HARRISBURG, Pa., June 11, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Worldwide industrial services and products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) said today that its international SGB Group division has been selected as a key supplier of scaffolding and related access services to several major construction projects in Europe and Asia.
In Holland, SGB is playing an important role in the construction of the new Groene Harttunnel (Green Heart Tunnel), at 4 1/2 miles the largest bored tunnel in the world. The tunnel will run underground through the rural "green heart" of the Netherlands, thereby leaving the landscape undisturbed. Scheduled for completion in 2005, the tunnel will form part of the High Speed Rail Link between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. SGB is supplying a variety of access equipment, both for the construction work and for the assembly of the tunnel's gigantic boring machine, the world's largest at approximately 330,000 tons. SGB's involvement includes its award-winning GASS aluminum shoring, which is being used in the tunnel's support structures, and its heavy-duty Cuplok support and access system for access structures and stairwells.
Britain's BAE Systems, one of the primary developers of the new generation Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, has awarded SGB a five-year contract to produce a range of specially designed access equipment for aircraft flight and maintenance crews. The order includes advanced-technology cockpit access ladders, lightweight ladders for servicing aircraft wings, and low-level platforms for maintenance crews.
SGB's Saudi Arabian-based SGB Baroom unit has been selected as the preferred scaffolding supplier for a large-scale project to refurbish crude oil storage tanks for Saudi Aramco Refineries. SGB is supplying nearly one million cubic feet of Cuplok scaffolding to the project, capitalizing on Cuplok's superior design features and its ability to meet stringent load-bearing requirements imposed by the customer.
In Malaysia, SGB is providing numerous access installations for the construction of Malaysia's newest electric facility, the 2,100 megawatt Manjung Power Plant. When completed in 2004, the facility will be the largest coal-fueled power station in southeast Asia. Among the access solutions being provided by SGB are two ten-leg staircase towers, each 150 feet high, which provide worker access to the construction forms for the power plant's massive ash silos. Citing the project's demanding access requirements, William Robinette, SGB's design manager for the project, said, "SGB has risen to the challenge with innovative and cost-effective engineering solutions."
Harsco's international SGB Group division and its Americas-based Patent Construction Systems division comprise one of the world's largest organizations for industrial and non-residential scaffolding and related access services. The divisions operate worldwide from locations throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and reported combined revenues of approximately $600 million last year.
Harsco Corporation is a diversified, $2.1 billion company that provides market-leading services and products to major worldwide industries, including infrastructure development, steel and metals, railway transportation, and gas and energy. The company employs approximately 18,700 people in 40 countries of operation. Additional information about Harsco, including its SGB Group division, can be found at www.harsco.com.