11 minute read
BAB’s hydraulic loading decks
HELPING TO MAKE THE CONSTRUCTION MORE EFFICIENT AND SAFER
Late last year, the crane loading deck market was turned on its head when Active Crane Hire launched its electro hydraulic loading deck range featuring BAB Engineering’s innovation.
Matt Gye (centre) and the team at BAB Engineering.
BAB’S PRODUCT HAS BEEN MET WITH BOTH
swift and overwhelmingly positive response from the construction sector. When you look at the company behind the design and manufacturing of the electro hydraulic loading deck (HLD), the somewhat groundbreaking response could be summed up as no surprise.
BAB Engineering is headed up by Gerd Altmeyer, who boasts a long and successful career manufacturing scissor lifts. His righthand person is Evelyn Klein, who likewise has worked, lived, and breathed hydraulics with Altmeyer over the decades, both in their homeland of Germany and in Australia.
With such a positive market response, it was obvious to Altmeyer and Klein that their business needed a dedicated sales and marketing manager; enter Matt Gye. He too has a background in hydraulics and has worked with BAB Engineering and watched the business develop. Gye takes up the story.
“I spent the early part of my career in hydraulics and I was involved in the design and manufacture of Australia’s first snow board manufacturing machine before I moved into media, film making and television production,” he said.
“In October 2021, I was introduced to BAB Engineering by being commissioned to help brand their new business. After a few meetings and over a coffee, Gerd and Evelyn discussed the potential of me working for BAB Engineering in sales and marketing.
“My understanding of hydraulics and the way these electro-hydraulic crane loading decks are designed, manufactured, and operate, I could see no flaw in the concept, and I truly believe BAB’s decks will make construction better.
“In mid-December I started talks with a number of potential customers who currently operate and offer manual decks and the interest was instant, as electro HLDs are a no-brainer in any tier of building that use crane loading decks.
“In terms of the design and the performance being on point, it stems from the concise manufacturing process and BAB’s decision to integrate the best possible available components from around the globe. Therefore, the locally- manufactured end product is a winner,” he said.
Altmeyer is a partner and the director of BAB Engineering, and he has a distinguished career in manufacturing of
hydraulic equipment. He understands how the crane sector and particuarly the crane loading deck industry works.
“In such a mature market like construction, when a customer is looking for the right solution for their particular problem, they don’t want a sales guy to go through his sales pitch. They want someone who understands their problem, even if they don’t know they have a problem, and to discuss the right solution,” he said.
“That is why Matt is here representing our range of HLDs. When you are manufacturing and selling products which are an integral element of the construction process, like our loading decks, there needs to be a degree of trust.
“The customer has to trust what he is being told is true, that the product he is buying will deliver what we say it will, and that we will be there supporting the product in five years. Matt brings personal and professional integrity to this newly created role, and we know he is the right man for the job,” said Altmeyer.
It’s an exciting move for Gye and he sees great potential for the electro HLDs.
“When you understand the difference between manually handled loading decks
and the features and benefits of electro HLDs, it really is a lightbulb moment. I believe this product will be around for perpetuity in Australia and I can see a genuine opportunity to export the product and also manufacture in other parts of the world,” he said.
“Honestly, it might take a couple of years to be Australia-wide, but it will change the way the industry looks at loading decks.”
Recently, Gye was visiting a site in Sydney’s eastern suburbs where Gledhill Constructions has installed, and is operating, four of the BAB 2200 2.2m HLDs. He met with Daniel Remaili, Gledhill Constructions’ senior contracts administrator. Remaili is impressed with the performance of the decks.
“The BAB decks are great. They are very practical – you simply throw the load on the deck and the hydraulic system retracts the deck in a minute with the load on it. It leaves the manual decks for dead to be honest,” he said.
“It has really changed the efficiency of the build. We are not spending time on labour trying to retract them manually. We need two big guys to retract, particuarly when they are loaded and, now, we can do this with the push of a button. Anyone can now work the decks and, with the click of a button, the job is done.
“We are happy to pay a little extra, but, frankly speaking, there is not much of a price difference. For the greater efficiencies they provide for the build, it’s a no brainer. I will never go back to the manual deck.”
Remaili talks about the requirements for onsite power to power the BAB HLD 2200.
“There’s been no issue with getting power to the decks, they only need 240v, so it’s been very straight forward, with one lead and one power point, so it’s not
a problem at all,” he explained.
“This is an eight-storey project and we are working on four floors at a time. We’ll get the crane to move the deck on level one to level five and the deck on level two to level six and change them over like that. The decks fit the site perfectly – with them being 2.2m wide, they fit the gyprock perfectly as well.
“The BAB HLD 2200 is an innovation the construction sector has been waiting for and it’s the type of innovation you don’t know you need until you see it action. It really is game changer.
“In my role as the senior contract administrator, I manage the build program and I can see the decks are helping the boys to get the job done quicker, we are receiving deliveries quicker, and we are able to unload them quicker as well. The decks just make life easier on the site.
“Our client is very happy and he hadn’t seen the decks before. It reflects well on Gledhill Constructions that we are seen to be bringing new innovations to the site, which are increasing productivity and efficiency.”
