For now, the future of the 15,000 employees at Tata Steel is unclear. Nationalising the industry has already been given short shrift and state support is still something of an unknown quantity.
But what is sure is that the combination of strong competition from China, allegedly unfairly low priced products coming from that part of the world, as well high energy prices in the UK have all helped deal fatal blows to the British steel sector.
The wealth of reports on the unravelling saga have frequently showcased a plethora of overhead cranes in situ, in and around these steel works. One can only imagine that the untimely demise of such a cornerstone of industry in the UK will also have some unwanted repercussions on the order books of these manufacturers, too.
In this issue of Hoist, Sally Spencer explains that as countries have emerged from recession, their construction sectors picked up and re-established themselves as the engines for wider economic growth. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that this recovery is exposing what was actually a pre-existing condition – a significant skills shortage across the board of construction disciplines.
UK engineering companies alone are already reporting a shortfall of 55,000 skilled workers. Sally takes a closer look at the state of training and apprenticeships in the UK and beyond.
Elsewhere in this issue, we look at how ABB has been commissioned to supply four hoists to the Venetia Mine in South Africa, the first time that multiple, turnkey large friction mine hoists will delivered to the South African mining industry.
Power and automation technologies firm ABB has been called upon to provide four hoists to the Venetia Mine, South Africa’s largest producer of diamonds. The company will supply a double drum hoist for personnel and material conveyance, two friction hoists for production, and also one single drum hoist for service duty.
Will North also speaks to EnerMech, which was established in 2008 to offer the offshore industry a single provider for a range of pre-commissioning, maintenance and operational services. He spoke to mechanical handling services director John Morrison and corporate development director Ingrid Stewart about the company’s unique model, prospects in the North Sea, and its international operations.
We also look at how rigging and hoist suppliers, and installers, need to meet an increasing number of exacting demands to stand out from the competition. Thankfully the UK has many such firms that are more than up to the task.
