10 Ton QDX Bridge Crane to Steel Mills in Bangladesh

Discover how the 10 Ton QDX Bridge Crane is transforming steel mills in Bangladesh. Boost efficiency and safety in your operations today!

In Bangladesh, steel production has grown steadily over the past decade. In steel manufacturing, material handling covers the movement of raw materials (iron ore, scrap), transfer of hot billets from furnace to rolling mill, handling of steel coils, and storage of finished products. Overhead cranes are central to these workflows. For tasks such as loading raw materials into a furnace, positioning billets under rolling mills, and stacking finished bundles, the cranes must meet high capacity, durability, and safety requirements. In large‐scale mills, even minor crane downtime can delay production by hours, increasing costs significantly. This case study examines how supplying a 10T Double Girder QDX overhead crane to a major steel mill addressed critical operational needs.

Customer Profile and Requirements

The customer The customer operates a modern re‐rolling mill in Chattogram. The facility processes scrap metal and imported billets into rebars, angles, and channels for the construction and manufacturing markets. To remain competitive amid rising local demand, the mill sought to upgrade its material handling infrastructure.

Customer's Operational Needs

Before procuring the QDX crane, the mill relied on aging single‐girder cranes and mobile forklifts for heavy lifting. Their key needs included:

Increased Lifting Capacity: Existing cranes had capacities of 5–8 tonnes, insufficient for handling 10+ tonne bundles of steel coils and compacted scrap.
High‐Duty Operation: The mill operates two shifts, 5 days a week. Equipment must support continuous duty cycles without frequent maintenance.
Precise Load Positioning: Rolling and cutting processes require accurate placement of billets and coils within +/- 50 mm. Poor placement led to rework and production interruptions.
Safety Compliance: Bangladesh's safety regulations mandate routine inspections and overhead crane safety systems to prevent load drops and collisions (e.g., overload protection and anti‐collision sensors).
Energy Efficiency: Rising energy costs pushed the mill to seek cranes with regenerative braking, efficient motors, and minimal power consumption.

By addressing these requirements, the mill aimed to reduce unplanned downtime, improve throughput, and enhance worker safety.

Challenges Faced Before Adopting 10T Double Girder QDX Cranes

1. Limited Load Capacity

Prior to adopting our solution, the customer's largest crane could handle 8 tonnes at its maximum span. Yet, steel coil packages frequently weighed 9–12 tonnes. To lift heavier loads, the mill used tandem lifts with two cranes. Tandem operations required precise synchronization and increased the risk of load tipping. Misalignment between cranes caused material damage in 15% of handling cycles.

2. Frequent Equipment Failures

Aging crane components, progressively worn transmission gears, and long-lived wire ropes and braking systems caused the customer's crane to break down every time it was in operation. Each breakdown required hours of repairs, leaving the plant with costly repairs.

3. Safety Incidents

The customer's steel mill has been in operation for many years, and some of the lifting equipment has been in use for many years. In 2024, one of the cranes had a faulty braking system, and the load slipped during handling. Even though they reacted quickly at the time and failed to bring about major losses, it had a major impact on their production. A full crane inspection and operator retraining is required for any safety incident under Department of Industry guidelines, which has slowed their production schedule somewhat. If such accidents happen one after another, it will surely cause them great losses.

4. Inefficient Maintenance

Maintenance costs rose as older cranes required more frequent replacement parts. The facility's maintenance budget allocated 18% of its annual operating costs to crane upkeep. Despite this, reactive maintenance—waiting for breakdowns before repairing—added unneeded risk and costs. Predictive maintenance was impossible with the existing equipment due to the lack of integrated condition monitoring.

5. Limited Span and Height

Certain critical tasks, such as transferring billets from the 10‐meter‐long furnace to the rolling mill, needed a hoist span of at least 12 meters and a hook height over 8 meters. The existing cranes lacked the required span and headroom. Operators resorted to manual repositioning of steel holders on trucks, adding 10–15 minutes per transfer, reducing overall throughput by 5%.

Product Design: 10T Double Girder QDX Overhead Crane

The 10 t Double Girder QDX crane is engineered for heavy‐duty, high‐cycle environments. Its dual‐girder bridge and advanced controls deliver precise, reliable performance across long spans and frequent lifts. Below are its core design features:

Core Design Features

The 10T Double Girder QDX overhead crane was selected for its suitability to heavy and continuous operations:

