Precast concrete, a construction material made by casting concrete in a reusable mold or form, is extremely large and heavy, and often awkwardly shaped.
How do you efficiently lift precast concrete and transport these large heavy structures from point A to point B?
In a production context, there are generally three main movements related to the transportation of hardened concrete.
- Concrete Plants to the Stocking Yard
- Stocking Yard to Truck Transportation
- Truck to Work Site
Morello provides solutions for the movement of precast concrete in the first two stages above. Morello’s heavy-duty transfer cart technology provides state of the art operational efficiency and safety, while also being an eco-friendly solution.
Efficient and Safety-First Intralogistics
An efficient system focuses on a number of factors:
- fast flow of materials and processing into a finished product
- low labour intensity
- lower levels of stock and materials
- smaller production and storage spaces
- lower total production cost
Morello’s custom designed solutions take into consideration all the above factors. To then design the optimal system to lift and move precast concrete, the precast production plant data is gathered: the load dimensions and weights, load capacity, travel speed, required operational flexibility, flooring conditions and working environment.
To move precast concrete can cause stress to the product, the transportation stages must take into consideration the curing conditions and avoid any risk of damage or cracking to the precast structure. Morello understands these critical aspects following years of experience working with the construction industry. The size and weight of precast structures require specialised handling and transportation equipment.
To lift precast concrete Morello’s trolleys frequently use a steel support pallet on which the precast structures are placed for moving within the plant. In a flat floor working environment without floor slopes, the trolley’s hydraulics typically raise the trolley surface 10 to 15 cm to lift the steel pallet, which then rests on the flatbed trolley while it is transported internally.
Solutions Supplied Internationally
Morello has provided solutions to move precast concrete structures to companies in the USA, UK, Italy and across Europe and the Middle East.
Structural integrity, decarbonised operations, safety first, operational efficiency are all keywords when it comes to factory productivity and profitability.
With over 75 years’ experience in the industry, Morello is an expert in supplying electric, wheel based, transfer equipment to corporations all over the world.
Thanks to many projects studied for precast concrete intralogistics, Morello custom designs moving equipment based on the characteristics of the manufacturing plant, the working environment and the product to be moved.
Some of the custom designed product solutions we propose are as follows:
- SGAI: battery powered platform carts, wheel based, remote controlled
- OMNI: similar to the SGAI, with multi-directional steering and a unique all-wheel drive and hydraulic compensation system.
- AGV: similar to the above carts, while operating in complete autonomy without operator, integrated into a client’s production process.
- RAIL RGV: similar to above with rail guidance for when production cycle requirements are standard, frequent, with fixed routes.
In order to provide a low-risk, logistically efficient, environmentally sustainable solution Morello designs transfer cart solutions using the latest lithium battery technology, with factory decarbonisation benefits, eliminating noise and air pollution and creating an eco-friendly workplace.
Precast Plant Project Case
The following is the case of a precast plant in the USA.
Challenge:
To move pre-cast concrete panels of over 12 metres (40 feet) in length and weighing over 60 tons (130,000 lbs) both inside the plant and outside in the stocking yard.
Strategy:
The solution proposed by the Morello team was to build 2 self-propelled OMNI-directional heavy duty platform carts to manage the movement of the concrete panels at the plant: 12 metres (40 feet) long electric movers, designed to lift A-frame steel pallets used to support and move the pre-cast structures. The steel pallets to support the long rectangular cement panels were designed and built together with the trolley.
To move the 60 ton (130,000 lbs) concrete panels the OMNI trolley, which gives maximum manoeuvrability, is positioned beneath the steel pallet using the remote control device. The trolley is raised a few inches off the ground lifting the A-frame steel pallet on which the concrete panels are loaded and can then be moved by remote control to its new location.
Outcome:
Streamlined the in-plant production process, improved safety procedures, created a better working environment for staff, reduced the plant’s carbon footprint improving sustainable practices.
The Morello website gives you the opportunity to view these and other specific use cases related to in-plant logistics and the clients who have chosen Morello as a trusted equipment supplier.
https://www.morellogiovanni.it/en/industries/precast-concrete/
Equipment Built To Last
Morello machines are designed for a long-life span but our clients like to know we can support them when required.
The initial commissioning stage through to ongoing software support and, if required, hardware and mechanical support is managed internally by the Morello team. Remote Assistance, real-time machine monitoring, on-site technical support, directly or through one of our technical support partners are all available to clients.
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