$9.90
JULY 2017
THE LONG HAUL
INSIDE
Celebrating 50 years of success
• Riding the wave • Where the wind blows • Shaping the future
THE LONG HAUL
24 32 42
Celebrating 50 years of success.
CONTENTS | JULY 2017
15 FROM CICA’S PRESIDENT 32 MARINE CRANES AND BARGE CICA makes inroads
19 24 28
HIGH ON CRANES First in, best dressed
CRANES IN ACTION: NT Gantry system pioneer reflects
CANZ PREVIEW Ready for Rotorua?
Adapting as the wind blows
36 40
HIRE BUSINESS A journey of innovation
HIRE 17 Shaping the future
PACIFIC REPORT: 46 ASIA VIETNAM Scaling heights in Vietnam
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A time for reflection AS we head into the second half of 2017 - it will be Christmas in no time - Cranes and Lifting has entered a somewhat reflective mood. How is the sector doing? What are the successes that we should champion? There are many. Take New Zealand manufacturer Tidd Ross Todd as an example. The company is clearly in it for the long haul, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and continuing to go from strength to strength. On page 30, journalist Greg Keane who has just joined the team, tracks the company’s journey of progress and growth and finds out how its past success is the key to future growth. Then, there’s The Lynch Mob, Aussie specialists in machinery removal, installation,
and relocation that has been operating since 1980. Bernie Lynch tells Cranes and Lifting on page 24 that his “light bulb” moment came in 1997 when he purchased a US-made lift systems gantry. The industry veteran is nearing the completion of the sale of his business and will retire shortly, but first, he reflects on an early project in Alice Springs. In this issue, we also celebrate the winners of Hire and Rental Industry Association’s (HRIA) 2017 Hire Industry Excellence Awards. A special shout out to Preston Hire, which took home the Rental Company of the Year Award. All the winners and best snaps of HIRE 17 can be found on pages 40 to 42. It is also exciting times for the industry as
we head towards a world that could soon be driven largely by renewable energy. In Australia, soaring electricity prices coupled with a settled renewable energy target have led to record investment in solar and wind projects. As this industry grows, cranes and lifting businesses will need to adapt and potentially diversify their fleets to capture the opportunities that come with the country’s changing energy demands. And one company - Liebherr - is gearing up for these shifts. More on page 32. We hope you enjoy the issue! The Cranes and Lifting team contact@mayfam.net
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July 2017
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Mixed bag in Q1 reports
CRANES and Lifting takes a look at the first quarter results from crane businesses operating in various markets around the world.
Terex Sales at Terex Corporation for the first quarter of 2017 were US$1006.9 million (AU$1363.81 million), down 9.6% on the US$1114.3 million in the first quarter of 2016. A loss from continuing operations of US$60.3 million on sales of US$1.0 billion was reported. A year earlier, in Q1 2016, the reported loss from continuing operations was US$22.0 million on sales of US$1.1 billion. The loss from operations in the first quarter was US$6.3 million, down from an income of US$11.3 million in the same period a year earlier. First quarter 2017 net sales in the Terex Cranes segment were US$263.9 million, down 16.45% from the US$307.3 million in Q1 2016. The loss from operations was US$32.8 million, approaching double the US$16.6 million loss a year earlier. Figures from sales of port and industrial cranes in the corporation’s Materials Handling and Port Solutions segment are no longer included following completion of the sale of that division to Konecranes in January.
Konecranes There were more promising reports from Konecranes, with the company commenting that economic indicators related to manufacturing industries have strengthened, which appeared to have improved customers’ willingness to proceed with their investment plans. Demand situation in Europe is gradually July 2017
improving. Business activity in the North American manufacturing industry remains mixed. Demand in emerging markets is showing signs of bottoming out. Global container throughput growth has improved and the prospects for small and medium-sized orders related to container handling have somewhat strengthened. The sales in 2017 are expected to be close to the comparable combined company sales in 2016 of EUR 3278 million (AU$4850.76 million). Konecranes expects the adjusted EBITA to total EUR 195-215 million in 2017 (comparable combined company adjusted EBITA was EUR 184 million in 2016). The comparable combined company’s operations comprise Konecranes’ operations without the divested STAHL CraneSystems business, but including the acquired MHPS business.
Tiong Woon Singapore-listed Tiong Woon Corporation Holding Ltd, a one-stop integrated heavy lift specialist and service provider, recorded revenue of S$31.3 million (AU$30.2 million) for the three months ending on December 31, 2016 (“2QFY2017”), representing a 12% decline from the corresponding period a year ago. This was mainly due to lower contribution from its Heavy Lift and Haulage segment, as there were fewer projects executed in Singapore, India and the Middle East. With active cost management, cost of sales declined 17% in 2QFY2017, to S$22.5 million. Coupled with higher margins generated from certain engineering services projects in Singapore and Vietnam during the quarter, the
Group achieved gross profit of S$8.8 million. Gross profit margin improved to 28% in 2QFY2017, from 23% in 2QFY2016.
Manitowoc The Manitowoc company reported that new product innovation drove first quarter orders of US$488 million, an increase of 17% over the prior year, adding that financial results were in line with expectations. “In the first-quarter, we were pleased by the strong customer reception of our new products, many of which were highlighted at CONEXPO. Nearly half of our equipment orders in the quarter were for products introduced since becoming a stand-alone crane company last year, which drove year-over-year and sequential orders up by 17% and 40%, respectively. Although the market has not shown signs of a sustained recovery, we are encouraged by the increased orders we booked in the quarter, and at this time reiterating our full-year financial guidance,” commented Barry L. Pennypacker, president and chief executive officer of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. “Our first-quarter revenue was negatively impacted by the low level of backlog entering 2017, mainly due to historically low levels of crawler crane demand. In addition, our mobile crane business remains soft in the Americas and the Middle East as a result of continued low rental rates, weakness in used equipment prices and low oil prices, notwithstanding the increased activity in some of the American shale basins. Our tower crane business performed in line with our expectations, reflecting market share gains in key product lines.” 3
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Terex sells 7M Konecranes shares TEREX Corporation has completed the sale of seven million Class A shares, representing approximately 8.9% of the total shares outstanding of Konecranes Plc. The shares were sold at EUR 37.40 (AU$56) per share - a 0.9% discount to the day’s closing price. Total shares outstanding include both Class A and Class B shares but do not include Konecranes treasury shares.
Following the offering, Terex will continue to hold approximately 5.15 million Class B shares, representing approximately 6.6% of the total shares outstanding of Konecranes. Following the sale of its Material Handling & Port Solutions arm of the business in January, Terex received 19.6 million newly issued Class B shares - a 25% interest in Konecranes - as well as US$835 million (AU$1098.94 million) in cash. The
BOTHAR BORING & TUNNELLING EXPANDS OPERATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AUSTRALIA’S Bothar Boring & Tunnelling has added three new all-terrain cranes to its fleet as the company expands its operation in the Middle East. After recently being awarded major contracts for micro-tunnelling jobs in Qatar, the company determined it needed to add additional units to its current fleet of 15 cranes. After evaluating multiple crane brands and models, Bothar Boring & Tunnelling awarded its business to Terex Cranes due to the manufacturer’s record for providing quality products that deliver the best return on investment and have a strong-term residual value. The three new cranes include a 500-tonne eight axle Demag AC 500-8, a 100-tonne four axle Demag AC 100-4L, and a 169-tonne five axle Terex Explorer 5600. All units will include the latest specifications, including automatic asymmetric outrigger positioning and monitoring. Founded in 1991, Bothar Boring & Tunnelling manufactures its own tunnelling machines and employs them on the projects it carries out around the globe. Bothar Boring & Tunnelling has been operating in the Middle East since 2010 and has successfully completed many high profile micro-tunnelling, sewer and cable tunnel projects in Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and the United Arab Emirates. Sydney-based Bothar Boring & Tunnelling has offices in Australia, New Zealand, Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, South Africa, Ghana, the UK and Ireland.
Bothar Boring & Tunnelling has turned to Terex Cranes as it expands its fleet.
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following month, Terex sold 7.5 million Konecranes shares for some US$272 million and owned 15.5% of the outstanding shares of Konecranes. As Terex’s shareholding has fallen below 10% of all outstanding Konecranes shares in the share sale, the former’s appointed members to Konecranes’ Board of Directors, David Sachs and Oren Shaffer, have resigned from the board as of May 23, 2017.
MANITOU ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN LIFTRITE
ALL-TERRAIN material handling equipment manufacturer, Manitou Group, has acquired a majority stake in WA-based dealership, LiftRite Hire & Sales. LiftRite specialises in construction, mining, and material handling equipment and has been the exclusive distributor in WA for Manitou and Gehl products. Founded in 1983 by Geoge Hogg, Mark Manning, and Ted Hirschfeld, LiftRite is a family-owned company that also distributes Kalmar and Kobelco products. Sales revenue generated by the company in 2016 was close to AU$18 million, of which 65% represented Manitou Group’s equipment. The transaction, expected to be finalised before August 1, grants Manitou Group the opportunity to acquire 55% of LiftRite’s shares with a purchasing option to increase its stake to 96% in three years. “LiftRite has got a team with great expertise, excellent know-how and a strong position in its market, especially in mining. Taking over a stake in our historical dealer in Western Australia, we reinforce Manitou’s position in the mining sector, as we did several years ago, with a great success, in South Africa. In parallel to this long-term strategic approach, we will continue to reinforce and develop all brands carried by LiftRite in all the markets served in this region,” Manitou Group president and CEO Michel Denis said.
July 2017
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Australian companies expand with Terex & Demag cranes TEREX Cranes recently received orders for new cranes from seven Australian companies looking to expand their current fleets. Three of the crane companies - Mammoet, Brendon Penn Crane Hire, and Melmar Cranes are expanding their fleet with the addition of Terex MAC 25-4 pick & carry cranes, compact and The Fergusson Container Terminal. (Credit: Jane Nearing, Flickr CC)
manoeuvrable units with an 18 metre telescopic boom that can achieve highway speeds. South32 Cannington and Mandurah Crane Hire are adding a Terex AT-22 pick & carry crane with a 22-tonne lift capacity and 17m maximum hook height. Qwest and JIAB/Caboolture Cranes decided
to go with a new five axle Demag AC 130-5 all-terrain crane, which is the most compact machine in its class and boasts an impressive main boom length of 60m. The recent Terex and Demag crane orders in Australia are scheduled for delivery over the next few months.
PLAYING CRANE TETRIS TWO 1100-tonne cranes have been shifted as Ports of Auckland prepares the Fergusson Container Terminal for bigger ships and automation. Fergusson Terminal has five cranes and as part of the move, the two older, smaller cranes were lifted off their rails so three newer, larger cranes could be positioned north of the terminal, where they will be able to work bigger ships. The big move was done in between customers at the busy terminal and Ports of Auckland’s CEO Tony Gibson credited the company’s “highly skilled engineering team”,
who worked closely with crane manufacturing company, ZPMC, for the successful move. “We run a very busy terminal so getting this job done quickly and with minimum disruption to shipping was essential. It’s a bit like doing knee surgery at half-time and then getting your player back on the field for the second half,” Gibson said. The relocation means the cranes are now well positioned to work on the bigger ships calling on Auckland’s port. The container terminal is also now more efficient and can cater to Auckland’s growing freight demand.
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July 2017
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Tadano launches highest capacity crane TADANO has launched a new 145-tonne rough terrain crane with a 61 metre boom - the GR-1600KL-2 - which the company says is the world’s biggest and furthest reaching. The three axle crane with a six axle single-cylinder telescopic boom is aimed at sectors where customers require larger lifting capacities and longer boom lengths, particularly aimed at the mining sector in Australia and South America, as well as energy users in North America and the Middle East. According to Tadano, as well as offering lifting capacity that outstrips anything else currently available, the crane can reach out to a radius of 67m, with a two-stage bi-fold lattice hydraulic-tilt jib - adding almost 18m to the 61m main boom. Self-removable outriggers and counterweight allow the crane to be set up without a support crane. The three axle compact carrier is similar in height and width to that of the next biggest crane offered by the Japanese manufacturer, the GR-1000XL-2, and the carrier is offered with a cab tilt system for improved visibility.
July 2017
GENIE UNVEILS AWARD-WINNING ARTICULATING BOOM LIFT AT the Hire Industry Excellence Awards in May, Genie collected the best new product award in the access category. The Genie Z-60/37FE is a hybrid articulating boom lift that combines electric power with diesel. Its working height is 66 feet (20.11 metres), with 36 feet seven inches (11.15m) of horizontal outreach and 24 feet three inches (7.39m) of up-and-over clearance. A standard five-foot (1.52m) jib has range of motion of 70 degrees up and 65 degrees down, as well as 160 degrees of platform rotation. Lift capacity is 500 pounds (226.8kg), and operating weight is 17,000 pounds (7711.1kg). Full-electric mode provides a full day of operation on a single charge, and hybrid provides more than a week with a single tank of fuel. In hybrid mode, the 24-horsepower Tier 4-Final engine powers the generator that powers four AC drive motors. By disengaging the clutch between the engine and generator, full diesel power can be directed to the drive motors. When connected to the diesel engine, the generator constantly monitors the battery, keeping it topped off and automatically shutting down to minimise fuel consumption. For extreme conditions or after heavy fullelectric operation, the hybrid system can provide a bulk charge The Genie Z-60/37FE (80%) within about captured at HIRE 17. four hours.
