Author: Anna Tossavainen

Helen is constructing a new heat pump plant in Eiranranta, Helsinki, to produce carbon-neutral district heating and cooling using waste heat from treated wastewater. Premekon has entered into an agreement with Helen, which includes the manufacturing and installation of pipe bridges, steel structures for pump rooms, and maintenance bridges for the heat pump plant. Premekon will also design some of the maintenance bridge structures.

“Discussions began in February, and we reached an agreement by late spring. The first products have already been installed at the Eiranranta heat pump plant. We have previously worked with Helen, but this contract is of a completely different scale and significance,” says Premekon’s CEO Jussi Tiippana.

The project environment is challenging, as the steel structures will be installed in an underground cavern 45 meters below sea level. Additionally, a significant portion of the steel structures must be installed before the end of September, requiring a fast delivery schedule from Premekon.

SELECTION OF CONTRACTOR EMPHASIZED EXPERIENCE WITH LARGE TURNKEY PROJECTS AND EXPERTISE IN CHALLENGING CONSTRUCTION ENVIRONMENTS. The quality of the manufacturing and the ability to deliver materials quickly to the site were also crucial factors in the selection.

“The choice of contractor has been successful, considering the progress on-site. Installations have commenced briskly, and despite the tight schedule, steel structures have been installed on time at the heat pump plant,” comments Helen Oy’s senior project manager Mikko Kaartinen.

Premekon Seeks Growth in Green Transition Projects

The Eiranranta heat pump plant will replace production based on fossil fuel combustion by providing year-round district heating and cooling from the waste heat of treated wastewater. The plant’s annual district heating capacity is 300 GWh. Projects supporting the green transition are also a significant part of Premekon’s growth strategy.

“Helen’s Eiranranta order fits our strategy excellently and advances our goal to serve our partners in the energy sector projects going forward. Our turnkey delivery model from design to installation and our extensive list of large industrial projects demonstrate Premekon’s reliability and quality,” says Jussi Tiippana.

Premekon’s deliveries to Helen will primarily take place in late summer 2024, with the remaining maintenance bridge structures to be delivered according to the preliminary schedule in 2025.

Sources: https://www.helen.fi/en/about-us/energy/energy-production/eiranranta-heat-pump-plant

Stora Enso is investing approximately one billion euros to convert a decommissioned paper machine at the Oulu plant into a large-scale consumer packaging board line (Project O750). In a contract made in the fall of 2023, Premekon Oy was selected to supply platforms and steel structures for several parts of the project.

“Our contract includes the turnkey delivery of platforms for the BCTMP plant, bale pulping, Board Machine 6, and the WTP and ETP plants. This delivery is significantly large for Premekon’s order backlog and the largest contract we’ve ever made with Stora Enso,” said Sami Koikkalainen, Sales Manager at Premekon Oy.

Background of Long-term Partnership and Flexible TURNKEY Solution

Premekon has a history of delivering several large platform projects to various Stora Enso plants. For the Oulu Board Machine 7, water treatment facilities, and areas related to the OCO project, Premekon supplied both platforms and steel structures.

Premekon’s turnkey delivery includes the design, manufacturing, and installation of platforms and steel structures. The extremely tight schedule of the project has been met particularly thanks to Premekon’s efficient execution of the design process.

Nowadays, project schedules are increasingly tight, shortening the interval from design to installation. When all services are provided within the same company, we can quickly respond to changes and meet the customer’s goals.

Sami Koikkalainen, Sales Manager

Premekon’s work on the Oulu project began in January 2024, and the overall progress of the project is already approaching 80 percent. Currently, the largest tasks are underway in the areas of Board Machine 6 and the BCTMP plant, where Premekon’s workforce consists of about 20 workers. The delivery of Premekon’s part of the project is expected to be completed according to the original schedule in August 2024.

Premekon controls welding quality with Kemppi WeldEye.

Premekon controls the quality of the welding using Kemppi WeldEye.

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Service platform standards are some of the most important elements in machinery safety. Service platforms that are in accordance with standards adhere to safety regulations and factory requirements and prevent occupational accidents while also protecting the company’s staff and operations.

