Liberty House Group gears up for green steel with new Liebherr material handler

  • Liberty House Group has host of initiatives to produce green steel in the UK
  • Company identified need for new non-standard material handler to process raw ingredients at Rotherham plant
  • Liebherr LH 120 gantry-mounted material handler added to material handling fleet after procurement process

One of the UK’s largest producers of speciality steels, Liberty House Group, is gearing up a pair of electric arc furnaces at its Rotherham plant to produce half a million tonnes of high quality end product. To cope with this increase in output and support the company’s bid to produce green steel in the UK, the Rotherham plant will need to process over 500,000 tonnes of incoming recyclable material. This operation requires a non-standard material handler and Liebherr was invited to take part in the procurement process, which resulted in Liberty House Group’s purchase of a new Liebherr LH 120 gantry-mounted material handler.

Formed in 1992 by Sanjeev Gupta when he was still at Cambridge University, Liberty House Group focused on trading in Africa and Asia before concentrating on the steel and metals industry. As a result of a series of UK industry acquisitions, Liberty House Group became one of the largest producers of speciality steels in the country with plants in England, Scotland and Wales. 

Among the acquisitions was Speciality Steels, which is predominantly based in South Yorkshire. The business supplies speciality steels worldwide and prides itself on delivering exceptionally high quality material suitable for use in the aerospace, engineering and automotive industries. Its Rotherham site is among the largest and has a pair of electric arc furnaces that are being geared up to produce half a million tonnes of high quality end product in various grades over the next few years.

To cope with this increase in output and to support Liberty House Group’s bid to produce green steel in the UK, the plant will need to process over 500,000 tonnes of incoming recyclable material that is fed into the plant in specific mixes depending on the type of material being produced.

The raw ingredients for each batch are loaded into a scrap basket before being tipped into the furnace. Each scrap bin weighs over 50 tonnes when empty, is loaded with over 100 tonnes of raw material, measures over 4 m in height and needs to be carried around on specially designed heavy-duty transporters. The company required a new material handler for this operation but this is not a ‘standard’ material handling task. 

Ryan Stancil is Mechanical Section Engineer at the Rotherham plant and was instrumental in the procurement process that led to a new Liebherr LH 120 gantry- mounted material handler being added to the on-site material handling fleet. ‘We have never had a Liebherr on our fleet before. I have always believed, and been told, that they are by far the best machines for this application but are extremely expensive. This cost has been prohibitive in the past, but we decided to give them an opportunity to be involved in the tender process along with the Group’s regular suppliers.’ 

Central requirements for the large material handler were its ability to reach the various grades of material along the loading area, the need for the operator to see inside the scrap bins (as careful layering of the material is required to provide a good material mix), longevity and low operating costs. Liebherr’s Area Sales Manager Carl Longhorne dealt with the initial enquiry before handing over to local Sales Manager Andy Foster and Materials Handling Specialist Mike Hanlon who were instrumental in delivering the required specification along with a very attractive package to seal the deal. ‘What we have purchased is probably the Rolls-Royce of material handling machines,’ Ryan said. ‘The overall package from Liebherr far outweighs that of the competition and coupled with the amazing build quality it has made us realise that we should have looked at Liebherr before.’

The LH 120 has been specified with a gantry-type undercarriage that lifts the body of the crane over 7 m from the ground. Support from a pair of 8.5 m long crawler frames riding on 750 mm wide pads gives the material handler an extremely stable stance. Access to the huge operator’s cab is via a network of galvanised and well-lit ladders and access platforms. ‘The cab is such a modern environment compared to our other material handlers,’ Ryan comments. ‘The layout is very good and the vision, thanks to the large glass screens, is also very good.’ To ensure the weight of the material loaded into each bin is accurate, a wireless load sensing system sends the exact weights from the basket to a screen inside the cab. The large upper structure is home to a Tier 3B Liebherr diesel engine and, thanks to the cavernous housing, allows easy access for maintenance and servicing.

The LH 120 is available with a variety of boom, dipper and attachment combinations. The Liberty House Group machine is equipped with a 26 m reach and a 1.5 m3 capacity TGS five-tine grab. The large working range enables the operator to reach the different grades and types of material along the loading bay with ease. The added height of the cab complete with its 2.5 m fixed riser gives the operator an almost 9 m sight line from the ground, making it easier to load the large scrap bins. Working quickly and effectively to load the bins in a variety of layers, the Liebherr’s smooth operation has impressed the management and operators alike. 

The material handler has been purchased with a comprehensive service arrangement from the manufacturer as Liberty House Group realises that it is the front-line loader when it comes to keeping its operations on track. ‘We had an issue with hose couplings early doors but have resolved this by doing away with quick couplers and routing the hose connections with a permanent coupler. Whilst this wasn’t Liebherr’s issue, it was something they looked at and helped us resolve. There have been some other minor issues that have been quickly resolved by the Liebherr service team in Sheffield with the crane running extremely well after bedding in.’

Associated Businesses

  • Liebherr-Great Britain Limited and Liebherr-Ireland are subsidiaries of Liebherr-International AG, providing national sales and after-sales product support for the Group's complete range of construction equipment throughout the UK and ...