$9.

90 JULY/AUGUST 2018

ONE TADANO
Building a network
for growth

• The power of nine

INSIDE

• A trend towards heavy lifters

• What’s on at CANZ
ONE TADANO
Building a network for growth.
10 20
CONTENTS | JULY-AUGUST 2018 26
14 HIGH ON CRANES
The power of nine
26 BARGE
CRANES
AND MARINE

ABH barges designed

16 CICA INDUSTRY REPORT
From the president
for lifting projects

33 CANZ PREVIEW
22 TOP 50 PROFILE
All in a day’s work
Association membership
- a good choice

24 VEHICLE LOADING 44 TOWER CRANES

A trend towards heavy lifters
CRANES
49
Combining strength and reliability
with user-friendliness SUCCESSION PLANNING
Buchanans - a small family business
looking to the next generation

Cranes and Lifting is Senior Editor: Jacqueline Ong (jacqueline.ong@mayfam.net)

a media partner of
Editor: Greg Keane (greg.keane@mayfam.net)
Journalists: Jan Arreza (jan.arreza@mayfam.net), Patrick Lau (patrick@mayfam.net)
Creative Director, Patterntwo Creative Studio: Toni Middendorf
Advertising sales: Ross May (ross@mayfam.net or 0400 868 456)
Marketing and customer support: Benjamin May (ben.may@mayfam.net)
Subscriptions: Email: subscriptions@mayfam.net Web: www.insideconstruction.com.au
Publisher: Ross May (ross@mayfam.net or 0400 868 456)
Office: Level 13, 333 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000
Email: contact@mayfam.net
Website: www.insideconstruction.com.au

COPYRIGHT WARNING: All editorial copy and some advertisements in this publication are subject to copyright and
may not be reproduced in any form without the written authorisation of the managing editor. Offenders will be prosecuted.
 EDITOR’S NOTE WANT TO GO
DIGITAL?
NOW YOU CAN
Find out more at insideconstruction.com.au

It’s conference time!

T
his issue will be seen at the New
Zealand national crane conference.
To those attending, “He hui angitu”,
which - my trusty Maori-English
dictionary tells me - means “Have a
successful conference.” If it doesn’t, help -
I’ve been hacked!!!
Conferences are a good time to be
open-minded: not just to what you hear from
speakers but about what you hear from your
fellow crane operators or see on display
from the marketers. It’s a necessary luxury
to have so many like-minded people in one
place, or to have so much information at your
fingertips without having to chase it to all
directions of the compass.
It’s Australia’s turn in October, and you’ll
be seeing the next issue of Cranes and Lifting
at that conference.
Now, time for an apology. I interviewed
Mark Gilbert for our last issue, but
unfortunately (for us, not him!) he travelled
overseas shortly afterwards; and we were
unable to get feedback before publication.
Although there were some minor detail
changes, my real error was in misinterpreting
Mark’s view of the current market and
the impact of larger cranes on heavier
lifts. Rather than reducing the number of
multi-crane lifts, Mark’s real point about the
increased availability of larger cranes was
that this has seen the lifts getting bigger and
more ambitious.
In this issue, we have a story on
generational change in a small family crane
business. With most crane hirers in the
general market being family businesses, this
should strike a chord with many of you.
Knowing what you want to do with your
business when you’re looking to retire is
something that many of you think about.
Finding a buyer prepared to pay the right
price to allow you to realise the value of your
investment in time and energy (as well as
$) can be a struggle, and many also worry
about whether customers you have come to
know and value will be treated well by your
successor.
Having the next generation take on the
business has its own challenges: you need
to free some funds to cover your retirement,
so vendor finance isn’t always an option; and
you want the next generation to want to be in
the business, not feel trapped by it or feel that
they can’t make their own decisions because
someone is looking over their shoulder.
Having sat at a table with James and Greg
Buchanan at the last crane conference, I had
a feeling that there was a story needing to be
told. Hopefully, I’ve done it justice.
Greg Keane
greg.keane@mayfam.net

TEREX SALES UP BY 25%

Terex Corporation has reported a strong Q1 with sales of US$1.3 billion (AU$1.74 billion), a 25% growth compared to Q1 of 2017.
The company attributed the growth to improvements made to its operations as well as broad-based growth across its global market.
Income from continuing operations as adjusted for the first quarter of 2018 was US$44.6 million. This compares to income from continuing
operations as adjusted of $5.5 million in the first quarter of 2017.
Sales for the Terex Cranes business segment grew 19% to US$314 million, driven by higher demand and the favourable impact of foreign
exchange rates. Operating performance improved compared to the first quarter of last year, however, Terex’s results were negatively impacted by
disruptions in the company’s mobile crane factories caused by supply chain challenges.
Indications for future growth are positive, with Terex Cranes Q1 ending backlog up 58% versus 2017.
“Overall, we had a strong start to the year. Our backlog is up significantly in every segment and our global markets are improving” remarked
John L. Garrison, Terex president and CEO.
“Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) and Materials Processing (MP) are off to a great start. Our Cranes segment improved compared to the prior year
but performed below our expectations in the quarter.”
Turning to Australia, Garrison noted in Terex’s earnings presentation that there has been a pick up, albeit off a “very low base”, of pick and
carry cranes.
Steve Filipov, president Terex Cranes commented: “Global crane markets were fairly stable with pockets of growth as expected. We executed
well in Towers and Utilities, and we continued to roll out exciting new products including our Demag AC 300-6 all-terrain crane and Terex CTT
472-20 flat top tower crane.”

4 July/August 2018
 NEWS News updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Industry representatives at
the CrewSafe launch.

CrewSafe - a better
way to regulate VOCs
CrewSafe, the newest assessment program
developed by CICA, was launched in Western
Australia on May 25, 2018.
Onsite, safety is paramount. So, the
Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA)
has worked with crane owners, equipment
manufacturers and trainers, both in Australia
and internationally, to develop CrewSafe.
Representatives from the mining and
construction sectors attended the new FREO
Group state-of-the-art facility for a hands-on
demonstration of CrewSafe. While bad weather
prevented an outdoor demonstration, the
sizeable workshop at FREO group in Hope
Valley lent itself to an excellent CrewSafe
display. Using a Liebherr LTM1055-3.2 crane,
the operator demonstrated his competence and
skill by setting up the crane and successfully
navigating the obstacle course without hitting
any tennis balls in the allocated time.
Cranes are all different, and the CrewSafe
assessment modules are designed to be
machine-specific, reflecting the current state of
knowledge and best practice. All assessments
are filmed, documented, and accessible on the
CrewSafe app so site supervisors and crane
operators have a centralised point of reference.
The CrewSafe launch gave the attendees a
clear understanding of how it can protect their
crew, crane, and reputation.
For more information on CrewSafe visit:
www.crewsafe.com.au

HVNL - EXEMPTION NOTICE PUBLISHED

UNITED CROWNED THE National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has
BEST RENTAL published a mass and dimension exemption
COMPANY notice under the Heavy Vehicle National Law for
NATIONAL access Victorian Class 1 heavy vehicles.
equipment specialist, This applies to all Class 1 heavy vehicles in
United Forklift and Access Victoria, including four-axle and five-axle all-terrain
Solutions, has been mobile cranes. The driver and operator of an
crowned 2018 Rental eligible vehicle is exempted from complying with
Company of the Year by legislation regulating the use of heavy vehicles
the Australian Hire and including, but not limited to, compliance with:
Rental Industry Association • all mass and dimension requirements
(HRIA). in the HVNL, other than the mass or
The HIRE18 Awards is dimension requirements from which the
the premier event of the United Forklift and Access Solutions’ Trent Osborne and Doug Rawlings receive vehicle is exempted under the Notice;
HRIA, which is the official the accolades of the HRIA Hire18 gala night. • traffic signs, including mass and
industry association for hire dimension limit traffic signs;
and rental companies in Australia. • vehicle standards in the HVNL; and
The awards’ comprehensive judging criteria included a rigorous United Forklift and Access • lawful directions of authorised officers.
Solutions site inspection involving a set of standards for which it was ranked 1-10, including: Eligible vehicles for the exemption must not
• overall presentation of company (workshops, equipment yard, display areas, etc); exceed these limits:
• team members (staff presentation, product knowledge, phone manner, booking a. 16.5m length;
procedures, etc); b. rear overhang of the lesser of 4.0m and
• plant and equipment (range of equipment, age, quality, overall presentation); 90% of the wheelbase;
• systems and procedures (computer systems, use of technology, OH&S, operator c. 3.5m width; and
licensing, equipment off hire check and procedures, maintenance records, breakdown d. a projection in front of the centre of the
procedures, marketing promotions, etc.); steering wheel of 3.5m.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); Other conditions include the section width of
• community involvement; and each tyre must be at least 445mm and, if the
• HRIA contribution, attendance to meetings/events, use of logo within business, etc. vehicle has the centre of a steering control to
HIRE18 was a double celebration for United as its major supplier partner Haulotte also took the left of the vehicle, it must display a ‘left
out an award, winning ‘Best New Product’ for the HA26 RTJ PRO articulating boom lift. hand drive’ and either be fitted with a closed
This machine includes world-first technology like Activ’ Lighting and other smart features. circuit TV system or be accompanied by a
pilot vehicle.

6 July/August 2018
 The new
AC 45 City
© Terex Cranes 2018. Terex, Demag and Above, Ahead, Always are trademarks of or licensed by Terex Corporation or its subsidiaries.

Fits everywhere.
The new Demag AC 45 City: The most compact crane in its class thanks to
a height of only 3.16 meters, an incredibly versatile machine as a result of its
IC-1 Plus control system, and a fully roadable unit with a maximum weight
of only 34 tonnes. All this makes it the best Demag City crane of all time!

Visit demagmobilecranes.com to learn more and to sign up for updates

from Demag — the inventors of the City crane class.

Above. Ahead. Always.

