Lifting and rigging equipment is heavy to handle and awkward to store properly. The SlingRakz range of storage and handling solutions for lifting and rigging products has been specifically developed in response to a changing working environment.
Anyone working in a busy crane hire business, or the lifting industry at large, will have encountered a situation where this critical equipment has been dumped rather than stored.
Essentially these are pieces of safety equipment and not only is it inadvisable to house in this way, it also makes it difficult to lift and handle the equipment and hard to assess the condition the equipment is in.
“Our aim is to develop products that will make lifting equipment easier to handle and create orderly storage solutions,” said Steve Anderson, manager of SlingRakz.
“Our products are designed for businesses that don’t have an organised area for their lifting and rigging gear. We’ve seen how our products transform a disorganised situation into a system where the equipment is well managed and maintained.
“The continuous handling and storage of heavy chains and rigging equipment requires dedicated equipment and that’s where the SlingRakz range come in,” he said.
Modern health and safety regulations makes it inadvisable to manually haul and drag heavy chains, Slings and equipment around a workshop or crane yard. A changing demographic in the workplace may require solutions to make it easier to handle this equipment by different people of different ages and sexes. Efficient equipment management and testing protocols are important for traceability and safety.
The SlingRakz range of professionally designed racking, storage, and safe handling products are designed to minimise manual handling, minimise physical lifting, allow for easier, more orderly storage, and reduce manpower requirements.
“The workforce in this industry sector is changing and safe workplace practices are going to dictate how the handling of heavy equipment is managed into the future. That’s where our SlingRakz products will really make a difference,” said Anderson.
SlingRakz has been developing a number of new products including two ranges of smaller racks.
The SR15 range of Mini Mobile Rigging Racks have a small enough footprint to wheel through isles of parts and site stores. The racks have a capacity of 200kg and come in three styles including a 14-hook, 26-hook, and a seven-hook, five-pin option.
The SR24 Range is a floor rack ideally suited for storage areas that don’t have wall space. The racks are free standing and double sided. There are four styles starting at 14 hooks through to 26 hooks.
With a footprint of 1m x 1m x 0.8m the SR19 SlingBuddy is ideal for long legged slings. It features fork tine pockets and heavy duty castor wheels. The SlingBuddy is available for a single sling or dual sling options with chain brackets. Soft sling brackets are currently being developed.
The SR 50 range are modules for walls or containers. With various option available in bars, pins, and bins the SR 50 range can be mixed and matched to meet specific requirements.
“As interest in the SlinRakz range of products gathers momentum, so does the level of enquiries we are receiving and the type of enquires is increasingly varied,” said Anderson.
“We are terrific response from the local lifting and rigging industry and there has been a lot of interest from international markets as well.
“We recently shipped five rigging racks and a SlingBuddy to a nuclear power station in Albuquerque in the United States, some equipment has been delivered to Boeing in Seattle, and some Chain Buddies to a plant in Wisconsin,” he said.
The SlingRakz Chain Buddies and chain racks allow the user to lift directly without the need to lug, drag, or straddle heavy chains and wire slings. This eliminates the weight on the back and shoulders of the user and, at the same time, makes the storage more orderly and organised.
As well as the Chain Buddy and chain racking, SlingRakz offers standard and budget style racking and storage. Wall mounted, floor or fixed, mobile, pedestal, cages, caddies, and bins are available, plus the company can make special requests to order.