INDUSTRY NEWS / HANCHARD CRANES
FAREWELL TO AN INDUSTRY STALWART After 35 years in the industry, Australian owned and operated business Hanchard Cranes closed late last year due to the retirement of Mike Hanchard. Cranes and Lifting was fortunate to catch up with Mike before he was craned off into the sunset to enjoy his well-earned retirement. WHAT’S BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY OVER THE PAST 35 YEARS. It has been an interesting time watching the industry grow. One of the main changes has obviously been the advancement in technology and how the industry has responded to that. HOW DID YOU START OUT IN THE CRANE INDUSTRY? It all started when I applied for a position at Edi Hire, which was a division of Evans Deakin. When I started working there, I was very lucky to be taught by Ian Milne and Doug Burnside in my early days and
Hanchard Cranes has been in business for 35 years. 40 / CAL January 2019
WHAT AREAS OF LIFTING DID THE BUSINESS SPECIALISE IN? WHEN DID YOU LAUNCH YOUR OWN Anything that needed lifting, could BUSINESS? be done by Hanchard Crane Hire. Our I had my first business, TAC Hire fleet of mobile cranes included city, Services, for 12 years, from 1978 to franna, all terrain, mini and hydraulic 1990. Hanchard Cranes is my second truck cranes with capacities from 2.5 business, which opened in March 1997. tonnes to 220 tonnes. Hanchard Cranes The company started with myself, my also did more than lift – the business wife as the company secretary and our provided traffic control, permits and daughters working as the office manager reliable, on-time lifts. and in administration. The company started with a 45t Kato FORTY-SEVEN YEARS IS A LONG TIME Truck Crane and two dry hire 12t IN THE INDUSTRY HOW DO YOU FEEL frannas. ABOUT RETIREMENT AND CLOSING THE BUSINESS? It is a very emotional time for not only myself, but the whole family. This industry and the business has always been a major part of my life. It’s very sad to say goodbye to so many people over the years, who have helped to shaped the business into what it is today. later by Ron O’Sullivan at Brambles.
WE ARE EXPERIENCING A ONCE IN A GENERATION CONSTRUCTION ‘MEGA BOOM’ AND WITH PREDICTIONS THAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS COULD REQUIRE UP TO 300 CRANES IN NSW (ALONE) HOW IS THE INDUSTRY GOING TO COPE IN TERMS OF LABOUR? Construction activity in Australia is obviously very strong. The latest RLB Crane Index suggests that while the majority of cranes are located in Sydney and Melbourne, we’re also experiencing booms in cities such as Newcastle and Hobart. From my experience, the industry is going to struggle in terms of labour to meet demand. www.cranesandlifting.com.au
