left_bottom_img.jpg

Jonel Hydraulics news & events

Jonel Hire plays critical role at Lyttleton Port

Time frame critical, June 2011

When Lyttelton Port’s Coal Loader was derailed in Christchurch’s lastest 6.1 earthquake, coal began backing up at the wharf and storage was at an all time low. It was of paramount importance to get the Coal Loader working again as soon as possible.

Jonel Hydraulic’s swift response to a request for help from contractors in Christchurch saw Jonel personnel fly to the site to help repair the wharf area and enable the loader to get back to work.

The job required stressing bars in two sets of pairs (max force 176kN over the 4 bars) to add extra support to the Wharf foundations and cross beams; and importantly, upgrade the area in case of another earthquake.

After a Friday afternoon call for help, Jonel Hydraulic's Hire division urgently arranged flights and delivery trucks, and had the required tooling to Lyttleton by Monday morning.

 

Hire business does well for Jonel

June 2011

Customer demand was the reason Jonel Hydraulics first entered the hydraulic hire business.  “For the last two or three years I was always getting asked by customers whether we hire equipment” says Enerpac Product Group Manager, George Pavletich.  “So about 18 months ago I decided to do something about it.”

During that time business has been brisk.  Sales have expanded rapidly as customers have got to know about us. 
Jonel now has a wide range of pumps, lifting equipment and torque wrenches suitable for use in industries as diverse as construction, mining, and oil and gas.  We also have specialised equipment suitable for stressing, bolting and synchronised lifting.

The recent acquisitions by Enerpac have also added to our range of equipment to hire.

 

Jonel's hire service introduces new heavy lifting systems

May 2011
Managing hydraulic lifts of up to 1000 tonnes with 1mm control has just got a lot easier for heavy industry and construction companies.

Hydraulics company Jonel Hydraulics, who provide industrial tooling and hydraulics services for industries throughout the country, have introduced a range of heavy lifting systems through their partnership with ENERPAC. This includes a multipoint syncronised PLC controlled lifting system.

Jonel Engineering's ENERPAC product manager George Pavletich said the company had made the country's most extensive purchase ever of multi-point lifting technology for the national hire market.

"It's been a big commitment as this lifting technology is top of the range and offers customers - across a wide spectrum of industries - more flexibility with their heavy lifts where speed, accuracy and safety is critical". 

"As it's specialist gear, it's not always practical for companies to buy this gear so making it available for hire has made it more accessible and cost effective for a lot of companies" he said.

According to George, the service will assist with overall efficiency when heavy lifting is required within tight time frames such as maintenance shutdowns of large industrial clients.

"For heavy lift projects such as shutdowns, speed, combined with quality, is critical and project managers are telling us that having this specialist lifting gear is a big help" he added.

According to RCR Energy Systems Project manager Derek Snow, the availability of this new hydraulic technology resulted in an improvement in accuracy for a recent heavy lift project.
"We ultilised Jonel’s synchronized 4 point lifting system operating 8 jacks to remove a large bolier and when used in conjunction with load cells, the precision and control it gave us for this heavy lift was impressive.” 

"From our point of view it's all about getting it exactly right and being able to accurately pre-load our structure made a difference as we able to control 4 lifting points at the same time and it gave us the control we needed" he said.

Jonel's Director Suren Surendran said adding the specialist lifting equipment to their hire range made sense. "We are in a unique position to offer this hire service as we combine ENERPAC's technology with our local expertise and technical support.

"This compliments our hire operation, which along with our ability to build customised applications, allows us to become a lot more focused on solving our customers’ hydraulic headaches " he said.

"We do pride ourselves in being quick off the mark and try to combine good old fashion service with leading edge technology and training" he added.

Jonel Hydraulics new syncronised lifting system was used to lift the 300 ton Boiler Cell on a recent plant upgrade. The system controls single and double acting jacks lifting from 5 tons through to heavy lifts of up to 1000 tons.

 

Key talent join Jonel to help continue growth

January 2011 

Jonel's Hire & Cylinder Divisions have tracked steady growth over the last year and Jonel has brought two more skilled Fitter and Turners into the team in order to respond to our customer demand.

Grant Hammond has been employed in the Cylinder Division as a Workshop Leading Hand and with over 20 years hydraulics experience he is a valuable addition to our team.

Grant has been involved in all aspects of hydraulic servicing work including all major equipment brands. He has worked on many large projects all over New Zealand, but in his free time he is a keen fisherman and takes any chance to head out on the ocean boating.

Dan Wood has been taken on in the Hire Division as an Enerpac Sales Engineer. Another skilled Fitter and Turner, Dan is also a qualified Hydraulics Engineer.

Originally a maintenance fitter, he has worked exclusively in hydraulics servicing roles for the last 15 years, primarily in servicing and workshop management roles. Like Grant, Dan is a dedicated fisherman and can normally be found out on the Hauraki Gulf during his weekends.