Premekon designs, produces and tailors service platforms in accordance with machinery safety standards and factory-specific regulations. We work actively with all other parties involved from design to production of service platforms, which ensures we can produce a complete solution that is safe and of a high quality.

SERVICE PLATFORM STANDARDS ALSO ENSURE SAFETY IN INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

Premekon’s service platform design operations and the service platform structures themselves are based primarily on machinery safety standard SFS EN ISO 14122 (1-4). This standard sets out details regarding load requirements, deflections, dimensions and specifications for the structures of service platforms and means of access. The ISO 14122 standard, which is used widely in industry, is the primary standard used by Premekon. The government decree on the operational safety of buildings (1007/2017) used in Finland provides regulations concerning service platform structures for buildings, such as the widths for staircases and means of access.

When designing service platforms, we also take into account the standards required to sell these platforms internationally, such as NR12 (Brazil), OSHA (Oceania and North America) and SSG (Sweden).

NOT FORGETTING FACTORY-SPECIFIC SERVICE PLATFORM STANDARDS

Alongside general service platform standards, it is important to take into account plant- and factory-specific standards. These form a basis for deciding how to produce service platforms that are best suited to the machinery, buildings and other components of each factory. Factory-specific service platform structures typically concern the steel profiles used in service platforms’ frameworks, the thicknesses and pipe profiles of railings, and grate types. At Premekon, we work with our customer right from the design stage to determine the right structure for them. For example, in the process, energy and forestry industries there are countless standards, requirements and regulations that must be applied as one seamless whole.

As service platform experts, our role goes beyond just delivering service platforms, we create solutions that help provide cost savings and additional safety for you, the customer. The correct positioning of pipe supports for service platforms is always situation specific, and the number and position of support posts is determined based on the customer’s wishes, such as ensuring that the structure is compatible with forklift and maintenance traffic.

We also provide our expert perspective on service platform painting specification, grate hole sizes and how rough or smooth the finish is, the width of means of access, materials used, and safe railing elevations and double mid-rails. All of these elements help ensure that you get the best return on your investment.

PROFESSIONAL DESIGN CREATES THE FOUNDATIONS FOR HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE PLATFORM STRUCTURES

The service platform design stage is pivotal in ensuring the safety, quality and standard adherence of service platforms. We bring our designs to life as 3D models, which we send to you, the customer, to review. Before the production stage we go through the solution together to ensure that it is suitable for the intended environment and other relevant conditions. When production begins, we provide you with a 2D installation and assembly diagram, parts list, and packing list.

Professional design of service platforms ensures factors such as the following:

• The structures of the service platforms meet the required standards.
• The structure is designed in accordance with your wishes, e.g. in your desired segments.
• The railing spacing, clear headroom, deflection, shields, etc. are all compliant with the standards.
• Loads have been taken into account properly.
• Installation is easy: when designing our structures we take into account factors such as appropriate sizing of various pieces and bolted joints.

At Premekon we design and manufacture under the same roof, which steamlines the whole service platform project. Information flowing quickly between departments helps us make sure we’re all on the same page regarding the customer’s wishes and take them into account in the delivery. That allows us to ensure we are familiar with the conditions for each job, both in terms of the customer’s individual requirements set in applicable standards.

– Premekon Design Manager Leevi Paajanen.

WE TAKE CARE OF SERVICE PLATFORM STANDARDS ON YOUR BEHALF – VEISTO OY’S CUSTOMER STORY

Sawmill industry operator Veisto Oy (hewsaw.com) is a long-standing partner of Premekon’s when it comes to supplying service platforms. Each year, Premekon supplies Veisto with several batches of service platforms for its machinery. The service platforms are designed for the customer from 3D models on a project-specific basis. 

we have dozens of different sawing machine models, each requiring its own individual service platforms. Factors to take into account in the implementation include proximity of the motors, access in tight spaces and suitable connection points. We provide Premekon with a prototype, which they use to produce service platforms that meet the requirements of the relevant standards and regulations.

– Technical Director Raimo Karjalainen of Veisto Oy.

Premekon’s familiarity with the standards made the ordering process as smooth as could be for Veisto.