 NEWS
Marmon Crane Services
acquires WGC Crane Group
MARMON Crane Services, a Berkshire
Hathaway company, has announced the
acquisition of Wollongong-based, family-
owned WGC Crane Group by a newly created
subsidiary Marmon Crane Australia. Financial
terms were not disclosed.
WGC’s fleet includes a variety of mobile
cranes used for industrial maintenance,
construction and other projects.
The Marmon Group is an international association
of more than 125 autonomous manufacturing and
service businesses with collective revenues of
AUSTRALIAN MARINE COMPLEX
TURNS TO DIGITAL TECH
KONECRANES’ latest digital technology
suite is optimising the safety, uptime and
availability of production-critical cranes in
Australian Marine Complex’s Common User
Facility (CUF) in Western Australia.
CUF uses a range of overhead cranes and
hoists for project assembly and materials
handling tasks for demanding industries, and
any downtime can result in lost production or
added costs.
To implement a predictive maintenance
program that minimises downtime and
optimises the value of their assets, CUF
has installed a suite of Konecranes digital
technologies, including TRUCONNECT
remote monitoring technology, MAINMAN
planned maintenance and inspections and
yourKONECRANES.com online portal.
“TRUCONNECT allows us to proactively plan
for the replacement of critical components,
analyse crane operator behaviour, monitor
trends and anomalies, along with important
safety events such as overloads. And all of
this can be done from the comfort of our
8 July/August 2018
News updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
The RotorHook in action.
approximately US$7 billion (A$9.23 billion). In 2012,
Marmon acquired Freo Group.
“We are excited to welcome WGC and its
employees to Marmon’s global portfolio of
crane businesses,” said John Roberts, Marmon
Crane Services president.
“WGC is a strong, successful company and
we look forward to its continued growth.”
WGC Crane Group will continue to operate under
their name and former managers Marc Sergi and
Rob McInnes will continue to lead the company,
with oversight by management of Freo Group.
Konecranes digital technology
suite is maximising uptime for
Australian Marine Complex.
main command centre,” said Jayden Good,
operations and maintenance manager, CUF.
Jayden Hughes, Konecranes WA sales
representative, says the TRUCONNECT
technology used by CUF is linked with other
Konecranes advanced digital technologies such
as MAINMAN and yourKONECRANES.com
designed to further enhance user-friendliness
and optimise maintenance processes.
“Konecranes MAINMAN planned
maintenance and third-party inspections are
designed to ensure all aspects of safety and
compliance are regularly assessed in alignment
with Australian Standards,” said Hughes.
“With TRUCONNECT, alerts and
notifications are automatically sent via text
message and emailed to a nominated person.
The data is presented via a user-friendly
dashboard interface.”
Good says that in addition to creating
better maintenance schedules and identifying
potential problems earlier, Konecranes’ digital
technology suite also helps provide CUF with
better end of life evaluations on their cranes.
LIFTWERX AND SIEMENS
GAMESA ANNOUNCE
UP-TOWER LIFTING DEVICE
ENGINEERING company LiftWerx has
partnered with Siemens Gamesa to
develop the world’s highest capacity
up-tower lifting device.
With a lifting capacity of 75t, the system
is designed to lower a fully assembled
wind turbine rotor and main shaft.
The RotorHook will have a much wider
array of lifting capabilities compared to
other up-tower cranes and it has the ability
to perform major corrective repairs on
nearly all major turbine brands.
The device will eliminate the need to use
a large conventional crane and is easily
mobilised to project sites in only three
standard ISO containers.
Launching in Q2 2019, LiftWerx’s
director of North America operations
Ted Pruss says the RotorHook will drive
down operation and maintenance costs,
improve turbine uptime, increase safety
and reduce the reliance on larger and more
costly cranes.
“Operationally, this device will perform
lifts from within the nacelle, which were
previously unachievable, and we are
looking forward to progressing with the
project and executing the first lifts of the
machines,” Glen Aitken, president of
LiftWerx, said.
 All Terrain
Power
Taking Australia by storm!

NEW GMK4100L-1

NEW GMK5250L
NEW GMK5150L

MEGATRAK™ independent
suspension with all-wheel steering
and suspension that can be raised
Meet the Grove all-terrain All-Star lineup now 170 mm or lowered 130 mm

featuring MaxBase variable position outriggers Hydraulic luffing swingaway

extension allows outstanding lifting
The new GMK4100L, GMK5150L and GMK5250L all-terrain cranes offer
capability over obstacles at great
industry-leading performance and features that include:
heights, boom and jib extensions
available
• Superior lift capacities
• Longest booms
Grove Single-engine concept with
• Fast and efficient rigging times one simple angular gearbox drives
• Best maneuverability hydraulic pumps through the centre
of the slew ring for optimum
• Perfectly suited to Australia’s stringent roading requirements efficiency and weight savings

New Fuel Saver technology and

optional auxiliary power supply
GMK4100L-1 GMK5150L GMK5250L
100 t capacity 150 t capacity 250 t capacity Fast and easy rigging with new
60 m boom 60 m boom 70 m boom intuitive Crane Control System (CCS)
with full graphic display, jog-dial and
boom configuration mode

MAXbase variable positioning

outriggers, an efficient, user friendly
Take power, performance and maneuverability to new heights. Learn more at
option on all CCS cranes. Maximized
your local Grove dealer today, or go to www.manitowoccranes.com/Grove capacities over a wider arc allow
more useable loadcharts - SIMPLE
and SAFE
 SPONSORED CONTENT

One Tadano
- building a network for growth
Japanese manufacturer Tadano is the leader in rough terrain cranes and truck cranes in Australia and over
the past two years has quietly been building capacity that it believes will herald a new period of growth.
Welcome to ‘One Tadano’.

L
eading the charge is former AML
Equipment chief Anthony Grosser, now
Tadano Oceania’s general manager. AML
Equipment was established in Perth
in 2000 as a mechanical services business
specialising in cranes and since 2010, had
been the exclusive Tadano sales, service and
acquired AML to combine their respective
strengths and to provide the foundation for what
the company now calls ‘One Tadano’.
Grosser believes Tadano now has the
sales and service network in place to support
significant growth, a view clearly shared
by Japan given its display of confidence in
With Tadano’s experience in Australia now
exceeding 30 years, the company understands
that the market is multi-faceted and that to meet the
expectations of its customers, it must understand
the needs of differing market segments.
As Grosser says: “Given the vast distances
and specific requirements for Oceania, a strong

5 NEW
parts agent in WA. In November 2016, Tadano releasing five new models this year. and efficient network is required so that we can

MACHINES
ATF60 GR-1100EX
CRANE CRANE

IN
2018
Max. Lifting Capacity Boom: 60t Crane Capacity Boom: 110t x 2.5m
Boom: 52m Boom: 56.1m
Max. Lifting Height Max. Lifting Height
Boom+Jib: 58m Boom+Jib: 73.6m
Boom: 44m - 0.5t Boom: 44.0m
Max. Load Radius Max. Load Radius
Boom+Jib: 44m - 0.5t Boom+Jib: 48.3m
Tadano’s global investment in new product Boom Length 48m Boom Length 12.0m - 56.0m
has been strong and consistent over its nearly Gross Vehicle Weight 36t (can get to 30t if needed) Jib Length 10.1m / 17.7m
100-year history. In 2018, the company CARRIER Max. 7.3m
Extention width
released five machines with three of these Engine Model Mercedes Benz OM 936LA Mid. 6.7m, 5.5m
of outriggers
specific to the Australian market. Carrier: N/A Min. 2.7m
Max. Output
“Our research and development team is Super-structure: 354HP (260kW) CARRIER
constantly discussing market requirements with Max Traveling Speed 85km/h Engine Model Mitsubishi 6M60
our customers and what they are needing to Drive/Steering 3 axle drive/steer Max. Output 200kW(267PS)/2,600min-1
develop and grow their business”, explains Grosser. 11.18m (1 winch) 11.67m Overall Length 14,450mm
Overall Length
“Tadano has placed some of its senior design (2 winches)
Overall Width 3,315mm
team right here in the most remote and harshest Overall Width 2.66 (16.00) 2.82 (20.5)
Overall Height 3,795mm
locations in Australia to understand what is Overall Height 3.68m
required to develop and deliver strong reliable
machines for this market and I believe that is
going to justify investment in our product”.
10 July/August 2018
 TECHNOLOGY: DRIVING SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY
Human Interface Systems: With safety a core Tadano value, the introduction of human interface systems - a system long used in the
automotive industry - shows great promise in the mobile crane market.
Tadano’s new GR-200EX machine has human alert systems installed as a standard option for driving and operating - the first to be fitted to a
mobile crane. Along with Tadano’s wide sight view camera system, this offers a substantial improvement in safety both for customers and the
public.
Smart Chart: Tadano’s new Smart Chart improves lifting capacity around key areas of the outriggers which can increase lifting radius
dramatically with simple technology improvements offering customers a genuine improvement in performance and efficiency.
Positive Fuel Control: Tadano’s Positive Fuel Control system and Eco Mode delivers a reduction of up to 35% in CO2 emissions.
Driver comfort: Constant system improvements in ergonomics, access and egress, and driver visibly continue to improve the driver
experience and reduce the stresses on operators and drivers.

be where our customers need us to be and
respond as required.”
To do this, Tadano has committed to
strong investment including the purchase
of AML Equipment and establishment of the
long-awaited Melbourne branch. Grosser
believes it is this commitment that will help
Tadano achieve its long-term goal of becoming
number one in the lifting equipment industry.
“For our customers, this offers security in the
knowledge that the manufacturer is sufficiently
confident in the market and its product to invest
in growth, increase service and parts capability,
and for the first time in Tadano Oceania’s history,
provision of a full nationwide network owned and
managed by the manufacturer,” says Grosser.
“Complementing the strength of the Tadano
network, we have ensured that the customer,
no matter where they are, has access to factory
trained personnel and a nationwide parts
network to support their investment.
“In many cases the initial purchase price of
a crane is only a small part of the machine’s
life-time cost. Parts, service, operating costs
and downtime are all part of the ownership
costs our customers manage. At Tadano we are
constantly assessing what we can do to ensure
an investment in Tadano offers enduring value.
This sits side-by-side with our core values of
safety, quality and efficiency, values embedded
in every Tadano machine.
“It’s an exciting time for Tadano in this
market. We now have the network infrastructure
in place that our customers need and a
commitment to constantly develop and improve
that network. That includes the training that’s so
critical to ensure optimal performance through
the full machine lifecycle.
“I can tell you that our sales team is working
with customers ranging from single operators to
multinationals with great success. Our approach
is straight forward - to partner with our customers
to support mutual and beneficial growth over the
long-term. I take great pride in saying that while
at AML, my first customer had one crane and
is today one of the larger operators in Australia.
This ethos is shared with Tadano, we want a true
partnership with our customers right through the
cycle of highs and lows.”
Next year marks a significant milestone for
Tadano. In August of 1919, the Tadano business
was established by Masuo Tadano and the
company will celebrate 100 years in 2019 - an
impressive achievement by any measure.
In developing and improving its business
model in Australia, releasing new products to
suit local customer requirements, and improving
its customer engagement, service, parts, and
training delivery Tadano believe they have the
tools in place to reach number one. CL

