Crosby Group 28 Concert

The Crosby Group acquires BlokCorp, launches Technology Solutions business unit

Market-leading camera & alert systems for a safer and more efficient lifting industry

The Crosby Group, a global leader in lifting, rigging, and load securement hardware, today announced that it has acquired BlokCorp Ltd (“BlokCorp”). UK-based BlokCorp designs and manufactures innovative camera and alert systems for tower and mobile cranes. These advanced systems provide crane operators with critical visual and audio capabilities that enable safer and more productive lifting operations. The transaction marks The Crosby Group’s fifth investment since 2019.

With a growing platform of technology-centric products and solutions, The Crosby Group has announced the formation of its Technology Solutions business unit. This new division, inclusive of BlokCorp, Crosby Straightpoint, and the strategic collaboration with Verton, will enable a heightened focus on creating disruptive and integrated lifting technologies. The Technology Solutions business unit broadens The Crosby Group’s portfolio of products and solutions that delivers safety and productivity to every jobsite. Robert Desel, CEO of The Crosby Group, said: “We are very excited to expand our technology offering with BlokCorp, a pioneer in delivering solutions for safer lifting operations. BlokCorp, will bring tremendous value to our customers and channel partners and serve as a strong foundation to our new Technology Solutions division.” BlokCorp solutions include BlokCam camera systems for tower and mobile cranes. Additionally, BlokCorp recently launched BlokAlert, an audio/ visual warning system to alert crane operators when workers are in harm’s way. Going forward, the BlokCorp portfolio will go to market under the brand Crosby BlokCam.

Peter Hird and Ben Windass, CoManaging Directors for BlokCorp added: “This is an exciting new chapter for BlokCorp, our employees and our customers. Both The Crosby Group and BlokCorp share a passion for safety, reliability, and innovation. With The Crosby Group’s global presence, we can expand our reach and better enable our customers’ safe operations, together.”

About The Crosby Group

The Crosby Group is a global leader in the innovation, manufacturing and distribution of products and services used to make lifting and load securement safer and more efficient, with premier brands such as Crosby, Gunnebo Industries, Crosby Straightpoint, Acco, McKissick, Crosby Feubo, Trawlex, Lebus, and CrosbyIP. With global engineering, manufacturing, distribution and operations, the company provides a broad range of products and solutions for the most demanding applications with uncompromising quality that exceed industry standards.

www.thecrosbygroup.com About BlokCorp

BlokCorp is the world leader in hook-mounted safety devices. We believe the crane is the heart of the construction/ industrial site and we understand the value in keeping the lifting crew and all site personnel safe and operational. We improve communication and overall awareness during lifting operations, using advanced audio-visual technology. We manufacture high-quality, purpose-built, hook-mounted safety systems to reduce risk within lifting operations. BlokCorp also endeavors to keep ahead of the market with our continued product development, using the latest technology to meet the latest standards.

OZ Lifting Joins WSTDA

OZ Lifting Products LLC has joined the Web Sling & Tie Down Association (WSTDA), a technical organization dedicated to the safe operation of all synthetic web slings and tie downs.

The Winona, Minnesota-based manufacturer provides a range of material handling and other products, such as hoists, winches, fall protection systems and davit cranes, including the popular CompOZite and CompOZite Elite carbon fiber models. It is a portfolio that is commonly utilized in conjunction with synthetic slings and rigging gear. Many of its regional distributors are already WSTDA members.

Steve Napieralski, president at OZ Lifting, said: “We are always keen to join associations that are committed to safe practices and align with the markets that we service. The WSTDA is very active in writing recommended standards that relate to synthetic web slings and tie downs, which chimes with our ongoing endeavors to contribute to continued improvement of industry best practices.”

Comprised mostly of sling and tie down manufacturers, WSTDA membership also includes fiber suppliers, weavers, testing companies, government enforcement agencies and other interested parties from countries around the world. WSTDA is recognized internationally, with members from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. It has been a trusted resource since formation as the Web Sling Association in 1973 and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice as a standards writing organization. OZ joins as an Associate Member.

WSTDA holds an annual meeting in the spring of each year, as well as a fall meeting. Technical committees meet in open forum during each meeting to discuss industry issues, testing, government regulations, the development of WSTDA products, and to continue standards writing efforts. These meetings provide information and discussion on the issues important to the web sling and tie down industry. Members and non-members are invited to attend. Next month’s (May) event will be delivered virtually.

