VacLift remains a compelling solution for moving pipe efficiently and safely on daunting water projects.
Pipeline Plant Hire (PPH) has been an active force in water infrastructure and gas supply projects for more than 30 years. Of recent, the supplier of plant machinery and construction services was a key presence on the Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline, the Gladstone LNG projects, Northern Network Alliance, BMA mine expansion in Emerald and the Southern Regional Water pipeline among several other high profile projects.
These accomplishments have helped it to forge a reputation synonymous with reliability, innovation and industry best practice on long-term projects that not only involve multiple stakeholders but demand adherence to the highest safety protocols.
Operationally, the business footprint scales nationwide. Many Tier 1 clients look to it as a premier partner that can deliver noticeable and repeatable efficiencies balanced with the immediate safety optimisation expected today on building pipeline infrastructure.
PPH offers comprehensive options across its equipment range. From excavators, loaders, graders, rock breakers, screening buckets — anything required on a pipeline construction project. The sum total of which now approaches over 200 pieces of machinery, not to mention, custom-designed material handling solutions, such as coil handlers and scrap pipe cutters. The company holds more than 1000 attachments for hire, including hammers, buckets, grader blades, stick rakes and augers.
In recent years, enormous advances have taken place in pipeline assembly, and the business has also evolved to keep pace with them. One of which is VacLift, PPH’s own expertly manufactured and highly optimised vacuum lifts. These machines are designed and built to thoroughly exceed Australian safety standards according to PPH. As part of this mandate, the machines have been equipped with oversized vacuum supply systems. In the event of power failure, the valves will automatically deliver vacuum to the load, something of a decisive advantage in treatment, irrigation and distribution works.
Pipeline Plant Hire’s Director, Gerard O’Brien said vacuum pipe handling equipment creates distance between workers and the pipe itself, reducing the risk of injury and dramatically reducing the cycle time for each pipe movement.
“VacLift achieves three times the output of other pipeline lifting methods, giving the operator complete control of the pipe’s movement,” he said. “Working with manufacturers, suppliers, and our customers, we continue to provide improvement and innovations wherever we can.”
Raising lengths of polyethylene or steel pipe weighing up to 15 tonnes, VacLift enables the assembly of pipes in-situ through use of a guidance system that makes the presence of ground crew unnecessary. Whereas traditional methods often require personnel to be closer in proximity to hazards when attaching and detaching the slings or hooks.
Productivity gains are also noteworthy. The machines have a cycle time under 40 seconds per pipe length, whereas conventional methods take 5–10 minutes. As part of its commitment to making pipe laying safer by an order of magnitude, the VacLift fleet also features an operational failsafe in the form of a boost reservoir system. Invested heavily in making piping laying safer by removing the need for on-ground personnel and slings from operation, PPH has designed a highly optimised, lightweight package featuring a unique shoe design. Pipe, as a result, cannot be released unless in contact with the ground, significantly reducing the risk of a drop, facilitating much faster and safer pipeline construction.
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