GT-600EL GT-300EL GR-200EX

CRANE CRANE CRANE
Crane Capacity Boom: 60t x 2.7m Crane Capacity Boom: 30t x 2.5m Max. Lifting Capacity Boom: 20t
Boom: 43.4m Boom: 34.0m Boom: 28.2m
Max. Lifting Height Max. Lifting Height Max. Lifting Height
Boom+Jib: 57.3m Boom+Jib: 48.0m Boom+Jib: 35m
Boom: 34.0m Boom: 32.0m Boom: 0.45t - 24m
Max. Load Radius Max. Load Radius Max. Load Radius
Boom+Jib: 44.0m Boom+Jib: 40.0m Boom+Jib: 0.17t - 27.8m
Boom Length 11.0m - 43.0m Boom Length 10.3m - 34.0m Boom Length 27.5m
Jib Length 9.0m/14.3m Jib Length 8.5m/14.0m Gross Vehicle Weight 19.87t
Gross Vehicle Weight 39.88t Gross Vehicle Weight 29.27t CARRIER
Max. 7.0m Max. 6.2m Engine Model Cummins QSB6.7-4C
Extention width Extention width
Mid. 6.5m, 4.7m Mid. 5.8m, 4.1m Carrier: 238HP (175kW)
of outriggers of outriggers Max. Output
Min. 2.51m Min. 2.18m Superstructure: N/A
CARRIER CARRIER Max Traveling Speed 54km/hr
Engine Model Daimler OM457LA Engine Model Daimler OM926LA 4 wheel drive/
Drive/Steering
Max. Output 260kW{353PS} Max. Output 240kW{326 PS} Power steering
Max. Traveling Speed 85km/h Max. Traveling Speed 85km/h Overall Length 8310mm
Drive 8x4 Drive 6x4 Overall Width 2450mm
Overall Length 13,140mm Overall Length 12,620mm Overall Height 3200mm
Overall Width 3,040mm Overall Width 2,550mm
Overall Height 3,780mm Overall Height 3,800mm

July/August 2018 11
 KHL’S INTERNATIONAL ROUND-UP

Around the world with KHL

Cranes and Lifting has partnered with supplier of
international construction information KHL to bring
you news from around the world.

Alan Kan of Set Win, Christoph Kleiner of Liebherr,

SET WIN TAKES FIRST LTM 1450-8.1 IN ASIA Raymond Kan of Set Win and Andreas Ganahl of
Liebherr welcoming Asia’s first LTM1450-8.1.
The Set Win Group in Hong Kong has taken delivery of its new 450t
capacity Liebherr LTM 1450-8.1 wheeled mobile telescopic crane.
The crane will be put to work among the skyscrapers and
restricted job sites of Hong Kong. Its 85m boom and quick set-up of
the 8-axle crane are important for Set Win. Work will include tower
crane assembly, lifting and placing steel structures and prefabricated
concrete elements. Air conditioning system installation is another likely
application. Managing director Alan Kan explained a further benefit of
his new crane: “Another advantage of the crane is that not only can it
be ballasted at the front, but also at the rear end of the undercarriage.
That makes things significantly easier on constricted sites.”
Set Win has 25 cranes, 20 of which are Liebherrs. A new 500
tonne capacity LTM 1500-8.1 is also due to join the fleet.

FIRST NEW 300T KOBELCO IN EUROPE ALE LIFTS 5134T EVAPORATOR

Hawks Crane Hire in the UK has ordered Europe’s first
unit of the new 300t capacity Kobelco CKE3000G crawler
crane. The Dartford-based company sealed the deal
during the Intermat exhibition in Paris, France.
The model was launched in December 2017 and the
first two units were delivered to Indonesian contractor
Guna Teguh Abadi (GTA) Construction in March.
The CKE3000G is an all-rounder with three lifting
modes, including Standard, with a capacity of 300t at
5.5m, Heavy Lift, with a capacity of 189.8t at 8.8m
radius, and the Super Heavy Lift which lifts 350t at 8m
radius. The CKE3000G ordered by Hawks will have a 78m
main boom, 60m luffing fly jib and a 30m back mast and
tray, giving the crane the heavy lift (HL), and SHL (super
heavy lift) duties.
Commenting on his choice of crane, Elliot Hawkins,
Hawks’s managing director, said: “The CKE3000G is a very
flexible machine that will not only work well in the pre-cast,
modular building sector, currently one of our largest
markets, but will also open the door to new opportunities
in the UK’s heavy lift marketplace, particularly the energy
sector – gas, oil, renewables and energy to waste power
plant construction - and on large-scale infrastructure
projects, such as HS2 and Hinkley Point C.
“After careful evaluation we chose Kobelco’s
CKE3000G because, having compared it to many of its
competitor’s models, its duties in standard luffing jib
configuration were really impressive. We did some very
thorough comparisons with several other competitor’s
cranes and it out-performed one by a staggering 35%. It
also beat a 350t competitor machine, which is incredible.”
Heavy lift and transportation specialist ALE claimed to have broken a
world record by transporting the world’s heaviest evaporator, weighing
5134t, in Saudi Arabia.
ALE was contracted to perform the full delivery scope of the evaporator,
plus steam transformers, lime filters and a brine manifold, to the Shoaiba
Desalination Plant Project in Shoaiba, 100km south of the port city Jeddah.
ALE first received and handled the items at the plant’s jetty in April 2018.
The evaporator was loaded-in using 186 Generation 3 SPMT axle lines in a
3x2 file 62 configuration. Smaller, different configurations were used for the
other items. These were then transported 1km to the Shoaiba Desalination
Plant project site.
Once on site, ALE said it had to negotiate a challenging route within the
plant. To avoid the unnecessary removal of obstacles, aspects of the cargo
structure were modified to pass over fences.
Andrew Spink, general manager at ALE’s Saudi Arabia branch, said: “This
was a complex operation, not only in terms of the pieces involved, but also
the logistics of receiving almost 200 axle lines of SPMT and mobilising an
experienced transport crew. It was completed successfully and sailed away
within the time constraints all thanks to our team’s flexibility, local expertise
and effective co-ordination between the ALE’s Middle East branches.”
Weighing 5134t,
ALE said this
evaporator is
the heaviest in
the world.

12 July/August 2018
KOBELCO AND MANITOWOC END SUPPLY AGREEMENT
Crane makers Kobelco Construction Machinery in Japan and The Manitowoc Company headquartered in the USA will end their OEM supply
agreement in November 2018.
The agreement, under which Kobelco supplies Manitowoc with lattice boom crawler cranes in capacities up to 150 US tons in North America
and Manitowoc supplies Kobelco with Grove all terrain cranes for sale in Japan, has been running since 2003.
Each has agreed to continue supporting the other with service parts for 10 years.
A company statement said: “Looking ahead at future market conditions, the companies have mutually decided to operate their businesses on their own.”

CRANE WORLD ASIA TELESCOPIC CYLINDERS FROM ENERPAC

ADDS TEREX TOWERS
Singapore-based tower
crane specialist Crane World
Asia has ordered 31 luffing jib
tower cranes from Terex. All of
them are CTL 260-18 luffing
jib models. CWA also ordered
three Terex CDK 100-16 luffing
jib derrick cranes. In addition,
nine CTL 630B-32, and one CTL
650F-45 luffing jib towers will be
delivered for work in South Korea
The Terex CTL later in 2018.
260-18. Roger Poon, CWA director,
commented on his choice of
crane: “The thing that really sold us on the CTL 260-18 was its powerful
performance characteristics, which are demonstrated by its ability to lift
over 3t at its maximum boom length of 55m.”
The 30 CTL 260-18s will be delivered to Busan, South Korea and the
remaining one will go to Hong Kong.
The RT-Series range of telescopic cylinders from Enerpac
are designed for applications requiring a long stroke in
confined spaces. The multi-stage hydraulic telescopic
cylinders have lifting capacities between 14t to 31t, with
maximum stroke lengths between 270mm to 600mm.
With a 700-bar max operating pressure, the RT-Series
consists of two and three stage cylinders. A tilting saddle
allows side load up to 3% of maximum capacity at full
stroke, said Enerpac. For easy handling and positioning,
all RT-series cylinders come with lifting eyes as standard.
According to Enerpac, the RT-Series is also suitable for
harsh and extreme conditions. Made from high strength
alloy steel with a nitro-carburised surface treatment, it
provides both wear and corrosion resistance.
“With the introduction of the RT-Series telescopic
cylinders, we are enabling engineers to benefit from
proven Enerpac cylinder technology when tackling
projects were either space is limited or they are looking
for a higher lift,” said Maarten Franken, director of
marketing and engineering, Enerpac.

ALE launched a replica

MAMMOET LAUNCHES RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP REPLICA of an 18th century
Russian battleship.
A replica of an 18th century Russian battleship has been launched by heavy lift
and transportation company Mammoet in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The wooden ship weighed 600t. Mammoet used SPMT to transport it out of the
shipyard’s hangar, fastening it for stability. For the lift and launch procedure, Mammoet
said its engineers created a customised rigging scheme to optimise load distribution.
For the launch operation, Mammoet used its PTC 35 ring crane. The company said
the crane’s reach, small footprint and high capacity allowed it to lift the strapped ship
within the limited space of the shipyard and slew it 180 degrees, before launching it
into the Gulf of Finland. Mammoet said it carried out the job to a tight schedule.
The replica was commissioned by Russian natural gas company Gazprom and
it will be now used as a floating museum in St. Petersburg. The replica is of a battleship called the Poltava, which was part of the Russia’s Baltic Fleet
and was named in honour of the country’s victory in the Battle of Poltava, which took place on 27 June 1709 under the leadership of Peter I.