Remaili goes on to discuss the installation of the decks.
“There wasn’t a problem with the installation process, it only took a couple of hours, which is nothing at all. We’ve been operating them for a while now and, quite honestly, there isn’t anything we would
Sammy Khan, crane operator for the Attenna Group IV, couldn’t do his job without the BAB Engineering hydraulic loading deck.
change. I think the decks are a quality product, the propping is excellent and the way the decks have been performing is spot on,” he said.
Aiden Coyle, Gledhill Constructions’ site manager, has been in this type of construction for seven years. He explains how the BAB HLDs improve the build process from his perspective.
“The BAB decks have been great. A major benefit has been the increase in manoeuvrability for the guys on each floor. The decks help us load apartments, they help us clear apartments and they are safe and easy to use,” he said.
“But the biggest difference is how the decks have dramatically increased the speed of the build – everything is happening at a much faster pace.
“The decks enable us to load and unload twice as many crane lifts of materials as a manual deck, and that is a massive increase in terms of productivity. The client is over the moon with our program and anything that enhances the build program is going to make the client happy. I know this client will definitely want to see these HLDs on future projects.
“Our construction manager has been advising the directors of our business just how well the program is going and what an integral role the decks are playing in increasing productivity and the efficiency.
“We are saving so much time and money in terms of labour. When a delivery arrives, one man can extend the deck ready for loading with the push of a button and then retract it when it’s loaded. Before, it would take two or three guys to push a deck out and, when they are doing this multiple times a day, it all adds up,” he said.
Sammy Khan is the crane operator for the Attenna Group IV project in the Crows Nest, which is also operating the new BAB HLDs. He is operating the crane via remote control, and he is also managing the BAB electro HLDs.
“The BAB loading decks are terrific, it takes between 30 to 40 seconds for the decks to retract and this is with the push of a button. Without the decks I would
be struggling because I’m here by myself,” he said.
“If these were manual decks we would need four to five labourers to extend and retract them. Now this process has been automated, the business is saving a tremendous amount of man hours on the project.
“In my opinion, these decks are 100 per cent changing the industry. When it was first brought on to the site I couldn’t believe, I was shocked and said: ‘We have electric hydraulic decks now? I’d never seen anything like it.’ I was then told they were brand new, and we were one of the first sites to be using them.
“If the bigger decks, the 3 2s for the bigger construction projects, become electrically hydraulically operated that will be really huge for the industry, that will be a real game changer. It will be a huge step for decking and craning, and the tasks associated with this.
“Another advantage with these decks is the clarity of where the load must go on the deck – other decks don’t do this. Let’s say you are sitting in the crane and you can’t actually see the deck and you are putting a 3t load on the tip of the deck – that is going to cause a massive issue.
“As the dogman, rigger, and crane operator on this job, I can tell you the BAB loading deck has changed the way this site operates. I simply couldn’t do my job without these decks,” he said.
Altmeyer is pleased with the feedback from both Gledhill and Attenna and he explained that, in his experience, it is important to listen to customer feedback, both positive and negative.
“Successful companies listen to their customers. BAB Engineering is not an arrogant organisation and thinking we have everything right. We are constantly asking ourselves and customers: what we can do better? We are currently testing our new 3.2m deck which has been requested from a number of the Tier One builders and a number of crane companies.
“There have also been requests for other sizes including builders in Western Australia and Victoria who are interested in 2.8m decks. It appears different builders across various states are looking for different configurations and this is something we need to process to better understand the markets’ demands,” he said.
From day one, Gye has been impressed with the value proposition offered by BAB Engineering, Altmeyer, Klein and their team.
“Gerd’s positioning on pricing is based on fairness, he wants to be fair to the client. The BAB HLDs might be the Rolls Royce of crane loading decks, but they are definitely not priced accordingly. As Gerd says: ‘Be fair or be forgotten,’” said Gye.
“From an idea and opportunity, Gerd and his team have developed a world class product with an extremely productive, efficient, and streamlined design. The engineering and manufacturing facility might not have the largest of footprints, but it is extremely efficient in manufacturing the BAB HLD decks, and this is a major reason we are priced so competitively,” he said.
Altmeyer’s experience in manufacturing hydraulic products, particuarly scissor lifts, is apparent in the way the BAB HLD decks are manufactured. Organisation is the key he said.
“When you are manufacturing, you have to be organised and our guys on the factory floor have to have all the components at their fingertips… everything is simple, easy and organised and that way we are extremely efficient and productive in the factory,” he said.
“My manufacturing philosophy is simple – you know the cost of your materials and components, you know the cost of your labour, you know your overheads. If we can manufacture a product and price it competitively, we are going to, and we will not fear anyone trying to compete with us.
“The market’s response to our HLDs has been quick and positive. It’s just a matter of time before the other deck manufacturers decide they need to follow us with powered loading decks – that’s why the BAB Engineering HLDs are being viewed as a new era in Crane Loading Decks,” said Altmeyer.
BAB Engineering’s manufacturing processes are highly organised, making the factory extremely efficient and productive.
