BAB Engineering, a leading manufacturer of electro-hydraulically powered loading decks, recently announced a number of changes to the business as well as launching a brand new 4.2 metre deck designed to help builders with the boom in modular construction.
Gerd Altmeyer and Evelyn Klein relocated BAB Engineering’s manufacturing facility to Geelong following conversations with Peter Zeirzer, Director at HPS Tech, a leading process engineering provider specialising in manufacturing of dairy, brewery, beverage, foods, liquids, powders and more. A partnership with Peter was formed to further develop the range of electro-hydraulic loading decks.
Peter takes up the story.
“With a strong background in manufacturing, I was impressed with the innovation and quality of the decks, and having a specialised fabrication division also aligned with a new patent development that Gerd and I were separately working on,” he said. “I could see the benefits of utilising my experience within manufacturing and 9×5 Consulting, an IT business I’m also involved in to further expand the decks functionalities, capabilities and safety, so it is a great match.”
BAB Engineering’s electro-hydraulic control and operations are safer, more efficient and provide the convenience of having a single person manage operation of the loading deck effortlessly. Gerd explains more.
“From a work, health and safety perspective, the reduction in physical repetitive tasks and the reduction of risk to personal injury are probably the main advantages of our powered decks.
“We can hydraulically extend and retract the decks when they are fully loaded. When the deck is fully extended and a crane places a pallet of tiles (for example), the deck structure is loaded to its maximum capacity. When the load is landed, with the push of a button, we can retract the load and bring the whole structure back to a much safer position.
“With a conventional deck, the load is landed and then has to be retrieved from the tip of the deck before it can be retracted,” he said. “Our decks are safer and designed to increase the productivity of a construction site. Over time, the mechanisms on manual decks begin to wear and it becomes increasingly difficult to push them in and out. It can take up to three people to manage the process –which couldn’t be completed in under five minutes.
“It doesn’t sound a lot, but if this is required two or three times a day, that is one and a half hours per week just to rearrange a deck. Multiply this time over the course of a project and factor in the costs of three people, and the onsite crane being not productive, we are talking serious money.”
BAB Engineering is manufacturing three sizes of electro-hydraulic controlled decks starting at 2.2 metre, then 3.2 metre, and now the 4.2 metre deck.
“The 4.2 metre deck is unique, it’s not a prototype, it’s not just an image in a brochure, it physically exists and works perfectly,” Peter said.
“We have designed the 4.2 metre deck to accommodate the move towards modular construction. Increasingly we are seeing a move towards modules for high-rise construction which are being prefabricated offsite. The modules require larger installation windows and so the 4.2 has been designed to accommodate this trend.
“We have a transport solution for this deck and we encourage interested builders to give us a call to discuss this.
“Being a fabricator based in Geelong, we design and manufacture with Australian steel and ship Australia-wide. We’ve got custom fabrication options available which include accessories like ramps. It also means if a customer wants a base to the deck, we have the capabilities to engineer these, but ultimately, we are a fabrication company, which means our customers have customisation options available if they want them,” he said.
Charlie Turner, Workshop and Floor Manager, moved with the BAB Engineering team to the new manufacturing facility in Geelong. Evelyn explains the advantages of securing his services.
“Charlie is young, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about the product. He knows every single part that goes into the decks off by heart,” said Evelyn.
“He knows where every bracket and every bolt goes, which obviously makes it a lot easier when you hire new people –you have somebody who already knows how it’s done, and how to organise everything.”
BAB Engineering understands that building sites are tough on products like loading decks and expects the occasional bang and dent, but she is not concerned about structural damage because the range is ‘built tough’.
“The hydraulic system is designed to push up to 60 bars and our system requires less than 10 bars to extend and retract the deck. So, we’ve deliberately over engineered capabilities into every aspect of the product.
“There are two props, one on each side of the deck, and these can be placed in three different positions. We also have an option where props are not required with the deck bolted to the concrete floor. Some builders might prefer this because it means decks can be installed without having to wait for the concrete floor above to cure,” she said.
The decks feature a control panel which is a standalone unit and features a 10 amp power outlet for a normal 240 volt standard power supply. It also features a number of safety mechanisms including a VC drive making it fully proportional.
“Everywhere in the world, construction sites are looking for better utilisation from site cranes and wherever possible they are making the sites safer for the construction workers. Our crane decks address these requirements and in terms of costing we are only marginally more expensive than manual ‘roll in roll out’ decks,” said Gerd.
“On the larger construction sites, where safety is a main aspect, only the crane crews are able to extend and retract the decks. You can imagine what a dogman, who has been extending and retracting a deck several times a day, is going to say when he sees this can be done with the push of a button. The builder will also see the financial benefits of our system because he is paying for the crane crew as well as the hire of the crane.
“The better utilised the cranes are, the more return the builder sees on his investment. If a crane is made available for an additional four hours a week due to the time saved with our decks, that is a huge bonus,” he said.
