Wellman Booth Go Above and Beyond in Snowdonia

Wellman Booth continues to lead the field in high integrity and demanding process crane technology. Time and time again, their expertise and technology has performed exceptionally in hostile and exacting environments; and with many high profile projects under their belt it’s no wonder that the Wellman Booth name has become synonymous with innovation, reliability and bespoke solutions that go above and beyond the call of duty.

From humble beginnings in Rodley around 1840, when three local quarry millwrights, Jeremiah Booth, David Smith and Jeremiah Balmforth built a hand operated rail crane, Wellman Booth have forged a name and reputation revered around the globe.

A typical example of our expertise is demonstrated in the part we are playing in the decommissioning of the nuclear power plant at Trawsfynydd in the mountains of Snowdonia. Built in the late 1950s/early 1960s, Trawsfynydd generated electricity for 26 years before it reached the end of its service life in 1991. The power station is unique in that it was built in a National Park, adjacent to a man-made lake which was originally built to supply water for Maentwrog hydro-electric power station between 1924 and 1928 and which provided cooling water when the nuclear power plant became operational in 1965.

Initially winning the tender to offer design and consultancy services for the mechanical handling equipment, Wellman Booth’s reputation as a market leading manufacturer in the nuclear industry meant that little more than 18 months later they had also won the contract to manufacture all of the permanent cranes and associated equipment that would be required for the safe storage of the Intermediate Level Waste that would be produced during the decommissioning of this unique power station.

Manufacture of two 45Te SWL EOT Store Cranes, eight Drum Stillages, one personnel access shield door, two through wall liners with plugs, three inspection turntable drive shafts and one viewing platform for the turntable operator began in March 2007. In any project, Wellman Booth are able to design and manufacture equipment to standards of safety and reliability that are inconceivable to most people, as well as meeting extremely tight deadlines due to the unique way our company is structured. As a division of The Clarke Chapman Group, a subsidiary of Langley Holdings PLC, they were able to utilise expertise from many areas within the Group.

Kevin Finnemore, Director of Wellman Booth elaborates: ‘Wellman Booth bring several unique qualities to the table on a project like this, not least that we’re able to keep the entire design process and the majority of the manufacturing activities process ‘in-house’. With an abundance of resources right across the Group at our disposal, we can market ourselves as world-leading specialists in materials handling with in-house manufacturing, assembly and test facilities – a proposition that’s irresistible to any company looking to deliver a project ahead of schedule and on budget, something that Wellman Booth achieved with the manufacture of equipment on the Trawsfynydd project.”

But in addition to offering a ‘one-stop-shop’ for the entire manufacturing and delivery process, Wellman Booth’s experience and specialist knowledge isn’t purely autonomous. “We’re more than happy to work as part of a team; integrating with a client’s engineers and other specialists on a wider scale to not only meet, but exceed, client expectations” added Kevin. This collaborative attitude has been a hallmark of this, and other, projects that Wellman Booth has been involved in globally.

To be at the heart of such an important, and high-profile, project just adds to Wellman Booth’s impressive legacy in the nuclear industry. Wellman Booth 45 tonne cranes will be depositing concrete over-packs and steel stillages of Intermediate Level Waste into a unit the size of a football pitch for long-term storage. The bulk of the waste produced at Trawsfynydd is debris of various materials not radioactive in themselves, but which were in prolonged contact with nuclear fuels. Wellman Booth are proud to be playing an integral part in a project that is committed to returning this site to the way it was before the plant was built in the early 1960s - but aside from the positive long-term environmental issues that decommissioning this site will have, the project is also having a positive effect on the local economy right now, having secured more employment in the area.

From the very beginning of the nuclear industry in the UK, Wellman Booth has been actively involved in the design and manufacture of craneage and equipment incorporated into some of the most sensitive nuclear processes - but what does the future hold? John Exon Managing Director of Clarke Chapman states “With one eye on our past successes, we forge ahead with unwavering commitment and ingenuity – but we’re not a company comfortable with looking backwards. The reason we’ve stayed at the forefront of advanced crane technology design, with the capability and experience to project manage from conception to completion, is due to our commitment in pushing the boundaries of technology to facilitate consistent evolution. It’s estimated that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authorities’ programme to decommission all the ageing nuclear power sites across the UK will take in excess of 100 years, Wellman Booth certainly plan to still be leading by example, standing proudly on the cutting edge. ”

About

WELLMAN BOOTH has an illustrious history dating back to 1840. Having been founded in an era of hand operated and steam powered cranes, the company were later at the cutting edge of advances in the internal combustion engine and crawler tracks for use on cranes and excavators; and later still, played an integral role in the development of the electric overhead travelling crane market.