www.vetter-cranes.

com

Dec./10

Lift it
The magazine of Vetter Krantechnik GmbH

Page 6

For all Formula 1 fans:

New display tower at

Hockenheim circuit
Made by VETTER

December 2010 Liftit21

CONTENTS

10
3

Editorial

4
Challenging technology
Offshore cranes for USA
6 MediaTower
Display tower for Formula 1
8
Trade fairs
Crane technology at your grasp
10
Special crane
Slewing jib crane on a hydraulic
excavator
12
ROTOMAX load-turning devices
Juggling with concrete sections
14 Teamwork
Collaboration with Wollschlger
16 Reference
Messer Group in Siegen

18
Haiger crane factory
3rd construction phase completed

Issue 3 - December 2010

Imprint
Publisher: VETTER Krantechnik GmbH | Siegtalstr. 22 | 57080 Siegen | Germany
Responsible: Jens Utsch | Phone +49 271 3502-320 | Fax +49 271 3502-9320 | Mobile: +49 176 13502320
E-mail: jens.utsch@vetter.eu | www.vetter-cranes.com
Concept/Design: conception Werbung & Marketing | Siegen | Germany

2 Liftit December 2010

editoria l

Ladies and gentlemen,

dear business friends,
We are delighted to have received such positive feedback to LIFT-it and are pleased to
present our third issue to you just in time for the end of 2010.
The first few months of 2010 followed on uninterrupted from the difficult conditions of
2009, but we were glad to observe increasingly encouraging developments in the second
half of the year. The crane industry one of the late starters of the entire
machine and plant construction industry now finds itself once again on a distinctly
upward trend.
In this issue, you can read reports on the large offshore cranes we have supplied for a
platform off the Texan coast and the use of our load-turning devices in the concrete
industry. A special feature of this issue is our display tower which is now in situ at a
spectacular location for Formula 1 fans at Hockenheim. Moreover, you can take a look at
some more interesting applications, such as the use of a slewing jib crane on a hydraulic
excavator and an air separation plant, and catch up on news about our business
environment which we hope will be of interest to you.
Enjoy the read!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a good start into the next year.

Klaus Galinski Norbert Hammes

December 2010 Liftit3

Hoists on the
high seas
When it comes to offshore equipment, the issue that is always first
and foremost is one of challenging technology. So it was for
VETTERs slewing jib cranes that were recently supplied to the USA:
with lifting capacities of 5 tonnes and outreaches of 12 metres,
they are used for maintenance work and tool replacement on a
platform off the Texan coast.

he challenge was that all the cranes and

hoists had to be explosion-proof. Hence,
the operator opted for air hoists. The hoists
are relocated using rack-and-pinion drives so
that the hoists can be moved even when they
are inclined (max. 5). Two air-powered slewing
drives provide for slewing of the crane jib when
inclined.
Optimally protected and firmly secured
For offshore use, a special paint coating of
320 m, corrosivity classification C5, was
needed, as the equipment has to contend
with condensation and a high degree of salt
contamination on-site. Another special feature
is the method of fixing the crane to the platform:
wall consoles specially developed for this
application were used to which a 1200 mm
diameter column section was securely welded
in each case. This section of column has a
flange on top which takes the jibs ball bearing
slewing ring.

Experience for all events

Cranes for offshore use are also increasingly of
interest to the wind power industry, e.g. for lifting materials or personnel from ships onto the
platforms. This application also imposes special
requirements on the design of the crane system
due to the maritime environment. Vetter Krantechnik has proved once again that even unusual
applications can be tackled with the right kind of
experience and expertise.

joerg.schachtschneider@vetter-cranes.com

Testing the jibs at the factory

4 Liftit December 2010

C H A LL E N G I N G T E C H N O L O G Y

Wall consoles with pipe section and flange

Jib with air supply for hoist

December 2010 Liftit5

VETTE(R)L sets the pace

The ear-splitting roar of the engines that sends shivers down the spines of the fans.
The shouts of joy, fireworks and loud hooting it all goes to make Formula 1 unique.
Hockenheim once again played host to the competition from 23rd to 25th July 2010.
At the German Grand Prix, the newly crowned world champion, Sebastian Vettel,
took third place.

Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) entering

the pit lane.

