IN FOCUS / GROVE ALL TERRAIN
GROVES FIT CANBERRA CONCEPT Canberra based crane hire business Concept Crane Hire, recently took delivery of a Grove GMK3060L, the first crane in the range to be delivered in Australia. Cranes and Lifting reports. The new GMK3060L features a 48 m boom and significantly stronger load charts.
46 / CAL July 2020
DANIEL WHITEHEAD AND DAVE TAYLOR, owners of Concept Crane Hire, had worked in the industry for 12 years before they started the business almost six years ago. Both started in the crane industry as trainees with a local crane company, B&D Crane Hire. According to Whitehead, Concept Crane Hire started as a result of the closure of B&D Crane Hire. “We both had the opportunity to start in the crane industry with Bob Taylor and Daniel Phillips at B&D Crane Hire here in Canberra. They decided to close the gates at the end of 2014 and sold most of their machines. “There were a couple of cranes that didn’t sell, and we saw an opportunity. We bought a 60t Tadano and a 15t Franna and kicked off the business with those machines,” he said. For the first year, the business consisted of Whitehead, Taylor, a small team and casuals when they were required says Whitehead. “It was hands on for the first year but at the end of it we bought our first second-hand Grove, a GMK5130 from Metcalf Cranes, Melbourne. From there we’ve pretty much bought a crane every year and we now have seven machines in the fleet including a new 20t Tadano City Crane and the Grove GMK3060L long boom,” said Whitehead. Brand loyalty and business relationships has been a major reason why Concept Crane Hire have purchased Groves says Whitehead. “For five years, I operated a Grove GMK5130 at B&D before we started the business. I’ve gotten to know Andrew Gray, Sales Manager for Manitowoc over a long period of time and I’ve developed good relationships with a couple of the technicians at Manitowoc. “The machines are user friendly and www.cranesandlifting.com.au
