MechChem Africa talks to Kate Bester, the contracts manager for Jet Demolition, about new equipment and methodologies being pioneered by the company for improved safety, reduced environmental impact, maximised material reuse and minimised site contamination.
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Established in 1994, Kate Bester says that Jet Demolition’s first project arose due to a sales pitch gone awry. “Our MD, Joe Brinkmann, had developed a range of shaped charges for blasting. But when he went to see some mining clients with the objective of selling charges and blasting services, he was informed that what they really wanted was someone to come in and take the entire plant away.
“So, after looking at what was required and making some plans, he decided to give it a go, putting us on the path towards the demolition specialist we are today,” she tells MechChem Africa.
“This first project was the industrial demolition of a plant on a mine and our expertise in this area has mushroomed ever since,” she continues. “We continuously develop new methods and add new techniques to our operations to keep up with local demand but also to ensure that we meet global requirements in terms of safety and the environment. There is a significant gap between what is acceptable locally and what is required internationally. We have decided that our business will be underpinned by the best of international standards and we steer everything we do towards this goal,” she adds.
Personnel safety, she says, is the overarching imperative, which can only be achieved by consistently using innovative techniques and focusing on mechanisation. “We keep people as far away as possible from potential harm by using modern mechanised equipment with specialised attachment and tools.
“Historically, demolition was seen as a wrecking ball and cutting torch profession, and while both of these are still needed, we do demolition differently. We strive to have as few people as possible in the demolition area by putting them inside more remotely operated machines. This significantly lowers risks and increases the safety profile of our projects,” Bester explains.
Dust control, environmental impact, contamination mitigations, recycling and the safe disposal of all materials, including potentially hazardous ones, are other essential responsibilities offered as part and parcel of Jet Demolition’s turnkey project offering.
“It’s a moving goal post, but we feel very strongly about all of these aspects and we are continuously looking for better ways of implementing demolition projects to world-class standards,” she says.
Unlike many demolitions companies, Jet Demolition started in steel and diversified into brick and mortar. “Today, we are well known as the heavy industrial demolition specialist. We come to mines, petrochemical plants, power stations and processing facilities to remove redundant sections, usually to make way for modernisation. When we come in it is seldom the ending of a plant’s life. We are often working inside a fully functional plant, getting rid of the old to make way for the new. This adds another dimension with respect to risk and safety. We often need to accommodate ongoing plant operations and new plant construction, so proper interaction is required so that we don’t shut down any of the services that are or will be needed.”
Modern equipment and methodology pioneered by Jet Demolition adds to the benefits of its turnkey approach. “We have mastered a cold-cutting technique that uses hydraulic shears attached to an excavator to cut the steel on plants being demolished. They work just like scissors but with an exceptionally high bite force from the 15 t shear, which can quicky cut through steel beams and sheets. This shear is able to piece 32 mm steel, and can accommodate up to 1.0 m sections in its jaw,” Bester informs MechChem Africa.
As well as the mechanisation aspect, the key advantage of this cutting technique is that it is flame-free, so it is much safer when it comes to flammable areas on chemical plants; refineries; and fuel, oil or lubricant storage tanks. “We do still use flame cutting in some areas, mostly in restricted spaces where it becomes impossible to get a machine close enough. We have a team of highly skilled and experienced flame cutting specialists who make sure the area is safe before lighting their cutting torches,” she notes.
Modern equipment coupled with high levels of expertise makes Jet Demolition’s services ideal for petrochemical demolition: oil and gas facilities, hexane plants, chemical plants, fuel tanks and storage facilities. “Our modern techniques also limit incidental contamination, which used to be almost unavoidable. If flame cutting, for example, all of the tanks and piping on a petrochemical site would have to be thoroughly purged before flame cutting could begin. If cold cutting using a hydraulic shear, decontamination can be completed after demolition.
“For the big petrochemical tanks, for example, we use the shear attachment as a giant can opener, removing sections of the shell and transporting them to suitable space for decontamination. As well as preventing fire, this avoids having to clean out the tank before dismantling it and ensures that contaminants can be properly be controlled and managed,” she says, adding that recycling the clean tank material, which is typically sold on to local foundries, also becomes easier.
“On quoting any project, we offset any expected recycling or scrap resale value. We take on the full responsibility, which takes away the logistical, theft and commercial risks from our clients. Sometimes we use clean building rubble to fill voids to rehabilitate a site, for soil stability or landscaping. We are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to save our clients money and reduce the burden on landfill,” Kate Bester assures MechChem Africa.
Heritage plants often have hazardous waste materials, and Jet Demolition has the competence and licences to dispose of these substances according to legislation and to the highest international standards. “We are at our best doing whole turnkey site rehabilitation management so that the demolition site is fully restored and made ideally suited to its future use,” she adds.
This proactive approach has resulted in the Jet Demolition completing over 100 projects for South Africa’s leading local petrochemical producer, as well as undertaking work in the mining, power and process industries across South Africa and the African continent. “We have worked throughout Africa: in Ghana, Guinea, Zambia, Zimbabwe and all the way up to Algeria.
“We believe that Africa is a magical place. It has many old and run down mines, so there is always a role for structural demolition work. In addition, international mining houses in Africa tend to have a very strong commitment to safety and the environment, so there are many opportunities out there for a company willing to diligently deliver to the standards required,” Bester advises.
Testament to Jet Demolition’s commitment to high delivery standards is its considerable success at the World Demolition Awards. “These awards are the highest international accolade in our industry. We started submitting entries in 2017 and have since won twice in the explosive category, once in the environmental and recycling category, and once in the heavy industrial category. And at last year’s 2020 Awards, we won the Global Best Demolition Project Award for the November 2019 Bank of Lisbon implosion in downtown Johannesburg.
“This success opens up more and more global collaboration opportunities with companies needing a local presence or seeking our expertise where they have a footprint, opportunities that we would not necessarily have heard about had we not been successful at the World Demolition Awards.
“While we are very proud to be one of South Africa’s globally recognised companies, we also know of many other companies in South Africa that are global leaders. South Africa and its industries have many positives to be proud of. By focusing on these and building our industries around them, we can become globally competitive and an important hub for African growth,” Bester concludes. q