Safely lifting the boulders

PORTABLE GANTRY USED TO SAVE SEAL PUP was the cornerstone of the
rescue operation.
UK animal welfare charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), used a
portable gantry made by UK gantry and davit crane manufacturer Reid Lifting to help rescue a seal pup
that was trapped by boulders on a beach in South Wales.
The 5t working load limit (WLL) Porta-Gantry system was erected above the seal and used to remove
boulders weighing approximately 3t. The gantry was erected on uneven ground and so it was mounted
on timber chocks to level it out. The surrounding boulders were drilled and fixed into position to prevent
cave-in during the rescue.
The gantry was hired from UK company Lifting Gear & Safety.
Gary Moorhouse, director at Lifting Gear & Safety, said: “The rescue team quickly identified a need for
an overhead lifting solution to remove a large boulder and a crane wasn’t an option due to the nature of
the location and environment. We frequently supply Reid’s gantries for diverse applications, but this was
the first time that one has been used for a wildlife rescue such as this.”
CL

July/August 2018 13
 HIGH ON CRANES
The
power
of nine
At the end of May, five crane hire
companies came together to lift
a 6000m2 shed in Victoria and
what a sight it was to behold.
Jacqueline Ong reports.
T
ogether, Mildura Cranes and Access,
Saunders Wrecking and Crane Hire,
Sunraysia Crane and Rigging, A&G
Engineering, and Inland Cranes, offered
nine cranes for the job - a two-stage process
that was completed all in the one day.
The cranes included four GT600s, a 50t Tadano,
two ATF40s, a Zoomlion, and a Tadano T200.
Together, they lifted into place an Entegra-built
shed that comprised 60t of steelwork.
Mildura Cranes and Access director, Peter
Saunders, told Cranes and Lifting the lift went
smoothly, despite rainfall the day before which
made the shed a little “sticky”.
“We hope for good weather, but we do a lot
of these shed [lifts] and all the companies that
we work with come together to plan that out,
and have a good toolbox talk so that everyone
knows the drill well,” Saunders said.
When it comes to lifting big sheds, Mildura
Cranes and Access can be considered a
Mildura Cranes worked alongside
five other crane hirers to ensure a
successful and smooth operation.
All images courtesy of Milne Graphics.
14
seasoned pro. Mildura is home to the state’s
many grape growers who are typically the ones
requiring these structures. Because the crane
hirer has done many a shed lift, it is able to
advise all parties right from the get go.
“We work with the shed suppliers on the
design of their shed and try to build as much as
we can on the ground in order to eliminate any
height work such as going up onto the sheds
to put handrails and lift all of the iron as well as
the insulation later. We try to build as much of
the shed on the ground before it’s raised and
that’s the main thing - doing this adds to the
safety aspect and time saved in being in the
air later with the riggers and the roof tops,”
Saunders said.
Safety was a key factor in the lift and the
main reason why nine cranes, positioned
around the shed, were used.
“The reason we used nine cranes was to
comply with Australian standards where during
A job well done - the shed, which included 60t of steel work, was erected
in a day of lifts that were described as “well organised”.
How many cranes does it take
to lift a 6000m2 shed?
the use of more than four cranes in a multiple
crane lift, you’ve got to show a 50% safety
margin for everybody,” Saunders said. Another
part of the equation that led to a successful
lift was the use of a proven swinging column
system on the base of the cranes.
“In the top chord of the truss, you put one
bolt in and as you’re slowing raising the shed,
the columns swing around into a vertical
position,” Saunders explained.
“Then, you put it over the top of the footing
bolts that are in the ground and go up in the
scissor and the boom lifts where you’ll bolt the
rest of the bolts on the top and bottom of the
trucks. Once that’s done, you put all the wall
bracing in to make it safe before the cranes are
released. We’ve using this system for 12 to
14 years.”
Footage of the cranes standing tall and
proud can be found here: http://bit.ly/2y0tlos
(Credit: Milne Graphics). CL
July/August 2018
4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

Industry-led independent inspection program

Introducing the CraneSafe

Assessment App.
After 13 years the national industry–led Inspection Program
is now electronic.
Features include
■ Photo and video capture of specific
crane information to assist in record
keeping and repair schedules
■ Generation of a maintenance list
that can be used by the workshop
to complete repairs
■ Captive information is used to
monitor items that are deemed
satisfactory at the time of
assessment, but should be monitored
during the upcoming 12 months
■ No more sending in white copies
to the CraneSafe office
■ A ll existing information that has
been used for industry lobbying with
road regulators will now be more
accurately captured digitally
■ Crane information and photos
can assist with the assessment of
a crane’s design life, and whether
a major inspection is required
■ Assessments can automatically be
added to your company’s unique
CICA Member profile, to
consolidate records and ease
paperwork requirements of clients.
CICA082_RMC

CICA079_4RMC

®
CraneSafe is a division of CICA – Australia’s not-for-profit Crane Association

www.cranesafe.com.au
 CICA INDUSTRY REPORT

From the president

According to the latest Australian FIGURE 1
Industry Group Performance
of Construction Index (see
figure 1), our industry continues
to expand at historical highs,
albeit at a slightly softening rate.
There is a confidence by most
in our industry as utilisation of
equipment continues to remain
high. This is further confirmed
by the number of new machines
entering the CraneSafe program
being approximately 40% up
year on year across all-terrain
and pick and carry cranes.

H
ousing, Commercial and Engineering
segments all continue to see
expanding activity, in contrast to FIGURE 2
on www.crewsafe.com.au. permits for travel within stated areas/routes
apartment building activity which
has experienced steady to declining activity
over nine of the past ten months, as shown in
figure 2.
CICA continues to roll out the launch of
our CrewSafe program to industry. CrewSafe
is the standardised VOC assessment tool
for the Australian crane industry, providing
machine-specific, impartial, peer assessment
with documented evidence (video) of
competency. CICA, as the peak crane
industry body, has worked with crane owners,
equipment manufacturers, and trainers,
nationally and internationally, to develop a
standardised assessment. In May, about 20
industry participants from companies such
as BHP, Delta Group, Georgiou, McDermotts
(formerly CBI), RCR, Rio Tinto, and UGL,
attended a live demonstration of what the
program entails. A special thank you to Freo
Group for allowing CICA to use your new facility
for the demonstration. There was some robust
discussion and good suggestions for further
expansion/improvement. Overall it was clear by For most of our members located in the from one year to three years. This is a timely
all that this is going to be a powerful tool and Eastern states, road access for cranes is an and welcome change and another example of
game changer for our industry. CrewSafe will ongoing and contentious issue. CICA and the way CICA is working collaboratively with
continue to develop and evolve as more people the Department of Planning, Transport and road management authorities to decrease
start using it, but just a reminder, CrewSafe is Infrastructure (DPTI) have been working the red tape burden. Other topics that are
fully functional/live online now and there are together to improve road access for cranes in still under discussion in SA are the review of
obstacle courses available for hire in every South Australia. CICA is pleased to report that self-registration for new and used cranes and
state. So why not be an early adopter and use it the latest outcome of discussions is an increase the allowance to tow up to a 12-tonne GVM pup
as a differentiator for your business – sign up. in the validity of ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ trailer behind cranes.