Double Girder Construction: Two parallel steel girders span the runway, cutting beam deflection under full 10 t loads. This setup works best on spans above 10 m, where single‐girder systems might bend excessively. The dual‐girder design also raises the hook approach, letting you reach higher lift heights without bumping into the bridge.
High‐Performance Hoist Mechanism: The hoist uses a geared motor coupled to an electromagnetic drum brake for smooth starts and stops under heavy cycles. It runs wire rope (Ø 16 mm, tensile strength 1960 N/mm²) that meets DIN standards. Built for up to 10 000 lifts per year, it resists overheating during frequent operation.
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD): VFD units control both bridge and trolley motors. They ramp voltage to eliminate jolts on start and stop, holding positioning within ± 25 mm. By cutting inrush current by 30 %, they lower stress on the power grid. Overall energy use drops by about 12 % compared to across‐the‐line starters.
Integrated Safety Systems: Load sensors on the hoist output shaft monitor weight in real time and cut power if the hook overloads. Infrared collision sensors on the bridge and end trucks detect nearby cranes or obstacles to prevent impacts. Emergency‐stop buttons sit in the cabin and on the remote pendant for instant shutdown.
Operator Cabin and Remote Control: The crane offers an optional climate‐controlled cabin with tempered glass panels for 360° visibility. Inside, the operator has ergonomic seating and clear sightlines. A fail-safe radio remote allows ground staff to position loads from outside the cabin, improving communication during critical lifts.
Robust End Trucks and Wheels: Forged steel wheels are heat treated for wear resistance and rated for 150 000 cycles. Double‐flanged wheels on the trolley end trucks lock onto the rails to prevent derailment. Precision bearings keep the crane running smoothly under heavy loads and frequent starts.
Modular Bridge Structure: Girders are built from Q345B steel plates welded into box sections. The modular design breaks down into manageable sections for transport. On‐site assembly uses bolted splice plates, making future expansions or replacements straightforward.
Lighting and Ergonomics: LED floodlights mount below the trolley to illuminate the load path and hoist area. The cabin includes an adjustable seat, HVAC controls, and sound-dampening panels to reduce operator fatigue and maintain focus during long shifts.

Design Customization for Steel Mill

The QDX crane was tailored to the mill's layout:

Span and Headroom: The crane was designed for a 14‐meter span and a 10‐meter hook lift height, meeting the requirement for transferring billets across the furnace and rolling mill.
Duty Classification: Rated for M6 service per FEM standards (moderately heavy duty). This classification supports 4,000 starts per year and daily operation cycles without overheating risks.
Corrosion Protection: In the hot, dusty environment of a steel mill, bridge girders and end trucks were coated with an epoxy primer and polyurethane topcoat, resistant to temperatures up to 120°C.
Noise Reduction: Noise levels of the hoist motor and gearboxes were managed with sound‐insulating enclosures to keep crane noise below 75 dB(A) at 5 meters, aligning with local norms.

Advantages of the 10T Double Girder QDX Crane

1. Increased Productivity

By replacing tandem lifts of 8‐ton cranes with a single 10T crane, the mill reduced material transfer time by 30%. Precise load positioning within +/- 25 mm shortened coil loading cycles from 4 minutes to 2.5 minutes per bundle.

2. Enhanced Safety

Integrated load sensors and anti‐collision systems eliminated overload and collision risks. According to Bangladesh's Occupational Safety and Health regulations, such safety measures minimize the possibility of injuring personnel under suspended loads.

3. Reduced Downtime

With a duty rating of M6 and VFD control, the crane operates 16 hours daily without overheating. Scheduled maintenance intervals extended from 500 to 1,000 operating hours. Based on industry data, predictive maintenance on modern cranes can cut downtime by up to 35%. The mill's monthly crane maintenance hours fell from 40 hours to 18 hours, freeing maintenance staff to focus on other equipment.

4. Energy Efficiency

VFD drives reduced power consumption by 12% compared to the previously installed star‐delta starters. Regenerative braking feeds energy back into the facility's low‐voltage network during deceleration phases, leading to annual energy savings of about 8,500 kWh. At an electricity rate of $0.10 per kWh, this saved $850 in energy costs per crane annually.

5. Improved Ergonomics

The operator cabin's 360° visibility cut the need for extra spotters by 40%. Operators reported lower fatigue due to an adjustable seat, climate control, and joystick controls.

6. Simplified Maintenance

Critical components such as gearboxes, motors, and brakes follow standardized designs. Spare parts are interchangeable across QDX units, reducing spare inventory by 15%. An online PLC‐based monitoring system tracks motor winding temperatures and gear oil condition. Maintenance teams receive alerts 48 hours before a parameter exceeds safe limits, enabling planned downtime rather than emergency repairs.

Project Implementation and Deployment

Pre‐Installation Survey and Planning

A joint team of mill engineers and our technical staff conducted a detailed site survey in August 2024. This included:

Measuring existing runway beam conditions, rail alignments, and clearances.
Verifying power supply: 400V, 50Hz, 3-phase, 200A dedicated line.
Inspecting the furnace building's concrete support and load capacities.
Reviewing workflow patterns to determine optimal crane stop locations and pendant cable routing.