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Sennebogen unveils 30t telescopic crawler crane SENNEBOGEN has designed a new 30t machine that it says meets customer requests for higher maneuverability and efficiency. The three-section boom of the new Sennebogen 633 can be continuously extended and retracted over a length of 25.2m. As is the case with all machines in this series, it is also designed as a full-power boom, can be used at full load (pick and carry), and can turn the full 360 degrees. This highly robust, maintenance-free system allows for continuous extended and retracting, and it is always friction-locked. The maximum hook height with the 6.5m and 13m fly booms stands at a total of 38m. With its crawler undercarriage, the 633 can also manoeuvre across difficult terrain. The machine can be variably driven even at full load and it is possible to work at a slope of up to four degrees with the telescopic while the stable crawler track roller can be hydraulically set to three track widths. The 633 has a compact 10.6m length, and
July 2017
3m width and height, and it can be transported as a compact machine and be ready for action in a very short amount of time. Finally, the new Multicab II comfort cabin can be inclined by 15 degrees as standard. Sennebogen has added a new 30t telescopic crane to its product range.
ENERMEC WINS MALAYSIA CONTRACT ENGINEERING services specialist EnerMech has won its first contract to provide crane personnel in Malaysia. The company will provide training services and supply up to 70 offshore crane operators for a major oil and gas operator on projects located offshore in the South China Sea. The five-year multi-million-pound contract will see EnerMech deploy a crane simulator to its Kemaman base for the assessment and training of offshore crane operators assigned to the contract. “The upskilling of local staff, speed of mobilisation and our strong track record in cranes and lifting training and engineering services, were integral in securing this contract,” said Amir Nazer Adam, EnerMech’s Malaysia-based senior business development manager. “We will create up to 70 positions and by deploying our state-of-the-art crane simulator we will ensure our local teams are trained and assessed to international standards.”
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John Holland fined $280K over crane crash JOHN Holland has been fined $280,000 for major safety violations at their South Road Superway construction site in SA, after a worker narrowly escaped being crushed when a crane and an elevated platform frighteningly came together. The Commonwealth’s director of public prosecutions launched the prosecution against the national builder following a lengthy investigation by federal work safety regulator Comcare. John Holland was convicted of three counts of failing its health and safety duties under Commonwealth law in the Adelaide Magistrates Court over the 2013 incident. On the day of the incident, workers were loading sections of the bridge onto trucks when one of two portal cranes collided with the elevated work platform, forcing it under a neighbouring crane. The labour hire worker manning the platform saw the collision coming and tried to jump out of the way, but was unfortunately restrained by his harness.
WORKERS RESCUED AFTER EWP CRASH THREE workers were rescued after they were trapped when an elevated work platform (EWP) fell several metres in Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, at the end of May. According to reports, the incident occurred shortly before 9am on Tuesday, May 30, on Ryrie Street, with the EWP falling outside the Barwon Water building where upgrading work was being undertaken. The EWP, which was extended up to three storeys in height, fell several metres before stopping, trapping three men who were in the bucket. Firefighters were at the site and were able to free the men who were then taken to Geelong hospital in a stable condition. Paramedics and Worksafe Officials were also at the scene. A spokesperson for the project’s head contractor, Melbourne-based Monaco Hickey, told The Sydney Morning Herald the company was aware of the incident and was working with Worksafe and the police.
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The aftermath.
Fortunately, he managed to lean just out of the way of the platform - avoiding the point where the crane crushed the platform by less than a metre, but still suffered leg and back injuries from the incident. “This was an accident waiting to happen, with inadequate communication and isolation measures in place and shortfalls in supervision, instruction and training,” Comcare chief executive Jennifer Taylor said in a statement. “It was only through quick thinking and a degree of luck that the worker was not seriously injured or killed.” Lawyers for John Holland pleaded guilty to the charges in March this year and the company
was fined in May. This latest penalty is the second against John Holland over work health and safety failures at the South Road project. The company was previously convicted and fined $130,000 over a 2012 incident in which a large pipe snapped and fell from the road bridge into peak-hour traffic. Two cars were hit by the pipe and shattered the windscreen of one of the vehicles. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident, but Magistrate Paul Foley was scathing of the safety standards at the site, saying the two drivers had been put at risk of serious injury or death because of the company’s negligence.
50T CRANE TOPPLES IN TAREE; OPERATOR INJURED A 42-year-old operator has suffered a fractured leg after a Zoomlion crane toppled onto the building site at Taree hospital in NSW on Thursday, May 4. The 50t four axle crane - a Zoomlion QY50 - owned by Manning Valley Crane, fell backwards during the construction of the new car park at the hospital. It has been reported the crane was placing steelwork with its five section main boom fully extended when it toppled, causing the operator to fall four metres. Paramedics were quickly on the scene to treat the man, before taking him to hospital. The construction site was closed as Safework NSW investigated the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The scene at Manning Hospital, captured by Manning River Times.
July 2017
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First Liebherr LTR 1220 for India
NCC’s LTR 1220 lifting girders for the metro project at Nagpur Maharashtra.
INDIA’S NCC Ltd. has taken delivery of a Liebherr LTR 1220 telescopic crawler crane equipped with polyamide pads for operation on a metro site. The crane is currently working on the Nagpur Metro project where it will hoist girders for the two new metro lines that have a total length of 38km. Liebherr LTR cranes are crawler cranes with telescopic booms, meaning they do not need space to assemble and erect a boom.
The LTR 1220 features short set-up times and particularly high flexibility in use and it also comes with double grouser crawler pads, which are useful in off-road operation. Liebherr is convinced that the use of such a crane for the first time in India will give a big opening to this technology. NCC has been associated with Liebherr since 2010 and currently operates a Liebherr 400-tonne crawler crane and a 200t mobile crane in various projects.
40 CRANES ORDERED FOR UN-RELATED PROJECT HIAB, which is part of Cargotec, has received an order for 40 loader cranes from Japanese trading company, FutureBud International. The cranes will be used in a United Nations-related project to assist developing countries and will be installed on Japanese truck chassis bearing the Fuso brand. The value of the order is close to EUR 2 million (AU$2.96 million) and has been booked into Cargotec’s 2017 second quarter order intake. “To our great delight, Cargotec Japan, as a locally incorporated company representing Hiab, received this order for 40 Hiab knuckle boom cranes from FutureBud International, in collaboration with Japanese truck manufacturer Fuso (Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation). We are very happy to contribute to this United Nations project to assist developing countries in Africa,” Toshiya Suzuki, director of Hiab Business, Japan said. The ordered HIAB XS 088 CLX cranes are manually controlled with a lifting capacity of 8.2tm. The 40 units will be delivered to Tanzania during the last quarter of 2017. CL
July 2017
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KHL’S INTERNATIONAL ROUND-UP
Around the world with KHL Cranes and Lifting has partnered with supplier of international construction information KHL to bring you news from around the world. Here’s a snapshot of what’s been happening around the globe.
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stablished in 1989, KHL Group is in the business of delivering information in a range of formats, from magazines such as International Cranes and Specialized Transport and Access International, to events and exhibitions including Cranes and Transport Asia Pacific and APEX, to directories such as the World Crane Guide.
APPLE’S FLAGSHIP CHICAGO STORE TAKES SHAPE Central Contractors Service, a division of North American crane rental and sales operation ALL Family of Companies, provided a 35.3 US ton capacity luffing jib Potain crane to work on the construction of consumer electronics giant Apple’s new flagship store in Chicago. According to Manitowoc, who manufactures Potain cranes, its MR 608 tower crane was suitable for the job as it could handle the required capacities while operating within the restricted space available on the job site, which is in the city centre, next to the Chicago River. Paul Urbanski, sales manager for Central Contractors Service, said the MR 608 was the ideal lifting solution for the cramped work environment. “Since we’re working so close to the river, the entire area surrounding the site is vaulted, which required careful planning of the assembly and delivery of the crane. The MR 608 performed seamlessly once it was erected, and the crane’s frequency driven hoist - with LVF technology - helped us cut down on maintenance and keep to our schedule,” he said. The MR 608 has been working along the north bank of the Chicago River since September 2016.
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MODULAR BEAM SOLUTIONS Modular construction company, Polcom Modular, used spreader beams from below-the-hook equipment manufacturer and lifting engineering specialist Modulift, on a high-profile job installing bedrooms at the citizenM Tower of London hotel in London, UK. According to Ben Paget, structural director at Polcom, modular construction is fast becoming a popular building method for organisations looking for rapid project completion, assured quality standards, and minimal impact on the environment or the local area. On this job, 260 pre-fabricated structural modular bedrooms were installed at the central London hotel over an 11-week period, all at night. The modules had bespoke lifting eyes integrated into the structural framing, which were used by the rigging team. A standard bedroom-corridor module weighed approximately eight tonnes, while the heavier bedroom-corridor-bedroom modules were around 12.5 tonnes. Modulift said it provided standard MOD 24 (24 tonnes capacity at 5 metres) and MOD 50 (50 tonnes at 8 m) spreader beams, slings and shackles. These were used in either single or one-over-two configurations, depending on the lifting points on the modules (some were four-point lifts and others eight-point), said Modulift. Below-the-hook equipment totalled up to 1.25 tonnes in weight for each lift. Polcom also used a tower crane, leased by Balfour Beatty, the major contractor, which was already on site for other lifts relating to the construction project. Paget explained that as the crane was sourced prior to completion of the module design, limited height was available for the top floor bedrooms. “We had to modify the top floor lift with shortened chains and tighter angles to accommodate the final lifts,” he said. “The centre of gravity on some of the modules was not quite central and so we had to manually compensate for this with sand bags. Modulift’s design service was critical to the successful delivery of the project, giving us access to high quality drawings, specifications and expertise, which was particularly beneficial in offsetting the centre of gravity positions during the design of the lifting frames.”
NEW HYDRO COATING FOR HOISTS Hoist and crane system manufacturer J.D. Neuhaus in Germany has a new Hydro Coating water-based paint on its hoist range. It says the move will enhance the quality and appearance of its hoists, as well as make them more environmentally friendly. The new silicone-free Hydro Coating optimises adhesion, provides high resistance to corrosion and oil, and can be diluted with water if required for application. It said it offers excellent surface quality, even when refitting, and complies fully with the VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) Directive. In addition, JDN has also launched a remote control system, the JDN-RC. The compact receiver can be mounted on the hoist or trolley, or at a separate location, allowing users to work at a safe distance from the load and enabling them to get a better view during operation. The control is also suitable for spanning long distances between the hoist and the operator, and represents an alternative to applications that demand a long control hose.
July 2017
TANDEM BRIDGE LIFT FOR WELDEX Weldex chose a pair of large Liebherr crawlers lifting in tandem for a bridge project in Manchester, UK. The UK’s largest crawler crane rental company, Scotland-based Weldex, used a 1350 tonne capacity LR 11350 and a 750 tonne capacity LR 1750 lattice crawler to position the 560 tonne steel railway bridge at a 51 metre radius. Weldex positioned the 90m bridge over the River Irwell. It will carry a railway linking Manchester’s Picadilly and Victoria stations. Work started in July 2016 for the LR 1750 where it spent six months being used to set up the lower section of the bridge and to assemble the arch. Its city centre location meant the bridge had to be delivered in small sections. With the bridge assembled it was time for the LR 11350 to be set up, with 72m of main boom and the 42m derrick boom. It handled most of the weight and positioned one end of the bridge arch on the opposite bank of the river. A gross load of 357 tonnes, out of the 560 total, on the LR 11350 required its derrick radius to be extended from 25 to 30m. It was in SLDB2 configuration. Before hoisting the bridge over the river, the pair of crawler cranes had to move it in stages 30m to the bank. During this process more derrick ballast was added using a 100 tonne capacity Liebherr LTR 1100 telescopic crawler crane to the maximum total of 600 tonnes. A total of 830 tonnes of counterweight was on the LR 11350. The LR 1750 was rigged in SLDB configuration with 49m main boom and 28m derrick boom. It carried 95 tonnes of central ballast, 200 tonnes of turntable ballast and 350 tonnes of derrick ballast. The load capacity was 224 tonnes at a maximum of 26.8m radius.
THE DOMINATOR III US manufacturer and supplier of service vehicles, cranes and hydraulic loaders, Iowa Mold Tooling Company (IMT), has launched the Dominator III - an 11-foot (3.3 metre) mechanic’s truck with a 25 foot (7.6 m), 12,000 pound (5.4 tonne) telescopic crane combo. The new crane is based on the company’s 14 foot (4.3 m) Dominator but with an increased lifting capacity and a lighter, more manoeuvrable body, the company said. In addition, IMT reduced the weight of the telescopic crane by 440 pounds (200 kg), while increasing the crane rating to 81,000 lb-ft (109,821 Nm).
LINDEN COMANSA UNVEILS NEW CAB A new tower crane cabin available later this year from Spanish manufacturer Linden Comansa has been shown for the first time. Official details are yet to be released but the new squared-off shape uses flat glass to avoid distortion. A prototype of the new cab was seen by International Cranes and Specialized Transport and Linden Comansa dealers, including UK distributor City Lifting, early in 2017. Trevor Jepson, City Lifting owner, commented: “Our initial reaction was of surprise due to the absence of curved lines, quite common in the cab of most manufacturers, but we loved it right away, even before seeing the inside, which is very bright and spacious.” City Lifting displayed a prototype of the new crane cab on its stand at May’s Vertikal Days show in the UK where attendees reported positive feedback, City Lifting said.
FIRST LIEBHERR LTR 1220 IN INDIA Indian infrastructure contractor NCC has taken delivery of the first Liebherr LTR 1220 telescopic crawler crane in India. The 220 tonner was put to work on the Nagpur Metro project lifting girders for two new metro lines with a total length of 38km. Its full-load pick and carry capability was useful on this project. Telescopic crawler cranes are also quick to set up and dismantle and have a short boom extension and retraction time. To operate on the metro site, the crane was supplied with polyamide pads for its double grouser crawler tracks. With the pads it can operate inside without damaging a floor and without the pads the grousers are better for traction off-road.
