IN FOCUS / TUTT BRYANT AND KATO
ALL SMILES WITH NEW KATO CITY CRANE Williams Cranes & Rigging recently took delivery of the new model CR-250Rv Kato city crane. The business has included previous generations of the range, and all have performed perfectly and never had a failed component says owner Smiley Williams. WILLIAMS CRANES & RIGGING STARTED in 1992. Founder and owner Paul ‘Smiley’ Williams worked in the lift industry, but of a different kind – he was a lift fitter and welder. Today, Williams Cranes operates from its depot in Pinkenba, Queensland and predominantly supplies wet hire crane services to the south-east Queensland area. The company also dry hires cranes and lifting equipment all over Australia and Papua New Guinea. “After completing my trade, I started as a lift fitter & welder for Johns & Waygoods – I enjoyed climbing, working at heights, and helping the crane crews that would come out to my jobs. One of the guys suggested I get a job rigging. I got a job as a rigger and, after putting in the work, I went on to get my crane ticket,” said Williams. “I was working as a top hand rigger in Western Australia and, when the contract ended, I came back to Brisbane and decided to buy a crane and started working in steel erection. “I started Williams Cranes & Rigging with a Coles Hydra Husky, which had a capacity of 16.5t. The business has grown since then and we now run a fleet of 27 cranes. We also run the trucks and trailers needed to support the crane fleet and which transport the counterweights and associated lifting equipment. “Our largest crane is a 100t capacity all-terrain and we go right down to the 2t crawler cranes. We run a number of brands, including Liebherr, Demag, Kato, Tadano, Maeda, and Frannas.” 58 / CAL January 2022
He discussed the evolution of the business in terms of the Kato city cranes. “We’ve been operating the Kato city crane range, in one form or another, and have gone through two generations of Katos over the last 20 years. We have recently upgraded our 13t and 20t Kato city cranes. We have now added the new 25t capacity machine to our fleet where we also have a 20t Kato rough terrain crane,” he said. “What do we like about the Katos? They are incredibly reliable and operatorfriendly. They are also well-engineered, with great hydraulics. What have they done for our business? They have worked in numerous applications including construction, steel erection, and the petrochemical chemical sector. With the small footprint, they are ideal for getting into tight locations, but they still offer plenty of lifting capacity. “In my opinion, Katos are built with traditional Japanese engineering values. They feature the latest technology, but they are constructed with a strong focus on the engineering, which makes for a fundamentally ‘sound’ crane. For me, and I’m going back 40 years, everything to do with Japanese cranes is focused on reliability and longevity. Katos work hard and over a long period of time. “They are great all-rounders for us. They are ideal for residential construction where site access can be limited. They have worked in the petrochemical sector in plants where there isn’t easy access for the lift. We’ve also put in swimming pools
with the Katos; they are a great little taxi crane. We’ve had them pretty much doing anything and everything – they are a very well-utilised asset for us. Also, the fly & needle on a Kato are amazing – you are able to rig the fly in minimal area. The fly has a telescoping needle, which is extremely smooth to operate. “With the new CR-250Rv, we worked closely with Peter Lawgall and his team at Tutt Bryant Equipment. Their service was excellent and they are great to deal with. Whenever you need something, they are there. They answer their calls and they do what they say they are going to do. They know how to look after you. “We have had a long relationship with Ian Eyres and, when Peter came into the sales team, the excellent relationship continued. He does a wonderful job of running the sales team and supplying www.cranesandlifting.com.au
