Page 9 - W M Donald Newsletter - Edition Eleven

Innovation, one small step at a time
Whilst there have undoubtedly been ‘eureka’ moments of technololgical step breakthroughs, the majority of innovative effort involves making small changes to existing products and services.
Three examples of this incremental innovation are plastic sleeves for steel setting pins, prefabrication of valve chambers and, a core rig designed to counter HAVS.
Plastic sleeves for setting
out pins
Steel pins are used extensively when setting out on site. However extensively you search to locate buried services, there is always a remote possibility that the pin could pierce the ducting and sheath protecting a live underground electricity cable.
Recognising this potential danger, Ewan Riddoch (Managing Director) devised a simple protective measure to insulate the upper half of the pins. Lengths of 25mm diameter PE gas pipe were cut and then ‘forced’ over the pin staying in place through an interference fit.
Simple, straightforward...but innovative!
Prefabrication of valve
chambers
When constructing a valve chamber, traditionally W M Donald would take chamber elements to site and build it from scratch.
Today, however, W M Donald fabricates the majority of its valve chambers offsite, as well as weir walls and dry well chambers. Offsite fabrication makes it far easier to maintain quality control as the products are assembled in W M Donald’s clean yard away from the hustle, bustle and dust of a construction site. A second key benefit is the amount of time that is saved on site through the use of the prefabricated elements.
Core rig to reduce HAVS
For many years the construction industry has recognised that prolonged exposure to the use of tools that vibrate can lead to Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). HAVS is also known as ‘vibration white finger’.
When constructing sewer networks, W M Donald frequently has to drill (core) laterals into concrete pipes. Petrol-driven coring rigs tend to vibrate, so the decision was taken to move to a hydraulically operated machine. Coring rigs are used in tandem with a pressure washer to reduce dust.
W M Donald has built a frame on which both the hydraulic power unit and jet washer are mounted side- by-side. The frame can be picked up with a fork lift, making it far easier to handle on site.
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