   

Graeme Cook – The Legacy Lives On...

December 2010

Graeme Cook was a valued and respected member of the Jonel Hydraulics staff for more than 15 years.  He passed away in December 2011 after a brief illness.

Well known within the wider engineering community, there is little that Graeme didn’t know about hydraulic cylinders and seals. Legendary for his long standing experience and knowledge in the field, Graeme was generous with advice and his time to anyone who asked for help. Widely relied on as a resource to others, Graeme was quick to recognise and greet people he hadn’t seen for many years as they sought out his help. 

Graeme was a great mentor to all of the Jonel staff, believing that they needed to learn from their experiences and mistakes as well as from his example of treating all customers as personal friends. In spite of his passing, we continue to operate Jonel in the way Graeme taught us all - the legacy lives on. 

Graeme is survived by his wife Phillipa and children, Jeremy and Laura. 

 

Enerpac Introduces the Rc-Series Duo cylinder

August 2010

The new Enerpac cylinders are designed with the exclusive GR2 bearing system, the next generation of Enerpac’s proven “Golden Ring” design.

This unique system surrounds the cylinder seal for ultimate protection. It’s innovative design also distributes lateral loads more effectively, increasing cylinder life—to help you stay on the job longer.

The GR2 easily withstands lateral forces and dynamic loads preventing galling and premature bearing failure—keeping you on schedule, safely.

New heavy-duty return springs with improved retraction rates get the job done fast. And an easy access design requiring only standard shop tools means maintenance downtime is reduced.

Available in the traditional 5-100 ton capacities, Enerpac’s new RC-Series DUO are the next generation of general purpose cylinders—experience the dramatic boost of productivity that only the NEW RC-Series can give.

 

ENERPAC parent company acquires Hydrospex and Team Hydrotec

Ede, The Netherlands / Milwaukee, WI, USA. April 14, 2010

Actuant Corporation (NYSE:ATU) parent company of Enerpac announced today that it has purchased the shares of Hydrospex, headquartered in Hengelo, The Netherlands. Hydrospex designs and manufactures systems and products for the heavy lifting market, including strand jacks, hydraulic gantries and skidding systems. Its customer base includes heavy lifting companies such as Mammoet, Sarens, Burkhalter and Bigge.

Mark Sefcik, President of Enerpac, commented, “Hydrospex’ market leadership, strong brand, and broad product and systems portfolio complements our Enerpac business. Our Integrated Solutions Division is one of our primary growth drivers, and the combination between Hydrospex and the Enerpac global network will help accelerate that growth”.

Hydrospex will report into the Integrated Solutions Division of Enerpac. Tjerko Jurgens, CEO and owner of Hydrospex, and his team have worked hard over the past 25 years to develop a position in the marketplace. We believe that the combination of Hydrospex’ heavy lifting capabilities with Enerpac’s synchronisation expertise and global footprint will offer customers a complete provider of hydraulic/mechanical systems for the movement of heavy structures and objects. I look forward to working with Tjerko and his management team as we expand our industrial tool portfolio.”

Enerpac also completed the acquisition of Team Hydrotec based in Singapore, which brings strong engineering capabilities. Both acquisitions confirm Enerpac’s ambition to offer its Integrated Solutions on a global scale and widen its technology offering.

For further information on Actuant, Enerpac, Hydrospex and Team Hydrotec, visit the Companies’ websites at www.actuant.comwww.enerpac.com, www.hydrospex.com and www.teamhydrotec.com.

 

Raising the roof

Hydraulic News 2009 - Innovative solution puts landmark project on firm footing.

Auckland City’s Aotea Square upgrade is on a firm footing thanks to tailor-made solutions by Hawkins Construction and Jonel Hydraulics. The $80 million development, which started in October 2008, involves an upgrade of Aotea Square, alterations to the front of the Aotea Centre, and repairing and strengthening the Civic underground car park roof. The project which is expected to be completed in October 2010 is led by the New Zealand owned and operated Hawkins Construction.

According to Hawkins Engineering Manager Tim Jones, the key to repairing and strengthening the car park roof was to develop a cost-effective and safe system for lifting the roof at each column so they could change the rubber bearing between the column and roof.

“The design brief was tight as we needed to develop a lifting mechanism so we could replace each of the 20-40mm rubber gravity bearings that sit between the top of each of the 39 columns and the roof,” Mr Jones says.
“The design factor was over 600 tonnes so understanding how to do heavy lifts, and our experience in pre-stress and pre-cast concrete construction, were critical in scoping the job and coming up with a lifting system that would work.”

