous piece of legislation.

“I’ve heard that our lawyer Mai Chen has used our stance against the Waste Minimisation Bill in law lectures she has since given, citing it as a case of the MMP system working in its cleanest, purest sense,” he says.

Away from the industry association, Harris says he’s now concentrating on helping raise his young family and, naturally, fostering continued growth within Macaulay Metals; a business that already enjoys a long 55-year history.

“We have a lot of capacity and I believe we can grow further, however you have to have a measured approach to that. Back when we started we had no big equipment to speak of, no large machinery.

Now that we’re bigger we have to invest in that sort of stuff to remain productive, but naturally our cost of business has risen accordingly.

“To expand further means investing more, so it needs to remain relative to whatever capacity we’re running at, whether that be increasing staff levels or buying new gear like the big Metso shear we installed in February 2014.

“It’s all about gaining knowledge and using that to plan. Like I say, the future in scrap remains unpredictable, but you can always apply what you’ve learnt over time to give yourself the best shot for the future.”

INNOVATIONS

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Erlau tyre protection chains make the most out of metal The entire range of Erlau tyre protection and traction chains are now available in New Zealand and Australia; supplied, installed and supported by RUD Australia.

Erlau recently celebrated 70 years of tyre protection and now commands 65 percent of the world tyre protection chain market.

A full set of Erlau FELS DURO X14 tyre protection chains will fully protect a wheel loader working in a scrap recycling yard or within the steel making industry on hot slag.

In scrap metal handling, to reduce the risk of punctures, most loaders are fitted with either solid, foam-filled or semi-pneumatic ‘air-cushion’ tyres. However these tyres remain vulnerable to lethal sidewall cuts, while strips of sharp metal can easily shear off large chunks of tread making the loader difficult to operate, eventually destroying the tyre.

For this reason, many operators have taken to fitting tyre protection chains such as Erlau’s tight-meshed FELS DURO X14, which not only greatly reduce the risk of penetration but also protect the tyre from destructive cuts.

FELS DURO X14 chains are one of several examples of Erlau’s Ring-Link system. The system consists of a mesh of 14mm connecting rings with hardened, profiled link surfaces which provide high wear resistance for medium-sized truck and loader tyres operating in demanding scrap handling yards, hard rock quarries, open-cast mines and steelworks operations.

Erlau tyre protection chains extend the working life of tyres by as much as ten times; improving plant availability, aiding productivity and dramatically reducing the cost per loaded tonne.

Erlau tyre protection chains are designed to self-clean, absorb heat, prevent side-wall damage, eliminate abrasion and, most importantly, keep carriers and loaders on the job.

Visit www.rud.com/en-au for more information.

Oxford Instruments raises the bar for metals identification

Whether you are looking to implement 100 percent PMI, guarantee component quality or improve your scrap metals recycling profits, Oxford Instruments’ X-MET8000 handheld XRF analyser raises the bar.

The new X-MET8000 handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser is a flexible, easy-to-use tool for elemental analysis within production environments, manufacturing plants and scrap metals processing.

Building on the success of the X-MET7000 Series, Oxford Instruments’ all new XRF analyser features a host of impressive features.

Combining the unit’s high performance X-ray tube and a traditionally large area silicon-drift detector (SDD), the X-MET8000 delivers the performance required for the most demanding positive material identification (PMI) and scrap metals applications.

Handheld XRF has become the standard elemental analysis technique for many quality control/assurance, PMI and metals recycling applications.

Based on the proven technique of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), the X-MET8000 gives instant, non-destructive materials analysis at the press of a trigger.

What’s more Oxford Instruments’ X-MET8000 has been engineered to be lightweight yet tough, whatever the location.

It features a ruggedised body and an IP54 rating (equivalent to NEMA3) for superior protection against water and dust.

The unit also features an easy-to-navigate touchscreen (with an intuitive icon-driven menu system) that remains bright and readable

even in direct sunlight. The 10-12 hour battery life means the working day is as productive as possible too.

