A tip by Locabens / Abece

Structural Engineering Talent Award 2011 now open for registration.

July 18, 2011.

The Structural Engineering Talent Award, the main Brazilian award in this field, is now open for registration. The ninth edition of the event is promoted by the Brazilian Association of Structural Engineering and Consulting (Abece), as well as by Gerdau. Projects must be registered by August 31. The Award website provides further information and the regulation of the contest.

This year, professionals may register more than one project, but in different categories, which include: Infrastructure, Buildings, Small Works and Special Works. The winners will win a trip for two persons to the world’s largest event in sustainable design for civil construction, the Ecobuild, to be held in March 2012 in London, U.K. The winners will be announced on October 26, 2011, at the opening of the 14th National Meeting on Structural Engineering and Consulting (Enece).

A single Potain crane to build 3 towers

Novo Jardim VIP condominium, by MAC, requires high performance in construction in the “ABC” region of Sao Paulo.

January 09 2012.

Those who see the 3 towers MAC Construtora e Incorporadora has erected in the Jardim neighborhood, in the city of Santo Andre, does not believe that the entire project, in its final construction stage, has been carried out using a single tower crane. But all one has to do is identify and signature of the equipment and of the company responsible for renting and operating the authentic Potain crane to understand the technical advantages that contributed to the project’s success.

According to Locabens technical director, Paulo Carvalho, the seriousness with which the Sao Paulo-based contractor manages its commitment regarding quality and deadlines before its clients was a critical factor for strengthening the commercial relationship between MAC and Locabens. “We are the exclusive representatives of the world’s top crane producer – Potain – and our fleet of equipment for rent has, in average, less than 3 years of use, a condition which, undoubtedly, gives much safety to those responsible for projects with MAC’s quality standards and target audience,” states Paulo. “In addition to that, Locabens’ service structure not only develops the deployment project, but also offers the best professionals to operate the vertical movement of loads inside the site. Furthermore, it provides ongoing technical assistance. A set of unique features that results in efficiency and agility for the benefit of the project,” he states.

In the 10,900 m² construction site where MAC is soon to deliver 256 high-end apartments, Locabens has deployed an MCi85A Potain crane. This model of tower crane is unbeatable in its category, whether comparing load capacity and movement agility or regarding Sustainability-related features, such as minimized noise emissions and less power consumption, among others. “The crane that operates in this MAC site was deployed conventionally, directly on the ground, by means of anchor bolts, and with anchorages on the outer face of the tower to be named Magnólia, precisely to be able to offer accurate reach within the perimeter of all 3 buildings, using the larger jib setting for the model, with a 50 m radius,” explains Paulo. “That type of deployment, with such setting and for the application required in the project in Santo Andre, was only possible thanks to the technical quality of Potain cranes, which assure an excellent load curve, high operating performance, and reliability,” he concluded.

The Contractor intends to conclude the entire project in November 2012; however, the work to be performed by the equipment rented by Locabens is to be concluded much sooner. And in February, when the Potain crane is disassembled, less than 20% of the total planned schedule will be pending, with only internal facilities and finish services to be performed.

Read additional news on Locabens.

A Hint from Locabens / Online Lectures

HCT promotes a series of free lectures
for professionals of the engineering sector.

July 23rd, 2011.

Keeping up to date with the technological innovations available in the market is key for professionals of all sectors. However, the lack of time often prevents many new talents from developing and keeping up.

With that in mind, HCT-Treinamento, a company that specializes in professional improvement courses, has developed a series of technical lectures that can be attended online. The program, which is supported by entities such as Crea, Senge, lab, CRQ, and Petrobras, uses the same technology used in distance education.

The content, which is intended for students, technicians, engineers, and architects, is recorded and provided on the company’s website to be accessed any time by anyone interested in it.

Schedule:
July 25th to 31st – Production Planning & Control for Civil Construction Companies
August 1st to 7th – Metal Structures – Project and Sizing
August 8th to 14th – Managerial Cost Analysis applied to Engineering
August 15th to 28th – Project Management
September 29th to 4th – Reading and Interpreting Industrial Installation Drawings

Brazil is now importing used cranes

Almost half of the Brazilian fleet is currently in yards
due to the competition with imported cranes.