“We’re operating in a confined space so we needed a short, compact, lightweight jacking solution. We spent quite a bit of time researching for the best lifting jack to do the job.We went with Jonel as they came up with the best solution and were able to tailor the performance of the jack to meet our specific requirements.”
“The service was superb,” says Mr Jones. “They designed a specific solution for the lifting tonnes required, incorporating the cylinder types that would work.”“

While Enerpac initially didn’t have the correct model with the required stroke, Jonel product manager George Pavletich arranged for their  manufacture in Australia based on Enerpac’s CLP range of cylinders, special 75mm-stroke, four jacks with tilt saddles that move five degrees in any direction, which gave us a total lifting power of 640 tonnes.”

Hawkins liked the end product so much they bought them. “We purchased the jacks as this has given us total control over the job. It works out more cost effective and gives us more flexibility than leasing” Mr Jones said.
Jonel Hydraulics’ George Pavletich said performance and flexibility was the key to meeting Hawkins specifications for the job.“

It’s been a good project to be associated with as its a heavy lift and Hawkins to their credit came up with a simple method of executing the job.”

“The jacks are supported on two frames, which are connected to the column via shear pins that are core drilled into each of the columns. The jacks are mounted side by side on the frames.”

“They lift the roof by approximately 10mm , the jacks are then locked off using the threaded plungers and locknuts designed into each cylinder. The old rubber bearing is removed, the column area cleaned and the new rubber bearing installed,” he said.

“Hawkins made the investment in the correct gear and their expertise in construction has resulted in an excellent result for their client. It also potentially opens up new opportunities for them in the future, as this has been a unique project.”

 

Heavy Lift for Carpark Upgrade

Hydraulic News 2009

Jonel Hydraulics international connections played a big part in helping secure a heavy lifting solution for Hawkins Construction for the Aotea Centre upgrade. For the 640 ton car park roof lift Jonel supplied Hawkins with a three phase electric pump, four CLP 160 ton type cylinders and hoses and needle valves.

According to Jonel’s George Pavelitch, the reputation of Enerpac’s hydraulic technology and Jonel’s “can do” attitude meant the company was able to manufacture a special 75mm-stroke jack which gave Hawkins the total lifting power required to complete the job. 

“The gear is designed to lift and hold the roof so the column bearings can be replaced and we are really happy with the performance” he said.

 

Pump power brilliant

Hydraulic News 2009

Breaking beads on truck and tractor tyres just got a lot easier for Auckland based Maxwell Tyre Repair Services.
The South Auckland based company - which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week servicing tractor and truck operators from Albany through to Huntly - has just invested in a mobile Enerpac Xvari Air Pump to speed up the repair of tyres.

According to owner Kevin Maxwell, the investment in the new pump technology has resulted in a huge improvement to his efficiency as it allows him to break the tyre bead quicker and more  safely.

“Its certainly made a huge difference as we do a lot of repairs on the side of the road or in the paddock and what was a really crappy and physically tough job has become a lot easier with being able to utilise the rotary pump solution for each repair.” he said.

“In addition to truckies and farmers we deal with operators who run heavy industrial gear and who can’t afford down time, so speed on the job and being able to do the repair on the spot is critical.”

“With the bigger machines such as tractors, the tyres are a lot bigger and the beads are a lot thicker so breaking them to do the repair was becoming more and more difficult. It was bloody hard work as we’d have to hammer and wedge out both the outside and inside bead to get at the problem” he said.

“I had been using Jonel to repair our old piston based Air Pump - a Powerteam PA6 Series - for a while and the reality was the plunger pumps weren’t up for the job as these old style piston pumps didn’t have the speed to break the tyre bead. I was always having to use a bar to finish it off so it was tough on the body” he said.

“Jonel demonstrated Enerpac’s Xvari Air Pump and the new pump just punched through the bead like its not there, making it much safer for me and most importantly making the overall job faster for the customer” he added.

According to Kevin the investment in the new pump is saving him around half an hour per puncture repair.
“Its been brilliant as we just plug into the air supply off the back of the truck and it has made the jobs way easier.”

“We have been in business a long time - since 1972 - and while we’ve never missed a repair, it has been getting more difficult as a lot of our clients work in tough conditions that are hard on tyres.

I’ve always said where there’s shit there’s sugar and increasing our capacity to handle difficult repairs has been a good move for us. Having the new pump means we can take on pretty much any job and know that we can get the client back up and running while we are there on the spot” he said.

“Jonel has been great to deal with and been really proactive about helping so it looks as though my wife Kathy and I will be around running the business for a while yet” he added.

According to Kevin the investment in the new pump is saving him around half an hour per puncture repair.

 

Experience key to success

Hydraulic News 2009

Twenty five years experience in hydraulic ram repairs provide Jonel Hydraulics with a key competitive advantage according to company General Manager Graeme Cooke.

“We’ve always specialised in ram (cylinder) repair and our team has a lot of expertise in both the diagnosis of problems and the actual repairs. Our specialist equipment means we can cope with almost any type of ram so we can service a wide range of industries with their different equipment requirements” he said.