POTAIN CRANES USED TO BUILD DANISH HOSPITAL Leading Nordic construction and civil engineering contractor MT Højgaard is using 15 Potain tower cranes to help build a new hospital complex for Aalborg University in Denmark. The job site covers 330,000m2, and includes other buildings, roads and pedestrian pathways. MT Højgaard chose a mix of three Potain models to work on the job site: eight Potain GTMR 386 B self-erecting cranes; six Potain MDT 178 tower cranes; and one Potain MDT 218 A J10. The cranes were supplied by Ajos, the Danish Potain dealer and construction equipment rental company. It advised MT Højgaard on choosing a fleet that could adapt to the variety of conditions and obstacles found across the job site. The cranes are positioned throughout the site and are being used to lift steel, concrete and formwork materials, with the heaviest load weighing approximately 6 tonnes. The entire project will cost an estimated DKK4.77 billion upon its expected completion in 2020.
HSC LAUNCHES 65T TELECRAWLER IN GLOBAL MARKET Japan-based crane manufacturer, Hitachi Sumitomo Heavy Industries Construction Crane Co., Ltd., (HSC), has launched the 650TLX - a 65 tonne capacity telescopic crawler crane onto the global market. The 650TLX has a high strength, lightweight, four-section telescopic boom that HSC said is designed for foundation work, although the company stressed it can be used for both tough or delicate jobs. The crane has a powerful hydraulic system and is compatible with high-load attachments such as augers and vibro-equipment. It also has a third winch with an optional free-fall mechanism. Another optional extra is a self-assembly system for the crawler, counter weight and boom. CL
July 2017
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ARE YOU A CRANE OWNER? To make sure your fleet is properly recognised please send your details now to top50@mayfam.net
INTERESTED IN SPONSORING? If you would like to support this Top50 initiative and help to recognise our top crane owning companies please let us know at top50@mayfam.net
CICA INDUSTRY REPORT
From the president Road Access continues to be the number one area of frustration for the majority of our members located in the eastern states. Victoria is suffering from changes brought about by the four and five axle 2016 exemption notice, whereby for the sake of ~70mm or 2.5% of the ground contact width, we now see approximately 99% of four axle and 75% of five axle cranes requiring permits rather than being able to run on the network map. CICA is currently in discussions with the advisor to the state minister and Vic Roads to improve this situation.
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ikewise, council road access approval continues to be a major road block. I mentioned in my last report the success gained in Queensland by funding a trial NHVR liaison officer working with and educating local councils of our industry to gain acceptance of the SPV1 notice. I am pleased to advise this proactive and consultative approach has been recognised by the NHVR, and CICA has been awarded a grant to fund a full-time liaison officer to work directly with local councils in other states. We will prioritise on the high crane density councils where the majority of our members are impacted.
I look forward to the improvements we will see as a result of this additional resource working directly with local councils on behalf of our members. We are taking a more engineeringbased approach by developing quantitative data to support and justify our argument for improved road access. Our CICA engineering staff have been working hard, calculating bridge structure and swept path comparisons to demonstrate how our cranes have far less impact than other “approved vehicles” that travel some 20 times more kilometres on the road per year than our “permitted cranes”.
Swept Path 19m Semi Trailer
Swept Path 2 Axle Pick & Carry Crane
BRIDGE STRUCTURAL IMPACT
Franna MAC 25 (GVM 24t) vs Concrete Mixer (GVM 28t)
Swept Path 3 Axle All Terrain Crane Crane vs Concrete Mixer Shear Force
Swept Path 5 Axle All Terrain Crane
Crane vs Concrete Mixer Bending Movement
July 2017
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CICA INDUSTRY REPORT
Late last year, the NHVR coordinated a National Roadworthiness Baseline Survey(NRBS) of 7130 heavy vehicles/combinations across Australia under the category of rigid trucks, semi-trailers, B-doubles, road trains, buses and special purpose vehicles (SPV). 644 SPVs were inspected, which include a combination of mainly mobile cranes, but also some other mobile plant (concrete pumps, tractors etc). The good news is that SPVs performed significantly better than the national average with only 3% of vehicles having defects. Only buses outperformed us with 2%. The statistics were even better for those in the CraneSafe program showing less than 1% having defects. Our CICA Vision is to have A Safe and Profitable Crane Industry - I’m sure you will agree these results are a brilliant success story of CICA leading self-regulation for our industry and further strengthens our argument for better road access. Speaking of self-regulation, supervised weighing is another great example where CICA has been NRBS - VEHICLES INSPECTED
making inroads. NSW led the way allowing self-declaration for new machine weighing, Vic Road then allowed our CICA staff to perform this task for both new and used cranes. We are currently in discussions with Qld TMR, SA DPTI and NSW RMS (for used cranes) to expand the adoption of self-declaration into these regions and for used cranes. Lastly a reminder, registration for CICA’s annual 2017 conference “Elevate Your Thinking” being held in the Adelaide Convention Centre from October 19 to 21 is now open, so get in quick. Early bird rates close August 4. As always, if you have any ideas of how CICA can better help our industry, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line. Many Thanks, Danny Black CICA President General Manager Terex Australia 0419 384 962
CICA president Danny Black
CICA Board
Danny Black – President, Terex Cranes Tom Smith – Vice President, Williamstown Crane Hire Andrew Esquilant, Liebherr Australia Cheryl Woodhart, RMB Service Group John Gillespie, Gillespies Crane Services Bart Sutherland, Complete Crane Hire Geoff Bevan, Hydralift Ben Pieyre, Freo Group
CICA Office
NRBS - DEFECTS FOUND
Brandon Hitch, Chief Executive Officer 03 8320 0444 Tracey Watson, Business Operations Manager (VIC/TAS Secretary) 03 8320 0411 Simone Hill, CICA Administration Officer (Accounts/Membership/Events) 03 8320 0420 Heidi Hervay, CICA Administration Officer (NSW, QLD & NT Secretary) 1300 887 277 John Humphries, VIC/TAS Liaison Officer 03 8320 0433 Alice Edwards, Project Engineer 03 8320 0440 Patrick Cran, Plant & Operator Assessment Officer 0488 004 274 Sherry Kirby, CICA Administration Officer (Tues/Thurs) 03 8320 0455 Unit 10, 18-22 Lexia Place, Mulgrave Vic 3170 (PO Box 136 Mount Waverley Vic 3149) Phone: 03 9501 0078 Fax: 03 9501 0083 Email: admin@cica.com.au Website: www.cica.com.au For information regarding CICA membership, please visit our website or call the CICA office.
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July 2017
Industry-led independent inspection program
Introducing the CraneSafe Assessment App. Features include ■ Photo and video capture of specific crane information to assist in record keeping and repair schedules ■ Generation of a maintenance list that can be used by the workshop to complete repairs ■ Captive information is used to monitor items that are deemed satisfactory at the time of assessment, but should be monitored during the upcoming 12 months ■ No more sending in white copies to the CraneSafe office
■ A ll existing information that has been used for industry lobbying with road regulators will now be more accurately captured digitally ■ Crane information and photos can assist with the assessment of a crane’s design life, and whether a major inspection is required ■ Assessments can automatically be added to your company’s unique CICA Member profile, to consolidate records and ease paperwork requirements of clients. CICA079_4RMC
®
CICA082_RMC
After 13 years the national industry–led Inspection Program is now electronic.
CraneSafe is a division of CICA – Australia’s not-for-profit Crane Association
www.cranesafe.com.au
2017 CICA Conference, Exhibition & Crane Display
Program At A Glance
Host State:
CICA Board Meeting CICA National Reference Group CICA AGM First Timers Briefing Welcome Reception Networking Dinner
Sponsorship & Exhibitor Opportuni�es available – Contact Simone Hill at the CICA Office for informa�on admin@cica.com.au 03 8320 0420
Thursday 19th October
Friday 20th October Keynote Speaker Speaker Sessions Lift of the Year Award Presentations
Saturday 21st October
For further information visit the conference website:
http://conference.cica.com.au
Speaker Sessions Manufacturers’ Panel Gala Awards Dinner
July 2017
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LEGAL
Comply with the code or risk losing work Crane owner/operators need to be aware that they are not likely to be able to work on any Commonwealth-funded building work if their enterprise agreements do not comply with the Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work 2016 (Code), including its new drug testing rules, writes Michael Selinger.
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he Code, which applies to all “building industry participants�, is likely to apply to most crane owner/operators who are involved in supplying crane services to infrastructure and construction projects that are federally-funded. The Code imposes stringent standards for management of workplace relations including the need for frequent workplace drug and alcohol tests and steps to ensure building union officials strictly comply with right-of-entry laws. Code covered employers should undertake a review of current fitness for work policies and procedures and update these to ensure they are compliant with the requirements of the Code. Importantly for crane owner/operators who may have existing enterprise agreements, the Code sets rules for content of enterprise agreements covering employers and employees performing that work. Further, even if the crane owner/operator is not actually tendering for the Commonwealth-funded building work, there will be the practical issue of crane owner/operators being rejected from any such projects unless their enterprise agreements are Code compliant.
What does this mean? Employers with non-Code compliant enterprise agreements are at immediate risk of being unable to be awarded or commence work on Commonwealth-funded building projects. Even though employers can still tender for Commonwealth-funded work during the transitional period, varying or renegotiating an 18
enterprise agreement takes time and is unlikely to be achieved between the period of tendering and being awarded, or commencing work on a project. Until September 1, an employer with a non-Code compliant enterprise agreement (made before December 2, 2016 - when the new Code commenced) will still be eligible to submit expressions of interests or tender for Commonwealth-funded building work. However, they will need to ensure that they have a Code compliant enterprise agreement before they can be awarded or actually commence work on a contract to perform Commonwealth-funded building work, otherwise they cannot be awarded or commence such work. Any non-Code compliant employer that is awarded a contract or tender between December 2, 2016 and February 16, 2017 can start or continue to undertake the building work under transitional arrangements. No exemptions apply to employers with enterprise agreements made after December 2, 2016. Any crane owner/operators who are affected will need advice about the extent of noncompliance with the Code and the options available to make their enterprise agreements Code compliant. These options include:
Option 1 - vary existing enterprise agreement Many employers negotiated enterprise agreements in the last bargaining round on the basis of commitments from building
Holding Redlich workplace relations partner, Michael Selinger.
unions that they would agree to vary the enterprise agreement if and when the Code was introduced. Employers should consider whether they can rely on those commitments to achieve variations within the requisite, condensed timeframe. It is expected the building unions will dispute the view of the government and/ or the employers as to the changes required to achieve compliance.
Option 2 - make new enterprise agreement If the changes required for Code compliance are significant, employers might seek to negotiate a new enterprise agreement that applies for a three or four-year term. This of course will be difficult if it is opposed by the building unions. It may also open the doors for employees and unions to bring in other demands, and negotiations of this nature take time.
Option 3 - apply to terminate existing enterprise agreement unilaterally This option will certainly sanitise the employer in respect of a non-Code compliant enterprise agreement if granted by the Fair Work Commission, however, the application will most likely be fiercely contested by the building unions and/or impacted employees. Michael Selinger is a workplace relations partner at Holding Redlich. The firm partners with CICA to provide members with workplace relations assistance. CL More: www.holdingredlich.com July 2017
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX HIGH ON CRANES The Genie SX-180 boom lift is the highest reaching self-propelled boom lift in the Genie Super Boom line-up, and can reach 180 feet (54.86m).
First in, best dressed In our second instalment of the all-new High on cranes section, Cranes and Lifting speaks to Quick Access, an early adopter that has taken delivery of a number of firsts in Victoria, including the Genie SX-180 self-propelled boom lift. Jacqueline Ong has the details.
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amily-owned Quick Access Rental and Training has been in the elevated work platform sector for three decades and in April, the company took ownership of Victoria’s first Genie SX-180 self-propelled boom lift. Owner operator Craig Barr explained that in what is a very competitive industry, it is all the more important to provide customers with the latest, cutting-edge machines. “Not only do I have the first Genie SX180 in Victoria, I have the first Genie Z-33/18 electric boom lift, and I’ll have the first Genie 60/37 the new 60ft electric boom - which is coming at the end of June. I’ve also got the JLG X23J compact crawler boom,” Barr said. “It’s a very competitive industry in a material market and I want to be able to provide the best
machines for the clients. You’ve got to provide that level of service otherwise you’re reduced to talking about price.” Barr said the Genie SX-180 is a “big leap” for boom lifts, pointing to the 135 that has been around for a while. “Everyone uses the 135 and what I’m finding with the new machine is that I’m not competing with other boom lifts, I’m competing with truckmounted cherry pickers, abseiling and scaffolding and it’s certainly generating interest amongst traditional customers and new clientele as well,” Barr said, adding that one of the advantages of the new machine is increased capacity, the latest safety technologies, and the introduction of load management systems on machines in 2011. However, there are two things the SX-180 has really impressed Barr.
The SX-180 is generating interest from traditional customers and new clientele, Barr said.
“The capacity of the basket and the time to reach 55 metres are the two things that are certainly big winners for the customers. The SX-180 only takes 4.5 minutes to reach 55m and that is superb. Also, being able to have 340kg in the platform is advantageous,” Barr said. “The machine has performed flawlessly and the clients absolutely love it.” That’s not all that’s new at Quick Access. The company now has a freecall number which has tickled this editor pink. “One of the other things my clients have been impressed with is my new phone number - a new freecall for these big booms. It’s 1800-MASSIVE. I was initially a bit worried when I first dialled the number about what I’d CL get at the end of the line!” Barr joked.