16 July/August 2018
 FIGURE 3
SPV NETWORK DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS
In NSW, a bridge case study is being
reviewed for expansion of a 60-tonne route
which, if successful, will allow travel on over
300 new structures. The Rail Infrastructure
Management is requesting a study of four- to
seven-axle cranes to determine acceleration
and deceleration capability to grant access
over passive level crossings. For Victoria,
CICA is working with VicRoads to allow for
the reduction of a second escort when travel
is on a dual carriageway structure. The CICA
Queensland branch has re-appointed David
White (Chalky) to collaborate with the National
Heavy Vehicle Regulator and local government
to seek access to the remaining problem areas
on the SPV1 network. The access map (figure
3) clearly shows this approach works. CICA’s
communications officer, Damien Hense, will
be working closely with Chalky to replicate this
approach in other states.
Whilst on the topic of Queensland, the
Queensland Mobile Crane Code of Practice,
which was first released in 2006, is currently
under review. If you have any areas that you
July/August 2018
would like to be reviewed, please don’t hesitate
to contact our CICA CEO, Brandon Hitch
(0428 228 048).
Lastly a reminder to lock in the 17th – 19th
October for this year’s CICA Conference
“Raising the Bar” being held in the Melbourne
Convention & Exhibition Centre. For the first
time, we will have a combined crane display
with exhibitor booths and the conference
speakers all located under roof in the same
complex - which means rain, hail or shine
we will have a great show. Registrations
are now open with early bird closing on
7th August. For further details, jump onto
conference.cica.com.au. As always if you have
any ideas of how CICA can better help our
industry, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line.
Many Thanks,
Danny Black
CICA President
General Manager Terex Australia
0419 384 962
CICA president
Danny Black
CICA Board
Danny Black – President, Terex Cranes
Tom Smith – Vice President,
Williamstown Crane Hire
Andrew Esquilant, Liebherr Australia
John Gillespie, Gillespies Crane Services
Bart Sutherland, Complete Crane Hire
Geoff Bevan, Hydralift Cranes
Ben Pieyre, Freo Group
CICA Office
Brandon Hitch, Chief Executive Officer
03 8320 0444
Tracey Watson, Business Operations
Manager (VIC/TAS Secretariat)
03 8320 0411
Heidi Biuwale, CICA Administration
Officer (NSW, QLD & NT Secretariat)
1300 887 277
John Humphries, VIC/TAS Liaison Officer
03 8320 0433
Alice Edwards, Project Engineer
03 8320 440
Patrick Cran, Plant & Operator
Assessment Officer 0488 004 274
Damien Hense, Industry Communications
Officer 03 8320 0460
Taylah Allan, CraneSafe Administration
Officer 03 8320 0455
Unit 10, 18-22 Lexia Place,
Mulgrave Vic 3170
(PO Box 136 Mount Waverley Vic 3149)
Phone: 03 9501 0078
Fax: 03 9501 0083
Email: admin@cica.com.au
Website: www.cica.com.au
For information regarding CICA
membership, please visit our website
or call the CICA office.
17
 TOP 50 PROFILE
Advancing
with Lampson
The distinctive blue livery of Lampson cranes has been
an integral part of the landscape on many major projects
around Australia for many years, and that isn’t likely to
change any time soon, writes Greg Keane.
N
or is the core of Manitowoc crawler
cranes and Grove rough terrain cranes,
supplemented at the top end by its
proprietary Transi-Lift cranes and in
the core crawler crane sizes by its proprietary
Millennium series remanufacture of the 4100
and now the 4600 series cranes.
Complementing these are a substantial heavy
haulage fleet and specialist jacking systems
for shovel and dragline maintenance in the
mining industry.
Toronto (near Newcastle) is still the heartland
of Lampson’s physical presence in Australia
but is supplemented by branches in Gladstone,
Perth, and Karratha to provide an ongoing
presence in areas of regular work.
The Millennium remanufacture program
was commenced in Australia but is now
implemented throughout the Lampson group,
with the work now undertaken in the US. During
the 1990s and early 2000s, Lampson began to
upgrade the 200t 4100 series cranes because
their impressive capacity in Ringer configuration
and long reach in tower configuration made
them too great an asset to be made redundant
18
when advances in hydraulics saw a decrease in
the use of conventionally driven cranes.
Lampson began to remanufacture these
cranes and incorporate the features of newer
cranes, including upgraded hydraulic drive
systems. The 4100 Millennium series crane
is now completely hydraulic in operation, with
smooth and safe operation.
The success of this has seen similar
hydraulics incorporated in the Transi-Lift
cranes and now in Millennium series
remanufacture of 4600 series cranes – a base
300t crane with 600t capacity in Ringer and
Tower configurations.
The patented Lampson Transi-Lift design
combines a conventional lattice boom crawler
crane front end with a set-back counterweight
tray on tracks and an adjustable length
stinger between the crane and counterweight.
The combination of the set-back of the
counterweight and the strength of the lattice
boom provides very high capacity, with a variety
of boom, jib, counterweight, and stinger options
able to tailor the crane to suit the lift program.
Lampson Australia MD John Lee said:
Lampson Transi-Lift
LTL-2600 working on the
Nyrstar project in Port Pirie.
“The crane is completely mobile under full load:
it is transported on road or ship in conventional
trailer load sizes and assembled onsite.”
The implementation of hydraulic winches
is a significant advancement in the proven
Transi-Lift design.
The robust construction of the Manitowoc
4600 (and 4100) cranes gives them the
structural integrity to undertake a long working
life; and the hydraulic drive systems now
provide the safety and ease of operation that is
required of modern cranes.
Nyrstar Project 2016-2018
As part of a worldwide focus on upgrading
its processing plants for lead, zinc, and other
precious metals (it has operations in Europe,
the Americas, China, and Australia), Nyrstar
commenced an upgrade of its Port Pirie (SA)
refinery in 2016.
These improvement works required a very
large crane to lift and install the modules of a new
furnace tower due to their weight and the height
of the building. New equipment was installed in
the centre of an operating plant, where space
July/August 2018
finlease TM
TOP 50
and access were significant constraints. Through
a rigorous tendering process, Lampson was
selected to provide the heavy lifting and module
transportation for the project.
In addition to a proprietary Transi-Lift
LTL-2600, Lampson supplied three Manitowoc
crawler cranes (a 2250 with Max-er, 999, and
777) as well as Grove RT-9130 rough terrain
cranes and 81 axle lines of Goldhofer SPMTs
for transporting the pre-assembled modules.
For the heavy loads and high reach, the LTL-2600
was configured with 134m of main boom, 67m of
mast, a 24m stinger and 2300t of counterweight
standing on two mobile crawler transporters. The
LTL-2600 crawled on steel mats to protect the
underlying ground for the induced loads, reducing
ground bearing pressure to less than 200kPa.
The heaviest lift was the 677t furnace
module, while the top of the highest-placed
module was 75m in the air. Many of the
15 modules were in the 300- 400t range,
with average dimensions of 25m long by 14m
wide by 26m high. Transporting and lifting
these modules from within the confines of an
operating plant imposed very tight tolerances
- at times there were just centimetres of
clearance to existing structures.
Lampson’s engineering team designed
rigging with a spreader bar system that suited
many of the heavy modules and minimised
rigging changes between lifts, saving time and
cost for Nyrstar.
Lee said: “It required precise coordination
of design and site personnel, along with
quality equipment, to deliver safe construction
operations while minimising disruption to
normal production at the smelter site.
“The Nyrstar project provided the opportunity
for Lampson to display its expertise and
equipment as it called on the specialised
capabilities of the SPMT and the heavy and
very high lifting ability of the LTL-2600 crane,”
he concluded. M4100 Millennium crane in Ringer configuration
Upon successful completion of module on the Waterways project in Newcastle.
installation and attaining all the desired
milestones, the project progressed to the
commissioning stage - and Lampson moved on
to its next project.

Millennium cranes at work

An M4100 Millennium crane is now being
used in Ringer configuration on a Waterway
Constructions project on the Hunter River
(Newcastle) to install underwater scour
protection mattresses. The Ringer configuration
provides substantially greater lifting capacity
than a standard 4100 - particularly at radius
- through the addition of a perimeter ring to
support additional boom and counterweight.
While the maximum lift capacity rises
from 200t to 270t, the lift chart at long radius
shows a capacity of up to five times that of a
Hydraulic winches for a Lampson Transi-Lift.
standard crane. CL

July/August 2018 19
 TOP 50 PROFILE
A 160t and 200t all-terrain cranes dual lift – turning over
a crusher wheel at ThyssenKrupp Engineering.

Prioritising people
and processes

100t and 160t all-terrain cranes lifting a transformer weighing Two 25t Frannas engaged in a dual
100t for Fremantle Wharf. lifting (boat recovery in Lancelin).

100t and 160t all-terrain cranes m

a tower crane in Perth City.

20 July/August 2018
 finlease TM
TOP 50
Established in 1986, family-owned business Bentley Crane Hire has been able to stay on top in a crowded
Western Australian market by providing its customers with service it claims is second to none. People are at
the forefront of the company’s operations and over the years, Bentley has developed both a friendly and loyal
working relationship with its clients, as well as a strong team environment for its employees, writes Jan Arreza.

I
ts people-focused attitude means that while
the fleet is a key part of the equation, Bentley
has a strong pool of competent and qualified
dogmen, riggers, and operators to offer.
Additionally, any one of Bentley’s employees
is able and equipped to assist their clients in all
types of jobs, ensuring the work is completed
safely and in a hassle-free manner.
“We do not claim to be biggest but we will be
best because we believe that if in every aspect of
the business we warrant high regard, then success
will follow,” said William J Andrade, executive
operations manager at Bentley Crane Hire.
“We are specialists in our field and we are
confident that we will provide clients with
an excellent and reliable service backed by
comprises 7t to the 750t capacity cranes. The
company services all of WA’s metropolitan areas
as well as mine sites and other states in Australia.
“When Bentley started all of those years ago,
we started out with a fleet of four cranes and it
just grew from there,” Andrade said.
“We want to be a one-stop-shop service where
you can call on Bentley Crane Hire to get anything
done with the range of machines at our disposal.
An advantage for us is, we’ve got a large number of
cranes and prime movers with low loaders and drop
decks we can supply, not just one on a particular
project, but we can supply multiple numbers of
these cranes to our clients, allowing them to do their
job a lot quicker and more efficiently.
“And if your crane requirements are different
made to continue growing the fleet.
“We’re planning on further purchasing some
of the smaller city cranes, such as the 16t Tom
Thumbs, as we’ve recently been focusing on
getting contracts with larger residential builders
like Dale Alcock Homes,” Andrade said.
“We’ve recently been awarded some
contracts for projects with them as a start and
hopefully we will secure more as time goes by,
hence the plans for expanding our fleet with
these 16t machines.”
As for making it in Cranes and Lifting’s
Top 50, Andrade said: “Being recognised in the
Top 50 is obviously an honour and just proves
that a lot of the hard work and effort that we do
was all worth it in the end.” CL

guarantee, and this is what will distinguish us
from our competitors.
“We will continue to supply the high level of
customer service that is expected from our clients,
which is something that we have provided over the
years, since the beginning of our company.”
Andrade also pointed to Bentley’s operating
process, which has driven the company forward
over the years. The process was developed
in-house to meet the company’s policies and
philosophies, and importantly, generate a
sense of ownership amongst their staff. It also
integrates Australian Standard AS 4170 and
international best practice systems.
The system is a comprehensive standalone
management tool that dictates and encourages
consistent standards of safety management
across all projects. These standards are
reflected in individual project management plans
that flow from the system.
Turning to the machines, Bentley’s fleet
to those in our fleet, we can always organise the
machine required,” Andrade said.
A recent project that Bentley worked on was the
Optus Stadium in Burswood, where the company
deployed its range of mobile hydraulic cranes,
including the 95t, 100t, 200t and the 250t.
“We’ve also got projects all over the metro
ranging in construction, engineering, and mining,
and we also specialise in dry hire where we lease
out these cranes on long-term hire to various
sites in the metropolitan areas as well as mine
sites and other states in Australia,” Andrade said.
To match its growth, Bentley recently moved
into a new depot located in the Australian
Marine Complex (AMC) in Henderson, and now
offers services from two main depots, with the
other located in Welshpool. Its fleet has also
expanded, with the company recently acquiring
three all-terrain cranes, two 16t Tom Thumbs
cranes, and another prime mover with flat top
and drop deck trailers. Plans are currently being
A snapshot of services
Bentley offers:
• 7t to 750t cranes available for hire;
• wet and dry hire;
• long- and short-term hire;
• all-terrains, Frannas and crawler cranes;
• hydraulic slewing cranes;
• rough terrains and city class cranes;
• charter and training vessel;
• barge and tower cranes;
• truck and trailer hire;
• heavy transport haulage;
• EWP (cherry picker);
• residential and commercial services;
• mining and industrial services;
• dogman, riggers and operators; and
• free site appraisals and quotes.

A 160t all-terrain crane

lifting storm traps into place
at Perth Arena for BGC.

mobilising Four 25t Frannas lifting an overhead

crane into place for Nai Quip.

July/August 2018 21
 TOP 50 PROFILE

All in a
Metcalf is also a big player in the
telecommunications space. In
June, one of its smaller cranes, a
Grove GMK3055 was hard at work
erecting a telco tower.

day’s work
Since the beginning of time, well, 1996, Metcalf
Crane Services has lived by one motto: ‘getting the
job done’. This attitude has built a strong foundation
for the company driving growth over the years.
Jacqueline Ong reports.

