A 75%※1 reduction in the number of workers necessary! Contributing to the reduction of necessary labor, the shortening of the time necessary to accomplish the work, and improving safety

JFE Engineering and Nisso Industries have developed the Umbrella Deck, a new expansion scaffold that is expected to be used widely in the construction industry.
The new scaffold consists of small parts, which are carried into buildings using openings on the roof of the structure and then assembled. The scaffold is raised and lowered electrically. This product can be set up more safely and quickly than other solutions.

Conventionally, tube and coupler scaffolding is set up for maintenance work at Waste-to-energy (WtE) plants and similar facilities because maintenance involves a lot of work in high places. Setting up tube and coupler scaffolding involves many workers handling long pipes and other parts by in small spaces, which means there is a high risk of accidents. In addition, the quality of assembled scaffold is not equal. It varies according to the skills of the workers. This also causes variations in the level of safety. Additionally, it takes a long time for the scaffolding to be assembled and disassembled, which has been a cause of prolonged shutdowns at facilities. To solve these issues, the two companies have developed the new expansion scaffolding, the first of its kind in Japan. The new scaffold can be quickly set up by a small number of workers, and it can be used more safely with greater peace of mind.

In a demonstration test conducted using Umbrella Deck, scaffolding work inside a boiler, which previously required four days and eight workers, was completed in two days by four workers. This is a 75% reduction of labor and a two-day reduction of the work period. The scaffold is a system product to be assembled. Therefore, it is always safe, regardless of the skill level of the workers who set it up.

Presently, preparations are under way to commercialize the Umbrella Deck. Moving forward, the companies will expand its applications to WtE plants, a range of boilers, storage tanks including silos and plant equipment and structure construction and maintenance sites.

By introducing the new scaffold, the two companies will proactively help increase safety, reduce the labor necessary, and improve productivity on construction sites.