IN CONVERSATION
engineers are best-suited for the demolition
industry, as they tend to be more hands-on.
You need to be able to think laterally and
determine the safest, most cost-effective
and quickest way to demolish a structure.
We once had a pack of eight silos to
demolish and came up with 14 different
methods of bringing them down. We had
to then determine which method was the
safest, quickest, and most cost-effective.
What fleet of equipment will Jet
Demolition typically use on a project?
When we demolish a sizeable processing
plant, for example, we need five to eight
core machines, mostly excavators between
20t and 50t, with a range of different
attachments. Such a project includes
steel and concrete, and typically includes
rehabilitation as well.
Each core machine will have three or
four different attachments to increase their
versatility. So, there will be grapples, shears,
hammers, and buckets that could all possibly
fit onto one of those machines, depending
on the scope. Such a project normally
involves more than 30 people.
Can you give us an example of one of Jet
Demolition’s projects, and how long it
took to complete the contract?
One of Jet Demolition’s first turnkey projects
was for Harmony Gold. It was a 28ha gold
and uranium plant in Welkom. We recovered
gold lost due to process spillages, cleaned
up the uranium, which involved a lot of
decontamination, and recovered several
assets for resale. Furthermore, the project
entailed demolishing steel structures and
decontaminating the site through high-
pressure washing. All concrete structures
were taken down to 1m sub-surface.
Low-grade gold was hauled to another
processing plant, and the high-grade gold
sent to Rand Refinery. In the process we
recovered 475kg of gold, and that exercise
was the third clean-up! It took us 22
months to demolish all the structures and
rehabilitate the entire site.
Jet Demolition becomes involved with
all forms of decontamination and recycling:
Smelting, removing contamination, radiation
clean-ups, and ultra-high pressure cleaning.
We have closed and rehabilitated more than
40 shafts.
You recently acquired a 10 tonne
demolition hammer to use as an
attachment. Tell us more.
We have built up quite an impressive
collection of hammers over the years,
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
Attachments like pulverisers give Jet Demolition an advantage in the demolition industry.
ranging from small Bobcat-sized hammers
to four and five tonners. Our second-
largest hammer, before we acquired this
one, weighed seven tonnes. We have to
be prepared, however, that if a really big
project comes along, we are able to meet
it head-on. To get this hammer shipped
over, one needs to wait in line, sometimes
up to nine months, so we took the plunge
and ordered it. We’ve manufactured the
quick coupler for it, and the hammer is
now in our warehouse – if the right project
comes along, it will then be available
immediately.
At 10 tonnes, it is the biggest production
hammer that we have ever bought.
Specialised, heavy-rock breaking jobs
need the biggest and best equipment. The
hammer will last at least 20 to 25 years,
depending on how much we use it. The
hammer will work best as an attachment on
excavators in the 80 to 120 tonne range.
What advantage does the
hammer give you?
This hammer gives us the flexibility to
take on basically any demolition project
that comes our way, without having any
doubt as to the capability of our plant and
equipment. There are very few structures
that won’t be handled by a hammer of this
nature, giving us the confidence to accept
large, very heavy demolition projects
without any concern.
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