Napieralski added: “We consider ourselves active members in all the associations and organizations that we join, which involves attending meetings, networking and engaging with content. Safety is of paramount importance in our industry; you can never have too much information on the subject. Take this spring’s upcoming meeting as an example: WSTDA will explain how virtual reality is leveraged in sling inspection training and provide a platform for sling failure root cause identification experts. We’ll also hear updates on technical committee activities.” Napieralski was also enthused by the association’s plans to launch the Lift & Secure magazine that will publish its first edition this summer. An official publication of WSTDA, the twice-annual magazine will be in keeping with the mission, to promote dynamic relationships among members and affiliates; to provide a forum for sharing information to improve quality and safety; and to educate members and users of synthetic lifting and securement devices.

OZ is also a member of Associated Wire Rope Fabricators, Water Environment Federation, National Safety Council, Winona Area Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, and MHI (formerly Material Handling Industry of America).

OZ Lifting Receives Grainger Partners in Performance Award

OZ Lifting Products LLC has received the 2020 Grainger Partners in Performance (PIP) award—for the third time.

The Winona, Minnesota-based manufacturer offers its range of davit cranes, hoists and other lifting equipment through Grainger, including its line of composite products that, at 40% lighter than steel, offer incredible strength-to-weight ratio and are suitable for a myriad of indoor and outdoor applications. Grainger Inc., meanwhile, with $11+ billion annual sales, is North America’s leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products. The PIP awards celebrate suppliers that exceed the performance standards necessary to meet customer expectations and remain competitive in an ever-changing world. Winners are among an elite group of strategic suppliers. Steve Napieralski, president at OZ Lifting, said: “This is our 13th year doing business with Grainger. It is the largest global company that we distribute through; they have a wide range of customers, such as hospitals, colleges, manufacturing, oil and gas, entertainment, etc. As a small business, we are thrilled to be able to serve the broad scope of their customer base.” Grainger completes a monthly scorecard that tracks a number of different metrics, such as stock fill rate, drop ship availability, and shipping compliance. Stock fill rate, Napieralski explained, is the percentage of purchase order quantities that are on time for lines expected to ship in a month, while it also monitors a percentage of a supplier’s drop ship purchase orders that ship on time for lines that are expected to ship over the same period. Grainger, which has over 4,500 suppliers, said of all winners that companies deliver solutions that add value for the businesses it serves and, together, ensure they can run safe, sustainable, and productive operations. A statement added: “As we learned over the past year, partnership is critical to our success. You have faced unprecedented challenges, and we thank you for your flexibility and collaboration as we’ve worked to serve our shared customers.”

Napieralski said: “This is a very difficult award to win even without the challenges of Covid. There are so many variables that are out of your control so last year, like all years, we worked really hard at controlling what we could and tried not to worry about things we had no control over. We didn’t actually change much operationally but, like most companies, we implemented social distancing and mask wearing protocols.”

He added: “Business is pretty good and seems to be getting better each month. All of our product categories are doing well. Since we sell through distribution it can be tough to identify a specific market that is doing better than others. In general, I think most industrial [markets] are doing well with maybe the exception of oil and gas. For sure the fact there are vaccines available now gives people the sense there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

For more information on OZ Lifting Products visit http://www.OZLiftingProducts.com

Three of T&M’s 18-tonne bowsers travel in convoy during the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon road improvement scheme. Pictured (left to right) are the 4x4 Welfare, 4x4 Fuel and 4x4 Dust Suppression bowsers. These bowsers have a 10,000l capacity. The A14 project has been in progress for the last four years.

T&M Drives Net Zero Programme

Horsham-based T&M Bowser Solutions (T&M) has revealed a multi-point carbon reduction strategy that chimes with ongoing ISO 14001 conformity.

The manufacturer of custom-built bowsers (tankers) started taking steps to reducing its carbon footprint upon registration for ISO 14001 in 2016; the business also boasts 9001 and more recently gained 45001:2018. However, the newly implemented carbon programme is a more focussed and practical step-by-step initiative.

Terry Beasley, managing director at T&M, said: “Whilst the [14001] standard has had a positive impact, the subject of carbon management is at the forefront of our minds—and hearts—more now than ever before. Further, tendering and pre-qualification requires us to submit data on our carbon, which assists customers to demonstrate tangible benefits to their projects in terms of reducing carbon and / or improving green credentials. Customers need to more widely look at their upstream supply chain and downstream value chain; 80 to 90 percent of carbon impacts are actually outside of their business.”

The four cornerstones of the company’s carbon and energy hierarchy are: avoid, reduce, switch, and offset:

• Avoid—don’t use energy if the need can be avoided. • Reduce—use less by smart design, more efficient vehicles and equipment, less materials and better behaviours.

Reduce waste in operations by adopting leaner processes, in turn promoting the circular economy. • Switch—the company has already switched to low carbon and renewable sources of energy and materials. • Offset—the residual remaining emissions when all other actions have been taken.