ETTER Krantechnik delivered a 22 m

high display tower to Hockenheim
circuit prior to the race. The galvanised
steel tower was erected in the grounds of the
circuit alongside the entry to the pit lane. A
specialist supplier of video systems then fitted video walls to the four sides of the steel
tower: each LED wall was three metres wide
and eight metres high, providing a display
area of 24 m.
Easily raised and lowered
In future, the LED walls will be mounted on
the tower once every two years for the German Grand Prix and for other major events at
Hockenheim. To ensure that the LED walls are

6 Liftit December 2010

quick and easy to install, two hoists are fitted

on each side of the steel tower for raising the
LED walls up from the ground to the top.
Better view for all
The spectators in the stands benefit from the
display tower, as they can keep a close eye on
the lap times and placings of their Formula 1 heroes during training, qualifying and
the race itself. As a result, the fans seated at
the start and finish and in the Motodrom are
always fully informed.
VETTER advertising towers
VETTER supplies advertising towers to the
advertising industry under the product name

MEDIATOWER

Hockenheim circuit
l Located in: Hockenheim, a town south
of Mannheim in the State of
Baden-Wrttemberg in Germany
l Length of circuit: 4,574 km
l Bends: 17
l Spectator capacity: approx. 120,000
www.hockenheimring.de

All the team at VETTER would like to congratulate

Sebastian Vettel on winning the 2010 World Championship. At 23 years of age, the driver from Heppenheim is
the youngest Formula 1 World Champion of all time.

Scope of work supplied for MediaTower:

MediaTower. As a pipe fabricator with outstanding technical capabilities, VETTER is

able to manufacture the steel structures for
advertising towers cost-effectively and in
all sizes. The MediaTower team assists you
from drawing up the concept and the static
calculation right through to installing the steel
structure.

l Verifiable or verified structural

analyses for all sites
l Foundation plans and various
anchoring systems
l Fixing frame tailored to the size and
shape of the display surfaces
l Safe pre-assembly of display surfaces
at ground level
l Joint coordinated assembly of all
elements or a precise drawing for
self-assembly

jens.utsch@vetter.eu

The display towers

www.mediatower.biz

steel structure.

December 2010 Liftit7

Motek in Stuttgart

Crane technology at your grasp

Trade fairs are always a key opportunity for VETTER to inform
customers of new products and maintain a dialogue with them
as well as winning new customers.

der the slogan of Handling cranes a

good turn for greater efficiency, we exhibited a combination of our handling
crane BOY and the ALU slewing jib crane on
one column at Motek in Stuttgart in September.
These two cranes are customised specifically for
use in the materials handling industry. At the
fair, we extended our contacts in this particular
industry and picked up key information about
the requirements.

Motek: Handling crane BOY was a highlight

of the show.

8 Liftit December 2010

New contacts in the foundry industry

The foundry industry represents a particular
niche market for our ROTOMAX load-turning
devices. For a number of years, we have exhibited at GIFA in Dsseldorf always with great
success. The next GIFA in June 2011 is already
booked. METAL, the trade fair held in Kielce in

Poland, also provides excellent contacts in the

foundry industry. It was here in October that
we exhibited a ROTOMAX device and a PROFI
crane system together with our Polish partner,
Rywal, for the first time. And it was a pleasing
outcome with useful enquiries and contacts for
us and our Polish partner.
Eyecatcher at Forum Maschinenbau
Forum Maschinenbau in Bad Salzuflen was on
the schedule for early November. It was our debut at the show and we were utterly impressed
with the visitor quality. In spite of or perhaps
because of the limited space available, we exhibited our mobile column-mounted slewing jib
crane, MOBILUS, which was a real eyecatcher
on a stand that was just 15 m in area.

TRADE FAIRS

NRW Day in Siegen: passing the crane driving test with our model yachting crane.

Crane driving test at NRW Day

And last but not least NRW Day in Siegen on
18th and 19th September was of course quite a
special event for us: the birthday of the State
of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is celebrated
in a different town every year. It was an extremely well-attended event that brought
families to the Siegerland Hall, where children had the opportunity to win a crane construction kit on completing an Explorer Trail and
at the same time take their crane driving test
at our stand using a model yachting crane.

Foundry trade fair in Poland: new business contacts made.

Preparation for CeMAT

The next big event is looming were
already preparing for CeMAT in Hanover. The
VETTER team will be there to welcome you
once again. We look forward to seeing you in
Hanover and will be ready with the fresh
waffles again of course!

jens.utsch@vetter.eu

Upcoming trade fairs

intec 2011, Leipzig/Germany

Trade fair for manufacturing, tool and
special-purpose machine construction
1st - 4th March 2011
Hall 3, Stand D81
www.messe-intec.de

CeMAT 2011, Hanover/Germany

The worlds leading intralogistics fair
2nd - 6th May 2011
Hall 12, Stand B50
www.cemat.de

Forum Maschinenbau: the MOBILUS is a great eyecatcher.

