The Complete Demolition 
Solution to Every Project.

777 Group has recently completed the demolition of 5 giant silos located on the southern bank of the River Thames.

The silos formed part of Syral Europe’s sugar factory in Greenwich and their demise was part of an ongoing project which will see the entire facility demolished. Whilst a majority of the structures on site presented few difficulties for standard demolition equipment, removing the 5 silos, which had been used to store the wheat unloaded from ships, posed more of a challenge. Located on the banks of the River Thames and a public footpath, the silos were due to be felled by controlled explosion. However, this method was eventually ruled out due to a number of external circumstances and the decision was taken to demolish the structures using super-long reach machines.

777 Group dispatched its two tallest reaching demolition rigs to undertake the operation. Both machines are Hitachi EX1200s, complete with extending track frames, telescopic booms and multiprocessor attachments. Daryl Pearce, 777 Group’s Business Development Manager explained the reason for using two of the UK’s largest demolition machines to undertake the project, “We were contacted by Syral directly who were keen to demolish the concrete silos in safe and expeditious manner. The safety of people using the Thames along with those working at the Syral facility was paramount. Further to this, the public footpath could only be closed for a limited period of time and the entire undertaking had to be completed without impinging on the rest of the work going on at the site. Because of these factors we elected to employ our super-long reach Hitachis”.

Both 777 Group’s EX1200s were purchased by the company from Kocurek with the first machine delivered in 2003 and the second machine arriving in 2007. The 2003 EX1200 is capable of lifting a 2-tonne attachment to a height of 50m, whilst the later model can exceed that pin height by 11m. The machines utilised a Kinshofer MQP25 rotating attachment to assist with breaking out the silos’ reinforced concrete structure. The operation was the first time 777 Group had operated a Kinshofer attachment on its super long reach machines, with the specialist tool provided by Kinshofer dealer BPH Attachment Rental and Sales. Boasting a jaw width of 785mm the MQP25 can apply a closing force of 750kN, which proved more than sufficient to decimate the silos’ 300mm walls. “BPH have worked closely with us to ensure we utilised the right attachment for this project. When operating at ultra high levels it’s important to ensure the tool being used at the end of the machine has the best combination of power and weight. So far, BPH’s assistance and the Kinshofer attachment have been very helpful in bringing these structures down safely and expeditiously”, remarked Daryl.

Challenges

• The close proximity of a live workplace
• The close proximity of active towpath / river frontage
• Silo supporting structure forming ‘pontoon‘ into River Thames
• Limited closure time for towpath

How we made a difference

777 Group utilised cutting-edge machinery and plant to execute a swift take-down, with minimal disruption to the working refinery and minimising disruption to members of the public utilising the river towpath.