Cooke, a Hydraulics industry veteran, said investment in both full workshop facilities as well as their mobile service has enabled the company to successfully respond to all types of challenges. The company is totally driven by the turnaround time of our service so the customer is not inconvenienced.

"Most of our work involves repairing hydraulic cylinders, valves, pumps and hoses as well as custom manufacturing any hydraulic parts. For instance we manufacture anything between 3 – 10 shafts a day." he said. "Common hydraulic cylinder problems are external oil leaks, internal by-passing and damaged or broken shafts. If these problems are not repaired straight away more serious and expensive damage can occur.”

“Rams that do multiple stokes and work hard should have a regular seal inspection. We implement a WOF system so clients can keep on top of their equipment maintenance”.

“Honing is another of our specialised services. We find that proper honing of cylinder tubes – which removes scores and ridges - results in true round and parallel shape. This extends the life of piston seals, and generally the working life of cylinders. We can hone anything from 30mm to 900mm diameter tubes. Our experience and knowledge enables us to come up with solutions and designs of sealing systems that don’t leak.” he added.

 

Fence innovation secures export contract

Hydraulic News 2009

An innovative contract to supply fencing products for Tru-Test, a major manufacturer of electric fencing equipment, has lead to a big increase in business for Auckland based Crighton Engineering and  Manufacturing Ltd.

According to Crighton’s company manager Mike Grunig, Tru-test were keen to have their electric fence standards - both treadin standards with plastic insulators running up the wire, and their conventional pigtail standards - supplied from New Zealand.

“The manufacture of their standards had been done in China and while the initial approach was to see if we could manufacture a special FBE coated  Treadin, it became obvious that the contract would only work from a payback point of view with setup costs to look at the whole contract of all Pigtail and Treadin Products” he said. "It’s been a real success story and it has been a real test for the company to make sure all our processes and materials supply were competitive enough to ensure we could manufacture at a better price than what they had been getting from China.

“While the drop in the dollar and reduced stock holding for the customer helped to secure the contract, our quality control and our commitment to product development gave us a competitive advantage” he said.

Grunig said the contract resulted in the company employing seasonal staff to produce the 800,000 treadin and pigtail standards per annum that Tru-Test sold in New Zealand and to overseas markets.

“We have created eight extra jobs so being able to bring back manufacturing jobs to New Zealand from China has been a major coup for the company” he said.

“We have had excellent support from our suppliers like Jonel Hydraulics, who have been instrumental in helping us design and implement new processes to make us more efficient.

“For example in crimping the foot of all the standards we have two people using normal press tooling to crimp the 9,000 a day standards we need to produce.

“We are now in the final stages of new machine development with Jonel, which will make this process fully automated as we’ll go from a manual “put and take” operation to a more efficient automated process in where each crimp will only take 8 seconds.”

Grunig said the company had invested over $50,000 to develop the machine which demonstrates the commitment Crighton has to technology which will enable it to better service their client’s requirements.

“Jonel has been excellent to deal with as they had the expertise to take care of all the Hydraulics as well as all the plumbing and having the expertise to write all the instruction coding to control the operation of the machine” he said.

“What this means is that we will no longer have to tie up two people and two lots of plant as we will achieve both a time and space saving and a much safer operation” he added.

Jonel’s George Pavelitch said they were excited about assisting with the project. “When we first discussed options on how to achieve the crimping action of the foot onto the kinked wire, the design had to achieve the correct forces and cycle times to achieve the time and labour savings needed.

Pavletich said to achieve Crightons requirements, Jonel supplied Enerpac’s “Workholding range”, ZW5-Series Pump with stackable VP-Series Solenoid Valves and four CST-40132 threaded cylinders with a pushing force off 39.9kN at 350Bar each.

“Enerpac produces a full range of well-designed, versatile and reliable workholding products which provide users with dependable production automation solutions in virtually every type of manufacturing process” he said. “To work with Crighton right from the start and come up with a solution of an automated table that can load and bend the pigtail, crimp the foot and then unload the finished Pigtail as one process has been really satisfying” he said.

 

Focus on customers pays off

Hydraulic News 2009

Doing the basics right and close liaison with clients have lead to Jonel minimising the impact of the global recession according to Director Suren Surendran.

“When the economic down turn first became obvious we consulted with industry veterans and their message was pretty clear – in the boom times everyone gets work, but during a recession the cowboys miss out. If you have been around a long time and have a good reputation with customers you will do okay, and so it has proved to be” he said.

“Like everyone else we have heard of a lot of bad news from the industry and but we have been pleasantly surprised how busy we have been over the last six months. Work flow tends to be a little erratic, but it does keep coming” he said.

According to Surendran the company has been humbled by the concern shown by customers wanting to know that we are still okay and for providing a continuing stream of work.