December 2010 Liftit9

Hydraulic excavator including

maintenance crane
Vetter slewing jib cranes are to be found in many places: in workshops, beside machine tools, in
production halls, in storage areas, at the docks, and so on. They simplify the lifting and moving of loads
and organise the work more efficiently. The latest place youll find one of our slewing jib cranes is
on the new R 984 C Litronic High Rise material handler from Liebherr.

he material handler provides for rapid

loading and unloading in the transhipment of scrap and all other bulk materials that are moved at ports, such as coal,
artificial fertilisers and grain. It is fitted to
the loading weight of the superstructure at
a height of approx. 11 m. This is the height to
which fuel, lubricants, tools and parts need
to be raised whenever maintenance work is
due. VETTER together with Liebherr developed
a special column-mounted slewing jib crane
especially for the job which is secured to the
counterweight of the material handler and is
always available piggybacking off the rear.
Slewing to size
The crane is equipped with a chain hoist with
electric traveller as well as an electric slewing
drive. All the electrically driven movements of
the crane are regulated via a contactor control.
Supplying the power for the crane is done by
a diesel power generator which is operated

10 Liftit December 2010

separately to the machine itself and is attached

to the large platform on the substructure.
When placed in neutral, the crane is secured
in order to prevent any accidental slewing or
swinging movement.
Successful all-in-one concept
As shown in the photos, the material handler
and slewing jib crane cut quite a dash. Together
they form a team in which each has its job to do
and performs it according to its capabilities. The
crane design which meets the customers precise
requirements in full has proved its worth: Vetter
has now delivered several slewing jib cranes for
this application with a lifting capacity of 500 kg
and an outreach of 2.5 m.

stefan.mueller@vetter-krane.de

SPECIAL CRANE

December 2010 Liftit11

Juggling with concrete sections

Manoeuvring precast concrete sections safely and in less time:
Dutch company, Beton Son B.V., has substantially improved and speeded
up the handling process during production of its precast concrete sections
with ROTOMAX load-turning devices from VETTER.

Turning a precast concrete section using two 20-tonne ROTOMAX load-turning devices

12 Liftit December 2010

ROTOMAX LOAD-TURNING DEVICES

etonson produces precast concrete sections for motorway construction consisting of a hard layer and a soft layer of
concrete. During production, the hard concrete is first poured into the mould, followed by
the soft concrete. As later on the hard layer has
to be laid facing up on the motorway to form
the driving surface, the slabs need to be turned. Previously, the up to 35-tonne slabs had
to be raised and turned using two hoists a
very dangerous manoeuvre in which it was not
uncommon for the expensive slabs to be damaged. Then the concrete manufacturer found
out about VETTER, and together a solution was
developed that was both safe and time-saving.
Responsive turning and safe control
Two load-turning devices, each with a lifting capacity of 20 tonnes, are suspended in the exis-

ting gantry crane on two hoists. The load-turning

devices are operated via radio control which also
controls the tandem operation to enable both
devices to work in sync. This provides for responsiveness when turning the up to five metres wide
concrete slabs. This impressive manoeuvre is controlled by just one person from a safe distance. The
concrete slabs are held in two special slings which
have a coating with a high friction coefficient and
a high degree of cutting and non-skid resistance.

so that during the turning procedure the slabs

cannot be tipped in a jerky, uncontrolled manner.
Reliable service
A special service provided by Vetter was the loan
of a device to bridge the delivery time, allowing
Betonson to meet the high demand even during
the leadtime.

bert.vandenbril@vetter-cranes.com
Danger of tipping minimised
The wide dimensional range of the slabs presented
a challenge. Slabs of 150 450 mm in thickness
had to be turned. The width of the slabs and the
given minimal lifting height of the gantry crane
can result in a very wide splay angle for the slings
on the driving rollers. This angle is restricted by
individually adjustable counterpressure rollers

Beton Son B.V.

l
l

l

Headquarters: Son, Netherlands

Has produced precast concrete
components for over 50 years
Full service partner for the
manufacture, delivery and installation
of prestressed precast concrete floors,
prestressed prefabricated floors and
pile foundations

www.betonson.com
The loaned device with a 20 tonne lifting capacity

December 2010 Liftit13

L to r: Alexander Rojahn (Product Manager for Plant Equipment, Wollschlger GmbH & Co. KG), Sebastian Argentino
(Field Sales, Wollschlger GmbH & Co. KG), Alexander Dolipski (General Manager, Flowserve Essen GmbH), Rolf Balgar
(Field Sales, VETTER Krantechnik GmbH), Christian Seidel (Supply Chain Analyst, Flowserve Essen GmbH)