With over 1600 alloys included, the X-MET8000 features the most comprehensive set of grade libraries (AISI DIN, JIS and GB) pre-installed for accurate alloy identification.

Powerful data management allows for the storing of up to 100,000 results, including spectra and sample image (with optional camera). You can even share data using wi-fi, or print analysis results via Bluetooth.

Visit www.oxford-instruments. com/products/analysers for more information.

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MACHINE PROFILE

It doesn’t matter whether a particular scrap metal recycling yard is a large or small operation; reducing machine running costs is a common goal.

In order to achieve this goal, Liebherr developed the new series of LH material handlers with Liebherr Power Efficiency (LPE), which incorporates and manages all the purpose built high quality parts, developed by Liebherr Group, including engine, pumps, slew ring and most importantly the new Energy Recovery Cylinder, available on select models from LH40 upward.

Liebherr’s new Energy Recovery Cylinder (ERC) is a self-contained nitrogen-filled cylinder placed as the third cylinder under the boom.

Every time the boom is lowered, the gas in the cylinder is compressed, accumulating energy. When the attachment is lifted, this energy is released to assist the hoist cylinders in their lifting action, without creating extra stress or pressure on the hoist cylinders. This allows Liebherr to increase system performance while using a smaller engine and reduced hoist cylinders, which means less fuel consumption with higher system performance.

™Our et sts show that the LH series machines with ERC can save up to 30 percent in fuel consumption, which is exceptional∫ 28

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“Normally the pressure to get system performance is on the two hoist cylinders which need to be high capacity cylinders backed by a high capacity hydraulic system in order to operate effectively,” explains Liebherr Australia product manager, Ali Bagheban.

“This means traditionally the engine needs to work at higher revs, with its pumps fully pumped to support the pressure required to lift the boom by the hoist cylinders.

“Liebherr’s designers essentially asked ‘Instead of having the two hoist cylinders to do all the work, what if we have a third cylinder that we can use to recover energy?’

“This then makes the entire system smoother and more efficient. In fact our tests show that the LH series machines with ERC can save up to 30 percent in fuel consumption, which is exceptional.”

In addition to improving overall efficiency, the ERC system also gives the machines a boost in available power.

“As a result of implementing the ERC system, in LH40 and LH50 materials handlers, we can now have smaller hoist cylinders. That means less oil flow is required and we can achieve the required power from smaller engines.

“For example, where the previous equivalent of our new LH40 machine ran a 150kW engine, we can now use a 140kW engine, which contributes to those fuel savings as well.”

Naturally the new LH series materials handlers also arrive with a host of other upgraded features, including larger, more ergonomically-minded

LIEBHERR’S N E X T

G E N E R A T I O N

GAME CHANGERS Liebherr’s next generation LH series materials handlers look set to change the way busy scrap metal recycling operations calculate running costs, with clever new technology onboard that can reduce fuel consumption by remarkable levels.

cabins, reversing monitor technology as standard, as well as auto-greasing and diesel particulate filters which meet new European Tier IIIB emissions standards.

“The smaller LH22 was introduced first in Australia and it has already proven popular. And with the LH30 now available also, we’re seeing a real upshift in sales,” continues Ali. “We are very excited that our first LH40 for Australian stock has just arrived, and we have more LH30s and LH40s on their way to Australia, with some already sold.

“In fact we’ve had several customers who could have added to their fleet earlier in the year with our previous A924 model, but decided to wait for the new LH30.

“ELG Recycling Processors is one such customer. They wanted to wait for the new technology to arrive, having been really impressed with what they had heard about the LH series. Now that their machine has arrived and is running at their operation, they say they’re amazed at how efficient it is compared to their previous machine from another manufacturer.”

Liebherr has also delivered two LH50 to one of Bis Industries’ operations in Whyalla, South Australia; the very first in Australia and New Zealand.