In April, Quick Access took ownership of Victoria’s first Genie SX-180 self-propelled boom lift.
All images courtesy of Quick Access.
July 2017
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HEAVY LIFTING Tower being lowered onto the supporting bolts.
Towering achievement for Sydney Metro Northwest
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July 2017
The two towers for Sydney Metro’s iconic cable-stayed railway bridge over Windsor Road at Rouse Hill were erected recently, Greg Keane reports.
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he 270-metre bridge - the first of its type in Australia - is at the end of the four-kilometre skytrain. The bridge, being delivered for Transport for NSW by Salini Impregilo, was a design solution to community feedback which means any future upgrade of the Windsor Road and Schofields Road intersection will not be impacted by the new metro railway. The steel towers that anchor the cable-stayed bridge were fabricated in the Glendenning factory of S&L Steel, and transported 17km to site at night, under police and pilot escort, on an 18 axle platform trailer. They each weigh 210 tonnes and are 29m tall, with anchor points for eight cable stays on each of the sides facing the deck. On the 4km skytrain, two large gantries erected the 1128 precast concrete segments that make up the deck. This skytrain deck is 11m wide and an average of 9m in the air, with the segments weighing between 56t and 147t. The gantries lifted and positioned each segment, and held it in position while it was tensioned with steel cable. Each gantry weighed 600t and was 150m long. There are 80,000t of concrete in the skytrain deck, which is tensioned by 1400km of steel cable.
Lift details Cranes for the erection of the towers were supplied by S&L Steel, who subcontracted Gillespie Crane Services (Gillespies) for the erection of the steel towers. Gillespies used its own 350t capacity Liebherr LR1350-1 crawler crane fitted with a derrick ballast system with floating ballast tray; and cross-hired a 250t Manitowoc M999 crawler crane from Lampson Australia to act as a tailing crane. Smaller cranes supported the main lift cranes. The Liebherr was rigged with 54m of main boom, 19 falls of rope on the main winch, 36.3t of central ballast, 99.6t of counterweight and 125t of suspended counterweight. Its 300t capacity hook block weighed 5.5t, and rigging added a further 2.3t. The derrick ballast tray was set at 13m radius for the main lift. The Manitowoc was rigged with 27.4m of main boom, 11 falls of rope on the main winch, 36.3t of central ballast and 99.6t of counterweight. Its 147t capacity hook block weighed 3.1t and rigging added a further 2.6t. For the first lift, the cranes were set up on hard stand beside the deck of the bridge, and the cranes picked up the tower in a horizontal orientation directly from the platform trailer. July 2017
The Liebherr lifted at 14m radius and the Manitowoc lifted at 8m radius. The trailer was removed from the work area once the tower was supported by the cranes. Removable fabrications at the top and base of the tower provided lifting points designed to ensure that the load did not clash with the rigging during the lift, and to separate the planes of the rigging for the top and bottom of the tower as it was turned from horizontal to vertical. The Liebherr hoisted its end of the tower as the Manitowoc walked towards it, with the tower slowly rotating from horizontal to vertical, at which time the Liebherr supported the full load and the Manitowoc’s rigging was detached from the tower. The Liebherr then raised the tower until it was above deck level, after which it slewed it over the deck and lowered it onto the securing bolts. Once the nuts were tensioned on the bolts, the rigging was detached. There was three millimetres tolerance over the bolts, and the tower could be moved locally to position it over the bolts. The lift of the second tower was essentially a mirror image of the first, undertaken on the opposite side of Windsor Road. Civil earthworks were progressively undertaken over several months prior to the lift programme, with specific emphasis on crawler crane operational areas to achieve
ground compaction, specific ground levels and cross falls within operating parameters of both crawler cranes.
Timeframe and logistics The first tower was lifted on May 21, 2017, and the second was lifted five days later. Three days were taken to mobilise the cranes to site, three days were taken to relocate them to the opposite side of Windsor Road for the second lift, and a further three days were taken to demobilise afterwards. There were 134 transport movements required in total. Panalpina World Transport Pty Ltd/ALE Heavy Lift was responsible for heavy haulage. Closures of the full northbound carriageway and southbound fast lane on Windsor Road were required for the erection of the first tower, while the full southbound carriageway and northbound fast lane were closed for the erection of the second tower. To minimise the impact on traffic, the road closures were only enacted once the steel tower had been rotated to the vertical position and was lifted from ground level onto the deck of the cable stay bridge to be positioned over the hold down bolts. Acknowledgement: A Sydney Metro spokesperson provided extensive details for this story.
CL
With the tailing crane detached, Gillespies’ Liebherr LR1350-1 lifts the tower clear of the bridge deck before slewing.
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CRANES IN ACTION: SA
No signs on waning demand Construction work in South Australia may be down 6% for the calendar year but crane numbers in Adelaide have steadily been increasing since its recorded low in Q2 2015. And as the state blows past its renewable energy target, crane numbers could very well remain on the rise, writes Jacqueline Ong.
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he Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) Crane Index for Q2 2017 revealed that Adelaide had reached its highest point of 120 cranes since 2015 and yes, construction work was down 6%, with residential work up 1% and non-residential work down 13%, but there are promising signs as six new cranes were erected during that period. The residential sector remained strongest sector in Adelaide with nine cranes, up from eight in the last index. Meanwhile, four cranes were spotted working on health projects, with the health sector utilising a total of seven cranes representing 39% of the city’s total cranes. As construction slows down, one area that could present an opportunity for the state is renewable energy. As you’ll note on page 32, there is a strong case for renewable energy in Australia, what with soaring electricity prices coupled with a settled renewable energy target that has led to gargantuan investment in the space. In SA, the government has set a target for renewable energy 50% of local demand by 2025 - but the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) revealed in June that the state had already met this target in 2016-17, eight years ahead of time.
The case for wind According to the AER’s state of energy market report, large-scale wind power and rooftop solar PV hit 57% in the first nine months of 2016-17, with wind power accounting for 38% of SA’s
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demand, marking a 43% increase in the 2016 calendar year. In 2016-17, wind power’s contribution jumped further as the Hornsdale and Snowtown wind farms came online. Heavy lifting and engineered transport specialist, Sarens, has undertaken wind farm installations in Australia over the last decade and has emerged as a reference in the industry. And the company was heavily involved in the development of the Hornsdale windfarm, located between 8km and 24km north of Jamestown. The 315MW wind farm comprises 99 wind turbines that provide renewable energy to be used locally and exported to the national grid. As of June 21, it was reported that only minor rehabilitation works had to be finished and the de-mobilisation of the civil team had commenced. As part of the three-stage project, Sarens’ Australian division was awarded the contract to install 32 wind turbines - each had a hub height of 92.5 metres - during the second stage, which would provide clean energy to 70,000 homes. As part of the installation that began in December 2016 and finished in June, the company performed all lifting works, relocation of the cranes, and small transport on-site. In order to achieve the required installation rate, Sarens said it deployed both the right fleet of cranes and an experienced team. Mobilisation to the site was optimised by using trucks, trailers, and floats, all of which were later used for on-site activities.
Sarens turned to a number of machines during the course of the project, including the GR800EX, Tadano ATF110, Tadano ATF130, Liebherr LTM1130, Liebherr LTM1500, Liebherr LG1750 config. SP SL8HS (98m main boom), 100 floats, three prime movers and 10 trailers. Sarens used the LTM1500 to install the two base sections of the tower, including top and tailing operation, while the LG1750 was used to install the two top sections of the tower, the nacelle, build rotor, and lift the rotor in place. The company said one of the biggest challenges faced during the operation was the high wind velocity which could have caused delays. However, a strong partnership with the client, Siemens, which provided the mechanical and electrical installation teams to assemble the wind turbines, played a key role in the smooth execution of the project. The hilly terrain also posed challenges in terms of the assembly and rigging of the main crane - the LG1750, but Sarens was able to pull it together, even meeting the challenging deadline. “Our organisation is very pleased to perform this work for Siemens in South Australia. It shows our commitment to deliver high quality services for the wind industry turbine installation. We see this project as an important milestone and reference in the Australian wind industry which is positioning Sarens as a leading wind turbine installation service provider,” Sarens country manager, Australia, Luk Roelandts said in a statement. CL
July 2017
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CRANES IN ACTION: NT
Gantry system pioneer reflects on early project in Alice Springs In the 1990s, Bernie Lynch (The Lynch Mob) was like many other small crane owners in operating a Franna in his local market. He had his “light bulb moment” in 1997, when he purchased a US-made Lift Systems gantry, writes Greg Keane.
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t that time, there weren’t a lot of gantry systems in Australia, and most were of high capacity and used on large jobs that did not suit a conventional crane. Lynch’s initial purchase was a combination of 50-ton and 100-ton lifting frames, along with an engine, hydraulic pump, and control system for operating the jacking system. The gantries travel on portable steel tracks, with rams that lock into the track and extend to move the gantry (the front and rear gantries are linked, so that only one pair of rams is required). For jobs involving a long distance between pick-up and placement, track that has been previously travelled over can be picked up and re-laid in front of the gantry, minimising the amount of track required and the mobilisation costs. Setting up the tracks is a big part of getting the system to work effectively: they need to be level to minimise the stresses on the hydraulic rams. The lift cylinders on the gantries are also synchronised.
Generating business in Alice Springs A 1998 job in Alice Springs highlighted the capabilities of Lynch’s gantry system. Central
Energy had four 60-tonne generators to install. This weight, combined with the inability to set up a crane close to the installation slab, meant that it would have been a dual crane lift. Coordinating the mobilisation of two cranes over a significant distance would have been difficult and costly. Mobilising a gantry from Brisbane was also costly, although this purely related to the distance. Lynch operated an 8x4 Volvo crane truck, and the 11.5-tonne weight and compact dimensions of the gantry system was comfortably handled by this truck. The Lynch Mob’s tender price for the work was similar to that of a conventional crane hirer, but it won the work based on its speed of installing the generators. The gantries straddle the load, and as a result do not take up a lot more space than the load itself. This often means that a gantry can be used to lift a load off its transport as well as place it in its final location, and this was the case with the Alice Springs job. The bulk of the time was spent laying out and levelling the track: the actual time to pick up the load, travel with it and place it is generally quite short. Each generator installation in Alice
Gantry and rails set up beside the slab.
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Springs took four hours. Only a small crew was required to undertake the work: The Lynch Mob had three people on site for this project. This compares favourably to what would have been required using conventional cranes. With the speed of installation, other work could be done on site with a small crew. This work included erecting all the steelwork on site, including setting more than 400 chemical grout anchors, and installing cooling towers, exhaust systems and pipework. The end result was that the project was completed earlier and at a lower cost than if a crane solution was adopted. The Alice Springs job remains the most remote undertaken in mainland Australia by The Lynch Mob using the gantry system, although it did do a job on the Marshall Islands. The range of jobs undertaken - both indoors and outdoors - is enormous and continues to grow. These are things that Lynch reflects on as he nears completion of the sale of his business, allowing him and his wife Lynn to retire. His future will see the road less travelled chosen for leisure rather than business pursuits! C L
Lifting a generator from its transport.
July 2017
Cranes & Access PROVIDING LIFTING SOLUTIONS TO SERVICE THE NEEDS OF OUR CUSTOMERS SINCE 1950
www.gillespiecranes.com.au (02)8887 7888 July 2017
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CANZ PREVIEW Non-residential building is expected to peak at NZ$8.8 billion in 2018. Pictured: 151 Cambridge Terrace being built in 2014. It is an iconic commercial property at the centre of the city’s rebuild. (Credit: Bernard Spragg. NZ, Flickr CC)
Riding the wave A strong population growth continues to boost housing demand and along with robust household spending, is driving non-residential construction demand. Cuts in interest rates and strong population growth are flowing through to housing demand, writes Rod Auton.
T
he National Construction Pipeline Report 2016 forecasts building and construction activity in New Zealand and one of the key findings of that report forecast the national construction value to peak in 2017 NZ$6.2 billion (AU$5.96 billion) higher than in 2015 at NZ$37 billion. This peak coincides with residential growth and accounts for more than half of the construction growth by value nationally. Non-residential building is expected to peak higher than 2015 at NZ$8.8 billion in 2018. Other construction includes all construction that is not a building, including infrastructure projects, mining and power projects (wind, thermal, hydro) and accounts for about a quarter of all construction by value in 2016. Growth of 2.5% per year is forecast through to 2021. Cranes are a good indicator for economic growth and the skyline reflects the evidence of the construction boom. With a 13% growth in building work put in place across the country in 2016, there has been a 19% increase in total number of tower cranes in New Zealand to December 2016. 26
For example, in December 2015 in Auckland, there were 33 tower cranes and in December 2016, that had grown to 64 cranes and in the second quarter of 2017 now sits at 72 cranes. Nationally there are 132 cranes, up from 117 on the last quarter of 2016. As always in a booming economy, there is a need for more cranes and manufacturers of cranes had substantial growth in sales in 2016 compared to 2015. There is also a solid second-hand market of quality cranes coming out of Australia, taking advantage of the Australian economic downturn. For every type of crane, there must be an operator and 2016 highlighted the need for qualified, experienced and competent operators. Because of the different skill sets required for each type of crane, a person can’t just walk in off the street and operate a crane. Even to sit for the crane qualification, an operator must have prior experience rigging and/or operating a crane as there is a competency assessment as part of the qualification. This is an industry where an operator starts as a yard boy and through a combination of on-
the-job training and formal training learns the trade from the bottom up. Rod Auton
Cranes are a good indicator for economic growth and the skyline reflects the evidence of the construction boom. The Australian downturn has also been responsible for the return of many New Zealanders heading home and looking for positions in the crane industry. Many companies are benefiting from this influx of experienced crane operators. Rod Auton is the CEO of Crane Association of New Zealand Inc (CANZ). The 2017 Annual Crane Conference will be held at the Novotel Hotel in Rotorua from July 19 to 21. More on pages 28 and 29. CL July 2017
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MEGATRAK™ independent suspension with all-wheel steering and suspension that can be raised 170 mm or lowered 130 mm Hydraulic luffing swingaway extension allows outstanding lifting capability over obstacles at great heights, boom and jib extensions available Grove Single-engine concept with one simple angular gearbox drives hydraulic pumps through the centre of the slew ring for optimum efficiency and weight savings New Fuel Saver technology and optional auxiliary power supply Fast and easy rigging with new intuitive Crane Control System (CCS) with full graphic display, jog-dial and boom configuration mode MAXbase variable positioning outriggers, an efficient, user friendly option on all CCS cranes. Maximized capacities over a wider arc allow more useable loadcharts - SIMPLE and SAFE
CANZ CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Ready for Rotorua? We are about a month away from the annual CANZ conference and trade show. Here’s what to expect at this year’s event.
