Sheet Piling invests £1.2m in world-first rig

Preston-based Sheet Piling (UK) will be able to deliver smart motorway projects more quickly after investing £1.2m in a world-first piece of machinery.

The long-reach telescopic leader rig (TM 12/15 LR) was designed by the company and made reality by expert rig manufacturers ABI Group, based in Germany.

It differs from any other rig in the global construction sector by virtue of its long-reach arm, which has made it the world’s first long-reach telescopic leader rig.

The state-of-the-art vibratory installation rig, 14 months in the making, has an 8.1-metre horizontal reach, measured from the centre of its cab’s body, to the position in which it is capable of driving steel piles into the ground. This is a full 3m further than any other rig worldwide.

Rather than having to carry out enabling works and build a platform on which a rig can stand to drive piles into the desired position, the TM 12/15 LR is able to work from the existing carriageway, reaching the same position with its longer arm.

Skipping the enabling works phase can save a project at least two weeks in time and £40,000 to £60,000 in money, within a project within which a typical 100m sheet-pile wall is being installed. If you then scale up this scenario, entire widening schemes can make large savings and be completed much faster.

Smart motorways are not the only environment in which use of this rig can bring significant benefits. Any widening scheme, be that for a rail or other infrastructure-related project, can accrue its own advantages from this new piece of machinery. Where projects are time-sensitive, saving a few weeks in the preparation stages is absolutely key.

Sheet Piling believes it can recoup its investment relatively quickly. The construction world has already become excited by the promise of the rig’s arrival and various construction groups and industry leaders are now sitting up and taking notice.

Andrew Cotton, managing director, said: “There will be far more certainty behind the key deliverables to which construction companies commit, if they use the long-reach rig.

"This, coupled with the highly attractive cost-savings will not escape the attention of the big construction firms. In fact, our telephone line is already red-hot and we can already see that our decision to bring our vision to fruition has been vindicated. “Apart from the cost and time-saving that utilising this rig brings, there are other advantages. Motorists will not have to put up with smart motorway infrastructure works for as long and there are benefits for the environment too, as vegetation clearance on embankments will be much-reduced, leading to less tree-loss – vital for carbon absorption and the fight against climate change."