Speciality steel products integrated producer Scaw Metals Group’s operation, Distribution Network, has extended its cooperation with lifting, rigging and securement applications manufacturer Crosby by adding Crosby Platinum Line Grade 100 chain fittings to its product offering.

Having made the announcement in June, Distribution Network wire rod products executive head George Katergarakis says the combination of top-class chain, with Crosby Platinum Line chain fittings will strengthen Distribution Network’s position as the leading supplier of lifting equipment in South Africa.

“It’s exactly the kind of forward-thinking we at Distribution Network demand of our product offerings, and that we know our customers have come to expect from all of our endeavours.”

Crosby area manager Hannes Janeke adds that the strategic partnering of Crosby with Scaw’s Distribution Network for the Grade 100 chain fittings is a great opportunity to get its end-users top-quality chain slings.

Scaw Metals Group is a South African-led company producing highly specialised and critical consumable components for the mining, rail, power, offshore oil and gas, construction, commercial and other industrial sectors. The Distribution Network markets and distributes lifting and rigging products directly to end-users as solutions rather than commodities.

Significant lifting and rigging equipment brands represented by Scaw’s Distribution Network include Haggie, McKinnon, Verope, Tiger and Yale.

Crosby is based in the US, with fabrication facilities in both the US and Europe. The company has a global reputation for providing a broad range of products suitable for the most demanding of operating conditions with uncompromising quality. Products include chain fittings, wire rope clips, hooks, shackles, lifting clamps, hoist rings, overhaul balls, snatch blocks, crane blocks and sheaves. Crosby also provides a high quality training programme, focusing on the proper application of Crosby Products.

The Crosby Platinum Line of chain fittings is a complete range of Grade 100 chain fittings with various features setting the standard for premium chain fittings, in compliance with European standards. Crosby Grade 100 products achieve properties such as working load limit, ductility, fatigue and toughness, owing to careful design. Simply changing the heat treat process to increase the working load limit has the potential of sacrificing the other three properties. However, for Crosby, this was not an option.

Revamped Facility Launched

Scaw Metals Group has expanded its chain-manufacturing factory, including a high quality and first-of-its kind automated forming and welding machine designed to manufacture large diameter chain and masterlink components, the company announced in April.

“Since the 1930s, our chain products division, which manufactures McKinnon products, has provided the industry with fine-quality products and world-class technical support. Today, the company continues to enhance those same principles to serve its customers in ways that help them grow their businesses,” says Scaw Metals Group CEO Markus Hannemann.

McKinnon products provide high performance solutions across industrial, agricultural and specialist applications, with its extensive range of products all designed and produced using advanced and highly efficient production methods.

Specialising in high-grade chains, McKinnon produces all grades of welded chain, including lifting, transportation tie down chains, several types of hardware chain, coal conveyor chain, kibble and mining chain.

Hannemann says, despite the current economic environment, in line with its strategy to maximise the technical competence of the business to focus on high-value adding products, Scaw has chosen to invest more than R110-million to revamp the company and the automated manufacture of McKinnon products.

New Relay Machine

Scaw Metals Group has designed and procured a fit for purpose robotic machine capable of producing up to four times faster than historical manual operations. The machine, named “Relay” by the employees, will produce 80 links an hour compared to 10 to 20 links an hour in the past using a flash butt weld manufacturing methodology. The new equipment will be used to complement the existing capacity, thereby providing both economies of scale and agility to manufacture masterlink products respectively.

Scaw’s Chain division employs 262 people, 95% from the Vaal Triangle. To complement its chain products, it also manufacturer’s masterlink and subassemblies predominately for use internationally in the offshore oil and gas sector.

For decades, Scaw has helped improve the lives of nearby communities. The company’s community social investment programmes focus on education, health, sports development and environmental awareness. Among others, through the partner- ship with Adopt-a-School, the company has upgraded Mohloli Secondary School’s science and life sciences laboratories, benefiting both leaders and educators.