Last year’s manufacturers panel was fielded by a range of experts and we have no doubt that this year’s panel will once again offer many insights. (Source: CANZ)
H
eld at the Novotel Lakeside Hotel in Rotorua on New Zealand’s North Island, the July 19-21 event will focus on how to lift your game. And the organiser of the annual conference, the Crane Association of New Zealand (CANZ), has put together a promising program, which includes a fall protection demonstration, an update from CICA, and the ever popular crane manufacturers panel. This year, professional master of ceremonies Greg Ward will be ensuring an effortless flow of the event. With more than 13 years of experience in the conference and events industry, Ward’s approach is said to be professional, engaging, and well-prepared. Cranes and Lifting will be reporting live from the event, so be sure to check out www. insideconstruction.com.au, and we will include the highlights and insights from the conference in the September issue. But first, here are some of the sessions and presenters that have piqued our interest (full program on page 29).
Crane inspections Maintech’s Jack Mains, who is also a fellow of the Institution of Engineers New Zealand, will be speaking about crane inspections at the event. Mains has advocated for continuous improvements particularly in amusement rides as well as logging machinery and cranes. He works as a consulting engineer and a CBIP-qualified crane inspector in general industry and ports. 28
Working around windfarms New Zealand could very well become a global leader in renewables. At the end of 2015, the share of renewable energy in the country’s power mix rose to 80.2%, not far off from the government’s target of 90% renewable generation by 2025, and there has been a rapid uptake on electric vehicles in the country from 1000 at the end of 2015 to some 2500 at the end of last year. Over in Australia, renewable energy produced a record share of the country’s electricity in 2016 and a number of projects are in the pipeline to help Australia meet its 2020 Renewable Energy Target. As the drive towards renewable energy continues, how will the cranes and lifting sector be impacted? Will operations and fleets change? Hamish Scott, site manager at Meridian Energy, manages the operation and maintenance of wind turbines, high voltage systems, and civil infrastructure. He, alongside Meridian Energy health and safety sepcialist Andre Holm, will detail the engineering feat of these powerful turbines and how to work around windfarms.
Diversification of crane fleets While we’re still thinking about how fleets will change as markets evolve, CANZ has invited Kymberly Davis, general manager of Maxilift Australia, to discuss the diversification of fleets.
In her role, Davis focuses on bringing high quality lifting solutions to the crane sector and the company’s recent growth has provided an opportunity to explore the New Zealand market. “We are really excited for the wonderful opportunities we see here to present our products and build long lasting relationships,” Davis, who is a strong advocate of finding unique solutions for customers and thinking outside the box, said.
Lift of the Year And of course, no event is complete without a conference dinner and awards night. Since 1996, CANZ has been running Project of the Year and this year, the award has been renamed Lift of the Year. The aim of the award is to recognise excellence and innovation in the New Zealand crane industry and the award, which will be judged by a council-appointed panel, is open to all CANZ members. The award, along with the Weighload Trophy and Skills Training Awards will be given out at the conference dinner on Friday, July 21. Because networking and rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of the sector is so very important (and fun), there will be a fair few opportunities on top of the conference dinner to speak and meet with your peers, from The Originals welcome reception on Wednesday, July 19, to the Ian Grooby networking function sponsored by Standens on Thursday, July 20. To find out more, go to www.cranes.org.nz July 2017
PROGRAMME Wednesday 19th July 2.00pm–5.00pm
Registration
5.45pm–8.30pm
The Originals Welcome Reception (Named after the companies that first joined the Association in 1975). Sponsor: JLT
8.30pm onwards
Free evening
Friday 21st July Pre-function Area
8.00am–9.00am
Associates Meeting
Clarke’s Bar
Trade Show Area
9.00am–10.00am
Billy Graham - Keep Your Guard Up and Enjoy the Journey Sponsor: Liebherr
Rutherford Room
10.00am–10.30am
Morning Tea Sponsor: Cookes
Trade Show Area
10.30am– 11.15am
Regulatory Panel CVIU: TBA Worksafe: Stuart Wright NZTA: Barry Wright
Rutherford Room
11.15am–11.45am
CICA Update CICA President Danny Black
Rutherford Room
11.45am–12.15pm
Project of the Year Presentations Peoples’ Choice
Rutherford Room
12.15–1.15pm
Lunch
Trade Show Area
1.15–2.15pm
Christchurch Earthquake Response – Tim Smith
Rutherford Room
2.15–2.30pm
Diversification of Crane Fleets – Kymberly Davis
Rutherford Room
2.30–3.00pm
Afternoon Tea Sponsor: Allcranes Sales & Services Ltd/Tadano
Trade Show Area
3.00–3.15pm
Qualifications – Assessing & Training Skills Representative
Rutherford Room
3.15pm–4.00pm
Crane Manufacturers Panel
Rutherford Room
4.00pm–4.30pm
From Raw to Roar Rod Auton
Rutherford Room
6.00–7.00pm
Gala Awards Dinner Networking Session Sponsor: TRT/Manitowoc
Trade Show Area
7.00pm onwards
Conference Dinner & Awards Night Sponsor: ACM – Kobelco Weighload Trophy Skills Training Awards Lift of the Year
Rutherford Room
Thursday 20th July 7.30–9.00am
Registration continues
Pre-function Area
9.00am
Conference Opens
Rutherford Room
9.15am–10.15am
Keynote Speaker – Ngahihi o te ra Bidois – Ancient Wisdom & Modern Solutions
Rutherford Room
10.15am– 10.45am
Morning Tea Sponsor: Assessing and Training Services Ltd
Trade Show Area
10.45am–11.00am
Business Partner Presentation – UAA Rutherford Room
11.00am–11.30am
Working Around Windfarms Hamish Scott – Project Manager (Wind) at Meridian Energy/ Andre Holm – Health & Safety Specialist Meridian Energy
Rutherford Room
11.30am–12.30pm
Crane Inspections Jack Mains, Maintech
Rutherford Room
12.30pm–1.30pm
Lunch Sponsor: CablePrice NZ Ltd/ Hitachi Sumitomo
Trade Show Area
1.30pm–3.00pm
Crane Display Visit & Fall Protection Demonstration Clive Marple, Cookes
Novotel Hotel Carpark
3.00pm–3.30pm
Afternoon Tea Sponsor: Pace Cranes
Trade Show Area
3.30pm–4.30pm
Annual General Meeting
Rutherford Room
4.30pm–5.45pm
Ian Grooby Networking Function Sponsor: Standens
Trade Show Area
6.00 pm
Transfer by Coach to Dinner
Hotel Foyer
EXHIBITOR LIST
6.30pm–10.00pm
Crane Association of New Zealand Dinner Sponsor: The Skills Organisation
Skyline Restaurant
Company
Booth
Australian Crane & Machinery Cookes Morrow Equipment Co/Liebherr Australia Pty Ltd SGS NZ Print The Skills Organisation Allcrane Sales & Services/Tadano Pace Cranes AMS Group NZ Trucks/HIAB Standens CablePrice (NZ) Ltd/Hitachi Sumitomo Underwriting Agencies of Australia Pty Ltd Tidd Ross Todd & Manitowoc Palfinger Titan Equipment/Terex Titan Equipment/Terex & Kato Titan Equipment/Kato
1&2 3&4 5&6 7 8 9 10 & 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 & 24 18 & 19 20 21 22 23
Trade Display – Trade Show Area Conference Sessions – Rutherford Room
PARTNERS PROGRAMME Sponsor:
Thursday 20th July 10.00 am–3.00pm
Spa treatment & Pampering Polynesian Pools/Hells Gate
4.30 pm onwards
Meet in hotel foyer
As per delegates programme
Friday 21st July 10.00 am–2.00pm
What to Wear with Wardrobe Flair & HighTea
2.00 pm onwards
As per delegates programme
Blue Baths
Meet in hotel foyer
CL
July 2017
29
ANNIVERSARY
50 years of progress and innovation for TRT New Zealand’s Tidd Ross Todd Ltd (TRT) commenced as Jack Tidd Ross Todd Ltd in 1967. The company was born out of the merger of three businesses: Jack Tidd & Co, Ross Todd Motors and Southside Engineering and Motor Co. And this year, TRT celebrates its 50th anniversary. Greg Keane tracks the company’s journey of progress and growth.
T
he original business name reflects that Jack Tidd, Jim Ross and Norm Todd worked together prior to the addition of Dave Carden as an equal partner in the business in 1967. As transport engineers, Jack Tidd & Co built its first crane carrier in 1961. Dave Carden’s Southside Engineering and Motor Co business turned excavators into cranes and built carriers, with Southside Crane Hire hiring out the cranes that he had built. He was persuaded to join the other partners when Tidd’s workshop manager Ernie Binns retired. Carden ultimately bought out his partners, and his sons Robert and Bruce are now equal shareholders and active directors of the business. The crane carrier business led to TRT approaching Grove with the idea of importing
Grove truck crane uppers and mounting them on TRT carriers. While Grove preferred to sell complete machines, chassis design similarities between the Grove and TRT carriers led Grove to agree to the arrangement; commencing a relationship that continues to this day. The first hybrid was a Grove TMS180 upper mounted on a Tidd carrier in 1975, while the first fully imported Grove was an RT58 rough terrain crane sold in 1977. The duty protection was relinquished at a 1982 Power Crane Association conference in Queenstown. At the dinner, Dave Carden wrote on a napkin that he intended to write to the Customs Department to forego customs and tariff protection on carriers in the 20-30 tonne range. This was countersigned by then crane association president Bill McIntosh, and
witnessed by two crane owners. To that time, TRT had built 107 crane carriers, with 38 having Grove uppers.
Not just Grove When the Manitowoc Group bought Grove in 2002, this gave TRT access to Potain tower cranes and Manitowoc crawler cranes. The first 100-tonne Grove all-terrain crane was sold to NZ Crane Hire in 2000, while the first Potain tower crane was sold to Coast Site in 2003. A specialist crane service workshop was built in 2007 to handle the service and repair of all brands of cranes. TRT is part of Manitowoc Crane Care, and offers high level support for Manitowoc Group products. The company re-entered mobile crane manufacturing with the 25-tonne TIDD PC25
Early TIDD carriers fitted with lattice boom uppers.
30
July 2017
The TRT stand at the 2017 Brisbane Truck flew a banner with the new 50-year logo. A TIDD PC25 crane is in the centre of the stand.
pick and carry crane released at the NZ Crane Association Conference in Napier in June 2013. The Smith Group took delivery of the first unit. The first Australian unit was seen at the September 2013 CICA conference in Hobart. A new steel preparation plant and crane manufacturing facility was completed in 2012 in anticipation of the volume production of the PC25. Australia is now an important market for the PC25, with TIDD gaining acceptance and recording repeat sales to some well-known hirers. The strong safety-first approach includes an LSI Robway load management system with automatic de-rating of the load chart in three steps that vary with the degree of articulation (0-10 degrees, 11-20 degrees, 21-42 degrees). Auto side slope de-rating prevents operator miscalculation of the deration for side slope - the major cause of accidents in pick and carry cranes. A further safety feature allows a site supervisor (using a supervisor code) to access the Robway load chart to reduce it from 100% to 20%, in 5% increments. This is a simple means of complying with site requirements to operate on a reduced load chart. In addition, there is short forward projection for improved operator vision (4.3m from seat to boom tip), standard ABS brakes for safety during travel, a tight turning circle for manoeuvrability on site (14.4m outside turning circle), and ROPS is standard. While the PC25 marked a re-entry into mobile crane manufacture, TRT has been a manufacturer of crane borers and elevating work platforms for many years, and these have been sold in both Australia and New Zealand.
Specialist trailers TRT is also well known as a trailer manufacturer. It has combined its interests in trailers and cranes by developing purposedesigned crane support trailers for carrying July 2017
counterweight, jibs and other items not transported on the carrier for large cranes. The use of purpose-designed trailers has a number of advantages over conventional flat deck trailers. Purpose-designed load securing mechanisms not only speed crane set-up and pull-down compared to chains and dogs on a flat top semi-trailer, but they also eliminate the potential for damage from the traditional tiedowns and can be set up to bring components to site in the order that they are required for assembling the crane - a significant advantage on sites with limited space for set-up. A crane site trailer has also been developed to serve as the first crane on site; carrying a forklift, outrigger pads, dunnage and even counterweight if required. The purpose is to allow the crane to be set up on site, ready to receive the counterweight for assembly. Complementing the trailer expertise is TRT’s TractionAir central tyre inflation (CTI) system that was initially developed for the Australasian logging industry, but now has much wider application. This allows a driver to adjust tyre pressures on trucks and trailers to maintain the optimum tyre flex for traction, regardless of load.