“I guess it shows that if you do right by people they remember you and try to look out for you too. That has always been our approach, and is not something that we are about to change” he added. “They certainly seem to appreciate the fact that we are a one-stop hydraulic shop. There is no need to get used to multiple suppliers, people and styles. Just one phone call to Jonel – that is all it takes. In an environment where time pressures are increasing, they seem to place a lot of importance on this.”

“Even after you have been in business as long as Jonel - 25 years and counting - you do sometimes wonder how people hear about you. When we recently got an email enquiry from  the middle of the Pacific, we thought it must have been a previous client but it turned out to have been all due to the power of the Internet”.

“This Pacific project, air freighted to Auckland at great expense, was to refurbish two large compactor cylinders with a length of approx 3.5m each and weighing well over a ton. While it wasn’t an overly complex project, there where a number of unexpected challenges such as a 220mm diameter shaft which required straightening, heavily scored barrels which needed grinding out and new custom sized seals throughout” he said.

“Our approach has been to earn the respect of our customers by combining good old fashioned service with leading edge technology and training, and this is working for us. Our staff focus on rapid turnaround times to meet clients’ operational demands as well as providing specialist in-house technical expertise so it’s a real credit to them that our customer base is growing” he said.

Jonel Hydaulics Director Suren Surendran says good old fashion service with leading edge technology has helped the company to grow.

 

Breakthrough pump technology

Hydraulic News 2009

A new generation air-over-hydraulic foot pump, introduced by Enerpac into New Zealnd offers offers a breakthrough in hydraulic pump technology & ergonomics.

Air pumps are popular because they make use of standard workshop compressed air and are relatively inexpensive compared to electric pumps. Air-over-hydraulic pumps are used where handpumps are not sufficiently powerful or create fatigue on the part of the operator.

Air-over-hydraulic pumps can power a variety of hydraulic actuators, such as cylinders, benders, crimpers, pullers and cutters, etc.

According to Jonel Hydraulics’ George Pavletich, the Enerpac XVARI pumps features tremendously high oil flow, with its rotating air motor and rotating two-stage pump element giving hydraulic delivery up to 50 per cent higher than conventional pumps with linear motors and a single piston.

“Its a different technology – offering variable oil flow and fine metering for precise control – and is coupled with ergonomic two-pedal control of advance and retract functions for time-efficient and safer hands-free operation which allows for less operator fatigue and increased stability” he said.

“XVARI technology allows users to continuously and precisely control the amount of hydraulic oil flow in the pump’s advance and retract mode, giving fine control of the speed of operation of the single-acting hydraulic cylinder or tool that the pump is powering. This fine process control is especially valuable for jobs that require accurate load positioning, aligning and controlled descent” he said.

Enerpac has applied a two pedal design: one for tool advance (introducing pressure) and one for tool retract (releasing pressure). The pedals are depressed with the ball of the foot so the heel stays on the ground, with bodyweight  resting on both legs during operation. This causes less fatigue and provides increased stability and better control over the degree of pressure – and thus control – on the pump.

According to Pavletich, their market research showed users wanted higher hydraulic delivery. “It’s impressive technology as it has produced gains of up to 50 per cent compared with conventional air-over-hydraulic pumps. Their rotating air motor and two-stage pump element also offers accurate control of speed via the pedals and the higher piston speeds result in smooth oil flow compared with the pulsating oil flow of conventional air pumps” he said.

Pavletich said time is money and with the higher oil flow considerably reducing the time required to extend the cylinder or tool and build maximum pressure will benefit the organisation and operator. “Outflow flow rates are such when compared with many conventional air-over-hydraulic pumps, the XA series is up to twice as fast.”

“We believe the result is technology that truly breaks the mould as this a major advance, probably the biggest in its field for 50 years. Never before have Xvari’s advantages – tremendously high oil flow, precise control and ergonomic operation – been combined in one hydraulic pump” he added. This technology truly breaks the mould as this a major advance, the biggest in its field for 50 years.

The XVARI XA Series makes use of a collapsible rubber oil reservoir (bladder), making the pump less vulnerable for contamination from the outside. No air venting screws or openings to the outside are required, making the pumps a fully closed hydraulic system. As a result, the pump can be used in horizontal and vertical positions and no dirt or debris can enter. The unit is provided with a foot-operated release lock that saves time when using slow-retracting actuators, and the pump has a self-retracting carrying handle for transportation.

 

World renowned Enerpac stressing technology introduced by Jonel Hydraulics for infrastructure projects

September 2008

Some of the world’s most advanced precision stressing technology for construction, resources and infrastructure projects will become more widely available in New Zealand following the introduction by Jonel Hydraulics of specialist Enerpac ranges from Europe.

The technology – used on some of Europe and Asia’s major projects - includes prestressing and constant tensioning technology as well as heavy lifting expertise that was used in the lifting of the Russian submarine Kursk.