Success goes hand-in-hand

Flowserve is the name for pumps and valves among experts.
For the Bochum-based commercial company Wollschlger and Vetter, Flowserve
is now the name for perfect collaboration between specialist suppliers
and manufacturers and no conflicts of interest!

t the beginning of October, a total of six

new gantry crane systems, various gantry crane elements and several slewing
jib cranes were delivered to Flowserves new
site in Essen. A particularly complex item on the
list was a specially designed PROFI crane system which consisted of three gantries with two
runway beams to support material flow in the
inspection and assembly area.
Optimally interlinking processes
One beam was attached under the gantries and
the other beam placed on top of the gantries.
By adding an auxiliary beam, a connection was

14 Liftit December 2010

established with an existing circular track. The

systems link various workstations together and
thus optimises handling throughout the entire
production process from assembly to dispatch. The work also included the dismantling
of nine existing crane systems at the old site and
re-installation at the new production site.
In our interview with Alexander Rojahn, Product
Manager for Plant Equipment at Wollschlger,
we wanted to find out more about how this
joint project had been managed and above all
how Wollschlger assessed the collaboration.

TEAMWORK

LIFT-it: What were the advantages for Wollschlger of collaborating with Vetter on this
project?

LIFT-it: Mr. Rojahn, how did the project

actually come about?
A. Rojahn: Flowserve came to us in May this
year and asked us for a quotation for relocating
racking storage and warehousing equipment
within Essen. We are a long-standing supplier
to Flowserve and so we were of course their first
port of call. After our initial site visit, we then
presented an overall concept to Flowserve which
covered the complete planning and management of plant equipment, warehousing and
crane systems. As a result, Flowserve had
the benefit of knowing that everything was
coordinated by a single supplier and that we
would provide them with a regular contact for
the entire duration of the project. Our experience
with projects of this order of magnitude stood
us in great stead and it was ultimately the key
to Flowserves decision to award the entire
order to us.
LIFT-it: Why did you want to work together
with Vetter on this? Or to put it another
way: why didnt you just turn up at the
customers on your own?
A. Rojahn: This project immediately presented several challenges. On the one hand, there
was the range of products involved and on the
other the complexity of the products as well. The
manufacturers expertise was absolutely essential for providing detailed advice on this type of
equipment; you only need to think of the accuracy of fit you need to achieve when dealing with
such a large number of gantry crane systems.
Moreover, we had a very tight window of just two
months with the stipulation that no stoppages
in production were permitted. It was clear right
from the start that we needed to keep the lines of
decision-making tight. Speed was the factor that
clinched the entire project.
LIFT-it: How did it all go in practice? Is it
not time-consuming to have to coordinate
so many people to meet the deadlines when
youre pressed for time?
A. Rojahn: Something like that only works
when everyone involved is pulling in the same
direction and never loses sight of the collective
aim. We know well the benefits of working with

Personal data
Alexander Rojahn,
Product manager for Plant Equipment
at Wollschlger GmbH & Co. KG
since 2008

Vetter and knew that we could rely 100 per cent

on the teams flexibility and speed. Having this
confidence was key for us in this project. The fact
that the main plant was able to move fast and
provided in-depth supervision on site contributed to the success. But the active contribution of
other partners and the customer as well was of
course equally important. Flowserve was always
to the fore, whether it was in providing a flow of
information at the planning stage or supplying
additional staff for the installation work.

A. Rojahn: One advantage was that we had the

overall management of the project and were able
to focus on our core competencies, i.e. advising,
supporting and all-round management. In terms
of the individual aspects of managing the project, however, with Vetter we had the assurance of having the manufacturer behind us and
were able to depend on Vetters proven project
management in crane systems. We have found
Vetter to be a reliable partner who does not
just focus on profits but commits to a long-term
collaboration based on partnership. We are sure
we will be able to manage more projects together successfully in future.
We would like to thank Alexander Rojahn very
much indeed for the interview and for the excellent cooperation. For us, this project is an
example of how much a commercial company
can offer its customers when it is supported by
the manufacturers specialist expertise. And with
our nationwide field staff who are always on call
with advice, we make even the more complex
crane projects feasible.
Whatever the need, its always worth giving us
a call!
sylvia.papior@vetter-krane.de

Training of Mennes staff

Cranes and Krombacher

Two products where first-rate quality and
shared origins in the Siegerland are equally
to the fore. This was the consensus at the
end of September when 30 sales staff of
commercial supplier, Mennens, from the
Netherlands and Belgium arrived for training. A guided tour and training courses
in all aspects of cranes were on the days
schedule. The day ended on a high note
when all the participants gathered later at
the Krombacher brewery and was judged to
have been an all-round success!

