ABUS cranes at an established company for glass products in France
“Miroiterie Righetti” (www.miroiterie.fr) is the oldest glass processing company in Lorraine, in northeast France. This family business was founded in 1835 by Charles Righetti and has remained under the management of the founder family until this day. 20 staff are employed by the company at present.
The year 2011 saw Miroiterie Righetti move into a new building with a floor area of 3,000 m² in Ludres, just south of Nancy. The company offers a wide range of glass products for specialists as well as for private consumers; they are also engaged in glass cutting and customisation, glass processing and machining, and the production of laminated glass. Products include for example furniture, staircases, partition walls, banisters, kitchen glass splashbacks, and doors, as well as special products such as borosilicate glass, lead glass for medical applications, safety glass, and glazing for heat and sound insulation. Laminated glasses with extensive inlays are another example of their specialties.
New or replacement glass panes installed by Miroiterie Righetti may reach sizes of up to 6,000 by 3,210 mm. All products are customised in the production and made to order. Staff are assisted by state-of-the-art machinery satisfying all safety requirements and enabling maximum precision when processing very large glass panes.
Miroiterie Righetti makes use of different kinds of ABUS cranes for the transport of their glass products and panes. They operate 3 single girder cranes of the ELK type with load capacities of 3.2 tonnes and spans of 19.6 metres. The ELK crane is one of the most commonly used cranes for small and medium load ranges. Favourable dimensions allow simultaneously for highest hook positions and minimal trolley approach dimensions. On the second level Miroiterie Righetti use a jib crane of the LS type and an HB system of the EHB-X type for their material flow. The pillar jib crane features a SWL of 400 kg and a jib arm length of 5 meters. A slewing radius of 270° makes it the ideal workplace crane in the lower load range when loads are to be moved effectively and precisely with the smooth-running jib arm. The HB system, too, is designed for the lower load range with a load capacity of 1 tonne. The loads are moved along a track length of 15 metres in the production bay. The crane type EHB-X is characterised by a particularly low installation height. The crane itself is stooled-up, i.e. it does not travel underneath the crane tracks but between the tracks which results in optimal use of the available room height.
On the one hand glass is a very hard material with manifold applications, yet on the other hand it is quite a delicate material to transport if it comes in the shape of large glass panes. Thus Miroiterie Righetti uses vacuum operator units for the safe transport of their products.
ABUS Levage France has a special relationship with Miroiterie Righetti: this company is only a few metres away and in the immediate neighbourhood of the headquarters of the French daughter company of ABUS.
