Advantages and
comparison to other systems
After nearly 10 years of manufacturing lattice ERS towers according to the IEEE 1070 design, SBB revolutionized the industry in 1998 with the 412. This 412 aluminum section has many advantages for rapid and efficient tower restoration:
- It is compact and light.
- It can meet line requirements from 69 kV to 1200 kV.
- It can resist to winds up to 270 km/h +.
Thanks to the integrated rail system at the 4 corners of a 412 section, The Sliding Ginpole can easily be hoisted to the full height of the tower. It allows a faster installation of an SBB tower compared to a traditional lattice tower.
No heavy machinery is required to erect or dismantle the tower. SBB provides the training and all the necessary tools. A team of only 6 people can install a 30 meters/100ft tower in a couple of hours.
The same rail allows the integration of our CE Certified Fall Arrest Device. This Fall Arrest allows the linemen to be securely attached throughout the installation of the tower without having to detach themselves to move from one section to another. With peace of mind, the linemen can execute the work more quickly.
Other Fall Arrest Devices available on the market can only be installed when the tower is at its final height. These systems are useless for the erection of an ERS tower.
Having our own factory and training center allows our engineers and designers to work in constant collaboration with our customers to increase the productivity of linemen. Here are some examples of tools and components that have been developed, improved and tested over the years thanks to feedback from customers.
- working platform (7th generation) to allow the connection of conductors to the end of the insulators;
- resting platform to improve the comfort of the linemen;
- lightweight and powerful winch, including a work table and integrated anchors;
- tensioning device for conductors;
- etc.
Once the order is processed, the SBB experience begins! Our experienced team (more than 3000 towers delivered in more than 55 countries) will offer you an incomparable support during the following steps:
- While manufacturing your order, you will receive regular updates about the status of the production. You will also be advised 30 days before the scheduled Factory Acceptance Tests so you can prepare your visit to witness those tests if you chose to do so.
- During your visit to SBB to attend the Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), we will give you a detailed document including all our quality control points (ISO 9001-2015) as well as test reports for the tests you witnessed (such as IEEE 1070).
- Your field training given by linemen who have experience with our towers. We will provide you detailed installation drawings for different tower heights to increase your autonomy and efficiency on the field.
- Your software training given by an SBB engineer to get you familiar and autonomous with PLS-CADD LITE and PLS-POLE LW + MAST softwares.
- After training, and for as long as you own SBB towers, we offer you a technical support at no additional cost for your basic requests.
ERS COMPARAISON TABLE
MORE DETAILS ON SOME POINTS ABOVE
2 - SBB started in the ERS business in 1989 by supplying the IEEE 1070 design. However, following the request of several customers who were dissatisfied with its performance, SBB decided to give up the IEEE 1070 design and lauched in 1998 the famous 412 mast section.
11 - Major improvement over lattice type, increasing the speed, ease & safety of erection.
12 - Major improvement over lattice type increasing linemen's confidence and therefore speed of erection. Lattice type manufacturer claims his system can accept all commercial available fall arrest systems but it must be installed once the tower erection is completed which is not very useful.
13 - Given the importance of the fall arrest during erection of ERS towers, it is imperative that it should follow a strict certification / standard to ensure linemen safety.
14 - Important for the R&D and quality control of the complete ERS
18 - Using PLS-CADD / PLS-POLE MAST software ensures an unlimited capacity of designs and validations from a reputable third party.
19 - We are not afraid of the comments from linemen who work with both lattice and modern technologies.