The largest specialist structural steelwork group in the UK, Severfield plc, founded in 1978, are synonymous with quality, innovation and expertise. Since inception, they have been involved in numerous high-profile projects including Coal Drops Yard, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 22 Bishopsgate, and Western Europe’s tallest skyscraper, The Shard.
With five manufacturing facilities in the UK, one in Europe, and a joint venture in India, the company produces approximately 300,000 tonnes of fabricated steelwork annually. While Severfield is primarily known for its expertise in providing structural steel solutions, they also offer a wide range of products to cater for diverse needs. Some of their products include Seversafe, Rotoflo and Severstor. Check out www.severfield.com for more info. Severfield continuously invests in operations to ensure its facilities are future-proof to deliver the highest standards of accuracy and efficiency. This includes their own Apprentice Training Academy, helping young people take their first step onto the construction career ladder whilst forging the next generation of leaders.
As the UK’s market leader in structural steel, they recognise that operating in a sustainable manner is crucial to both the current and future success of the Group. To achieve this, they are committed to motivating and enabling their people and supply chain to deliver high-quality, innovative buildings in a sustainable and efficient way.
AFI-Rentals – A collaborative approach to sustainability
Approximately 70% of AFI-Rentals' fleet is now battery and bi-fuel, and it has committed to replacing its powered access fleet with specialist hybrid or electric equipment. Due to increased market demand, AFI has heavily invested in the Zoomlion Green range. It has several Zoomlion lithium booms in the hire fleet for trial and evaluation by long-term customers. Zoomlion equipment offers high capacity, outreach, and easy maintenance. The electric boom lifts have the latest technology and performance and are environmentally friendly with zero emissions, so they are suitable for most work environments. AFI-Rentals identifies opportunities and offers proactive solutions to support customers with the latest sustainable innovations in powered access technologies.
As approved powered access equipment suppliers to Severfield, AFI supplies several diesel MEWPs for steel erection on construction sites across the UK on a long-term hire basis. Due to the nature of Severfield’s site-based construction/installation work, replacing any of those diesel MEWPs with lithium booms is not currently feasible. The diesel booms they specify must have an onboard generator to power their impact guns, and onboard power is currently not an option for electric machines, as it would reduce their working cycle. This doesn’t apply to their off-site steel production facilities, where they were keen to find an alternative machine to replace a 29m diesel MEWP. AFI proposed providing Severfield with an electric boom machine to replace the diesel machine from an alternative manufacturer at their production facility in Lostock. Although they were a little sceptical on the expected working cycle and charging time, Severfield plant hire team arranged a trial. The ZT26JE electric boom was then selected.
David McNicholas, CEO of AFI, said:
”Severfield is continually looking to improve the sustainability and efficiencies of its day-to-day operations, so we work closely with the Plant Management Team to review performance and identify opportunities to support them with the latest innovations in powered access technologies. This collaborative approach, coupled with the technical knowledge from AFI, means we can enhance their sustainability efforts and offer them potential greener solutions which comply with increasingly strict emissions regulations.“
Overcoming Initial Challenges
Once it was agreed that 29m Zoomlion Electric Telescopic Lithium Boom would go into the steel production facility, AFI arranged for the UK dealer for Zoomlion from AJ Access (also part of the AFI Group) to arrange the delivery and handover familiarisation of the ZT26. Gavin Pettigrew, the Maintenance Manager from Severfield, managed the onboarding process.
The machine's heavier payload and larger platform were noted as minor issues when the Maintenance Manager quickly identified that the cage size on the ZT26 machine was too big to fit between the main structure of the facility’s overhead cranes, which are inspected every three months for compliance. A more compact cage was sourced to address these concerns. The machine's narrow access cage was immediately customised for a better fit. The team provided a complete solution within 24 hours, including calibrating and fitting the new cage and retesting the machine. The in-house facilities team and external contractors quickly got to work and began using it for maintenance works.
Feedback and Benefits of the Electric Telescopic Boom Lift
29m Zoomlion Electric Telescopic Lithium Boom - The ZT26 offers reduced noise, emissions, and costs and was praised for its reliability, responsive controls, and stability. Key benefits included no breakdowns, fewer hydraulic issues, improved indoor air quality, reduced headaches and fumes for maintenance workers, and working at height in the electric boom.
Reliability
Gavin Pettigrew, Maintenance Manager, Severfield Lostock Lane facility, comments:
“We were immediately impressed by the machine's reliability; we had no breakdowns and fewer hydraulic issues than we get with diesel machines. Our in-house site team and external subcontractors appreciated the responsive controls and smoother operation. The previous diesel machine's stability issues were resolved, and the Lithium Boom stopped smoothly without swaying. The narrow access cage also allowed us to cover a broader range of works, including outdoor guttering and indoor spaces.”
Health and Safety Considerations
The machine's lack of noise and fumes was a significant benefit, mainly as it works primarily in indoor spaces with sensitive equipment. Employees get used to a lot of noise and welding fumes when working in a steel production facility. There are also warehouses and quiet and fume-free storage buildings where the difference is notable. Subcontractors initially used the electric boom for relighting/relamping work in a warehouse area in the roof space. The subcontractors commented that traditionally, the fumes from the diesel engine, when working at height, would cause headaches after an hour or so, but not with the lithium machine. Indoor air quality is improved for health, safety and wellbeing.
Cost Efficiencies & Carbon Reduction
The ZT26 works long cycles between charges, making it machine-efficient. At Severfield, the fuel used to run the previous diesel MEWP comes from a site-wide bunkered supply, so it’s challenging to identify and compare the specific costs.
It is possible to calculate the costs and carbon savings from running a lithium battery telescopic boom compared to a diesel equivalent boom by comparing the approximate costs for each for the time that the machines are typically used. The figures are based upon the Diesel MEWP vs a Zoomlion Lithium Boom, one model size down from the unit at the Severfield site. Thus, the cost and carbon savings will be more significant on the bigger machines than those measured over the trial period.
Assuming the machines are only used for a period during which the diesel machine’s engine runs for an average of 2 hours per day, this would mean a cost saving of £116.42 per week for the business, based on diesel at £1.60 per litre and electricity at £0.245 per kWh. More importantly, from a sustainability viewpoint, it would mean a reduction of 239.32kg of carbon per week by using the zero-emission Zoomlion.
Severfield Group Services said:
“As a business, we continually seek to enhance the sustainability and efficiency of day-to-day operations across all sites and facilities. AFI-Rentals brought this option to us and proactively offered us a solution aligned with our corporate goals. The Zoomlion machine was praised for its quiet operation and lack of diesel fumes, which improved overall working conditions. It was initially adopted as a trial for the in-house site maintenance team, but the subcontractors tried it, too. The feedback has been positive all round.”
AFI Rentals and Severfield will keep working together to find practical ways to lower carbon, improve working conditions and support day-to-day operations. If you want to explore cleaner access options for your own sites, speak to the AFI team. To learn more about Severfield and its approach to sustainable steelwork, visit their website and see how they continue to invest in safer, greener production.
