Usually called upon to conduct maintenance, repair and inspection services at large-scale industrial structures such as smokestacks and petrochemical tanks, rope access specialist Skyriders recently completed an unusual project at a major food-processing plant.

“Our scope of work was to carry out general routine cleaning in inaccessible areas,” Skyriders Marketing Manager Mike Zinn explains. A six-person team carried out the fast-track project over a two-day period, deploying high-pressure washers using food-safe detergent in order to adhere to the strict hygiene and health and safety standards of the food and beverage industry.

The food-processing plant was offline during the cleaning operation, which increased the pressure to complete the project in as short a time as possible so as to minimise downtime. Zinn comments that Skyriders has its particular methodology for this client down to a fine art, as it has now completed about four projects at the same plant, each on a different line or section.

“The food-and-beverage industry is an important growth area for Skyriders. Our success with this particular client to date, a leader in its market, is largely due to the fact how we have aligned ourselves both with its expectations and the stringent requirements of the industry itself,” Zinn adds.

Previous projects at the food-processing plant have focused on replacing hoses and gas lines, which are suspended from hangers. Here rope access was the fastest and most cost-effective solution, as opposed to traditional scaffolding, which is difficult to erect in a factory environment constrained by conveyors and other structures.

“Working with this major client has been quite unique for us, and it has gone a long way to showcase our versatility and adaptability. From coal-fired power stations to frozen-food producers, we have the experience, expertise, and skill sets to be able to cope with diverse requirements and environments,” Zinn concludes.