Article published on section Economia&Negócios of newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo on March 14th, 2012.

In spite of the increase in infrastructure projects, near half of the heavy crane (above 500 tons) fleet is currently in the yards of rental companies and 3,000 employees have no work to do. According to data of the special load movement and lifting segment, the market is currently using imported used equipment, which get into Brazil under the “temporary” mode.

A large amount of such cranes comes from Europe, where economic growth is weakened by the financial crisis. With no major heavy construction projects, the solution they came up with to put their idle equipment to use was going to emerging markets, among which is Brazil. The problem is that Brazilian law created an unfair competition with local rental companies, states consultant Jose Aparecido Bastazini, who represents four entities of the transportation, logistics, and machinery and equipment segments. He explains that, by coming to Brazil under the “temporary” mode, foreign companies must to pay, monthly, a tax of only 1% of the declared value of goods. Meanwhile, a piece of equipment purchased abroad by Brazilian companies is subject to a tax of 30%. “It’s become a predatory competition. We have 48 cranes, worth BRL 500 million, lying around because of imported cranes”.

He explains that the situation is even more serious, since many companies bring not only the cranes, but manpower as well. He comments that, until December, the Ministry of Transportation had already denied visas for around 1,200 workers who would come to Brazil to operate the cranes. The Ministry confirms it denied the entry of such workers because they were tasks that could be performed by Brazilians. However, even though they refute the figure presented by Bastazini, they did not know how many visas had been denied.

The consultant states that a large portion of imported cranes heads to the Northeast region to be used in the construction of Wind Farms – which have been trendy in Brazil since 2009. The president of Abeeolica (the Brazilian Wind Power Association), Elbia Melo, confirms that the imports took place, but says it was due to the recent expansion of that power source in Brazil. According to her, the sector’s production chain is developing now with the wind power tenders. “We don’t produce cranes in Brazil and wind power projects require 500 or 600 ton equipment.” But the director of the Tome Group, Washington Moura, says the company has more equipment than is necessary to meet the demand. “I have two 1,200 ton cranes lying around in my yard due to a lack of demand. In Brazil, there are only 5 machines like those.” 40% of the company’s fleet of heavy cranes is idle.

Reporter Renée Pereira wrote the article (@ReneecPereira).

Visit section Economia&Negócios.

Brazilian Government studies the implementation of a waterway in…

Ministry of Transportation to send technicians to develop projects
that enable navigability in part of the Parnaiba River.

September 8th, 2011.

In order to meet a decision made by President Dilma Rousseff herself, technicians of the Brazilian Ministry of Transportation will make a visit to inspect and develop a navigability project for a long section of the Parnaiba River, between the cities of Santa Filomena and Guadalupe, in the Southwest region of the state of Piaui, in the border with the State of Maranhao.

The navigability project for the Parnaiba River, using vessels that draw small lengths and flat bottom, such as in the Tiete River, in the State of Sao Paulo, was a request made to the President by the Governor of Piaui, Mr. Wilson Martins, who also talked to businessmen in the waterway industry to define the draft required to carry goods and grains on that river. The governor bets on the navigability of the Parnaiba to ship the grains produced in the Brazilian Cerrado area, in cities of 3 states, to Teresina, from where they could be exported through the ports located in Ceara, Maranhao and Pernambuco, or undergo processing and industrialization.

Technicians of the Ministry will evaluate over 800 linear km of the river, including the section dammed up by the Boa Esperança Dam (Piaui/Maranhao), and the preliminary study will be presented before the end of 2011.

With over 40 years of experience in the segment linked to vertical transportation of loads and high complexity operations, Locabens has participated in the construction of several dams, hydroelectric power stations, bridges and even oil platforms. Potain’s exclusive representative in Brazil, the company has the largest fleet of cranes for rent in Brazil, develops projects to implement and operate cranes, and offers specialized technical assistance in Brazil and in South America.

Get to know some projects that used Locabens’ cranes:
– Hidrelétrica Dardanelos – Aripuanã – MT
– Mini Hidrelétrica PCH Sete Quedas – MT
– Refinaria Paulínia Petrobras – Paulínia – SP
– Ponte Estaiada Paulicéia – Brasilândia – PR