Now part of the Enerpac family of extreme force technology and integrated solutions, it is produced at a specialist plant in Europe has been a leader in developing and manufacturing precision parts for prestressing and stressing systems for decades, often working with major concrete and prestressing companies  who manage major construction projects around the world.

The technology has been employed on projects such as: stay cable prestressing for windmills in Europe and Asia; prestressing on the Palm Island project in Dubai and on the Dubai Highway in the United Emirates; prestressing on the Roertunnel and at Schipol Airport in the Netherlands; bridge launching in Malaga, Spain and prestressing on a major Rhine bridge, Germany; and heavy lifting on the London Eye and of the Kursk.

Jonel Hydraulics recently introduced the first specialist 900-tonne hydraulic stressing cylinder from the range to be introduced to Australia or New Zealand, which includes cylinders in capacities from 110 to more than 1000 tonnes with stroke lengths typically from 150-300mm.

The rugged cylinder, supplied and customised by Jonel Hydraulics at its Auckland headquarters, will be used by Post Tensioning and Grouting Ltd to simultaneously tension dozens of high tensile stressing strands for bridge sections of the new $NZ250 million-plus Tauranga Harbour Bridge crossing.

Enerpac National Marketing Manager  Tony Brooks said the integration of this advanced technology into the global Enerpac organisation following its acquisition last year meant that both Australia and New Zealand would  have expanded access to advanced technologies and nation-wide sales and service backup.

“Enerpac is already the global leader in extreme force technologies used by construction, infrastructure and resources companies, with a history of innovation in these sectors extending back more than 50 years in Australia and New Zealand. These specialist stressing technologies add to our inventory of innovation and are one of many advances flowing from our global resources and capabilities into the products and integrated solutions we provide throughout Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

The advanced stressing and lifting technologies involved offer advantages such as:M

  • Mass production of prefabricated segments, providing more quality control
  • Shorter construction times
  • Construction independent of climatic conditions
  • Structures can be fully loaded immediately after being prestressed
  • Prestressed cables can be inspected and replaced at all times
  • Superstructures can be raised without underlying infrastructure having to be stopped
  • Low weight due to thin bridge sections
  • Strengthening using pre-stressing possible at any time
  • Distortions of structures can be controlled better

The extreme force hydraulic cylinders of the type introduced by Jonels are manufactured at a specialist plant in Europe that has built a worldwide reputation for manufacturing stressing cylinders and heavy lifting technology.

The range of stressing cylinders are used in prestressing operations for the stressing of single and multi-strand systems. Many, including the 900 tonne jack, are equipped with hydraulic nose cones which, after the cylinder’s initial extension, push the locking wedges in place mechanically while the cylinder retracts then extends again to repeat the operation as many times as necessary for the job in hand.

Depending on the client requirements, multi-strand stressing heads of any configuration can be supplied. Stressing cylinders are tested for both safety and function and can be calibrated for the stressing load required.  
Because of the widely differing requirements of different projects and customers, Enerpac stressing cylinders are typically customized to individual requirements, with adaptations in this case being undertaken in New Zealand by Jonel Hydraulics to save time and simplify setup.J

onel Hydraulics Enerpac Product Manager George Pavletich says Jonels supplied and fitted inner guide tubes for the high tensile strand to pass through – “This shortens set up time by a considerable amount before the stress is applied. It means there is no need to manually line up the strand to the wedge head assemblies.

“We also modified the cylinder’s wedge plate and fixed it to the ram, which means everything is in place to make it quick and simply to perform the task.” An anti-rotational guide was also fitted which stops the ram from rotating during the extending process.  Jonel Hydraulics also supplied and fitted Enerpac high flow couplings and adaptors to suit the customer’s pump.

 

Jackson’s innovative Enerpac test rig suddenly simulates 20G crash forces for vehicle seat manufacturing safety

August 2008

If one of Jackson Enterprises’ customers is unfortunate enough to run their vehicle into a brick wall at 100 kph, they may well have good reason to be thankful to Enerpac hydraulic technology.

Because the New Zealand van seating and interior specialist – which is involved in the conversion of standard vans into specialist passenger transport vehicles – has put a premium on safety by designing its own test rig that can suddenly impose more than three tons of force when trialling seat structure and seat belt anchoring points.

Forces such as this translate into more than 20G – or 20 times the force of gravity.

“There was no such test in New Zealand so we made our own test rig,” said Managing Director Peter Jackson. “The only other option was to send each conversion to Australia for testing.”

“We wanted to impose 2250kg at the occupant centre of gravity and about 500kg at the seat frame centre of gravity. The ram load would be required to reach a peak of as high as 3100kg within between 0.5 seconds and 1.0 seconds and maintain it for a minimum of one second,” said Mr Jackson,  who called in hydraulic  specialist and Enerpac distributor Jonel Hydraulics to assist with the project.