December 2010 Liftit15

16 Liftit December 2010

REFERENCE

Lofty matters
The Messer Group has fitted its first new air separation plant at its Siegen-Geisweid (Germany)
site with an ASSISTENT column-mounted slewing jib crane. The hot galvanised slewing
jib crane has a lifting capacity of 500 kg and was installed in April 2010 for maintenance purposes
high up on the plants 60 m high cold box.

he tower is the centrepiece of the plant

where air is separated into its constituent
parts in order to produce a variety of industrial gases. Industrial gases are used in all sectors,
mainly in the manufacturing industries. However,
Messer also manufactures high purity medical
oxygen at the new production plant which is used
for respirators, for example.
Safe transport at dizzy heights
The crane is suitable for outdoor operation and
transports tools for repair work and insulating
material for maintenance as well as the valves
that need replacing every three years and there-

fore have to be taken up the 60 m high tower.

For these operations, Vetter has supplied a chain
hoist with a lifting height of 65 m with a chain bag
equipped with its own trolley.
Flying the flag for Germany
The otherwise discreet crane high above the
rooftops of Geisweid was a real head-turner in
summer during the World Cup when Messer staff
showed their colours and decorated the tower
with the German flag!
stefan.mueller@vetter-krane.de

Messer Group GmbH

l Well-known industrial gas
manufacturer
l Active in 30 countries throughout
the world
l Established in 1898 and now under
third-generation management
l 5,211 employees
l 797 million EUR turnover in 2009
financial year
www.messergroup.com

Air separation plant

The view over the premises from the top of the 60 m high cold box

1Compression of air 2Precooling 3Purification 4Cooling

5Separation 6Recovery and storage

December 2010 Liftit17

New logistics hall

faster, bigger and wider
The completion of the third phase of construction meant that the new logistics hall at
the Haiger site was open for business on 1st July 2010. The just under 1,500 m hall
runs along the top ends of three production halls for the manufacture of jibs and pipe
columns, thus completing the material flow for slewing jib crane production.

18 Liftit December 2010

HAIGER CRANE FACTORY

he hall is fitted out with several column-mounted slewing jib cranes of

our own manufacture providing valuable assistance for the workstations where
components are finished. At the same time,
three 5-tonne overhead cranes guarantee
safety and speed when loading and unloading.
Tighter transport lines
We have also extended the existing paintshop
in the course of the new build. All the finished
painted components now arrive in the new
dispatch hall directly after passing through
the drying line, where our staff takes care of
completion, commissioning and packing right
there on the spot. This saves on unnecessary
transport and increases the flow rate for the
painting process by 20 per cent.
Reduced waiting times
As there are now three hall doors available and
as it is now possible to cover the length of the
halls, dispatch staff is able to load three HGVs
at the same time which reduces waiting times
for HGV drivers considerably. The approach to
the new dispatch hall is designed in such a way
that the waiting HGVs park up on a waiting
area on company premises and after receiving
their delivery paperwork are called into the hall
via an electronic sign.
Logistics considerably improved
With the completion of the new logistics hall,
we have significantly improved internal and
external logistics a further milestone on our
way to creating the most up-to-date slewing
jib crane production site in the world.

Siegen CCI

Klaus Th. Vetter re-elected as

CCI President
At its inaugural meeting, the new general assembly of Siegen Chamber of Commerce and
Industry elected the Director of VETTER Holding GmbH, Klaus Th. Vetter, for a further two
years as President of the CCI.

Left to right: Vice President Rupprecht Kemper, CEO Franz J. Mockenhaupt, President Klaus Th. Vetter,
Local Authority CEO Helmut Diegel, Vice President Axel E. Barten Vice President Christian Kocherscheidt
is not shown.

New talent

Apprenticeship at VETTER

The Board of Management at VETTER Holding GmbH welcomes 2010s new apprentices. On the right of the
photo is Arnold Vetter, Director of VETTER Holding GmbH and VETTER Umformtechnik GmbH.

December 2010 Liftit19

Total mobility with a built-in base

The MOBILUS crane operates completely unattached, as the base is integrated into the pedestal of the crane. As a result, the
entire crane can be relocated quickly and easily to right where it is needed. With lifting capacities of 125 kg - 500 kg, outreaches of up to 5 m and an infinite 360 slewing range, the MOBILUS is the ideal mobile crane for alternating workstations

VETTER the crane specialists

VETTER Krantechnik GmbH

Siegtalstr. 22 | 57080 Siegen | Germany
www.vetter-cranes.com
20 Liftit December 2010