Against the backdrop of a flourishing real estate environment, both residential and mixed-use projects are rapidly rising across the region. Nowhere is this more evident than in the UAE, where urban horizons are dotted with innovative developments. This surge has brought with it a heightened demand for specialised lifting equipment and solution providers.
Johnson Arabia stands tall in this evolving landscape, offering contractors an unparalleled range of versatile lift engineering solutions. More than just a diverse equipment provider, Johnson Arabia streamlines the intricacies of planning and engineering as a unified lifting solutions provider, ensuring seamless coordination between a project’s stakeholders.
Lifting plan
A recent warehouse project serves as a testament to Johnson Arabia’s expertise. The challenge? To lift multiple 42-tonne precast girder beams, columns, hollow-core slabs, and panels. The solution? The team deployed a 350-tonne Kobelco CKE crawler crane with a luffing jib alongside two 100-tonne Grove GMK 5110-1 mobile cranes and four 20m electric JLG man lifts (E600) to facilitate support tasks.
The Kobelco crawler crane was the perfect fit for this particular project. Its ability to transport a load and manoeuvre smoothly on rugged terrain made it the ideal choice for efficient movement between locations. Its counterpart, the all-terrain Grove cranes, were also chosen for their adaptability. Meanwhile, the four JLG man lifts were instrumental in assisting work at elevated levels and demonstrated excellent flexibility on unpaved terrains.
Site challenges
Given the project’s magnitude and tight deadlines, meticulous planning was non-negotiable. The team strategically positioned the cranes in three distinct locations, ensuring comprehensive lifting coverage and impeccable safety measures. Additionally, lifts had to be carefully executed, as simultaneous work was ongoing.
In terms of HSE precautions, Johnson Arabia conceived and implemented the use of wooden mats to withstand the load from the crane and slabs being lifted. These mats, placed on the roadside, served a dual purpose: they dispersed the crane and slab loads uniformly and protected underground utilities from potential damage and vibratory disturbances.
Furthermore, ensuring clear communication was paramount, especially with simultaneous operations underway. The team integrated a radio communication system, streamlining inter-departmental coordination.
Lastly, on the extensive use of cranes, the team explained that it was a strategic decision made to expedite the project’s completion. Johnson Arabia’s team emphasised that this approach enabled them to accomplish significant milestones, including timely transfer, assembly and disassembly of the crane, by utilising multiple cranes.
Johnson Arabia’s blueprint for success
Beyond the machinery and the visible might of cranes, the real foundation of Johnson Arabia’s success lies in the unseen – their meticulous planning, anticipation of challenges, and streamlined coordination.
Amid the complexity of lifting tasks and the challenges faced, the company’s successful and timely completion of the project reflects this unwavering commitment.
By anticipating potential site challenges, the team was not merely reacting to situations but proactively devising strategies. The positioning of the cranes, the selection of specific lifting equipment, and the integration of communication systems weren’t afterthoughts. They were the outcomes of rigorous planning sessions and a deep understanding of the project’s nuances.
Johnson Arabia believes this holistic strategy, which marries detailed planning with proactive coordination, remains central to its ability to meet even the most exacting of deadlines for the most challenging of projects.