11 minute read
Mammoet
A New Kind Of Power Lifting
Mammoet joined with UK-based rival ALE in January 2020 to create the world’s largest engineered heavy lifting and transport company
Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino
Originally established as a crane rental company more than 55 years ago in Europe, Mammoet USA is now in its 32nd year of operations. In the Americas region, Mammoet services the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America.
Recently, the company acquired and joined forces with its UKbased rival ALE to become the world’s largest engineered heavy lifting and transport company operating in 45 countries. As part of the larger SHV Group, it is recognized as an innovative leader in technology across the industry and a magnet for the best and the brightest.
“We are the coolest company in the world – we accomplish some really fantastic things that not many companies can replicate,” says Anthony Garcia, who has been with the company for 14 1/2 years and is currently Vice President of Operations for the United States and Mexico and a member of the Americas organization’s regional board.
A 2006 graduate of Teas A&M (B.S., Mechanical Engineering), Garcia has progressed through the company from Project Engineer to Project Manager to Branch
He holds certifications from the TIAS School for Business and Society and the IMD Business School and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University’s Kelstadt Graduate School of Business. “I like the fact that our company favors entrepreneurship by letting individuals take the reins at all levels. That mentality of people doing what they need to be doing, and asking for support when it’s needed, to be successful is one of
Manager up to his current position. “really fantastic things that not many companies can replicate.” - Anthony Garcia, Vice President
our core beliefs,” he adds. “All of our people think differently and that really sets us apart from our competition.”
(Read More about Mammoet’s history)
Formed purposely as a decentralized operation instead of a vertical silo, the company generates $500m AVR and employs 1,500 individuals in the Americas. Its array of services – including engineered heavy lifting and jacking, heavy transport, and shutdown management – is geared toward a more sustainable future. The company maintains an unmatched global fleet of equipment, is unfazed by the most challenging projects, and has broken records for lifts and transports previously considered impossible.
Decentralization enables Mammoet to remain in close contact with its customers while developing relationships Garcia says help distinguish the company from its
competitors.
“In 2018, we made the strategic decision to bring the region together to gain speed and have everyone aligned and working as one team. There’s no job too small. We have a lot of capabilities, we think in details, we have a lot more capacity than most people realize, and we are very good at all scales” Garcia elaborates.
Products and Projects
“I think one of the coolest things we’ve done in the last couple of years is our new and innovative Focus30 crane that erects vertically and has a much tighter, smaller footprint,” Garcia says. “In terms of infrastructure, the environment is getting more congested and the Focus30 helps clients build a large capacity crane, in a small space, while not sacrificing on safety or capacity. We actually just did our first job with it in the UK in a refinery where we helped to reduce disruption during a scheduled turnaround.”
SEATTLE-TACOMA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BRIDGE WALKWAY: Eight years in the making, the new bridge is part of the airport’s $968m expansion project and only the second walkway in the world with suitable clearance for a Boeing 747 to taxi beneath. Mammoet used the accelerated bridge construction
(ABC) method for the 1,472-ton walkway. Using their specialized equipment, Mammoet transported and lifted the prefabricated bridge into place, completing the operation over two nights while flight traffic was at its lowest to ensure minimal disruption to the airport’s schedule.
The walkway was transported using a total of 56 axlelines of SPMTs in a four-point configuration, with one set of SPMTs at each corner. Mammoet’s transport team taxied the load a total of three miles down the center runway in just under three hours while shouldering runways remained open. Once in position under the piers, erection crews used four 900-ton steel frames that utilized a strand jack system, the first time these frames from the Netherlands had been used in the United States. With approximately 1.5 inches of tolerance for a precise fit, the bridge span was precisely hoisted into its final position before being welded into place.
At 900 feet long, it is the world’s longest pedestrian bridge span over an active airport taxi lane. The international arrivals facility opened in 2020, helping double the airport’s international passenger capacity to 2,600 per hour.
STATE ROAD 84 BRIDGE DEMOLITION FORT LAUDERDALE: Mammoet assisted clients Archer Western and De Moya Group with the successful removal of the westbound State Road 84 bridge over I-95 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida earlier this year. The team removed the entire bridge in one night by using the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) method.
The bridge removal, part of the I-95 Express Lanes Phase 3C project, will result in wider travel lanes on I-95 below the interchange with I-595 and improved efficiency of the SR 84 interchange. Following removal of the westbound lane complete, crews worked to widen the travel lanes and then reconstruct the westbound SR84 bridge.
The bridge, weighing in at 1,082t (2,385,200 lbs.), was initially set for demolition following a twostage plan. Instead, using six trains of 8-line SPMTs equipped with 250-ton jacks, the bridge was lifted from its abutments, traveled southbound along I-95, and finally staged on an off ramp to later be demolished. This approach saved over an estimated 29 days of work.
Safety Protocols
Safety enhancement requires constant oversight and attention
and is enmeshed in the company’s culture. The company’s Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHE-Q) Department’s guidelines aim to exceed those of the local, regional and national regulatory agencies in each of the countries where it operates.
