MINING & TRADING

Whenever a new mine or metal plant is built, heavy lifting and transport are key factors to the project's total schedule. By working with a specialized heavy lifting partner from the planning and design phase, various construction techniques can be reviewed and ways can be found to shorten the critical path. Often, the fabrication of a new facility’s components — including the building units themselves and large-scale processing machinery — can be achieved more efficiently off-site. When heavy lifting and transport engineers assist in the design of these structures, they are able to suggest features that make it possible, or more efficient, to prefabricate and transport them, rather than stick-building them on-site. Building in a controlled environment means that weather conditions, workforce availability and safety issues are less likely to delay the work. This is particularly relevant as more and more mines and metal processing facilities are established in increasingly remote locations such as the Arctic, in deserts or in jungles, where all these factors come into play. Time and money can be saved on the construction, and the facility can come into production sooner to turn investment into profit.