“We convert a lot of vehicles – Toyota HiAce, Mazda E2000, Nissans, Ford Transits, VWs, Mercedes Vito – so we wanted it to be versatile and accurate. Not only do we do minibus vehicles such as airport buses, but also we do major conversions on wheelchair vehicles for the disabled, so safety is always at a premium.

“In the interests of our customers, we also wanted to ensure the seats and mountings were properly engineered – neither under-engineered, leading to failure, nor over-engineered, leading to excess weight , complexity and cost.”

Working with Jonel Hydraulics Enerpac Product Manager Mr George Pavletich, Jackson Enterprises engineered a test rig incorporating  a rugged 1.12 kW Enerpac ZE4 electric pump of a type typically subjected to heavy service demands around factories and mine sites. This was coupled to an accumulator through a manifold and controlled via cartridge valves so that a surge of force could be delivered to the two high force cylinders  especially designed by Jonel Hydraulics for this task of simulating about 20G of force. The control system had to be able to accommodate pressure and load while accommodating a travel of 300mm during the test (assuming no outright failure).

“We deal with a lot of seat types from Europe and Asia, so it is very useful to have this tool on site so we can do a wide range of our own tests. George worked on it progressively with us to build up its versatility to achieve our test objectives and ensure the right engineering and optimum safety for our customers. It wasn’t a straightforward job, and it required someone with the technical knowledge and the commitment to our operations to understand what we wanted and to translate that into reality. Jonels did this very well – the rig is becoming very versatile in service.”

Jackson Enterprises Limited can be contacted on 64-9-274 4427. The company has specialised since 1979 in the supply of van interior conversions for Minibuses – including standard and wheelchair accessible, commercial and trade person’s vehicles. Compliance with safety regulations is overseen by an Independent Registered Engineer. This ensures work complies with New Zealand Safety Standards. Jackson Enterprises is committed to continuous improvement of products and standards and is accredited to the internationally recognised quality standard Telarc registered Q-Base. The company is a member of the Bus and Coach Association and VANZ Group.

 

Quick-off-the-mark innovator Jonel Hydraulics makes an impression on the world stage

June 2008

One of New Zealand’s foremost hydraulic service groups has been praised by the international Enerpac extreme force tools organisation as a model of service, followup and professionalism. Jonel Hydraulics Ltd has grown its reputation, resources and skills to be truly world class in its attitudes and expertise, says Enerpac, which operates in more than 30 countries and it the world’s leading producer of extreme force tools.

“Jonel Hydraulics has earned the respect of its growing customer base by combining good old-fashioned service and followup with leading edge technology and training. We don’t entrust our brand lightly to any group and we are pleased to say Jonel Hydraulics has repaid our confidence,” says Enerpac’s Australasian Sales and Marketing Manager Tony Brooks. Jonel Hydraulics is Enerpac’s only authorised Service Agency in the North Island.

“We do pride ourselves in being quick off the mark – we have a rule in the service centre that when someone comes in, they must be attended to within 30 seconds,” says Jonel Hydraulics Director Rob Sweet, who, with fellow Director Suren Surendran, has instilled a culture of initiative throughout the company.

“Our company mantra is Service Service Service.  Ninety percent of our business comes from repeat customers and word of mouth recommendations, so the message is out there. 

“The things that we focus on to stand out from the crowd are rapid turnaround times to meet clients’ operational demands as well as development of specialist in-house technical expertise for top performance. 

“With Enerpac, we combine their global expertise with our local experience and support to provide superior tooling solutions. Enerpac are undisputed market leaders in their fields of high pressure, 700 bar, hydraulic technology, an area where they have been a respected brand in Australasia for 50 years. And they are vigorously expanding the brand with new generation safety-oriented, energy saving and labour-saving technologies, including lifting, pumping, fastening and maintenance tools.

“We complement that leadership with more than 25 years experience of our own, which really makes a difference for customers. Our capabilities include cylinder repair, cylinder manufacture, hydraulic tooling repairs and sales, hydraulic repairs, as well as custom design, manufacture and installation. We invest strongly in the skills in our team of 20 staff and management.

“Because of the expertise we have built up, Jonel is increasingly sought out by customers with projects who require custom or specialist applications built with hydraulic tools/cylinders and pumps. Our Enerpac Product Manager George Pavletich actually relishes the challenge of achieving something that is too difficult for others.

“He rolls up his sleeves and climbs into the business with his customers, who really appreciate the commitment. George has made a big impression right across the many different industries for which we work, including construction, civil, marine, aviation, transport and logistics. We are very conveniently located in East Tamaki, the fastest growing industrial area in New Zealand, with clients stretching from Northland to Southland. In addition to Enerpac, we handle complementary internationally respected brands such as Klauke, Eaton and Macnaught, which gives us an excellent breadth of expertise and global backing.”