According to its website, employees are provided with an extensive training program as well as on-site learning and development programs, protective equipment and tools to perform their work to the highest safety standards with the goal of ensuring every worker returns home safe. All workers are empowered to say “no” if they deem a situation unsafe.
Day to Day
No two days are ever quite the same for Garcia, who has been with the company for close to 15 years. He now works out of the Rosharon, TX headquarters after previously running operations in Louisiana. He sees his role as supporting others on their way to becoming successful.
“Our team spends a lot of time meeting with our clients and understanding their needs and perspectives in terms of how we
can be a better partner and how can we address the challenges they’re seeing. Internally my team and I are supporting our leaders and helping them make decisions,” he says. “We’re a highly innovative company and always have been on the forefront of technology as it relates to our business and new ideas and concepts.”
He says the company has been a leader in the transition of energy to renewables, especially the burgeoning offshore winds market in the United States, working with partners to streamline the process and make it cheaper.
The company is a long-standing member of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) with Mammoet USA achieving a 40-year Longevity Award from the Association in 2018, the Canada Eastern division hit a 30-year milestone earlier this year as well as the Mammoet (formerly George Young) operation in Swedesboro, New Jersey which was recognized for a 55- year milestone in 2019. Garcia says that, despite being competitors, companies attend association meetings with open minds and a candid approach.
“We feel it’s really important to have that relationship with our competitors. We’re all talking to the same clients, executing similar work and also helping the construction industry see things from our perspective, challenging the industry and governments on some of the regulations they have. How can we do it safer and how can we do it more economically? Being able to talk with like-minded companies and executives about their challenges and successes is beneficial,” he says.
Garcia makes numerous college and high school presentations to inspire the next generation and bring awareness about the unique
industry and finds career days especially exciting.
“I want to get them interested when they’re young and impressionable and try to show them the cool things we do. It’s not just engineering – we have all these other wonderful roles that even if you’re not super technical you can still be a part of our industry.
In regards to its service providers, Mammoet works with like-minded companies that understand its expectations and model based on repeat, sustainable business. The company takes pride in the fact it knows all of its primary vendors by name and face. “It’s simple – do what you say you’re going to do. Provide us proof of concept and whether you can do that repeatedly. You can’t have that without understanding the needs of both sides, so it is a give and take. As long as we’re clear with each other that this is what I’m expecting and this is what I’m providing, it tends to work out. We can be more stringent at times but that’s because we want to do right by our client,” Garcia explains.
Challenges to Meet
Once it became clear COVID-19 would re-frame the work environment permanently, the company shifted into hyper-drive
to manage the problem.
“I give all the credit to our people. We made some good decisions early on through our crisis teams that got together to work out complex problems. Everybody put in the time and effort they needed to make it work. It was a collective group operating in the best interest of the company that got us through last year to the start of this year,” Garcia praises.
As is with the case with every other segment of the construction industry, the company is facing a knowledge and age gap as Baby Boomers age out, taking with them invaluable knowledge and tricks of the trade.
“They know what to do, they know how to do it and they’re great decision-makers because they’ve seen a lot of things and so our challenge is no different than the regular construction industry except our skill set is not something you get off the shelf through traditional high school and college programs. It is something we’re taking very seriously and we’re addressing it,” Garcia notes.
That includes time and money
“I want to get (students) interested when they’re young and impressionable and try to show them the cool things we do. It’s not just Engineering – we have all these other “ wonderful roles that even if you’re not super technical you can still be a part of our industry.” - Anthony Garcia, Vice President
“A lot of our clients are doing the same thing. We all have to do a better job of getting it out there that these types of jobs are available. We need qualified people and they need to know you can make a great living doing it,” Garcia asserts.
One thing is certain – when individuals come to work for Mammoet, they tend to stay. Many 30- and 40-year employees have never worked elsewhere and, Garcia admits, that is attributable in part to a work environment that would be hard to replicate.
“Our people, across the board, are passionate about what they do. There is a large sense of community. Everybody is in love with the company. It was evident to me the first day I walked into the building, that Mammoet was a special place to work -- that feeling of pride, that feeling of we’re the best at what we do. I see a lot of creativity everywhere, people challenging how it’s been done in the industry or how it’s been done internally,” he says. COMPANY INFORMATION
Company Name: Mammoet
Country: United States
Industry: Construction
Est: 1989
Premier Services: Heavy lifting and
jacking, heavy transport, and shut-
Looking Forward
Among the very best at what it does Mammoet maintains a culture built for sustainability. Thanks to its decentralized structure, the company is surprisingly nimble and able to respond rapidly to client needs, belying the massive scope and size of its operations.
“We’re always looking at how we see the future and how we’re going to shape ourselves as a sustainable company. We want our families and the people who work for us to continue to be here for a long time. We are inspired by our shareholder’s purpose of “Courage to Care for Generations to Come.”
down management
VP: Anthony Garcia
