Specialised multidisciplinary engineering, lifting and materials handling company Akhanani Electromechanical Engineering this year launched a portable workshop structure – the Dome Shelter – providing South African mining companies with a flexible and user-friendly way of constructing on-site workshops and shelters.

“The Dome Shelter is practical and easy to set up as a mobile workshop or protective shelter for plant and equipment on new or established mining sites without being too costly,” Akhanani sales and marketing manager Maryke Beukman tells Mining Weekly.

Akhanani can also install its electric overhead cranes to operate under the Dome Shelter roof.

“This option gives clients a lifting and hoisting solution inside the workshop, enabling them to lift heavy mining vehicles for repairs and perform routine maintenance on plant and equipment,” she explains.

Beukman adds that Akhanani’s overhead crane range is extensive and designed to handle a crane with a span of up to 23 m, with lift heights of up to 11 m and capacities of up to 20 t.

“Akhanani's products are Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Services-accredited and adhere to equipment and operational safety aspects in accordance with ISO 9001, the Department of Labour’s Lifting Machinery Entity requirements and the Engineering Council’s Lifting Machinery Inspectors requirements,” she notes.

Beukman says Akhanani offers the structures as a solution to the mining industry’s remote on-site shelter requirements, especially as many mining companies are venturing further into Africa, which, in turn, has challenging logistics requirements, such as limited water and electricity supplies, rough and uneven terrain, and high temperatures.

How It Works
Beukman tells Mining Weekly that Akhanani’s Dome Shelter is flexible in design. “Once the containers are offloaded and correctly positioned according to the design plans, they become the static support structure for the roof shelter, which is manufactured from a heavy industrial canvas fabric.”

The containers can be used as storerooms, office space or workshops during the initial mining construction stages. They also work well as shelter and protection for the client’s plant and equipment during construction.

“At the end of the project, the shelters can be dismantled, packed into containers and moved to the next project site,” she says.

In addition to erecting its mobile structures, Akhanani’s service and installation team can also service cranes on site, conduct load testing and perform regular maintenance on the shelter, says Beukman.