“For Bis Industries, fuel efficiency and high performance power are both vitally important. They also decided to wait for the LH50 to become available, rather than invest in the previous model.”

Liebherr confirms that, while some of the larger players in the Australian scrap metal recycling industry will opt for LH40 and LH50 machines,

smaller units like LH24 or LH30 presents a capable, reliable all-rounder platform for most operations.

In New Zealand, Liebherr says that the LH30 will also present for most local operators the ideal package at ideal dimensions.

“The LH30 is perfectly suited to most New Zealand operators, purely because if the size of yards. Unless you’re feeding a big shredder or massive shear – where extra reach or capacity maybe required – the LH30 is about as large as most operations require.

“It’s not only about having power that equals the tasks the machine needs to achieve though; it’s about having a footprint that’s appropriate to the machine’s environment as well. “With scrap handling, the most important thing is consistency,” Ali concludes.

“You don’t need to put 10 tonne of scrap into a baler or mid-size shear in one move, but you do want to put one tonne of scrap into the baler or shear in consistently quick cycles. That’s where the smaller models in the LH series offer the best value per ton.

“Of course, there’s also a risk that an operator could settle on a machine that’s too small for the operation. Whenever you need to move a machine around a yard, it’s not working, so it’s important for companies to get the balance right.”

“The comprehensive range of LH series machines with machines ranged from 22 up to 120 tonne, will definitely provide that balance, and will provide it in a much more cost-effective manner as well.”

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MACHINE PROFILE

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PROVEN METAL

A familiar player in the civil construction and forestry industries, Hyundai has just released its first specialised materials handler onto the New Zealand market. We went for a closer look as the first example of the R210W-9 settles in at a busy Hamilton scrap metal recycling yard.

If Hyundai’s new R210W-9 materials handler looks slightly familiar, that’s because it is. Despite being the Korean manufacturing giant’s first entry into the scrap metal recycling market, the machine is part of Hyundai’s ‘World Excavator’ blueprint, with the architecture and power pack of a ‘dash 9’ wheel excavator hidden underneath those heavy duty outriggers and lift cab.

“There’s a heck of a lot of proven merit in this design,” says Porter Equipment business development manager Matthew White.

“The main changes are the cab configuration, being a hydraulic lift unit, and the straight boom which provides for more reach and downforce.

This is a new piece of kit within the wider Hyundai family, but it has been engineered on a solid foundation.

“And being a Hyundai machine there has been a lot of research and development gone into making sure it’s fit-for-purpose before being released to the public.” Being based around an existing (and popular) model means that, for distributors Porter Equipment, the commonality of parts and minimal variation of machine features ensures their technical support offering remains solid.

“We have a very good reputation for servicing and supporting Hyundai equipment regardless of where it’s located around New Zealand. With the new materials handler, that will remain the case.

“This machine is a variation on a theme, so we don’t need to stock an entirely separate line of water pumps, engine components or other items.

Still, as a new addition to our range we’ll be assessing its performance in the field closely and – in that respect – it’s good that it has found a home where it will be put through its paces in an appropriate manner.”

The ‘home’ in question is Hamilton’s Global Metal Solutions, where managing director Craig Tuhoro has replaced a lease machine with the new R210W-9.

“We had it here in the yard for a week or two on trail and we could immediately see the value it represented.

“Grant, who operates the machine, loves it: he has a lot of experience on the job – over 25 years – and he’s incredibly well-versed in what makes a good machine great. At the end of the day I listen to the guys out in the yard; their feedback is vital to how the company operates day-to-day. So if I get someone raving about the capabilities of a machine as Grant did after just a couple of weeks in the Hyundai, I’ll definitely take note,” he says.

Craig also says that reliability is the key attribute for any piece of yard equipment and, when lifting one to two tons at reach while feeding something such as a slide loader, consistency and hardiness are paramount.

