The Solothurn-Emme Wastewater Region Association (ZASE) operates the largest wastewater treatment plant in the canton of Solothurn, located in Zuchwil. The catchment area covers 38 municipalities in the cantons of Solothurn and Bern. In addition to the treatment plant, the association’s infrastructure also includes several branch facilities and pumping stations.

At one of these pumping stations, the old overhead crane was recently replaced by a GIS travelling crane. This assists the operating staff during maintenance and repair work on the large screw pumps in the basement, where very heavy units and drive components have to be installed, removed, shifted and prepared for onward transport.

Increased load capacity thanks to a special-design chain hoist

The crane girder is designed as an upper-girder overhead crane and makes ideal use of the hall’s height and width. It has a span of 6 m and travels along a 16 m-long crane runway, which was carried over from the previous crane system. A customised GIS GP2500 electric chain hoist is used as the lifting unit. Thanks to a special suspension system with an additional external attachment point for the end of the chain, the load is distributed and its load capacity increased from 6300 kg to the required 8000 kg.

In addition to the lifting movement of the electric chain hoist, all the crane’s travelling movements are also electrically operated. The crane system is controlled via a cable-connected control switch. This is not fixed to the hoist unit but can be moved freely along a separate C-rail running parallel to the crane girder. This allows the operator to position themselves optimally at all times, enabling them to manoeuvre even large, bulky loads safely.

With the new overhead crane, ZASE now has a high-performance yet cost-effective lifting solution that contributes to the efficient and reliable operation of its plant.