Australian presence TRT (Aust) Pty Ltd was formed in 2000 to market trailers and TractionAir inflation systems, with its first premises being in Brisbane. Well-known Australian crane industry identity Phil Chadwick was appointed as general manager of the TIDD Crane Division of TRT (Aust) in 2014, and continues in that position. In 2016, TRT (Aust) bought B&N Cranes from Troy and Anne Hand, who continue in the business. The purchase of the Manitowoc Crane Group (MCG) premises gives it space to expand, with new purpose-designed service and workshop facilities already added and plans for another two bays.
These premises have allowed TRT to provide quality sales and support for Manitowoc, Grove and Potain products to the Queensland market, where MCG previously undertook this directly. This complements TRT’s New Zealand relationship with MCG, and demonstrates the strength of the long-term relationship.
Celebrating 50 years Celebrations have commenced; with the large TRT stands at “The Expo” in Hamilton in March, and the Brisbane Truck Show in May, both displaying TRT’s new 50-year logo and providing hospitality opportunities with key clients. A book covering the past 50 years is being prepared, highlighting many key achievements in the crane and heavy transport markets in both New Zealand and Australia. A large function later in the year will allow TRT to celebrate the milestone with staff and key former employees who contributed to TRT’s success. “TRT’s success in the past, and undoubtedly the key to future growth in the industries that we serve, is by keeping at the absolute forefront of technology advancements,” says TRT’s technical director Robert Carden. “This means continuous innovation in our products, utilising our skills and experience from our in-house design team, and the specialist expertise of our manufacturing employees across the disciplines of fabrication, hydraulics, electronics and composites.” “TRT has purchased the latest equipment to ensure that our manufacturing processes are as efficient as they can be,” says manufacturing director Bruce Carden. “TRT has fully integrated capabilities; including cutting, pressing and machining, fabrication, blast and paint, and final assembly; so that we take full responsibility for our quality and on-time delivery.” CL 31
MARINE AND BARGE CRANES Both the Liebherr LG 1750 and the LR 1750 working in tandem.
Adapting as the wind blows Skyrocketing electricity prices coupled with a settled renewable energy target have led to record investment to the tune of $7.8 billion in renewable energy, specifically solar and wind projects. As the renewable energy boom continues, businesses have to adapt, including those in the cranes and lifting sectors. Liebherr is well aware of this and has diversified its fleet and honed its skills to meet Australia’s changing energy demands, writes Jan Arreza.
W
ind generated power is rapidly expanding in Australia. According to the 2016 Clean Energy Australia Report, the average annual rate of growth in installed capacity was 35% over the five years leading up to 2011. As of 2016, there were 4327MW of installed capacity, accounting for 5.3% of Australia’s total electricity demand and 30.8% of total renewable energy supply. By May 2017, a further 12,328MW of capacity had been proposed or committed, which will no doubt bring about a rise in the need for specialised wind farm cranes that can get the job done. As a strong partner of the wind power industry, Liebherr offers the sector suitable solutions for a wide range of requirements, which include components that are used as pitch and yaw adjustment systems in wind turbines. Liebherr supplies mobile cranes, crawler cranes, and heavy-duty offshore cranes for the assembly of wind turbines and are employed at harbours and at sea, on crane ships, and on floating installation platforms. According to Andrew Esquilant, Australia/NZ general manager for Liebherr’s mobile crane division, the rise in renewables, especially wind, has been great for the sector and has partially filled the hole left behind by the mining boom. “When you look at the amount of wind farms potentially going to get built over the next
32
number of years, it’s certainly going to be very beneficial to our business,” Esquilant said. “If we go back to the mining boom, all of these mines were getting built and constructed, and now that construction of those have stopped but the production of our equipment continues, it’s filling those types of voids in our business.”
A political game From 2001 to early 2006, the main driving force for the establishment of wind farms in the country was the government’s mandatory Renewable Energy Target. However, by mid-2006 several federal government ministers began to speak out against the number of wind farm proposals. Debate ensued within the Australian government between those who believed that wind power was the lowest cost new renewable electricity source Australia should be focusing on, while the other side argued that instead of developing of these energy sources, the focus should be on ‘clean-coal’ - coal-fired power stations with CO2 capture and sequestration as well as nuclear power stations. “It’s certainly a very political issue with this type of energy generation at the moment, but from a company perspective, what’s helped us out is that wind farms have now come back on the agenda,” Esquilant said. “It’s certainly had a big uptake for some of our bigger, more specialised machines to come
back, and that’s coming from some of our local customers looking to buy, as well as some of the global players looking to come back in the market to start looking at some of this type of work in the wind energy sector.”
Liebherr’s changing fleet The wide range of mobile harbour cranes and ship cranes from Liebherr ideally matches the many different requirements when loading and unloading wind power components in harbours, on ships, low-loaders and goods wagons. This includes heavy cargo such as generators with a lifting capacity of more than 70 tonnes or rotor blades with a span of more than 40m. Liebherr also offers novel solutions for constructing wind turbines at seas with its offshore heavy-duty cranes featuring lifting capacities of up to 3000 tonnes. “Here at Liebherr, we don’t actually go to the job site and do the work, we only sell the machines, and we’ve got a couple of machines in our product range that’s specialised for the wind sector, including the LG1750 and LTM11200 mobile cranes, as well as the LR1750 crawler crane,” Esquilant said. “We sell these machines to crane hire companies, global players that have come back in the market, and even some of the energy companies themselves who are starting to think that maybe they should buy and own their own fleet of cranes.” July 2017
The Liebherr LR 1750 at work.
Specialised cranes at a glance
The LG lattice boom mobile crane has the flexibility of a 750-tonne crawler crane combined with the mobility of a high-speed mobile crane. Liebherr uses the crane turntable and boom systems from the LR 1750 crawler crane for the LG 1750, together with an eight axle chassis of the very latest design with speed-dependent rear axle steering. The LTM 11200-9.1 mobile crane delivers maximum load capacity and features one of the longest telescopic booms in the world, with various lattice extensions also available if needed. Meanwhile, the Y telescopic boom guying delivers significant increases in load capacity, and the nine axle chassis includes an active, speed-dependent rear axle steering that is internally developed at Liebherr. Finally, the LR 1750/2 crawler crane is suitable for universal use and is used in power plants, refineries, on bride construction sites, and for erecting wind turbines. The compact dimensions of the crane components and their moderate weights mean that the crane can be transported to the site at low cost, and the 750-tonne model can also be used as a pedestal crane on supports. “When we take the view points from a global level, a lot of the markets are very strong for us at the moment,” Esquilant said. July 2017
“The US and the UK, a large percentage of Europe, and Australia in the last year or so have certainly made a comeback, and not just in wind energy but just typical building in general across the east coast and especially in Sydney and Melbourne. “When you look at the NSW budget, it’s projected additional billions of dollars worth of work coming up, so from a business perspective 2017 already looks to be a much stronger year than 2016.”
A bright future ahead Safety and precision are the most important criteria when it comes to transferring heavy loads in the wind power sector, and the strengths of the Liebherr’s cranes are brought to bear in these situations. Independently powered, closed hydraulic circuits employ a minimum number of components and combine extremely short reaction times and maximum precision with operating reliability and safety. Normally reaching maximum lifting capacities of up to 208 tonnes, when operated in tandem with the patented multi-crane control system Syncratonic, the crane is able to reach lifting capacities of up to 416 tonnes. All requirements of wind construction projects can be catered for with dieselpowered or electric drive units available, explosion-protected cranes, cranes for ambient
Andrew Esquilant, Australia/NZ general manager for Liebherr’s mobile crane division.
temperatures between +40 degrees Celsius and -50 degrees Celsius, and cranes with special lowering depths down to 3000m below sea level. “Population growth drives a lot of these projects and locally, in the Sydney to Melbourne markets, there’s infrastructure work going on all the time and the demand for machines have certainly picked up,” Esquilant said. “Just take a look at the South Australian market, For a good 16-18 months leading up to this year, it’s been terrible as there had been no new investment by the government down there and nothing new was really happening. But now, overall, we’re finding that in the Australian market, from mining to infrastructure to wind power, there seems to be a nice mixed bag of projects being undertaken. “In general, we’re finding that all states now have an element of positivity about it especially in Western Australia, South Australia, the lower half of Queensland, and of course NSW and Victoria. “Globally, we’ve also found that our US market has picked up as well; the UK market is just going ballistic at the moment; and the European market continues to be our biggest market by far.” CL 33
HARBOUR CRANES Sennebogen’s latest mobile harbour crane, the 9300 E.
An alternative for container handling Bavarian crane manufacturer Sennebogen has unveiled a new port mobile crane, which it has deemed an “especially interesting solution” for all ports that handle mass or general goods. Jan Arreza reports.
A
t present, Sennebogen’s latest addition to its fleet, the 9300 E, is hard at work at various ports around the world and the company’s PR manager for international marketing, Florian Attenhauser, told Cranes and Lifting, the new machine offers port operators a high quality alternative for port handling. The crane can handle vessel sizes up to Panamax class for bulk handling and feeder ships, as well as standard vessels for containers. It can tackle mass or general goods with ships up to 100,000 deadweight tonnage and is a suitable solution for river and inland ports, as well as large central transhipment points, to which smaller ships are transferred. With its 40-metre working radius, a heavy load handling capacity of 90 tonnes, and almost 20m jib working radius, the 9300 E is said to be an attractive solution for heavy cargo loading and aims to boost performance for both bulk and container handling in ports as the industry continues to grow. In fact, Sennebogen said the crane’s working radius allows the machine to reach up to two rows further than comparable equipment on the market. “It presents an interesting solution for port operators, who now have a new, high-quality alternative for container handling on the market,” Attenhauser said. “The 9300 E also comes with an easy-to-manoeuvre mobile undercarriage and a large, stable outrigger area.” The 11.5m by 11.5m fold out outrigger area and four large base plates help the crane achieve a low ground pressure. And when operating the crane in the port area, the driver remains in the lower working position of 9m, 34
which according to Sennebogen, means they are close enough to the undercarriage to safely manoeuver the machine. The machine also gets the necessary manoeuvrability from the single suspension of the 14-wheel sets with all-wheel steering, which is reliable and easy to control thanks to mechanical coupling. Meanwhile, bumps on the ground are easily compensated for due to the 14-wheel sets distributing the load of the nearly 300t machine using the individual load balance of all-wheel sets on the ground at the same time. Attenhauser added that the drive design is “innovative and versatile”, which he says are standard characteristics of Sennebogen equipment. While the 9300 E is powered by a diesel-hydraulic drive with fuel-saving Green Efficiency technology, there is also the option of an electro-hydraulic drive, which promises to reduce the operating costs by up to 50%, in addition to undertaking an emission-free operation. In both drive variations, powerful winches achieve a high lifting speed of 100m/min. The crane also includes a Skylift 1100 cab adjustment, which enables the driver to work at a preferred height and safely manoeuvre because of proximity to the undercarriage. “It has an eye height of 21.2m, which gives the driver a perfect overview from the comfortable and roomy Portcab, and the cab adjustment also offers operators the ability to view the surrounding environment without any obstructions,” Attenhauser said. “Thanks to the Skylift 1100 cab adjustment, the operator reaches their ideal working
Sennebogens’s PR manager for international marketing, Florian Attenhauser.
height to better position themselves on the crane, while the access ladder is even more comfortable in design and is made to allow the operator to safely exit at any time using the emergency release. “This unique solution, with regards to mobile harbour cranes, defines a new standard for comfortability and, above all, safer accessibility to the operator’s workplace.” Sennebogen officially presented the 9300E at the transport logistic trade fair in Munich in May 2017. The crane will be available to the Australian market through the local existing dealers. CL July 2017
Experience the Progress.
LR crawler cranes from Liebherr Top capacities in all lifting classes Variable boom systems for diverse requirements Efficient application due to optimized transportation components Comprehensive comfort and safety features Worldwide customer support by manufacturer
Liebherr-Australia Pty. Ltd. Mobile Crane Division 1-15 James Erskine Drive Erskine Park, NSW 2759 Phone: (02) 9852 1800 E-mail: sales.las@liebherr.com www.facebook.com/LiebherrConstruction www.liebherr.com.au
HIRE BUSINESS
A journey of innovation North America’s largest equipment rental company - United Rentals - celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Today, the company has 893 branches in the US and Canada and its 2017 revenue forecast sits at US$6 billion (AU$7.94 billion). Technology is at the forefront of the company’s growth strategy and its journey of growth is not only inspiring, it offers lessons to operators and companies here in Australia, writes Jacqueline Ong.
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July 2017
U
nited Rentals has its fingers in a number of pies such as general rental, which includes its aerial platform business, power and HVAC, as well as tools. Its astounding growth over the last 20 years has primarily been through acquisitions. In its first two years, United Rentals completed 225 acquisitions and by 2004, had built a company that was turning over US$3 billion. All up, United Rentals has done 275 acquisitions, the most recent being crane and aerial platform rental company NES, which it acquired this year. Today, United Rentals has US$9 billion of fleet comprising approximately 440,000 units of which 38% are aerial work platforms. It spends US$1.5 billion on capital every year, making guys like Genie, Skyjack, and JLG happy campers. Speaking at HIRE 17 in May, United Rentals executive vice president, business services and CIO, Dale Asplund told delegates regardless of all the technology and fleet they now have, their best asset is their people. “When we acquired NES, which has 73 locations and US$900 million of fleet, we brought their CEO and COO in for a full day to talk about their people and how to make people more productive,” Asplund said. “They said they are the most productive aerial work platform business in North America and when asked how they measured that, they said they simply believed they were the most productive. United Rentals actually measures our productivity. NES has US$369 million in revenue and 1100 employees, meaning on average, their return per employee is US$330,000. We did just under US$6 billion in revenue and at the time, had 12,500 employees, so we were doing almost US$500,000 per employee.”
