Official Raimondi agent of England, Scotland and Wales, Bennetts Cranes, completed the installation of two of four topless tower cranes planned for a high profile development in Berkshire.

“Berkeley Homes, one of the most important home builders in the UK, placed an order with us for three Raimondi MRT189s and one Raimondi MRT159 for this jobsite. Between August 2020 and February 2021, Bennetts has successfully delivered and installed one of the MRT189 models and one MRT159 city cranes. The remaining two machines will be erected in the coming months,” said Edward Seager, Managing Director, Bennetts Cranes.

The MRT159 8tn was erected in one day and is planned to remain onsite for approximately 10 more months, while the MRT189 with a maximum lifting capacity of 10tn was installed over two days and will be onsite for six more months.

The scale of the Slough Horlicks Factory site, paired with the complex nature of the jobsite presented some technical challenges. It includes the construction of new residential blocks, the refurbishment of locally listed buildings with the usage of mobile cranes, the renovation of historical parts, and the impressive height of the factory chimney. Due to the several activities occurring simultaneously onsite in addition to the variety of equipment involved, it was essential to strategically study the position of each crane, as well as accurately plan the installation and dismantling phases.

“We chose the two Raimondi models due to the high performance and adaptability in terms of jib length range and lifting capacities. Indeed, the advantage of having cranes that can be sited at different jib lengths was a key requirement to avoid machine overlap without having to increase the height of the cranes,” Seager explained, referring to the MRT159 and MRT189 jibs of respectively 44m and 48m. “This speeds up the lift cycle of the equipment, and it reduces costs for the contractor.”

Bennetts was able to supply an all-saddle jib scheme that would complete the work without over-sailing private properties, occupied blocks, and impacting other surrounding machines.

Upon completion, the 12-acre brownfield site known as Horlicks Quarter will offer five new residential buildings of up to 10 storeys, with around 1,300 homes, commercial spaces, and green spaces. The main factory will be converted into apartments and penthouses while elements like the chimney and the clock tower will be renovated to maintain the historic industrial look of the new residential complex.

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