Radio remote controls on cranes improve safety at brewery

Radio remote controls fitted to Konecranes overhead and monorail cranes at Tasmanian brewer J Boag & Son are helping the operators lift and position their loads precisely, while also ensuring the safety of the operators.

The historic brewer, based in Launceston, is famous for brands that include James Boag’s Premium Lager, Boag’s Draught and James Boag’s Pure. It is now using a Konecranes single-girder CXTS overhead crane with a wire rope hoist in the hop room.

The one-tonne crane, with a 4.34 m span, is used for manoeuvring bags containing brewing additives into position over the dissolving tanks. The Konecranes radio-controlled XN electric chain hoist on an XNM monorail is used for lifting a bowl out of a separator, as part of the beer-making process.

“The radio remotes mean safety for the operators, who can stand well away from the loads being lifted and shifted. The remotes also give freedom of movement, ensuring the operators can choose a position where they have the best view of the cranes and loads,” explained John Hansson, Branch Manager Tasmania for Konecranes, who was on the team that installed the cranes and their controls.

J Boag’s Services & Utilities Manager Andrew Mitchell said the Konecranes overhead crane and monorail with remote controls were working well for the brewery.

CXT and CXTS (single-girder) cranes with individual hoist capacities up to 80 tonnes - and complementary CXT wire rope hoists - are designed to be industry benchmarks of safety and ergonomics, with easy and effective load handling and optimum dimensions for space-saving solutions.