Finalists for the 2012 Endeavour Awards Australian Steel Innovation award are:
DEMATIC
Precision Storage Systems for Automated Materials Handling
Dematic is a supplier of logistics automation, warehousing, materials handling and automatic storage systems. The company has a turnover of $160m and employs 385 people in Australia and NZ.
The company's systems configurations are built around process and supply chain improvements and may be manually operated, mechanised or automated.
Dematic's single source, vertically integrated capability can reduce time, cost and risk – achieved through ownership and control of design services, real time WMCS software, material flow technologies and engineering, project management and customer services.
Steel components in Dematic storage products are manufactured from high tensile grades of steel supplied by BlueScope at advanced production facilities in Australia and incorporate the latest innovations in production technologies.
The high precision steel racking components within Dematic Multi-shuttle and Mini-Load solutions are used extensively across a wide and varied range of applications which require automated materials and storage handling.
Key features of Dematic's innovation in Australian steel storage components include their modularity, patented components, being globally standardised and the design being optimised with regard to steel content and structural efficiency.
The components can be used within standalone automatic crane storage retrieval systems and in-rack shuttle systems and have been designed to be used in storage systems destined for both non-seismic and seismic areas.
Dematic has successfully utilised the components recently in a mini-load ASRS storage system in the heavy seismic area of Palmerston North, NZ.
MELVELLE EQUIPMENT CORP
Seized Rail Fastener Remover (Pandrol PR & E Clip)
Melvelle Equipment Corp is an Australian owned and operated company established in 1982.
The company has 22 members of staff who specialise in the design and manufacture of light-weight, high-powered products, principally for railway track maintenance, small drilling rigs and hydraulic power packs.
Its client base has extended to all states of Australia and overseas. Melvelle has a fully equipped workshop where products are manufactured and at times certain elements are sublet in order to meet scheduled requirements.
Melvelle has over 250 products and a range of new products being prototyped, tested, field trialled and finally released as an ongoing development programme.
Melvelle's rail customers required a solution to remove seized railway fasteners from concrete sleepers and concrete slab railway track. Initial enquiries for a solution were received in 2008 by KiwiRail before extending to Australia.
The Clip Remover is designed to remove weathered railway fasteners and eliminate the risk of OH&S injuries by preventing rail personnel from being struck by flying clips and debris as well as reducing the labour effort and the need for dangerous practice of using hammers.
The machine uses two hydraulic hammers to create the impact force needed to vibrate and impact the fastener.
This cyclic vibrating load, breaks the rust or "chemical" bond between the railway sleeper "cast shoulder" and the spring clip and the whole process is completed without damaging the sleeper itself.
The Melvelle Equipment Corp Clip Remover has an Australian Provisional Patent in place and an International Patent is pending.
LEUSSINK ENGINEERING
Steel rolling mill refurbishment
An alliance between German company Corts and Australian company Leussink Engineering was formed to use high level steel fabrication expertise to refurbish ageing Australian rolling mills (ferrous and non-ferrous) and extend their lifespan.
Corts-Leussink, an active technological collaboration between German flat bearings and engineering company Corts and Australia's Leussink Engineering, is a partnership that places both companies to be at the centre of large refurbishment projects.
The challenge was to provide a complete engineering service at world's best practice.
Basically, the quality of the refurbishment is a combination of several key factors including a patented precision flat bearing known worldwide as a CORTS Precision Flat Bearing, a Corts patented lubrication technology (Lubtech).
Lastly is the precision engineering of re-machining the mill stand, parallel and perpendicular to dimensions critical to the longevity of equipment without compromising the structural integrity the mill stand.
This level of restoration decreases downtime, maintenance and running costs.
The partnership allows Leussink and Corts to be at the centre of projects not just in Australia but around the world.
The 2012 Endeavour Awards Australian Steel Innovation award is sponsored by Bluescope Steel.