22 July/August 2018
finlease TM
M
etcalf Crane Services was founded
by Tim Metcalf 22 years ago when
he pursued an opportunity to
invest in a new crawler crane while
working on the Citylink Project.
Today, major infrastructure projects,
including road, rail and bridge infrastructure
are a staple for Metcalf Cranes. In fact, the
company has been involved in nearly all of
Victoria’s level crossing removal programs and
most of Melbourne’s major civil infrastructure
projects. When it comes to marquee lifts
such as bridge beams, large span pedestrian
overpasses or complex high risk works, Metcalf
has chiselled out an unparalleled reputation
for excellence.
The mobile crane operator provides services
across Australia with a fleet that ranges from a
3t mini crawler to a 600t truck mounted crane.
Cranes and Lifting wanted to know why major
infrastructure project proponents tended to turn to
Metcalf and a company spokesperson explained
it simply: “It comes down to understanding
requirements in compliance, paperwork and
complex engineering solutions, and then having
a team who can take an idea from conception to
completion. Having a group of individuals who
understand the goal and pursue it as a collective
is very reassuring to all clients, particularly those
who work in the tier one space.
“It means that when we turn up to a job,
there is rarely any second guessing as to how
the lift will be executed”.
Riding the infrastructure wave
Australia is in the middle of a population
boom and infrastructure is playing catch-up.
This bodes well for the construction sector
and its supply chain. At present, there is
significant appetite within government for
major infrastructure projects and companies
including Metcalf are ready to pursue the
resulting opportunities.
Metcalf currently has maintenance contracts with a number of
wind farms along with ongoing opportunities in the construction
space. The company says it is well placed to handle lift
requirements for the wind sector.
All images courtesy of Metcalf Crane Services.
July/August 2018
Adequately maximising these opportunities
also means having to move with the changes
that come with them. For instance, clients’
demands are evolving. For one, there is a
growing expectation that crane operators will
provide back-up lift support and Metcalf is on
the front foot in this area.
“Five to eight years ago, only high profile or
marquee lifts demanded lift studies. Today, on
most tier one sites, even the simplest jobs require
a lift plan. We understand the narrative has
changed in this space and rather than push back,
we now have three engineers working full-time
on these things,” the spokesperson said.
Another common challenge amongst crane
companies is the lack of good quality crew
members. This is a concern that many in the
industry have been vocal about. For Metcalf,
one strategy is to tap into their strong network.
“The current challenge is trying to find good
quality people and maintaining your brand
through the people who represent you every day.
But it’s about your network - understanding who
the key players in the market are and knowing
what sort of employees you’d want representing
your brand. And then, having access to those
networks by being one of the larger players in the
market,” the spokesperson said.
Another strategy around human resources
has been a focus on internal training capability.
“We now have crew members going through
Cert IV in Training with the hope we will be able
to offer hands-on training which is field based,”
Metcalf said.
While Metcalf appears to be well equipped
to come out ahead in the infrastructure game,
what with its network, fleet, and experience,
the spokesperson does foresee a few key
trends and changes for the sector in the
coming 12 to 18 months, offering some
thoughts on them.
“The availability of resources - both plant
and human resources - is going to be extremely
TOP 50
difficult to come by. We’re a microcosm of the
markets we service but we expect there to be
a rapid dilution of available human resource
talent in the coming months. We need to be
thinking a little bit outside the box as to where
it’s going to come from and whether or not we
look interstate or oversees. At the moment,
Queensland and WA might present some
opportunities for us to find some good quality
people,” the spokesperson said.
“Available equipment is also going to be
difficult to get to. We’ve gone through the
last three or four years where it hasn’t been
too tough to get hold of equipment and the
manufacturers have been in sales mode.
They’re now going to be in order taking mode
and there’ll be longer lead times on equipment
much like six or seven years ago when you
couldn’t get hold of a new crane for 12 months.
“We need to be a bit more strategic around
what resources we need and then be in a
position where we’re ordering now for what’s
going to be available in 12 months’ time.”
Metcalf Crane Services has grown in the last
22 years and today, operates a fleet of some
30-plus cranes across a wide range of brands,
incorporating Metcalf Heavy Haulage and Metcalf
Wind Services under the Metcalf Group banner.
The company has a solid reputation thanks to
its experience and expertise in providing a wide
range of transport and lifting solutions. Some
examples of recent projects include:
• Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Project.
• Citylink Tullamarine Freeway Widening Project.
CL
• Melbourne Water Capital Works Program.
• NEPA Level Crossing Project.
• Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel Project.
• Mernda Rail Extension Project.
Metcalf completing a shared user path
bridge install in Footscray on Shepherds
Bridge. A good snapshot of multiple
resources meeting a tight deadline through
well planned and executed lifting operations.
23
 VEHICLE LOADING CRANES

Combining strength
and reliability with
user-friendliness
Material handling equipment specialist, Hiab, has launched a renewed range of loader
cranes with a capacity from four to 11 tonne metres. The company says the range
combines strength and reliability with ease of use for the operator. Jan Arreza reports.

E
ach of the new Hiab light range loader
cranes is carefully designed to help an
operator do more jobs with less effort,
and comes equipped with a full range
of accessories and features. For one, operators
now have a choice of four options for remote
and manual control systems, allowing them
to select the system that meets the level of
precision needed when operating a crane.
In renewing the range, Jan Vink, director of
light range loader cranes at Hiab, told Cranes
and Lifting the team considered a number
of factors.
“When we started the development of this
loader crane series, we wanted to ensure that
the renewed equipment will make work easier
for the operators, keep it safe and increase
efficiency, as we have learned that these are our
customers’ priorities when choosing a loader
crane,” he said.
The Hiab light range loader cranes have been
built to last. Each machine’s structure is made
of high-tensile steel, enabling it to combine
low weight with the capacity to deliver heavy
loads. Its soft-sealed couplings withstand
vibrations and high pressures to minimise the
risk of damage.

24 July/August 2018
A HIAB X-CLX 078 B-3 working in hook
operation at an oil field in Canada.
Hiab light range loaders cranes are also
optimally built for easy mounting on the truck
chassis. The whole installation, including any
necessary chassis reinforcements, is designed
for the lowest possible overall weight.
Depending on the choice of control
system, a range of features is available for
improving capacity, durability, flexibility and
safety. These features include semi-automatic
folding systems, load stability systems, and
remote-control systems.
All electronic functions of the new light range
loader cranes are managed by the unique X-4
SPACE system, which is a computer devised to
intelligently assist a user in operating the crane.
The SPACE intelligence system is available
in three different configurations, each one
with an increasing number of advanced and
productive functions.
All configurations benefit from the highly
advanced Over Load Protection (OLP) system.
Productivity functions in the system are
Automatic Duty Control (ADC), Manual Speed
Control (MSC), Automatic Speed Control
(ASC), and Pump Flow Distribution (PFD).
These functions can be used separately or
in combination.
SPACE 3000 is the basic intelligence system
and then follows the SPACE 4000. Finally, the
A HIAB X-Duo 088 B-2 in
operation in Austria.
July/August 2018
SPACE 5000 system provides the user with
a productivity and safety solution, which the
company says is second to none. All four
configurations include OLP. An external display
also gives a better overview of the active crane
and service status.
“The X-4 system is a multi-functional SPACE
system, which gives us the ability to configure
our cranes in a different way - only using one
SPACE system for the manual cranes and one
SPACE system for the remote-control cranes,”
Vink said.
“As for the external display, it was something
that we introduced in the mid-range line and
decided to do the same thing in the light range
as well. Before, our light range had a very basic
external display, and this new one is a lot bigger
and is able to display a lot more information for
the operator.
“It really it is an all-round crane and it will
be a crane that would be loved by a lot of
operators, I can assure you of that.”
The new light range loader cranes were
launched in Australia in May and Vink said while
both the manual and the remote control options
are popular here, he has seen a clear growth
market for the remote-control versions. And
looking ahead, Hiab is firmly committed to its
Australian customers.
A remote-controlled
HIAB X-HiDuo 082 E-2
in Germany.
“In Australia, it has been quite a big leap
forward, especially in the nine to 10 tonne
metre range, which are the ones often used by
those working in ‘drop and go’ businesses, as
well as those in the mining industry, and those
working in municipalities,” Vink said.
“Australia for us is a very important market
for our light range, so it is a country that we
take care of very well. Moving forward, we have
a very good plan in place for the supply of the
new cranes.”
The light range loader cranes come with
a two-year warranty as well as a five-year
warranty for the steel structure, as with other
HIAB loader cranes. Maintenance is also a
no-brainer.
“To avoid unnecessary downtime in
our end customers’ operations, Hiab light
cranes are designed for easier everyday
maintenance. Key parts and components that
require regular attention are located where
they are easy to access. A good example
is the integrated oil tank in the crane base,
which can be installed without rearranging
truck components and is quicker and simpler
to reach,” Vink said, adding, “the reliable
performance and productivity are guaranteed
through the offering of our comprehensive
service network.” CL
A HIAB X-HiPro 122 E-3 in Great Britain. This machine is
equipped with the most advanced remote-control system in
the industry and offers the greatest productivity.
25
 BARGE AND MARINE CRANES
ABH’s jack-up
barges played
a key role in
repairs to Lucinda
Wharf following

ABH barges
Cyclone Yasi.

designed for
lifting projects The Sea Lift 4 with a 150t crawler crane
onboard assisted with the lifting of concrete
panels, piles and equipment.

Australian Barge Hire (ABH) was formed in 2006; and is Australia’s largest provider of road-transportable modular
jack-up barge. Greg Keane reports.

