IN FOCUS / TWO WAY CRANES
NEW CRANES, WISE HEADS & YOUNG BLOOD KEY TO TWO WAY’S EXPANSION Two Way Cranes continues to expand with a new cranes arriving and a new yard, but remains focused on the experience in the business and investing in youth. OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS, TWO WAY Cranes has continued to integrate the Gillespie Cranes business, opened a new depot in Wollongong, and recently announced the purchase of a number of new cranes. Owner Frank Zammit spoke about his plans for the business, how the team is developing, and how experience and youth are focuses for him. “A major development has been the opening of the branch in Wollongong. It was a struggle initially, but we have persevered, the phones are ringing, and the business is really gaining traction,” said Zammit. “There were a number of reasons for the slow start. It is a very tight business community in Wollongong, and I think customers were wary of our long-term intentions and plans for the business. Too many crane businesses have opened and then closed. I think the message is finally sinking in that Two Way Cranes is there for the long haul, we are not going anywhere. “We’ve got a young team and I’ve been working closely with Sash Vujic, and he is learning about the business all the time and how to deal with customers. He is a fine young man and good for the business. There are six cranes permanently based there and we are planning to send another three. We have eight full-time employees, all local people, and they are really building momentum within the business. We’ve only been there a year. “It’s interesting, everything changed with one pool installation. We did the right thing by the builder, gave him a good price and completed the lift, and this has led to a rich vein of work. The customer is giving us plenty of work and 54 / CAL January 2022
recommending us to other builders. It feels like we’ve put in the hard yards and its beginning to pay dividends.” Zammit went on to discuss the new cranes he has on order, how they will impact the already substantial fleet, and the reasons behind the purchases. “I’ve got six new cranes on order, and they will start arriving in the New Year,” he explained. “I’ve got a new Liebherr LTM 1120-4.1, two LTM-1150-5.3s, two Franna AT40s, and one Grove GMK 5150 XL. The new cranes are a result of general growth and demand for larger capacity cranes. I’ve heard the new Grove 150s are a good machine with a lifting capacity closer to the old 200s. “The Grove GMK 5150XL has a 68.7m boom, the four-axle Liebherr 120t has 66m of main boom, and the Liebherr 150t has 66m. This extra reach will come in very handy around the industry. We’ll have the fleet split between the Glendenning and Wollongong yards.” The Sydney operation is going well, with plenty of infrastructure work. “The first stage of the Western Sydney International Airport is almost complete, and they’ve moved 20 million tonnes of dirt during this phase. We are tendering for the next round of the works with Multiplex and CPB Oceania. This includes the terminal build and I’m hopeful we’ll secure this work. “We’ve also been busy with defencerelated projects and there has been a tremendous amount of work in the telecommunications sector. We’ve been involved in putting in the required infrastructure and this has been really good for us. We’ve tendered and quoted on
plenty of projects and our pipeline of work is looking extremely positive. “We’ve also been busy in the tower crane sector, where we do a lot of work for Liebherr, and also Resolution Rigging Services. The number of tower cranes going up at the moment is pretty crazy. This means my larger-capacity cranes are out, which is good for the business. We’ve also been working on the construction of data centres, which is a major growth area. As with so many in the industry, Zammit laments the great loss around the passing of John Gillespie, but confirms his name and memory will continue within the Two Way Cranes business. “I spoke to John three weeks before he passed, and I told him how proud I was to have purchased the Gillespie business from him,” he said. “I have nothing but respect for the Gillespie name, which has been associated with the crane sector for close to 70 years. I told him I didn’t want the Gillespie name to disappear from the industry and confirmed I will always have a crane in my fleet featuring the Gillespie name and signwriting. “John was very grateful and, after he passed, Peter Gillespie called and expressed how overwhelmed the family was at the gesture. I just think it is fitting that the man who contributed so much to our industry should be fittingly recognised. We have dedicated a Franna AT22, which was a Gillespie crane originally. It’s painted in the Gillespie colours and, if this crane ever has to be moved on, we’ll do the same with another crane.” Dave Gillespie has worked in the Two Way Cranes business since the acquisition of Gillespie, two-and-a-half-years ago. www.cranesandlifting.com.au
