When Hulamin — one of South Africa’s leading aluminium producers — faced an emergency production line shutdown due to critical damage in their P38 main ram crosshead press, Reef Rigging was called in for an urgent removal operation that required innovative rigging engineering and a precisely planned crane setup in a constrained factory environment.
The Emergency: Cracked Press Structure in an Active Extrusion Line
The P38 main ram crosshead press — a 25.5-tonne structural assembly in Hulamin’s aluminium extrusion line — had developed multiple deep surface cracks after 25 years of continuous operation under 38-tonne compression cycles and intense process heat. The cracks rendered the press unsafe for continued operation, forcing a total production line closure. Every hour of downtime at this stage of Hulamin’s production process carried significant commercial cost, making rapid, safe removal the absolute priority.
The Rigging Challenge: Constrained Access Between Tie-Rods
The press structure was located between the tie-rods of the extrusion line — a highly constrained position that prevented direct overhead crane access. Reef Rigging engineered a solution using a 160-tonne mobile crane positioned at a 14-metre horizontal radius parallel to the press line, with a 29.1-metre boom extension operating through an opened 12-metre-high roof structure. At this configuration, the crane provided a 39-tonne rated lift capacity — sufficient for the 25.5-tonne press plus rigging hardware.
The Removal Operation
A specialised rigging, jacking, and fitter approach was used to extract the damaged crosshead structure from its position between the tie-rods. The press was rigged out through the opened roof structure on a 37-tonne trolley system, allowing it to be moved to a safe lay-down area for subsequent disposal. The combination of crane capacity planning, roof structure opening, and precision positioning between the press tie-rods demonstrated the level of engineering ingenuity that Reef Rigging brings to complex emergency rigging operations.
Project Outcome: Production Restored
The emergency removal was completed successfully, allowing Hulamin to begin the process of sourcing and installing a replacement press structure and restoring their extrusion line to production. The project is one of the most technically demanding single-lift operations in Reef Rigging’s project history.
For emergency industrial rigging and complex constrained-space operations, contact Reef Rigging to discuss your requirements.