Derbyshire-based Street Crane (www.streetcrane.co.uk) has partnered with Hayward Tyler to supply and install six new overhead cranes at its newly extended production facility in Luton (said to be one of the most advanced of its kind in the world).

Hayward Tyler designs, engineers and manufactures specialist motors and pumps for the most demanding environments in the global energy sector.

Following a £20 million investment, it has turned its Luton-based factory into a ‘centre of excellence’, with a 30,000ft² extension that has more than doubled its production capacity.

Street has installed two 40-tonne double-girder cranes in the newly extended part of the facility and replaced cranes in the existing part of the building with two 40-tonne and two 25-tonne double-girder cranes.

The new overhead lifting equipment is used throughout the manufacturing process, from unloading materials on arrival through to final equipment despatch.

Larry Redmond, special-projects director for Hayward Tyler, said: “We view our assembly and test area as one big machine, and the cranes form a vital part of it, providing the appropriate lifting capability for the large motors and pumps that we manufacture.

“The crane equipment is essential for all stages of the process, including loading machines, as well as the assembly and testing of our products. As the cranes will be in operation for a considerable time, one of our key selection criteria was maintainability.

“The modular design approach used by Street gave us confidence in the future availability of appropriate parts and service levels.”

The cranes are operated by radio-based remote-control equipment, which improves safety and ease of operation as it allows the operator to take the optimum position for viewing and controlling lifting. All cranes also feature an infra-red anti-collision system to maximise crane safety.