“I have no doubt this machine will be a success for Porter Equipment. In

itself it appears to be a very capable machine, but what makes it more of a sure bet for me is the Porter back-up.

“In my mind they’ve set the benchmark for heavy duty machinery distribution and support in New Zealand, so when they put their name behind something, I believe that counts for a lot.”

The arrival of the materials handler also highlights another aspect of Hyundai’s manufacturing operation: the heavy duty grapple attached to the machine wears the Hyundai brand name too and was developed alongside the materials handler itself.

Matthew White says that Porter Equipment is in frequent communication with the factory, so are aware of how much research and development has gone into attachments side of the business.

For the New Zealand market, putting new machines like the R210W-9 to work in busy yards such as Global Metal Solutions is also something of a continuation of that R&D, allowing the distributor to gather immediate feedback from companies utilising the hardware.

“At the end of the day, scrap metal is a target sector of the market and Hyundai’s ability to adapt to this market without reinventing the wheel – and therefore keeping costs down for the end-user – is a real bonus for the industry,” he concludes.

“We’re a new player on this particular pitch, but we still come with a solid reputation and a lot of horsepower.”

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TECHNOLOGY

Dust to dust Dust mitigation in confined or urban work sites is a constant issue for many operators. Advances in technology mean that, for most operators, a worker standing alongside the work area with a high pressure hose is no longer a necessity.

With the news that three core dust mitigation machines from leading open-area dust management developers Dust Control Technology (DCT) have been successfully certified as meeting Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards, we thought it’s time to take a look at what these systems have to offer.

The DustBoss DB-30, DB-45 and DB-60 are believed to be the first atomised misting units for dust control to earn this recognition, reinforcing

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the manufacturer’s position as a world leader in safety for dust control equipment.

The DustBoss series of dust mitigation units are fan-based oscillating atomising sprayers, designed for safe and effective open-area dust and odor suppression.

Machines such as these feature a variety of safety features such as fans with heavy-duty guarding, atomiser rings with pressure output that’s safe enough for bare fingers and industrial strength, steel-framed wheeled carriages or skid mounts.

The high-powered fans distribute the atomised mist at noise levels below OSHA approved decibel thresholds and low water usage allows safer control of runoff.

DCT General Manager Laura Stiverson commented that together, the certification by both organisations gives users of dust mitigation technology such as that provided by DCT extra assurance.

“Their effectiveness has been proven through more than a decade of use in severe operating conditions, such as demolition, mining and scrap recycling. From the time of their introduction, product safety has always been a priority. UL certification affirms the safety of these three fan-driven designs,” she said.

Composed of representatives from industry, government and consumer groups, the Canadian Standards Association is a not-forprofit organisation which publishes standards and provides training and advisory services, while Underwriters Laboratories is the world’s largest non-profit product safety certification organisation.

The certification process required DCT to submit equipment for rigorous testing under

a specific set of criteria. In addition to equipment testing and quality assurance process review, the company must meet an ongoing series of benchmarks in order to maintain the certification, including factory inspection and quarterly product inspections.

DCT has dust mitigation units serving customers in 35 countries on six continents to date. More than provide off-the-rack systems to clients, the company’s consultants also help customers analyse particle sizes and characteristics within different working environments in order to ensure effective performance under real-world conditions. Working with clients, DCT has also adapted DustBoss machines to be remote control-operated, and suited to a number of unique environments.

The systems are relied upon by companies within a variety of industries – including demolition and scrap metal recycling – where nuisance dust can cause issues for on-site workers, as well as neighbouring communities.

ADVERTISER INDEX Alert Engineering..........................IFC Australian Decommissioning Services.........................................p3 Caterpillar of Australia .................p7 Embrey Attachments ...................p23 Liebherr ........................................p5 Ocean Wide Group .......................p10 Pacific Materials Handling ...........p9, IBC Palfinger ......................................OBC Ward Demolition .........................p15

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