Omnia Nitrophosphate Plant
SAISC STEEL AWARDS INDUSTRIAL CATEGORY
Omnia is a diversified chemicals group that supplies
chemicals and specialised services and solutions for the
agriculture, mining, and chemical application industries.
Differentiation is ensured through using innovation
combined with intellectual capital, whereby Omnia adds
value for customers at every stage of the supply and service
chain. With its vision of leaving a ‘better world’, the group’s
solutions promote the responsible use of chemicals for
health, safety and a lower environmental impact, with an
increasing shift towards cleaner technologies.
A new quality control system was implemented
internally at SE Steel Fabrication. All fabrication had to
be done with a high level of accuracy. This was essential
to prevent steelwork arriving on site and possibly requiring
additional remedial work before installation, so a best-
fit approach was adopted. Any remedial work may have
placed the integrity of the anti-corrosive paintwork at risk
in an already corrosive environment.
Limited space was available for steelwork, so a
laydown area was created approximately one kilometer
from the actual site. This being the situation, the steelwork
contractor placed a 20 ton crane and a horse and trailer
permanently on site while the project was running to
ensure the correct sections and steelwork were being
fed to the site. Ultimately to prevent delays, there was
a need to plan for tomorrow's erection today, to avoid
unnecessary standing time. Executing advanced planning
on site allowed the team to remain on program.
Full penetration welded, purpose made columns were
used on the Main Plant. 3CR12 was selected for the
purlins and girts. The paint was a complex sand blasted,
epoxy corrosion specification to ensure longevity.
Numerous safety challenges were faced during the
tight deadline to complete erection on this 1,200 tonne
project. A dedicated safety officer was permanently
placed on site to ensure all safety compliance was met
on the contractor's part. This proved effective with a less
than 1% accident rate during the entire span of the project,
including all trades. This number needs to be taken into
consideration knowing that there were numerous trades
working on multiple levels of the structure at the same
time, the whole time. Tight spaces meant that cranes and
cherry pickers had to be strategically placed in order to
reach all necessary corners and the required heights, often
while other trades were working on the various levels of
the structure. This also meant that work was halted while
wind conditions worsened during the erection process. In
total, there were two 44m articulate boom cherry pickers,
a 220-tonne, 160-tonne and a 50-tonne crane on site the
full duration of the project excluding the laydown area
machinery as listed above).
Planning, erection and the project program were cast
in stone with a strict deadline, regardless of the weather.
There was no time to be wasted. All had to be done in
one year from design to being fully operational. Installation
crews and machinery from Europe were due to install
their scope of work to ensure that this strict program was
implemented, so adhering to the deadline was imperative.
Client: Omnia Fertilizer
Engineering & Project Manager: Omnia
Group – Group Technical Projects
Project Manager: SE Steel Fabrication
Main Contractor: Omnia Fertilizer
Steel Fabrication and Erection: SE Steel Fabrication
Cladding supplier and contractor: M.R.G.
Paintwork Contractors: Dram Trading,
Rand Sandblasting Projects
Steel Detailer: SSD Detailing & Engineering Services
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Steel Awards