Our airport work and projects Let’s walk through a typical airport project Basically, stillages hold large numbers of “load-ready” cargo cases. They house a surprising amount of controls, electrical and mechanical parts and their performance is critical to airport operations. Stillage problems can rapidly become flight and schedule problems. Taking a look at how we’ve approached the request to keep the stillages in good order will tell you a lot about how we work and what we do. Proactive approach We look, think and act on things that may be separate to the job in hand. That doesn’t distract us from what we’re doing, it simply means that if we see something that is or may become a problem, we do something about it. For example, at the stillages we saw damage being caused to the stillage skirt by tug vehicles transporting containers (ULD’s) to and from the stillage. This damage had several negative knock-on effects. Structural damage was causing misalignment of proximity sensors, leading to failure and downtime. We reported this to our client and subsequently created and installed bespoke “roll-on/roll-off” barriers to eliminate the effects of tug impact and thereby remove other problems tug collisions had been causing, thus saving time and money. By examining the stillages and related devices we identified and resolved other issues such as design and robustness failure in lift gate safety locks. We eradicated troublesome PLC controllers and replaced them with simpler, more effective and lower maintenance relay devices meaning that future faults can be dealt with more quickly by a wider range of engineers. ULD lids flapping in the wind was a constant source of damage to lighting, which made the work place unsafe. Our remedy involved relocating the fitting to the undercarriage of the unit where they would become naturally protected by the surrounding superstructure. Always, we aim to improve and enhance while avoiding unnecessary complexity. Reactive approach Fast reactions are important. If we’re sent an e-mail, receive a call, or someone speaks to one of our people about something that needs attention our engineers are there! Our 24/7 reactive maintenance call out plan gives priority to maintenance works and dealing with any Health and Safety faults. Our “It’s your call” ethic means that when we see something that needs attention, we report on that and have engineers ready to swing into action immediately. To facilitate this we’ve created “at the point of work” risk assessments and generic fault diagnostic method statements that enable us to keep the stillage in action, ensuring no disruption to operations, flights or passengers. Mechanical process Our work covers all aspects of planned maintenance of the stillages, but also involved significant upgrading. From re-designing and installing hydraulic lifting equipment controls, motors and mechanical safety devices to ensuring smooth operation of moving parts and functional operation of the roller beds, we maintained continuous operation with only minimal down time. Our highly skilled mechanical and electrical engineers allow us to provide support that effectively makes the stillages resilient to failure, thus ensuring any operational downtime is minimised. While you enjoy the efficiency of working with one contractor you can be assured that all mechanical needs are met. Engineering Our focus and abilities allow us to deliver full “ground up” production and installation of a complete unit through to minor repairs and adaptions. Whether these works require replacement parts or bespoke components our far-reaching contact and supply network means we can source and supply parts to meet any need. Our abilities are such that we have assisted in redefining and improving standards in this area while also complying with British Standards and guidelines. The comprehensive skills of our mechanical, electrical, control, structural, LOLER and PUWER engineers lets us provide a specialist skill set for any task. Electrical works We deal equally well with full design and installation and planed maintenance. A focus here involved reducing the amount of maintenance required by examining the root causes of recurring problems. Similarly, we sought and achieved significant improvements in operative safety by major improvements in lighting. At the same time we quite deliberately improved energy efficiency by designing and installing a lighting system that reduces consumption by 66%. As an NICEIC approved contractor with HAL ESR1&2 electrical engineers, we ensure full compliance with Heathrow and British Standards regulations for all our work. In relation to stillages this particularly applied to lift control equipment, lighting, and emergency lighting. Whatever your projects involve you can be assured standards will be rigorously applied. Maintenance schedules We complete regular planned preventative maintenance (PPM) electrically, mechanically and structurally. In this example this would comprise… • Monthly emergency lighting inspections and fault reporting in accordance with BS 5266-1: 2011. • Three monthly LV (low voltage) inspections, identifying lighting replacements, lift functionality and safety devices, control panels and switching and control devices, inspection for damage to wiring and evidence of damage to the LV infrastructure from the elements or persons to BS7671 wiring regulations. • Three monthly mechanical inspections, identifying requirements for mechanical maintenance, inspection of hydraulic hoses, functionality of the lift and moving parts, control of mechanical safety devices and inspection of roller beds. We also incorporate this inspection with a general structural inspection of the stillage and an opportunity to clear FOD (foreign object debris- in other words rubbish!), to ensure this does not cause an issue to aircraft. • Twelve monthly LOLER and PUWER regulated inspections as required by the Health and Safety Executive. This is a full intrusive inspection to… – Lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations 1998; LOLER. – Provision and use of work equipment regulations 1998; PUWER – Ensure suitability for the intended use. – Ensure equipment is safe for use, maintained in a safe condition and inspected to ensure it is correctly installed and does not subsequently deteriorate. – Ensure equipment is used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training. – Ensure equipment is accompanied by suitable health and safety measures, such as protective devices and controls. These will normally include emergency stop devices, adequate means of isolation from sources of energy, clearly visible markings and warning devices. – Ensure equipment is used in accordance with specific requirements, for mobile work equipment and power presses. – Provide structural engineer inspection at 24-month intervals. Asset management The Airport is an immense jungle of equipment, cables, parts and components. Nothing is more critical than the creation and maintenance of accurate databases, which provide the foundation of asset management and maintenance schedules. In combination these resources allow us to ensure parts are available on demand and facilities remain functional. We strive, where possible, to provide locally sourced equipment and components to improve speed and efficiency. Our compliance team ensures all parts meet our own exacting standards as well as all regulatory standards and guidelines. Our asset management capabilities also provide benefit to our clients beyond hand-over of a project. Sign-off and hand-over As we draw to the end of a project our quality and compliance team will again check all work and installations, ticking every conceivable box, ensuring accuracy of recording and traceability, as well as confirming the quality of work. All aspects of functionality are checked and confirmed prior to hand-over. When our team is satisfied that works meet our standards, and those applied by our clients and regulatory bodies, they will sign the project off as complete and ready for hand-over. At that stage works are returned to the client with full project and, where appropriate, the provision of documentation and relevant certification. Our path to winning and completing successful projects To discuss your next project call us on 020 8564 8217 or e-mail us If you’d like to see more take a look at our executive case studies or explore our work off the airport. RL Freemantle Electrical Limited 324-326 High Street (rear yard entrance, via West End Lane), Harlington, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 5DU Telephone 020 8564 8217 © Copyright - RL Freemantle Electrical Ltd | Registered in England & Wales.Registered office: 97 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 9DR Registered number: 6759962