Case Study - Balfour Beatty - Project Support

Understanding Needs
Speedy supports myth-busting restoration mission

It is a modern myth that painting the enormous steel structure of the Forth Bridge near Edinburgh is a never-ending job. This myth was shattered, though, when construction giant Balfour Beatty took on the project, setting a completion date of 2012.

The Challenge
No small task, the £74 million contract extension involves grit-blasting and then spray-painting every inch of the 6,600 feet-long, 350 feet-high structure without causing interference to the 190 trains that cross the bridge everyday. For the job to be completed on schedule, the maintenance teams are working in shifts, day and night.

The Solution
Speedy has supplied eight heavy duty compressors, each delivering 825 cubic feet of air per minute. To support the maintenance teams, Speedy is carrying out weekly usage checks on the equipment, to minimise delays resulting from breakdowns and ensure confidence in the reliability of the compressors. Speedy has also made sure that a qualified technician is available around the clock to provide support over the phone. Ken Brown, project manager at Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, said: "To deliver the job on schedule, we are operating at full capacity, and this means that it only takes one link in the chain to fail to cause knock-on delays. "By understanding the needs of the contract and working closely with our delivery team, Speedy has assisted us to keep the programme on schedule. "It has also proved invaluable to be able to have a knowledgeable contact on the phone at any time of the day or night, especially when two of the compressors are half way out to sea on the bridge."