It comes down to technology United Rentals is a big believer in using technology to build a better company and increase the productivity of its staff. And the company’s technology priorities revolve around three areas, the first being the customer, then its operations, and finally, support. “You always have to start on the outside of the ring, with the first ring being customers. How do we make it better for our customers? How can we be a better partner to our customers? And then in the second stage, we listen to our employees. How can our employees help us be a more productive operation? Then somewhere at the bottom of all that, we provide support to help our people think differently,” Asplund said. Asplund explained that the aim for the customer is to develop world class customer systems to support the company’s end markets and give United Rentals a competitive advantage in the industry. In terms of operations, the company seeks to create an operating environment that gives them the July 2017
ability to service their customers and make their employees more productive. And finally, when it comes to support, United Rentals is all about providing an infrastructure that is scalable, adaptive, and flexible, which will allow for growth and advanced analytics. And over the years, United Rentals has implemented a number of initiatives which have so greatly driven productivity that today, the telematics that drive these systems are, according to Asplund, funded by more efficient employees.
Helping the customer Given the customer is United Rentals’ first priority, the company has, over the years, developed and put forward four key initiatives. The first is its telephone system, turning to Voice Over IP (VOIP), which allows for efficient and intelligent call handling to eliminate lost calls. “We have roughly 1400 people answering the phones. So we developed a phone system that ensures a call is always answered by a human being. We take 300,000 phone calls every week and every week, someone is there answering that phone,” Asplund said. Additionally, VOIP routes calls to the right person who is available and able to help, and through video conferencing options, allows the team to conduct remote meetings. The second initiative was to develop a self-service advanced customer portal to enable customers to interact with United Rentals digitally, particularly in a world where people may want to shop or conduct their business at a time that’s convenient for them, which may be outside of office hours. This portal comes in two variations UR Control which can be accessed by any employee or customer, and Total Control - both of which are accompanied by a mobile app interface and website. UR Control and Total Control offer 100% integration in both United Rentals’ and their customers’ business systems, offering benefits such as equipment telematics and schematics, advanced notifications, selfservice reporting systems, and customer order entry and contract maintenance. Asplund said the premise behind Total Control is simple. “It’s about renting less and doing more. But how can we as a company that makes their revenue by renting equipment, try to preach that the goal is to rent less? Well, we launched Total Control last year and it is available 24 hours a day. All of our products are directly linked into our operating system and our customers at any time of the day, can go online, see which branch has the product they need, procure it, pay for it, and it will automatically drop into our branch’s delivery system. It’s completely scalable,” Asplund said. 37
HIRE BUSINESS
“The Total Control concept is now deployed at over 6000 customers’ sites… and why does it make sense for us to preach rent less? What we’ve done with our large accounts is by giving them this tool to allow them to be more productive, and not have to wait, it actually shows them that we want to help them reduce their overall rentals. And the idea is, at one time, they had two suppliers but this quickly shifts so they get everything from us because we have a tool that allows them to save money. “I would rather have 100% of 75% of their current spend than 50% of 100% of their current spend.” With Total Control and UR Control, United Rentals began to accumulate large amounts of data and to maximise that, it turned to an Electronic Data Interchange that “talks” to their customers’ systems and eliminates waste, improves billing accuracy, and reduces payment delays. Asplund told delegates this is a simple customer system that integrates bills. When a customer sends United Rentals a purchase order, the company can immediately return an acknowledgement including the date of delivery, as well as an electronic invoice. The customer can then send their payment information once payment is made. “On average, we generate 13 million invoices a year… think about the efficiency created with this system,” he said. The fourth customer initiative is a customer online training system - United Academy - that moves United Rentals away from being only an equipment hire company. “We took a step back and said, what if we can help your customers train in the products that you get from us? What if these training courses were available by certified training professionals; you can take it either online or in person at one of our branches; and there’s a complete category of different items with your trainer? And with today’s technology, what if before somebody uses one of our equipment, we told our equipment unless they’ve taken the courses, they’re not allowed to operate that?” Asplund said. Thus, United Academy was born and today, it is a comprehensive training solution designed to help customers reduce the overall cost and complexity of safety training and credential tracking.
Operational improvements United Rentals’ second priority is the operating environment and how to make its 893 branches more productive. Three initiatives have been implemented to date - an internal mobile app, advanced driver and service technology, and GPS/telematics. Today, mobile technology has far reaching benefits. United Rentals has 2500 truck drivers 38
You always have to start on the outside of the ring, with the first ring being customers. How do we make it better for our customers? How can we be a better partner to our customers? And then in the second stage, we listen to our employees. How can our employees help us be a more productive operation? Then somewhere at the bottom of all that, we provide support to help our people think differently. I would rather have 100% of 75% of [a customer’s] current spend than 50% of 100% of their current spend. Most people think drivers don’t want technology but we’ve given them tools and they feel they can do their jobs easier than they’ve ever done before. delivering fleet every day and of course, it is in the company’s best interest to become more efficient. However, when turning to mobile technology, Asplund told delegates it’s not just about developing a mobile app or any type of technology for that matter, and expecting employees to use them. “It starts with developing a process. We went to all of our branches to try to figure out what was the best process. Once we did that, we asked how we could develop tools and technology that enable them to be more productive in that process,” he said. One area the company looked at was rental transactions and in turning to mobile apps with enhanced reality/wearable computers, employees today are self-sufficient and can create orders, show availability in the field and the like. They do not have to ring a branch because they are 100% mobile. This helps the customer too as they do not have to make their way to a branch but can conduct their business, including returns and inspections, in the yard. Next up, United Rentals equipped its drivers with a handheld device, which leverages dispatching and routing, machine-to-machine communication, enhanced reality/wearable and mobile technologies to provide customer service and drive operation efficiencies. “This is a big area. Statistically, we send out and pick up more than 10,000 pieces of equipment every day with 2500 truck drivers. If I can save just a couple of minutes of those truck drivers’ time, think of the efficiencies I can create. So what did we do? Today, when our drivers come in, electronically on their handheld, same as on a phone, they can do
their pre-trip and post-trip inspections, they can do everything electronically - no paperwork. Everything they can do for that trip is then sent to their handheld and they can decide where they’re going. Only that particular trip is stored on the handheld,” Asplund explained. “As they’re doing the deliveries, we are then proactively sending them what they need to pick up and they can see the closest pickups and re-route based on what equipment we need for the next orders. We have a real-time routing system that’s constantly updating every time an order or pick up comes in and central despatch has visibility on all the trucks. “This is an area that has gotten greatest satisfaction from our drivers. Most people think drivers don’t want technology but we’ve given them tools and they feel they can do their jobs easier than they’ve ever done before.” A number of these systems are driven by telematics but the number one problem with telematics, Asplund said, is that no one wants to pay for it. However, United Rentals saw a need to go down this path because it was simply inefficient to have 2500 drivers looking for an asset at any one time during the day. “The first thing we did with telematics was install a basic device where our employees can immediately click on a button and it’ll lead them directly to the asset. We’ve since deployed fuel July 2017
United Rentals EVP business services and CIO Dale Asplund detailed how the company has used technology to improve productivity at HIRE 17. (Image courtesy of HRIA, credit: Rix Ryan Photography)
monitors and have more advanced systems today where we hook up fuel monitors and now, we are in the fuel business where we actually go out to fuel our customers so they ever have to worry about fuel again,” he said. “Our telematics program is also now fully integrated for all of our employees, not only our drivers but our employees at the counter, as well as our customers through our customer portal. All of them can see where the assets are, what the utilisation is, what the status is of the equipment.” Telematics is growing across the United Rentals network and at present, the company has more than 180,000 GPS systems installed in North America, with the goal being 250,000 units by next year. Asplund acknowledged that the bigger the fleet, the most cost effective it would be to install GPS systems and turn to telematics but said that for smaller fleets, one option, which the company took when it first started this journey, is to install hubs that could then create a network.
Providing support Turning to its support infrastructure, United Rentals undertook two initiatives advanced and predictive analytics, and a 24/7 Global POS System. As you can imagine, having been in the July 2017
business for two decades, United Rentals has a litany of data. As such, the company has a robust data warehouse that collects data both internally and externally including information around operation, financial, HRIS, time and attendance, payroll, purchasing, accounts receivable, and other external sources. The data is used in a number of areas such as marketing and ad hoc analysis, as well as business intelligence reporting by way of scorecards. “Every branch by five in the morning, gets a copy of the scorecard and the only thing on that daily scorecard is what you can take action on that day. We have monthly statistics and then afterwards, we can give them highlights on what they can improve on. This is all simple. But how do I use data to make better decision?” Asplund detailed. This is where it gets interesting. Through their daily and monthly scorecards, the company has worked out a way to determine how to purchase an asset at the best cost of ownership, not necessarily the cheapest asset or the asset their sales rep is invested in. By using advanced and predictive analytics, United Rentals has developed an equation to work out the best scenario for the company during a purchase. “You take the acquisition cost, add the expected maintenance cost over the useful
rental life period, add labour to support that maintenance cost, and then take out the residual value of the asset and you’ll come up, over the expected life of the rental asset, with an actual total cost of ownership,” Asplund said. And United Rentals has gone a step further, even determining the best time and price to sell an asset. “We go through analytics to look at when we should we sell an asset based on the residual value of the asset going down, the rental revenue, and cost of maintenance over time, and we set the optimum point to sell the asset,” Asplund said, adding that the suggested price is based on four factors - age, hours used, and utilisation level. But the scorecard is not just for employees. There is also one that sales reps use to get an idea of how to improve their offering to customers. This version queries United Rentals’ performance in fleet availability, delivery, service call response times, and invoicing. Last but certainly not least, United Rentals has taken on the view that all their technologies and systems need to be available 24/7, anywhere in the world. As such, it has developed a 24/7 Global POS System that has multilingual and multi-currency international capabilities and real-time disaster recovery for all tier one applications. CL 39
HIRE 17 All images courtesy of HRIA. Credit: Rix Ryan Photography.
Shaping the future More than 900 delegates made their way to Rosehill Gardens in Sydney in May to attend Hire and Rental Industry Association’s (HRIA) HIRE 17 conference and what an event it was! Jacqueline Ong reports.
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ranes and Lifting was one of the 900 registered delegates and over two days, we tuned in to inspiring keynote presentations and breakout sessions that focused on innovation and business strategy. A presentation that caught our attention was one by United Rentals’ executive vice president business services, Dale Asplund, who talked about how technology has driven the business forward (more on page 36). The event was also a feast for the senses, with some 17 best new product entries exhibited on the show floor and rental specialists demonstrating their equipment as part of HRIA’s ToolBox Talks. “As hosts of HIRE 17, the Hire and Rental Industry Association (HRIA) made a shift from the
traditional trade show and convention framework this year to bring greater focus on an interactive, informative, and forward focussed conference program,” HRIA CEO James Oxenham said. “Creating greater focus on business strategy proved highly effective for delegates.” The two-day event came to a close with a
finale of finales - the Hire Industry Excellence Awards and Industry Gala Dinner. And HRIA spared no expense when it came to honouring the industry’s best and highest achievers at the dinner (more on page 42). Here’s an idea of what the industry got up to CL at HIRE 17. HIRE 17 kicks off with networking drinks.
The team from Step Change took on the plenary session on day two. ToolBox Talks offered delegates the opportunity to see the equipment in action.
Kennards was well represented at this year’s event.
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Inside or out, delegates were greeted with the machinery that makes the sector tick.
July 2017
HRIA national president Jeff Bernard addresses a full house on day one of HIRE 17. Dressed to the nines for the HIRE Industry Excellence Awards and Gala Dinner.
The charismatic Glenn Cooper, fifth generation Cooper and chairman of Coopers Brewery captured the attention of the audience on day two as he told the story of Coopers’ journey through the years.
MC of the event, Tracey Spicer and HRIA CEO James Oxenham. JLG was one of the winners of the night, taking home the Supplier of the Year Award - Access Division.
July 2017
By the end of the evening, the dance floor was the place to be.
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HIRE 17
And the winners are… At HIRE 17 in May, Hire and Rental Industry Association (HRIA) also took the time to applaud excellence in the sector, with the two-day event culminating in the Hire Industry Excellence Awards and Industry Gala Dinner.
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fter being named finalists two years ago, Preston Hire, a specialist construction, infrastructure, civil and commercial equipment hire company, was crowned Rental Company of the Year at HIRE 17, beating category finalists Aim Hire, Prime Rentals, and TFH Hire Services. Turning to Rental Company of the Year - Under $5 million, Swan Hill Hire raced to the top to score a win, with Performance Tower Hire and Redi 2 Hire coming in as finalists, while Barlens Event Hire won the Rental Company of the Year - Events, coming ahead of finalists Illuminated Industries and South Coast Party Hire. JLG Industries was another big winner, taking out the Supplier of the Year - Access award while Supplier of the Year went to Hiretech. HRIA also honoured exhibitors who went above and beyond at the event, giving out awards for the Best Exhibition Stand, both under 36m2 and over 36m2 which went to Briggs & Stratton and Genie respectively. Over the two days at Rosehill Gardens, 17 best new product entries were showcased on the exhibition floor and the companies that emerged winners in the Best New Product - General, and Best New Product - Access were Vermeer for its CTX100 Mini Skid Steer LoaderT and Genie for its Hybrid Genie Z-60/37FE fuel electric articulating boom lift respectively. “The HRIA offers warmest congratulations to all the Hire Industry Excellence Award winners. These awards acknowledge the industry’s best and highest achievers and we are proud to number them among our membership,” HRIA CEO James Oxenham said. “To stay competitive and ahead of the curve in a specialised field we need to look ahead and source the latest global trends, technologies and develop partnerships to positively impact our businesses. “HIRE17 brought the hire and rental industry together on all levels, from front facing site staff to business owners and CEOs, to network, learn and experience the latest developments in innovation and technology.” CL 42
A very happy Preston Hire team with their Rental Company of the Year award. (Image courtesy of HRIA. Credit: Rix Ryan Photography.)
