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“I saved someone’s life today.”
How many of us can say that? At first glance, not many. Very few of us have ever pulled someone from a burning building or prevented someone from drowning. Thankfully, such events are rare. However, consider this more closely. Do you perhaps work in an industry where the type and quality of equipment significantly affects job safety? Are you responsible for managing a facility that manufactures products in potentially gaseous, explosive, or fire-prone conditions? Do you specify or purchase equipment for a manufacturing process that involves lifting in a hazardous environment?
Suddenly, the possibility for materially impacting whether people get to go home at the end of the day can infiltrate your job in ways that you haven’t thought about before.
The equipment you choose matters
Konecranes has been designing explosion-proof cranes and hoists for demanding hazardous environments for decades. Our explosion-proof range has steadily grown over the years. It includes industrial cranes and jib cranes, as well as electric and manual hoists, with lifting capacities from 125kg to 160 tons. World-class EX-proof products, decades of experience and an extensive service network mean that Konecranes has the portfolio of products in place to allow your facility to perform whatever job is needed with maximum efficiency in a safe environment.
But not all hazardous environments are the same, and the challenges vary. It’s important to choose a lifting partner with a product line that is deep and detailed enough to provide the right solution for your industry and situation.
So what are the industries that have benefited most from our products? Oil refineries and processing plants, chemical plants, paper and textile industries and surface coating plants, for starters. Also aircraft refueling and hangars, gas pipelines and distribution centers, LNG Natural gas plants and sewer treatment plants, to name a few more. Our customers also include diverse industries like grain handling and storage, woodworking, metal surface grinding and sugar refineries.
Certification: Important to have, hard to get
To make sense of this diversity, each industry has developed its own set of safety requirements that are met by lifting products certified to be safe under the specified conditions. These certifications are not easily earned, requiring years of testing, documentation and review, and countless man-hours to achieve. The current threshold of difficulty and expense has narrowed the field of crane builders serving this sector to a very few providers.
The two primary causes of hazardous environments that are potentially explosive are gas and dust. Therefore, EX-proof products are built to operate in gas environments, or dust environments, with further certification criteria addressing the severity of the problem Konecranes EX-proof products are covered by multiple certifications: IECEx for the world, ATEX for Europe, CSA US for the United States and CCC for China. These certifications dictate strict rules for constant production and product quality follow-up. In each case, Konecranes equipment is certified for operation under the most severe levels tested, for both gas and dust.
Zones 1 and 2 of the ATEX certification address gas environments, with Zone 1 indicating greater probability of gas occurring. ATEX Zones 21 and 22 address combustible dust, with Zone 21 indicating “likely to occur” in normal operation, and Zone 22 “not likely” or persisting for a short period only. Konecranes experts can help you choose the right equipment for your application based on your specific EX specification.
Product feature: A new hoist on the cutting edge
The newest offering in Konecranes EX-proof toolkit is also one of the most versatile. If you need to perform maintenance tasks somewhere with a risk of flammable gas or dust in the air, Konecranes EX C-series electric chain hoist for Zone 1/2/21 may now be your best choice. With a lifting capacity up to 2.5 tons, this is a durable hoist with the high level of performance and reliability needed for an unpredictable, hazardous environment. It has the flexibility to be configured to your particular conditions and is designed to increase the safety of your operators and the surrounding area.
What makes it unique
Konecranes EX C-series for Zone 1/2/21 is a completely new product, launched in May of 2024, and the first EX-proof electric chain hoist to include inverter-controlled trolley positioning. This unique feature allows for easy, smooth and accurate trolley movement, setting a new standard for the industry. Konecranes EX C-series for Zone 1/2/21 also delivers longer continuous operation with a Cycling Duty Factor up to 60%, meaning it can run longer – for up to 60% of every hour. And it offers one EX certification for the complete hoist, as all of its components meet the high standards the certification requires. We know it is important to offer flexible solutions, so customers can purchase it as a single hoist, as part of a new crane, or install it as a modernization hoist to extend the life of existing equipment. Because it is manufactured entirely by Konecranes, delivery time for this hoist is faster than previously available options, and it is backed by Konecranes world-class service and parts availability.
You can’t completely eliminate danger in explosive atmospheres, but with the right equipment and training, you can boost work efficiency while improving safety and minimizing the risk to products, equipment and people. If you keep these criteria in mind as you choose equipment, it’s really not much of a stretch to think that you very well may save someone’s life at your workplace– if not today, then sometime in the future.