Using these data, our engineering team designed the foundation blocks for runway beams and calculated rail alignment tolerances (±3 mm over 14 m span).

Fabrication and Quality Control

Bridge girders were fabricated in our ISO 9001‐certified workshop. Each girder passed ultrasonic testing to detect internal weld defects. Dimensions conformed to a tolerance of ±1 mm. Components were shipped in December 2024 to the port at Chattogram. Pre‐assembly checks involved:

Verifying hoist motor alignment with drum shaft within ±0.1 mm.
Distribution of load sensors calibrated on a certified test bed (calibrated traceable to a national standard).
High‐strength bolts torqued to 90 Nm for end truck connections.

Installation and Commissioning

On‐site assembly began in January 2025. Key steps included:

Runway Alignment: Rail sections were welded to existing runway beams. Level and alignment checked with a laser tracker, ensuring horizontal deviation within 2 mm.
Girder Erection: Mobile hydraulic jacks lifted girders onto end trucks. Wheels were shimmed to maintain a 5,600 mm wheelbase.
Hoist Assembly: The hoist unit was bolted to the trolley frame, followed by rope reeving and tension adjustment. Limit switches were set to stop the hoist at a height of 10 m from the rail top.
Electrical Wiring: Power cables, control cables, and grounding conductors were routed in cable trays. VFDs were installed in dustproof enclosures; drive parameters configured for acceleration time of 1.5 s and deceleration of 1.3 s.
Safety System Calibration: Load sensors were tested with calibrated test weights. Anti‐collision sensors tested using a moving target to ensure a stop distance of 50 cm.
Operator Training: Engineers conducted a two‐day training workshop. Topics included safe crane operation, load chart interpretation, basic troubleshooting, and on‐site emergency protocols.

By February 2025, the crane was fully commissioned. Initial load tests at 125% of 10T capacity verified structural rigidity. All test records were documented and certified by the Bangladesh Bureau of Industry Quality Control.

Operational Outcomes

Increased Throughput

In the first quarter of 2025, the mill's net output increased by 6%. The crane's ability to handle 10T loads in single lifts reduced coil handling cycles.

Enhanced Safety Record

Since QDX crane deployment, there have been no safety incidents related to overhead lifting. According to the operator, since the new crane was installed, he is more at ease when operating the crane.

Additional Applications for 10T Double Girder QDX Cranes

While steel mills represent a heavy‐industry use case, the 10T Double Girder QDX crane can be applied across multiple sectors:

1. Shipyards and Marine Workshops

In shipbuilding, 10T cranes can handle prefabricated hull sections, engine components, and heavy spares. The double girder design supports long spans up to 20 meters, essential in large assembly bays. VFD control allows smooth movement essential when precise placement of engine parts is required.

2. Manufacturing and Assembly Lines

Automotive plants require cranes that lift engine blocks, transmission systems, and chassis subassemblies. A 10T double girder crane integrates easily with just‐in‐time (JIT) production, transferring heavy components between stations. Anti‐collision systems allow multiple cranes to operate in parallel.

3. Power Generation Facilities

In power plants—especially thermal and hydroelectric—cranes are needed to install and maintain turbines, generators, and boiler sections. Double girder cranes with high headroom provide clearance to position large equipment. Corrosion‐resistant coatings protect components in humid or corrosive environments.

4. Chemical and Petrochemical Plants

Heavy reactors, heat exchangers, and large valves often exceed 8 tonnes. Using a 10T crane ensures a single‐lift solution rather than requiring sky hoists or rental mobile cranes. Explosion‐proof electrical components can be integrated for use in hazardous zones.

5. Steel Service Centers and Coil Yards

Beyond integrated steel mills, service centers that cut, slit, and recoils steel sheets need reliable cranes. Handling of processed coil packages up to 12 tonnes requires minimal deflection and precise placement on processing lines. Overhead cranes can be configured with coil tongs or lifting beams for flexible handling.

6. Construction Material Handling

In precast concrete factories, handling of finished precast beams and panels up to 10 tonnes benefits from double girder cranes. The crane spans over multiple production bays, enabling cross‐flow of materials between casting area, curing beds, and storage. Heavy precast units require sturdy crane girders to minimize sway.

7. Heavy Equipment Maintenance Workshops

Maintenance of earthmoving machinery—bulldozers, excavators, cranes—often involves removing engines or large modules weighing up to 10 tonnes. A double girder crane with integrated hoist reduces the need for external lifting equipment and speeds up repair cycles. Overhead coverage in the workshop ensures optimal floor space usage.

8. Mining Facilities

In underground mining workshops or processing facilities, lifting of conveyor motors, gearboxes, and crusher components up to 10 tonnes demands robust cranes. Double girder design supports high hook speeds required to minimize cycle times. VFD control assists in smooth starts, reducing shock loads on machinery.