CICA Member profile How Apple Isle member, Cranes Combined, has driven the road access issue

Installing the drop-in cricket pitch at Utas Stadium.

APPLE ISLE CRANE BUSINESS HELPS RESOLVE ROAD ACCESS ISSUE

Cranes Combined is Tasmania’s largest crane hire business. It has also played a major role in determining a new road access system for cranes, likely to be rolled out across the country.

THE BUSINESS STARTED IN LAUNCESTON, in 1995 when John Morgan, his wife Geraldine and Chris Kolodziej and his wife Cathy, decided to go into business together.

“We started the business in 1995, Cathy and I had bought our first slew crane and John had a back-end crane/ winch truck. In 1996, we bought our first crane together, a Linmac all-wheel drive pick and carry crane. Together, we came up with the name Cranes Combined and continued from there,” said Kolodziej.

The business gained momentum, more cranes were purchased and they expanded into Hobart. Initially, this started as a small operation there, with two employees.

“We grew quite rapidly and when John decided to retire in December 2010, we purchased his half of the business and started a program of further modernisation, putting in systems and processes to help streamline the business and to enhance safe work and OH&S practices,” said Kolodziej.

“Part of this process was to upgrade machinery and we bought a number of new cranes. In recent years, we’ve placed a strong emphasis on updating our fleet,” he said.

Four years ago, Statewide Cranes, a Hobart company Cranes Combined had worked in with, approached the Kolodziejs about selling their crane operation to them.

“We took the plunge, which expanded our business and fleet considerably,” Kolodziej said. “With the purchase of Statewide Cranes, we took on a larger depot in Derwent Park, Hobart and the whole Statewide crew merged with ours, expanding our Hobart operation from 3 to 12 employees, and from 5 to 14 cranes. Today, we have 33 plus employees and