Jonel Hydraulics started in 1983, with hydraulic cylinder repair and design and is now one of the largest full-house repair facilities in New Zealand. The company is proud to be a 100 per cent New Zealand owned and operated, with expert staff knowledge has been built up over many years.  Its large and spacious fully equipped workshop is purpose built for hydraulic servicing and manufacture.  Jonel Hydraulics services include workshop and mobile servicing of hydraulic equipment, supply and remanufacture of hydraulic cylinders and other tools, honing, hose repairs and assistance with all aspects of specifying and design of hydraulic systems.  
 

 

Southpac’s truck maintenance efficiency initiative also pays a handsome safety bonus

May 2008

A New Zealand truck service provider has cut the time taken for a major engine overhaul operation by using versatile high-precision hydraulic technology in place of a conventional manual piston liner extractor. Southpac Trucks - which prides itself on cost-effective solutions for transport operators - has also achieved major safety benefits by developing an extractor rig incorporating an Enerpac RCH 306 30-ton hollow plunger cylinder from Jonel Hydraulics.

The job has been simplified from a two-man task to a task that can be readily handled by one person and, as a result of its success,  Southpac Trucks has introduced further hydraulic innovations that cut vehicle maintenance downtime for its customers.

Enerpac’s compact but extremely powerful 700 bar RCH cylinder range, in capacities from 13-95 tons, is especially designed for testing, maintenance and tensioning applications, with the cylinders’ hollow plunger design allowing for both pull and push forces over strokes from 8-155mm.

The RCH 306 cylinder used in the extractor specified by Jonel Hydraulic’s Enerpac Product Manager Mr George Pavletich replaces a screw extractor previously employed with the extractor frame used to draw the liners from DAF trucks.

During extraction of the liners, the rod of the RCH cylinder extends down through the frame to tools fabricated by Jonels for different liner sizes.  With these tools locked onto the liners and rod, the cylinder is actuated by an Enerpac Turbo Pump, which uses its own exhaust air to help boost pump performance while lowering air consumption and operating costs. Using the RCH’s 155mm stroke, the liner is powerfully and precisely extracted in several stages in a simple, one-man operation.

“We have  significantly reduced the time that the job used to take using manual methods,” says Southpac Trucks Assistant Service Manager John Jones. “This method is much safer as well – it is no longer a two-person activity, the constant withdraw of the cylinder liner ensures no damage to the block and it can not cock over, causing seizure. Southpac is very safety conscious and efficiency aware and was actively seeking ways to make the job easier and quicker. We demonstrated to Jonels what we wanted to achieve and worked with them to produce this tool, which functions very precisely and reliably.

“We were so impressed that we subsequently got another Enerpac cylinder to draw spring bushes from most makes of trucks and trailers we repair, including our PACCAR range of vehicles.

“Replacement of spring bushes used to be quite a time- intensive operation that involving dropping the axles down to get at the area we needed to. Now we can do the job with the springs still in place on the axles and it is much simpler,” he said. “This reduces the down time for our customers”.

Southpac Trucks (www.southpactrucks.co.nz) has branches in Auckland, Rotorua and Christchurch, with a total of 21 independent Parts and Service Dealers making up its ALLRIG Parts and Service network that supports the PACCAR brands, providing a 24-hour breakdown service accessed with a single freephone number. Each ALLRIG dealer has personnel on permanent standby New Zealand wide 24/7.

 

Actuant Acquires Templeton, Kenly & Co

Milwaukee (Business Wire) 13 September 2007

Actuant Corporation (NYSE:ATU) announced today that it has acquired Templeton, Kenly & Co, Inc. ("TK") for approximately $48 million in cash. Funding for the completed transaction came from the Company's revolving credit facility.

Headquartered in Broadview, Illinois, TK produces hydraulic pumps and tools, mechanical jacks, wrenches, and actuators. Its products are sold under well established brand names including Simplex, Uni-Lift, and Pow'r-Riser. TK generated approximately $33 million in sales in the last year, and has approximately 120 employees.

TK will operate within Actuant's Industrial Segment, which includes Enerpac. Mark Goldstein, Chief Operating Officer of Actuant, stated: "TK is a great addition to our global industrial platform. Their leading positions in the mechanical jack product line and the railroad end market represent attractive market extensions for Actuant, and we are excited about the prospects for utilizing our global distribution network to accelerate the sales of these products. In addition, TK's hydraulic pumps and tools are an excellent complement to our Enerpac product line. TK President Tom Danza and his management team have been successful in creating a growth platform, and we look forward to them joining the Actuant team."

 

 

Back issues of Hydraulic News
Click to read
Click to read
Jonel Hydraulics has over 25 years experience in RAM Reconditioning and Cylinder Repairs. We can also help with Industrial Tooling Sales, Hire and Advice; Mobile Services and Custom Builds.
Contact Jonel Hydraulics by email on sales@jonel.co.nz or phone +64 9 274 9296