Efficient Rigging and Equipment Setup: Planning and Collaboration

R. Baker & Son was contacted by a large mechanical contractor with whom we have worked in the past and who works in the New Jersey-Philadelphia area. They had a large renovation project that included a 14,000-square-foot mechanical/electrical penthouse area on the roof and an additional boiler room on the lower level.

The challenge was to rig, set, and assemble two complete mechanical rooms of equipment in a three-week time span. Two 5,000 HP high-pressure steam boilers with economizers and an associated deaerator were to be installed in the lower-level boiler room, as well as a 5,500-gallon waste neutralization system and two large Atlas Copco air compressor systems with redundant air dryers. All were shipped in multiple sections and required assembly. 

The roof penthouse mechanical room had four custom air handlers: two 40,000 CFM and two 30,000 CFM that came in multiple sections, along with two large energy recovery units and several large exhaust fans, as well as several hot water heat exchangers and pump skids.

A 130-ton crane was used to rig the equipment into the first-floor mechanical room as well as the roof penthouse, which was set back considerably. We also used one heavy-duty forklift and two smaller forklifts within the mechanical spaces.

The mechanical contractor and R. Baker & Son worked in close collaboration on the project, thoroughly reviewing the rigging plan before the project commenced. BIM software was used to lay out and mark where all the equipment was to be set. The contractor's assistance in determining the rigging sequence of the equipment upon its arrival on flatbed trucks was invaluable. Their exceptional effort not only saved a significant amount of time but also facilitated the seamless rigging, setting, and assembly of all the mechanical equipment, including numerous steam and hot water manifolds that the contractor had prefabricated at their shop.

With the collaborative efforts of both companies and a meticulously detailed plan, the three-week timeline proved to be more than sufficient to rig, set, and assemble all of the equipment. Additionally, we successfully installed many of the contractor's piping systems, electrical gear, motor control centers, a small substation and transformer, the outdoor air intake plenum, and associated louvers for the sheet metal contractor.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE), in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in six sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities of over $20 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
190 Boundary Road
Marlboro, NJ 07746
732-222-3553

https://www.rbaker.com/