A
jack-up barge is designed for the
support of cranes, excavators and
other equipment for nearshore
construction, drilling and maintenance
works in port and harbours.
The current ABH fleet size comprises eight
jack-up barges with deck capacities ranging from
10t to 250t. All of ABH’s jack-up barges are of
modular design for flexible and efficient solutions;
the modular jack-up barges can be containerised
and are easily mobilised anywhere in Oceania.
Due to the modular design, the jack-up
barge comprises multiple standardised floating
pontoons that are coupled together through
a pin/connector system. Modules are sized
to allow them to be transportable by road or
containerised for sea (or road) transport into
20’ or 40’ ISO containers.
The jacking system is installed on each
corner of the barge and uses an onboard
hydraulic power pack to raise and lower the
legs. Apart from operating the jacking system,
the power pack services the hydraulic deck
crane and there are spare hydraulic connectors
to operate other deck equipment.
The jack-up barges do not have their own
propulsion and require towing using a utility/
towage vessel.
The operation of a jack-up barge is different
to the dumb or flat top barge in that the
dynamics change once the barge deck is
elevated above the water. The barge deck
becomes isolated from the effects of wave,
swell, tide and current; therefore providing a
stable and level platform for crane operations to
continue in conditions above those which may
limit a floating barge solution.
The jack-up barges are fitted with spud legs
that range from 12m to 36m in length, depending
on which jack-up barge is used and in which
configuration. A jack-up barge fitted with 36m
spud legs can safely operate in the nearshore
environment in water depths of up to 27m.
Spud legs are sectional and designed for
ease of transport by land or sea. Typically, a
36m spud leg would comprise three sections of
12m. The longest spud leg element is 18m.
Parameters that require consideration when
selecting a jack-up barge are:
• A desktop site assessment to review the
key physical characteristics of the site
such as water depth, currents, tidal range
and maximum waves (environmental,
meteorological, water depth, and wave
height conditions).
• A loading assessment to produce the
various load cases to reflect all of the
scenarios when the jack-up barge is
conducting its lifting duties.
• An estimation of the penetration of the
spud legs into the seabed (sand = hard/
mud = soft).
• The operational air gap for the wave crests
to safely pass beneath the hull of the
elevated barge (with a margin of safety).
• The towing parameters of the jack-up
barge when it has to be jacked down
to relocate.
The calculation of the safe operational air gap
is based on existing metocean data for the area
and typical wave heights. Where wave heights can
potentially exceed the safe working air gap (e.g.
in the event of a cyclone), the project will adopt
the “risk managed” approach and move the jack-
up barge to a sheltered location where a forecast
could see safe operating limits exceeded.
When jacked down or in the floating
condition, the towing conditions for jack-up
barges can be reduced compared to normal
dumb barges due to their shallow draft and
higher centre of gravity (due to the weight of the
spud legs above deck). Maximum parameters
for a modular jack-up barge with the spud legs
installed is a 1.5m wave height and maximum
towing speed of three knots.
For longer open sea tows, a modular jack-up
barge can be relocated onto a larger transport
(dumb) barge for a dry tow or disassembled
into its modules for transportation by road
or barge.
Common applications for jack-up barges include
(but are not limited to) crane and lifting duties, jetty
maintenance, port construction, marine drilling
and piling, vessel maintenance, bridge access and
maintenance work in the oil and gas, civil, mining,
and renewable energy industries.
The ABH jack-up barges have played an integral
part in some of the major marine construction
projects over the past few years such as:
• Lucinda Wharf repairs following Cyclone
Yasi: Sea Lift 4 with a 150t crawler crane
onboard assisted with the lifting of concrete

26 July/August 2018

John Holland used the Sea Lift 4
jack-up barge as a heavy crane
platform on the QCLNG Project.
panels, piles and equipment to enable
repairs to the 5km long jetty structure.
• Hay Point Coal Terminal Third Expansion
Project (HPX3): The Sea Lift 4 jack-up
barge worked alongside GeoSea and
the Walz Group as a support platform
for the construction phase for the coal
loading terminal.
• QCLNG Project (Curtis Island): John
Holland used the Sea Lift 4 jack-up
barge as a heavy crane platform to
support the piling works for the new
Module Offloading Facility (MOF) Wharf
Construction project.
July/August 2018
• Cape Lambert: Monadelphous recently
chartered the Sea Lift 5 jack-up barge
to assist with dolphin repairs at Cape
Lambert. The 36m spud legs allow the
barge deck to be elevated to the level of
the dolphin so that workers can readily
move between the dolphin and barge.
• Yamba Outfall Construction Project:
Working with principal contractor
Ledonne Constructions and HDD
contractor Pipeline Drillers in 2016, the
Sea Lift 6 jack-up barge assisted with the
submarine section of the 1.65km Yamba
outfall construction project. CL
Planning to use a barge
A lead-in period of a month is usually
sufficient for ABH to conduct the initial
desktop site assessment and the
planning and execution of mobilisation.
Barges are currently located in WA,
NSW and Queensland but can be
relocated depending on demand.
ABH can provide the complete
marine package of personnel transfers
and towage services if required, or
have the client provide those services
if that is more efficient.
The jack-up barge is supplied fully
assembled at the client’s point of
mobilisation, with ABH organising
all trucking and cranes required for
its assembly.
The size of the ABH fleet means
that it can supply multiple jack-up
barges if required to reduce program
time (e.g. a shutdown) or reduce
project overheads. Some projects have
required three barges.
27
 CRANES IN ACTION

Coastal Cranes
assists classic Albany
community event

28 July/August 2018
 Coastal Cranes’ 55t Liebherr AT
handling barriers at the storage yard.
Coastal Cranes Albany (Coastal)
recently assisted in setting up
barriers for the Albany Classic
Motor Event run through the
Coastal Cranes Franna heart of the Albany (WA) CBD
handling concrete
barriers on the street
on the June long weekend each
circuit, with Princess
Royal Harbour
year; and removing the barriers
as the backdrop. afterwards. Greg Keane reports.
July/August 2018
T
his is something that Coastal has done
for many years, with this support being
recognised not just in the list of sponsors
but by having a corner and a race
named after the business, as well as having the
company name painted on some of the barriers.
Coastal provides 2 Frannas for handling the
barriers around the circuit and a 55t Liebherr AT
crane to load and unload trucks in the storage yard.
Other local businesses provide trucks, forklifts and
telehandlers to assist in these efforts.
Aussie muscle
cars at their finest.
29
 CRANES IN ACTION
Coastal isn’t the only local business to
provide financial or in-kind support to the event:
in relatively small communities such as Albany,
events such as this can only survive (and
thrive) with a high level of local business and
community support.
The Albany Classic is a unique event with
a proud history. What was initially planned
in 1936 as a cycle race around the streets
of Albany for “Back to Albany” celebrations
morphed, following representations from the
WA Sporting Car Club, into the first “round the
houses” motor race in Australia, following the
seems ridiculously wide!
30
model of the Monaco Grand Prix. It even had
a similar water backdrop: Albany’s impressive
Princess Royal Harbour.
The inaugural event was a resounding
success, with all rooms booked out in Albany
and surrounding areas and people sleeping in
cars, on floors – anywhere they could lay down.
This success continued for nearly 30 years
before the event was discontinued.
It was revived in 1991 and uses an
abbreviated 1.5km section of the original 4km
circuit for the Sunday race through the streets.
This is preceded by a hill climb at Mt Clarence
There’s a lot
more than car
racing to keep
people of all
ages engaged.
Suddenly the circuit
Classic old sports cars being wrestled around the
circuit – image courtestyTracksnap Photography.
on the Saturday and followed on the Monday by
time trials in an industrial estate.
It’s not just a race: it is a weekend of varied
festivities with something for all the family –
but for the revheads, there’s plenty to see with
over 150 historic vehicles at the last event,
from diminutive open wheelers from bygone
eras to sports cars made by long-gone
manufacturers, specials and modern sports
car classics.
The next event will be June 1-2, 2019. More
information at www.albanyclassic.com. CL
July/August 2018
SLINGS

XL Superflex slings - the

beginning of a new era
Andromeda Industries is increasing its range of Superflex slings to cater for heavier lifts.

N
ew maximum capacities will be 80t in and abrasion resistance. Therefore, I highly Product launches are planned later in
a straight lift and 330t cradled. These recommend Superflex slings for heavy lifting the year with updates provided on Linkedin
larger slings will retain the ultra-flexible and rigging.” and Facebook. CL

nature of the original product by using

the same wire rope construction.
Every sling,
The decision to do this was made two including the new
years ago when the company designed, range pictured, is
assembled, and commissioned a new made to order, says
Zelman McLaren.
30m-long mechanical braider to manufacture
larger Superflex cables (see images) to 96mm
diameter. In addition, a 4200t press was
ordered and is being supplied by Talurit from
Sweden. A 350t test bench was also ordered
from Wirop in Korea.
Unfortunately, one of the two containers
carrying the test bench fell off the ship while at
sea and the other one was damaged, delaying
the product launch.
“Every sling we make is to order, meaning
we don’t keep any assembled slings in
stock,” says business development manager
Zelman McLaren.
“In addition to this, our lead times have
always been very short and this will be the
same with the larger slings, meaning we will
have an 80t sling or 330t strop assembled
and tested and dispatched generally within The larger slings will retain the ultra-flexible
nature of the original product by using the
one week of receiving the purchase order. This
same wire rope construction.
allows customers to receive their order several
weeks earlier compared to purchasing from
overseas. This can be vital on large projects
where there are significant costs for delays.”
The existing Superflex sling range has been
used for offshore work for many years, and the
larger slings will be useful due to the flexibility
which means they remain in service longer, an
advantage recognised by Andromeda’s Nigerian
sales agent.
“Andromeda has really brought a huge relief
in the heavy lift industries. I have worked as a
heavy lift engineer, planning and executing lifts
for over 10 years now in Nigeria and constantly
had issues with the conventional wire rope
slings ranging from their weights, rigidity,
storage and handling defects like bends, kinks,
and flatness - these “hard to use” problems.
We then used synthetic slings which were
expensive due to constant tears and cuts,”
lifting engineer Oji Afamefuna said.
“The larger Superflex slings have dual
qualities that can satisfy both the synthetic and The new 30m-long
mechanical braider.
conventional wire rope features of flexibility

July/August 2018 31
 AWARDS
The crane took the weight of the roof while the supports were cut.

The rigging and

demolition crews
had an excellent
view of Darling

A theatre of the
Harbour, if they
had the time
to look.

Darling (Harbour)
exits stage left
Gillespie Crane Services (Gillespies) won the 2017 Lift of the Year in the <20t category for its lift of a 13.4t
cantilever roof as part of Delta Demolition’s demolition of the iconic Imax Theatre at Darling Harbour (Sydney),
writes Greg Keane.