Genie general manager Australia, Terex AWP, Brad Lawrence (left) presented Barry Martin (right), formerly from Belmont Hire WA with the Life Membership Award at HIRE 17. (Image courtesy of HRIA. Credit: Rix Ryan Photography.)
JLG scored in the Supplier of the Year - Access category. (Image courtesy of HRIA. Credit: Rix Ryan Photography.)
July 2017
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SAFETY AND SERVICE
Advancing crane geometry data
Joseph Cefai says CraneQ’s accuracy is superior to anything else in the market.
Konecranes wants to make its cranes safer and optimise a machine’s service life. To do that, it has enhanced its CraneQ geometric survey, which the company says will provide crane users with the most accurate data on the geometry of their cranes, helping them become proactive instead of reactive. Jan Arreza reports.
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aunched in May, the CraneQ geometric survey is applicable to Konecranes’ overhead cranes, gantry cranes, port cranes, and virtually all cranes with wheels. It is particularly useful for those in heavy-duty industries such as steel, paper, process, manufacturing and mining, where cranes are subjected to harsher operating conditions and more demanding uses. Konecranes consultation services manager Joseph Cefai told Cranes and Lifting CraneQ was developed to identify the square values of the cranes, angles of the wheels, and to investigate the issues that arise from wheel and rail wear, and is especially effective if the rail’s tolerance meets Australian standards as per the class of the crane. “Cranes that suffer from premature wheel wear, rail wear, structural component failures, or drive faults are all common results of incorrect crane geometry, and CraneQ helps you to find the root cause of these symptoms to avoid more major problems and costly downtime,” Cefai said. Cefai noted that the alignment of crane components strongly influences how well a crane or a trolley moves on its rails, while also impacting the usability and lifetime of travelling machinery units and other structural components. For instance, cranes that are straight, square and aligned experience lower repair costs and are much safer and reliable, and this is where CraneQ comes in - providing accurate information detailing the alignment of wheels and the square view of your crane.
How CraneQ works CraneQ is based on advanced and traditional measurement methods and relies on proprietary software to ensure accurate geometric analysis. In essence, CraneQ measures the dimensional tolerances of wheels, end carriages, bogies, and other components of the crane and also produces a report detailing the 44
alignment of the analysed components at the time of the survey. During measurement, the crane is placed as it would be in an operational setting, i.e. perfectly aligned on the rails. This ensures that any reported issues are indeed caused by the analysed components and not by structures external to the crane. When performing a CraneQ survey, Konecranes utilises sophisticated software to search for any alignment issues that may affect a crane’s performance or cause premature wear and tear and typically, they look out for indicators such as: • abnormal or premature wear or failure of structural components such as wheels, rails, connections, bearings and guide rolls; • excessive noise; • suspected skewing and/or square issues; • structural deformation; and • positioning, moving and driving issues. The measurements are then analysed and compared to Konecranes’ alignment requirements, which enable the possibility for proper crane tracking, and are based on a combination of values from different sources. “We can identify the errors structurally with the wear of the wheels and the rails, and one of the key things is that it really does benefit the safety and reliability of a crane - safety and reliability obviously are the ultimate goal,” Cefai said. Turning to a crane’s geometry, the wheels and guide rollers drive a crane, and to determine the alignment of these components, Konecranes examines: • the horizontal and vertical wheel camber; • wheel sequence; • wheel span; • wheel position – horizontal and vertical offset; • crane square values - diagonal difference, parallelism, and skew value; and • guide roller alignment.
“During reporting, once we’ve collected all of the data needed, the first thing that we would look at is the wheel overview,” Cefai said. “Next we would look at general wheel geometry, which is related to the slope, skew and your diagonal differences. From that, we would go into the wheel values and we would look into our horizontal wheel canvas, and they are measured in millimeters per metre and at an angular distortion or view. “Wheel sequence is another thing that we like to look into and that has to do with the overview of your wheel sequence and your wheel span errors.” Cefai says CraneQ is ideal for preventative maintenance because it identifies potential problems early, which is advantageous when it is part of a regular preventative maintenance schedule. “CraneQ was recently launched in the country and it has already gotten strong interest from the Australian market as I believe there isn’t anything else out in the market currently doing what CraneQ does,” Cefai said. CraneQ can be coupled with Konecranes’ other consultation services such as RailQ Runway Survey to give a complete overview of the condition and alignment of all elements of a crane travels. July 2017
Konecranes’ CraneQ advanced geometric survey equipment.
Key advantages of the CraneQ: • Identifying geometric problems that may lead to failures. • Proven measurement techniques and analysis from a single source. • Reliable reporting and deeper analysis with accurate results. • Easier decision making and planning for maintenance and repairs. • Cost savings when used for preventative maintenance actions. CL
July 2017
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ASIA PACIFIC REPORT: VIETNAM
Scaling heights in Vietnam Despite major fluctuations in the global economy in 2016, Vietnam, the breathtakingly beautiful Southeast Asian nation on the South China Sea, is experiencing a 6% per year growth of its economy.
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ower crane manufacturer Linden Comansa told Greg Keane that over the last five years, there have certainly been some ups and down but the outlook for the tower crane market in Vietnam looks strong for the next three to five years. Linden Comansa’s communication and marketing manager, Mariano Echávarri, says the company enjoyed success from 2009, when the construction sector was active and its cranes were used on a number of high profile projects, including two significant high-rise buildings - the 195-metre high Saigon One Tower in Ho Chi Minh City and the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Vietnam. However, the withdrawal of foreign investment around mid-2013, accompanied by a strong devaluation of the currency, then adversely affected all types of construction, including high-rise building. Foreign investment returned in 2015, and the economy started to recover, with the construction sector reflecting this return of confidence. Construction activity is now quite strong and, aided by a stable financial and political climate, and Echávarri foresees steady growth for the next few years. High-rise building activity is robust, triggered by both an increase in foreign investment and local economic growth. China, Japan, South Korea and France are key investors in the Vietnamese construction sector.
Linden Comansa in Vietnam Echávarri notes that with most investors, developers and contractors with large residential, industrial and infrastructure projects being large foreign companies, the preference is for a reliable, high quality tower crane brand. Linden Comansa offers two brands, Linden Comansa and Comansa CM, and these are both popular as, according to Echávarri, Linden Comansa is arguably the only top tier manufacturer to offer only flat top cranes in its horizontal jib range. For customers, these have the advantage of speed and ease of assembly and disassembly, 46
fewer tower sections required, and fewer conflicts with overlapping cranes compared to cranes with pendant lines. Currently, the demand appears to be for buildings of 25 to 30 floors and around 150 metres in height. For these, contractors prefer cranes with a maximum capacity of between five and 10 tonnes, with the Comansa CM models 11 CM 132 (6t), 11 CM 160 (8t) Four 18t Linden Comansa cranes were used on the 336m and 16 CM 185 (10t) being the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower, most popular. the tallest building in Vietnam. Linden Comansa’s agent in Vietnam, Anh Vu Industrial Equipment Co, recently commenced a rental “We are working on nine more like the ones business that has quickly built to 12 Comansa shipped to India and we recently signed another CM cranes. This complements its traditional contract to produce cargo container cranes for sales, service, maintenance and customer another global customer,” Gerstenslager said. support activities. “The crane business for “Made in Vietnam” cranes is on the rise from both a domestic Made in Vietnam and international perspective because the Doosan brand is recognised worldwide for Meanwhile, construction equipment its uncompromising commitment to quality manufacturer Doosan Vina, the Vietnamese and customer satisfaction. Domestically subsidiary of South Korea’s Doosan we’ve produced cranes for several ports in Corporation told Jacqueline Ong that demand Vietnam and as Vietnam continues to be one for its “Made in Vietnam” cranes is on the rise. of the best performing economies in the world, In May, Doosan Vina shipped its first three this is a trend that is likely to extend for the rail-mounted gantry cranes to India’s Bharat foreseeable future.” Mumbai Container Terminals. The machines Gerstenslager acknowledged that Doosan is are part of an order of 12 cranes placed by the operating in a highly competitive marketplace Indian company. but says its certification by international Each crane weighs 1400t and is 84m accreditation agencies, production safety, high, 144m long and 26m wide. The cranes quality control and record keeping procedures are designed to handle 65t containers and are just some of the things that set the Doosan Vina will export a further three cranes company apart. Its long 120-odd-year history in September, followed by the remaining six in is another factor. 2018 and 2019. “We are well known by the major port Doosan Vina’s communications and public operators as a company that they can depend relations head, Dale Gerstenslager said crane on to produce dependable cranes, deliver manufacturing on the scale that Doosan Vina is what they order and provide equipment that involved in is relatively new in Vietnam, having is going to keep the cargo at their ports only commenced operations in 2009. Since moving and their bottom-line healthy,” then, the company has produced and shipped CL Gerstenslager added. 68 mega cargo cranes. July 2017
ASIA PACIFIC REPORT: THAILAND
Tadano gains ground in Thailand Tadano’s first direct investment in Thailand was in 2012, when it set up its manufacturing subsidiary. This year, to respond to the needs of the Thai market, the Japanese crane manufacturer has set up a joint venture with its Thai truck loader crane distributor Italthai Industrial Co., Ltd. (ITI), effective from May 2017, Greg Keane reports.
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nown as Tadano Italthai Co., Ltd., this joint venture is capitalised at 50 million Thai Baht (slightly less than AU$2 million), with Tadano holding 49%, ITI holding 48% and MHCB Consulting (Thailand) Co. Ltd. a consultancy firm aligned with Mizuho Bank, holding the balance. The joint venture company was created through ITI injecting funds into Tadano Thai Parts and Service Co., Ltd (TPS), a sales and service company set up by Tadano in 2013. TPS was then renamed as Tadano Italthai. Turnover is estimated to be 810 million Yen (AU$ 9.5 million) for the 2018 financial year. Tadano specialises in telescopic boom truck loader cranes, with the upper capacity
being eight tonnes until the recent introduction of the 10-tonne capacity TM-ZT1000 series. The sales joint venture is expected to allow Tadano to respond more closely to the needs of the Thai market, and further accelerate the sales of truck loader cranes by integrating the Tadano Group manufacturing strengths with the market understanding of ITI. Italthai Group celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2015. The group employs more than 5000 employees in five countries across Asia Pacific. It is split into two business streams: Construction and Construction Equipment; and Hospitality and Lifestyle. ITI is the business within the construction group that looks after the distribution CL and support of construction equipment.
Tadano Ltd. CEO Koichi Tadano (left) and Italthai Group CEO Yuthachai Charanachitta after signing the sales joint venture agreement at the Tadano Ltd. head office on April 20, 2017.
The Tadano TM-ZT500 series cargo crane.
July 2017
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TRUCK CRANES Zoomlion is another Chinese brand to keep an eye on as Gleason Cranes is confident that Chinese crane manufacturers will be a big force in the near future.
Chinese enter golden age The Japanese and Koreans took their shot at crane manufacturing in the 60s and 80s respectively and have had success that continues today. But now, one company is convinced the Chinese will soon become a force to be reckoned with. Jacqueline Ong reports.
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or more than four decades, Gleason Cranes has been selling both new and used cranes in Australia and says that today, it is the biggest seller of Chinese truck cranes in the country. The company is the Australian distributor of Chinese brands Zoomlion and XCMG some 200 cranes manufactured by these two manufacturers now operate across the country - and Gleason Cranes managing director Chris Logan told Cranes and Lifting that Chinese cranes have come a long way and are much improved from what they were 10 years ago. “The main improvement is that they don’t break down anymore. And I know that because we don’t spend a lot of money on warranty work. When you’re not paying for warranty work, that means the crane is operating well and doing its job,” Logan said. He cited 2005 to 2010 as the early days of crane manufacturing in China, saying the quality of the equipment has improved year-on-year to the point where today, they are not only cheap but reliable. “For those reasons - being cheap and being very reliable - the main manufacturers out of Japan do not compete in the 25-tonne to 50-tonne truck crane range. The Chinese are
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XCMG has had a presence in Australia for more than 15 years and the new generation cranes is said to be surpassing expectations.
The Chinese are well established in the manufacturing of cranes and they are going to be a very big force in the future.
now so good at making these models and they’re so cheap that the main manufacturers who used to control that sector are moving to the bigger cranes and leaving the 25-tonne range to the Chinese,” Logan said. “The most popular models in Australia are the 25-tonne and 30-tonne truck cranes because the 25-tonne crane suits smaller crane companies and smaller steel fabricators while the 30-tonne crane has a 39-metre boom.” Logan said there has been greater acceptance of Chinese cranes and this will only grow as products continue to improve and manufacturers launch new models and designs. And as time goes by, the perception that if it’s Chinese, it’s cheap and cheap equates to a lower quality product, will disappear. “That perception is only partly right. Yes, they are Chinese made, yes they are cheap, but they are no longer poor in quality because they are not made cheaply. In fact, they are very well made which is why we are not getting any warranty claims,” Logan said. “The Chinese are well established in the manufacturing of cranes and they are going to be a very big force in the future” CL July 2017
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