Re:Generation Edition 01
Safety on site The role of the quick coupler There is no question that the quick coupler has made a significant contribution to safety on jobsites worldwide. But what else is the quick coupler capable of? Karl Serneberg, from Swedish manufacturer Steelwrist , talks about his company’s experience.
Feature Project
Film HQ strip out
we know Whodunnit
The idea of changing the work tool on an excavator in a matter of seconds - from the safety of the cab - has been a gamechanger
31 Soho Square
This architectural gem, which opened its doors on May 12th, 1938, had served as the UK headquarters for Twentieth Century Fox until 2019, when Disney acquired the company. The building has been ‘resting’ ever since. Royal London, a pensions and investments company, acquired the building from Disney, and announced its plans to demolish Century House and replace it with offices, flats, and a shopping mall in 2023. But – hold on to your seats – revised plans mean the building may survive, much like that of a Hollywood cliffhanger. General Demolition is taking the lead role when it comes to completely stripping out every nook and cranny of this nine-story beauty. Our team removed all the M&E, dealt with the villain- of-the-piece (asbestos) and removed the thick sound installation stuck to the walls in the basement screening cinema. ‘Arisings’ were removed via a combination of the building’s tiny rear courtyard and out of the front door on Soho square early in the mornings. This minimised inconvenience to stakeholders, neighbours, pedestrians and avoided interaction with the heavy daily footfall.. This all added up to a bit of a logistical cha-cha but General Demolition stuck to the script and flawlessly executed the strip out over a 12-week timeframe without putting a foot wrong. Even Singing in the Rain’s Gene Kelly would have been impressed. Picture this scene: No cameras, typewriters, popcorn machines, or directors’ chairs. Just an empty building.
What are the main areas in which quick couplers and other attachments can help increase safety on site? During the past few years, we have seen that the requirement to be able to change hydraulic powered work tools without leaving the cab is increasing. This is why the demand for fully automatic quick couplers is increasing fast. With Steelwrist SQ technology you can change between hydraulic powered work tools such as breaker, crusher, shear, grapple as well as mechanical work tools in seconds – all without leaving the cabin.
What is driving change in the manufacturing process? Manufacturing innovations? Customer requirements? Legislation? Economics?
Customers are increasingly demanding safer coupling solutions, and the demand is coming from all over the world. Then in parallel to this, legislators are raising the bar for what is considered safe. When we launched the Front Pin Lock technology in 2012, we wanted operators and ground personnel to feel safe during work tool changes, as the operator could see when the work tool is in a safe position. Thanks to that Steelwrist couplers are not sensor dependent and our solutions works equally well with all types of excavators, regardless of whether they are small, large, new, or used. Today, with thousands of couplers in the field, the result has been a higher safety level and a robust solution cast in steel.
Secondly customers want to increase the efficiency and versatility of their investment, and this drives the continuously increased demand for tiltrotators. The core of the Steelwrist product offering includes quick couplers, tilt couplers and tiltrotators that together with the control system make up the foundation for higher excavator efficiency. This then drives development of new work tools (powered work tools and non-powered work tools) that makes the excavator become a true tool carrier.
Lights, cameras, strip out! Twentieth Century House, the iconic Art Deco building located at 31 Soho Square, has been completely cleared out. A bit of a Hollywood makeover, if you will. The building has a rich history deeply intertwined with the UK film industry. The building has played a leading role in British cinema, spawning blockbusters such as The Sound of Music, Star Wars, and Chariots of Fire. And when screen goddess Marilyn Monroe visited, she had a luxurious bedroom and bathroom created exclusively for her. Designed by the prolific architect Gordon Jeeves, Century House was known for its glamorous Great Gatsby-esque interior.
An Oscar winning performance!
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www.General-Demoliton.co.uk
Get in touch for more information. Email: enquiries@general-demolition.co.uk
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