“Not having to know every paragraph of every service platform standard inside out is a huge advantage, as Premekon takes care of all that on our behalf. Cooperation on the design work flows smoothly as we go through the models and case-specific requirements,” Karjalainen notes. “We are also delighted with the quality of Premekon’s work and the machinery they use. What we are ordering is not just a service platform, it is an impressive and valuable element of our operations, befitting of our high-quality products,” Karjalainen adds.

Premekon’s customers manufacture modern equipment, entire plants and machinery lines, which are then supplied to international customers around the world. But even the fastest board making machine that produces the widest cardboard sheets, the tallest digester, or the most modern power plant building cannot be handed over to the end customer without safe, high-quality service platform structures. Here at Premekon, during the initial stage of a turnkey delivery project we produce production drawings for the service platforms, after which the structures move on to the production stage.

During the production stage the service platforms must meet the requirements of a number of different standards to ensure their high quality, with the key standard being SFS-EN 1090, which covers the CE marking.

WHAT IS THE CE MARKING FOR SERVICE PLATFORMS?

THE CE MARKING IN PREMEKON’S SERVICE PLATFORM PRODUCTION OPERATIONS

In order to use the CE marking, Premekon’s production operations must include factory production control (FPC) certified by a third party. As the basis of the FPC, Premekon draws up a declaration of performance (DoP) for its service platform structures, based on which CE marking documentation is appended to the documents for all deliveries.

The manufacturing and quality requirements for Premekon’s service platform products are determined by standard SFS-EN 1090-2 + A1, which covers the entire product manufacturing process. At times, uncertainties have arisen surrounding objects to be CE marked, with questions as to whether the product is part of a machine or a structure, or whether it is just a service platform.

Premekon produces all its structures in accordance with the CE marking requirements, so our customers need not worry about any unpleasant surprises further down the line. The attached table sets out the key documents for CE markings in terms of Premekon’s structures.

CE MARKING

Key documents	Materials used in products bearing the CE marking
Factory production control certificate	Structural steel
CE marking (at least on the front page)	Aluminium
Declaration of Performance	Acid-resistant steel EN 1.4404
Inspection plan (if required)	Stainless steel EN 1.4307
Implementation specification
Installation diagrams
Strength calculations
Proof of welders’ qualifications
Painting protocols
Material certificate

Premekon’s service platforms are often also subject to our customers’ own quality requirements, which may be more stringent than those of the CE marking. For the most part, our customers’ requirements largely align with the criteria for the service platforms’ CE markings, and the documentation we provide covers both sets of requirements.

FROM LOVE TO HIGH-QUALITY IRON – THROUGH THE PRODUCTION PROCESS

Here at Premekon, due to the growing number of quality requirements in the industry we have invested in modern machinery that helps us improve production lead times and ensure that you, our customers, receive high-quality service platforms. The substances and materials we use are provided by carefully-selected suppliers, who submit material and substance certificates that are stored in Premekon’s database.

In order to ensure the quality of welds on steel structures, we have invested in the Kemppi Weld Eye Management system, which helps make quality control of pieces to be welded even more accurate and raise overall quality levels. The system is connected to all our welding equipment, with each piece of welding machinery requiring a user to signing in with their own, personal credentials.

When a welder starts a new welding task, they scan the work order with a barcode scanner, which provides the pre-defined welding instructions for the structure in question. If a welder does not have the required welding qualification level to work on the required structure, for example, the system will not allow them to start the job.

CE MARKED SERVICE PLATFORMS PACKAGED AND SHIPPED AROUND THE WORLD WITH CARE

At the final stage of a project, i.e. packaging, corrections are no longer an option. The majority of Premekon’s products are shipped by road, but we also package our service platforms into containers for shipping further afield on a regular basis.

Factors to be taken into account in packaging include that the structure will be subjected to all kinds of different stresses before even being installed at its final destination. During a long road journey, improperly secured packages will work their way lose, leading the steel structure’s surface treatment to rub off in the worst case scenario. Service platforms may also end up being stood outdoors for long periods while awaiting installation, which can soften cardboard packaging to the point where it starts breaking down.