WH SCOTT
Process Cranes, Refurbishment & Modernisation
Waste, bulk and heavy process handling cranes across the UK and Ireland — designed and installed new, or refurbished, automated and modernised in place. We work on cranes by any manufacturer.
Cranes That Run to a Process, Not a Catalogue Spec
A process crane is not a standard overhead crane with a different attachment on the hook. It works to a fixed cycle, often continuously and often unattended, as part of the plant itself. Duty rating, grab design, control logic and structural fatigue are all set against that cycle from the outset, because the crane rarely has the option of coming out of service.
We have supplied refuse and waste cranes across Europe for decades and modernised process cranes throughout the UK and Ireland, from the same engineering team. Where a new build is the right answer we design and build it. Where the structure is sound, we will say so — and put numbers behind it.
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Process Crane Systems We Supply
- Refuse and waste handling grab cranes — for energy-from-waste plants, biomass power stations, incinerators, waste transfer stations and recycling facilities. High duty ratings, with hydraulic or rope overhead crane grabs, orange peel or clamshell, matched to the material.
- Slag, sludge and bulk material grab cranes — for process residues, treatment works and bulk storage.
- Container and portside handling cranes — quayside and yard handling for terminals and freight operations.
- Level luffing and dredger crane systems — reach-critical, marine and water-side duties.
- Bespoke heavy-duty process cranes — where duty, environment or integration rules out standard equipment. Structural steelwork is designed, fabricated and installed by our own engineers, CE marked to EXC2.
Control systems are specified alongside the crane: full or semi-automatic operation to remove operator fatigue and improve positioning accuracy, anti-sway, anti-collision, and a crane process management interface showing bunker fill levels, weight protocols and live crane positions. Web-based remote diagnostics mean a fault can be interrogated before an engineer leaves the depot.
Lifting Solutions
Part of a complete lifting range
This is one of the complete lifting solutions delivered by WH Scott across the UK and Ireland — from radio remotes, hoists and crane components to fully bespoke crane systems. Explore the full range to find the right fit for your operation.
Refurbishment and Modernisation of Existing Process Cranes
Modernising an existing crane is usually the most cost-effective way to meet current production requirements, cut breakdown frequency, bring equipment in line with current legislation and extend plant life. On a live bunker it is often the only realistic route, because there is nowhere to put the waste while a replacement goes in.
We work irrespective of the original manufacturer. It starts with a site visit: we look at the cranes you have and what you need them to do, then produce an economic analysis of refurbishment against replacement and quote from that. Where a crane is nearing the end of its design working period, BS ISO 12482 sets out how accumulated duty is assessed and what a general overhaul must cover. If the structure is at its limit we will say so.
Safety and control
- Conversion to full or semi-automatic operation
- Inverter control and sway control for accurate load positioning
- Anti-collision, load limiting and load indication
- Recertification, and alignment with current UKCA and European safety requirements
Performance and running cost
- Increased hoisting and travel speeds, and improved cycle times
- Regeneration drives that harvest electricity and cut energy use
- Longer operating life, fewer breakdown callouts, lower maintenance cost
- Grab overhaul or replacement, rope and reeving renewal, structural and rail repair
Service and support
- Web-based remote maintenance and diagnostic systems
- Reduced servicing and repair times, with a warranty period on the work
- Substantial spare parts stock, which usually decides whether an obsolete crane can be repaired economically
More on our crane modernisation service.
Process Crane Projects We Have Delivered
Most of our process crane work sits in waste and energy recovery. At a West London waste transfer station handling 140,000 tonnes of household waste a year, we replaced two manually driven 1978 cranes with two 8t fully automated machines over 18 months, phased to keep the operation running. The site reported a 20% throughput increase in the first full week of fully automatic running. Elsewhere: energy-from-waste grab cranes into a new South Wales bunker, refurbishment of three original turbine hall cranes at Battersea Power Station, crane refurbishment at Oldbury nuclear power station, and four 30m-span gantry cranes designed, built and installed at Bristol Port with inverter and sway control throughout. More on our work in the power and energy sector.
Lifting Equipment Compliance
In Great Britain, a process crane is lifting equipment under LOLER 1998 and work equipment under PUWER 1998: thorough examination by a competent person, an inspection regime matched to duty, and records to evidence both. BS EN 15011 covers testing and certification after installation; BS 7121-2-7 covers in-service inspection and thorough examination. In Ireland the duties sit in the General Application Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007), where Regulation 52 requires fixed and rail-mounted lifting equipment to be tested and thoroughly examined before first use, and again after any alteration or repair relevant to safe operation. Reports go on the HSA GA1 form.
One point catches operators out. A modernisation extensive enough to change how a crane is controlled — automating a previously manual crane, for example — can make it “new” machinery for conformity assessment, with the marking and documentation that follow. Like-for-like part replacement does not. We establish which side of the line a project falls on at survey stage.
Get in Touch
Tell Us About Your Project
Whether you need a single piece of equipment or a fully engineered lifting system, our specialists can help. Tell us your load, environment and compliance requirements — we’ll do the rest.