In turn, the carbon reduction strategy follows a five-point programme: scope, measure, reduce, offset, and report:

• Scope—agree the boundaries, and base year against targets. • Measure—record footprint, identify hotspots and agree strategy. • Reduce—implement reduction actions, on hotspots first and then other aspects, using the carbon hierarchy, and measure the reductions. • Offset—offset residual greenhouse gas emissions, but only after other actions have been taken. • Report—disclose emissions and reduction actions, and follow up with continual opportunity initiatives. Beasley acknowledged that the initiative aligns closely with the IEMA guidance document, ‘Driving Climate Actions through Environmental Management Systems’, published in 2018. ISO 14001 offers formalised framework for identifying environmental impacts, including climate risks and carbon emissions, while the document goes through 14001 clause by clause to guide company policy making. As the clauses of the standard require companies to consider the issues and go through a particular process, IEMA’s paper helps them to truly put climate change at the heart of the business. Beasley said: “The chosen pathway doesn’t really matter; we could have adopted PAS 2060 [the British Standards Institution’s Standard for Carbon Neutrality]. What’s important is the end goal. The built environment contributes around 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint, with energy used in building roads and railways a contributing factor. Net zero is rightly a hot, if contentious, topic and we must demonstrate that authentic carbon reduction is at the core of our company.” When a contract kicks in for HS2, a state-ofthe-art, high-speed line critical for the UK’s low carbon transport future, around half of T&M’s 100 vehicles will be serving projects across the country’s rail network and the other half elsewhere in the built environment, including highways. It’s a fleet that could evolve radically in the near future, Beasley said. He explained: “There needs to be more efficient energy use in equipment and transport; we would go further if the innovation was there. We already use the most fuel-efficient of engines [Euro 6] but we are exploring the possibility of converting our vehicles to HVO [hydrotreated vegetable oil]. We are constantly investing in energy-efficient equipment and promote a green culture, including the use of public transport to attend meetings and video conferencing versus face-to-face. Our electricity also comes from 100% renewable sources.”

Timber frame construction brings many benefits to the housebuilding industry, including quicker build times, quieter assembly, fewer deliveries to site, cost savings and a reduction in defects. Underpinning these advantages, Norbord’s engineered wood-based panel products are an integral part of many timber frame systems. They are regularly seen as the number one choice for all aspects of home building, be it the structure, flooring or interior.

Norbord’s high quality boards are available in a wide range of grades and, with minimal finishing required, speed up construction. The products are incredibly versatile, offer value for money and have good environmental credentials with a low carbon footprint as all are made in the UK. In fact, all

Norbord panel products are net carbon negative and so can help the builder achieve sustainability targets.

Ideal for structural applications and offering great value, Norbord’s SterlingOSB Zero is stronger and tougher than ply, with no knots, voids or de-lamination. It is the first OSB product to be made in the UK with zero added formaldehyde, so it is a ‘greener’ board that meets all standards with ease. The range comprises panels specifically designed to fulfil the full range of timber frame applications, including structural use in dry or humid loadbearing conditions.

When it comes to dry lining applications, SterlingOSB Zero StrongFix is precision engineered with a custom groove for metal C-studs at 600mm centres. The consistent density of OSB means fixtures and fittings of up to 400kg can be attached anywhere on the panel and achieve secure anchorage.

Fire protection during the construction phase is a crucial area where Norbord products can help. SterlingOSB Zero Fire Solutions builds on the inherent benefits of the company’s other OSB products. Its development was in response to the Structural Timber Association’s guidelines for reducing fire spread in large timber frame buildings when fire resistant dry lining finishes are not yet in place. For flat roof decking and flooring applications, SterlingOSB Zero Tongue & Groove is the go-to solution. Advanced, high-strength flooring is provided by the CaberFloor system, the most specified moisture-resistant P5 flooring. Versatile, stable, durable and designed to be easy to lay, the CaberFloor range includes CaberShield+ and CaberDek. CaberShield+ offers a permanent waterproof coating on both sides while CaberDek has a strong, waterproof and slip-resistant peelable film that, when removed, leaves a clean, finished floor. They are enhanced by CaberFix, a range of specially developed powerful sealing and fixing systems. When it comes to quality finishing and architectural details, CaberWood MDF is the ideal solution. This versatile range is designed as an economical alternative to hardwood but without the inherent defects of knots or grains. The boards are engineered with consistent density for multiple uses, including mouldings. As with other Norbord ranges, there are products for all applications.

Norbord strives to offer the panel products required to meet the exacting needs of timber frame construction. Support on a product and technical basis is provided as and when required through dedicated product support and technical advice teams.

Samples of SterlingOSB Zero, and Norbord’s other construction panels, can be ordered on the website, www.norbord.co.uk. Head to the housebuilder page on the website to download a selection of tools including a fully-interactive guide to all Norbord products and a checklist to make sure you have everything you need for your build.