Tentec gets to grips with world's biggest flagpole

The Jeddah Flagpole, in King Abdullah Square in the Saudi Arabian city, stands 560 ft (170m) high and holds the national flag of Saudi Arabia. The flag itself is the size of a football pitch and weighs 570kg.

Tentec, which makes specialist bolt tightening equipment, was instrumental in the construction of the flagpole. Managing director Mike Gethings said: "We were originally approached to provide some of our bolt tensioning tools that are traditionally used for wind turbine construction and maintenance. However, with the size of the project, it was agreed that one of our engineers would travel out to Jeddah to give training to the operatives involved in the construction. Not only did he carry out comprehensive training, the construction company was so impressed with his knowledge and capability that they asked him to stay to supervise the entire construction."

The flagpole comprises 13 sections, each of which had to be securely bolted together, as well as the all-important foundation bolted to the ground. Tentec engineers adapted their Aero range of wind turbine tensioning tools and shipped out three sizes of tool for different bolt thread sizes, including the large M63 x 5 foundation bolts. "We were honoured to be involved in such a prestigious and record-breaking project," added Mr Gethings. "It proves again that Tentec can not only provide specialist bolt tensioning tools but also our customer service is second to none."