G
illespies worked closely with Delta
in the tender phase of the project,
providing a safe methodology for the
roof’s removal.
Complicating the work was the tight access
for heavy cranes and transport, with the Imax
Theatre located between two raised motorways
(there was only 5m of separation to one
motorway deck). Other challenges were the high
vehicular and pedestrian traffic, environmental
sensitivity of the area due to its proximity to the
harbour, and the need to work at heights.
Gillespies worked closely with Delta and
Coffey Structural Engineers (which advised
on lift points and signed off on Gillespies’ lift
plan) to devise a nine-point lifting method for
handling the asymmetric roof.
A 350t Liebherr LTM1350 AT crane with Y
Guy and 100t of counterweight was used for
the lift, and rigging included soft slings, four
spreader bars and eight 10t chain blocks. This
complex arrangement allowed the roof to be
lifted evenly despite its complex shape. A 39m
boom lift was used for rigging the lift.
The load was taken by the crane while the
cantilever roof was still attached to the main
structure, and then the supports were cut. As
a precaution, two 9t lever hoists connected the
roof structure to the main building to minimise
swing when the load came free, and the two
lanes of traffic closest to the lift were closed for
the duration of the lift. These precautions were
not called upon as the roof moved only 20mm
after the supports were cut.
The crane worked at a 20m radius and had
a SWL of 35.1t at that distance. While the roof
section itself weighed 13.4t, a 50% allowance
was applied for demolition work to allow for
extra loading when supports are cut, and the
rigging added an extra 10t, so that the crane
effectively worked at 86% capacity for the lift.
The roof was lowered onto an area on site where
it was cut up by a 45t excavator with shears, and
the metal was then transported off site for recycling.
The crane was set up on site on January 12,
2017, and the rigging was tested on the following
day. This was undertaken as, with an uneven
load to be lifted, the rigging with no load is also
uneven and testing ensures that the spreader bars
will all be level when under load. This necessitates
adjustment of the chain blocks to ensure this, with
work taking place progressively from the lift point
closest to the crane to the lift point furthest from
the crane. The crane was derigged after testing.
The actual lift took place on the following
day, but the rigging adjustments from the
test were retained to save time during the lift.
Rigging commenced at 2am and the actual lift
commenced a little after 6am.
The LTM1350 actually spent three weeks on
site, also assisting with demolition of the main roof
when rigged with a luffing fly jib, and Gillespies
also supplied a 250t AT crane to the project.
As iconic as the Imax Theatre was, it is being
replaced by a 25-storey hotel and serviced
apartment development known as The Ribbon
that is arguably even more iconic in shape
(although the humble author sees the profile as
more resembling the fuel tank of a Harley). C L

32 July/August 2018
CANZ PREVIEW
CANZ chief executive, Rod Auton (right) and 2017 CANZ conference
keynote speaker, Ngahihi o te ra Bidois. (Source: CANZ)
Association
membership -
a good choice
Ahead of Crane Association of New Zealand’s (CANZ) annual
conference in July, chief executive Rod Auton discusses the work that
CANZ has undertaken to date and its ongoing efforts into the future.
T
he Power Crane Association of New
Zealand Incorporated was formed in
February 1975 to meet the growing
needs of the crane sector within the
construction industry. Changes to the business
and the work environment were being imposed
on the industry by government with very little
consultation. Representatives from 32 crane
hire companies from throughout New Zealand
met at the White Heron Lodge in Wellington.
Issues of the time included:
• the types of licences required to
operate cranes;
• crane hire rates and conditions of hire;
• crane safety and operator training;
• Road User Charges;
• duty on importation of fully built cranes;
• overweight permits;
• handling of pre-cast concrete units;
• oversize tyres and tyre importation;
• wire rope suitability and importation;
• PECPR regulations;
• ACC levies;
• codes of practice;
• crane hand signals;
• bridge supervision;
• quality management;
• crane insurance scheme;
• vehicle dimensions; and
• terms of conditions of hire.
Many of these issues are still with us albeit
in a different format or with a different agency.
In 2006, the members of the Power Crane
Association of New Zealand Incorporated
voted to change the name of the association
to the Crane Association of New Zealand
Incorporated. This change came about because
of the increasingly diverse range of cranes that
were now available and also the different types
of contracts that had come into force to meet
the changing face of modern construction.
July/August 2018
Today, the association has approximately
85% of the mobile crane sector as members as
well as a growing segment of the gantry crane
(manufacturing and fabrication industries), and
the road transport truck loader cranes (building
and construction industries).
The regulatory environment
Since the introduction of the Health and Safety
at Work Act 2015 (HSAW), Worksafe has been
progressing through a process to update the
Health and Safety in Employment Regulations
1995 and the Health and Safety in Employment
(Pressure Equipment, Cranes and Passenger
Ropeways) Regulations (PECPR) 1999. This
process is ongoing and the first stage of updating
the 1995 Regulations has started and will be
completed by September 2019. The PECPR will
then be amended or revoked/incorporated into
the updated Regulation.
Good Practice Guidelines (GPG) appears
to be the direction that Worksafe is taking, as
opposed to ACOPs, as this will give them more
flexibility to adapt and change as advances in
technology speed up.
We will continue to consult on these changes
and members are able to contribute through the
association to ensure that their particular needs
are being met.
The mission
Over the past decade, CANZ has focused on
three core elements: health and safety; crane
operator and dogman training; and professional
standards. Our mission statement is, ‘A safe
and sustainable crane industry providing
service to our community.’
Health and safety
‘Safety must have priority’ is one of the
association’s taglines.
Health and safety has been one of those
issues where compliance has been rigidly
enforced because individuals within all
industries tend to shortcut safety in favour of
improving the bottom line. This has come at a
cost to all industries and never more so than
with the advent of the Health and Safety at Work
Act (HSWA) 2015.
The Crane Association has empowered its
members to show leadership in health and
safety by demonstrating its commitment to
ensuring that crane operators go home to their
families after work each day.
Through a number of initiatives, information
that supports best practice and zero harm were
developed and are now available to all industries
through the Crane Training Shop (https://shop.
cranes.org.nz), which offers items such as
safety posters, warning stickers, Crane Safety
Manual, and various guidelines, to name a few.
Members receive a discount on shop products.
There is another initiative, a knowledge
repository website, where information has
been accumulated by the association and is
available for Crane Owners, Users, Operators,
and Dogmen/Riggers (www.safecrane.nz).
Crane operator and dogman training
In the crane sector, 99% of incidents occur
through human error. This reinforces the role
of training and competency in the industry.
Currently, the unit standard or its equivalent is the
minimum standard for training according to Part
4 of the Approved Code of Practice for Cranes
and a full qualification (New Zealand Certificate in
Crane Operations Level 4) is the recommended
standard for crane operators. The New Zealand
Certificate for Dogman is the recommended
standard for dogman/riggers. Evidence has
shown that fully qualified employees are less
likely to have a workplace incident.
33
 CANZ PREVIEW
Recent changes to the qualifications has
seen the introduction of new health and safety
unit standards, an increased awareness of
work site hazards and risk management, and
the adoption of the Crane Safety Manual as
best practice.
Professional standards
Professional standards are the culmination of
best practice in trade and business, training to
Moving on up
THIS year’s CANZ conference will be held from
July 18 to 20 at the Grand Millennium Hotel in
Auckland. With the theme ‘Moving on up’, the
association has developed a program focused
on technology and, as with previous years, a
pool of the who’s who in industry has been
invited to share their insights with attendees
(more on pages 36-37).
The conference is also the perfect
opportunity to network with your peers,
speak to manufacturers and distributors,
and of course, champion the good work the
34
the highest level, and taking advantage of the
advances in technology that are now available.
It is also a mindset of personal standards
and achievement and as an association, we
endeavour to ensure that our members display
this mindset. You will note our logo has the
tagline “for lifting professionals”.
CANZ continues to push the standards of
normality to achieve the exemplary.
In the past four years, the association has moved
sector has done over the year. To that end,
three awards will be presented at the event.
The first is the Weighload Trophy, which
will be presented to a person who has made a
worthwhile contribution to the crane industry
or has performed a heroic action involving
his work as a crane operator or showed
exceptional expertise in his/her crane work in
a difficult situation.
CANZ will also be handing out the Project and
the Lift of the Year Awards, this year sponsored
by New Zealand finance company, UDC.
It was a full house at last year’s CANZ
conference in Rotorua. (Source: CANZ)
from a spreadsheet-based entity to a cloud-based
organisation that is proactive and forward
thinking. It works closely with the regulatory
agencies, industry training organisations, and the
construction sector to ensure that our members
can focus on their business growth knowing that
the industry environment they are in is working to
their best advantage.
Is association membership a good choice?
Our members think so! CL
The winners will be acknowledged for
their unique, complex or novel types of lifts
and will join the ranks of Smith Cranes and
Construction Ltd and McIntosh Cranes which
won last year’s Project of the Year and Lift of
the Year respectively.
The winners will be announced and
celebrated on day three of the event (Friday,
July 20) at the Gala Awards Night Dinner,
sponsored by Skills, a New Zealand industry
training organisation. The company will also
be presenting its Skills Training Awards.
July/August 2018
 13 & 20 Tonne City Class Cranes

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Max Lifting Capacity: 13 tonne Max Lifting Capacity: 20 tonne
Max Boom Length: 24 m Max Boom Length: 28 m
Fly Jib (5 ° - 60 ° ): 5.5 m (Hydraulic Luffing) Fly Jib (7 °- 60 °): 5.8 m (Hydraulic Luffing)

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 CANZ PREVIEW

The Programme
WEDNESDAY 18TH JULY
2.00pm – 5.00pm Registration Pre-function Area
4.00pm – 5.30pm Associates Meeting Coromandel Room
5.45pm – 8.30pm The Originals Welcome Reception (Named after the companies that first joined the Association in 1975)
Trade Show Area
Sponsor: Tidd Ross Todd/Manitowoc
8.30pm onwards Free evening
THURSDAY 19TH JULY
7.30 – 9.00am Registration continues Pre-function Area
9.00am Conference Opens Ballroom
9.15am – 10.15am Technology and Artificial Intelligence | Liam Malone, Paralympian Gold Medalist Ballroom
10.15am– 10.45am Morning Tea | Sponsor: Assessing & Training Services Ltd Trade Show Area
10.45am – 11.00am Business Partner Presentation - UANZ Ballroom
11.00am – 12.30pm CANZ AGM Ballroom
12.30pm – 1.30pm Lunch | Sponsor: CablePrice/HSC Cranes Trade Show Area
1.30pm – 2.30pm Workplace Drug & Alcohol Testing | CJ Rahi – Advanced Diagnostics Ballroom
2.30pm – 2.45pm Technology and the Crane Industry | Kato - Mr. Hiroshi Ide - Senior Advisor Ballroom
2.45pm – 3.00pm Technology and Artificial Intelligence | Terex – Danny Black Ballroom
3.00pm – 3.30pm Afternoon Tea | Sponsor: Cookes Trade Show Area
3.30pm – 4.30pm Wire & Synthetic Ropes | Bertus Marks Ballroom
4.30pm – 5.45pm Ian Grooby Networking Function | Sponsor: Standens Trade Show Area
6.00pm Coaches depart for dinner Hotel Foyer
6.30pm – 10.00pm A Night at the Races | Sponsor: Titan Construction Equipment/Terex/Kato Ellerslie Race Course
FRIDAY 20TH JULY
9.00am – 10.00am Embracing Challenge & Change Keynote Speaker -William Pike
Ballroom
Sponsor: Pace Cranes
10.00am – 10.30am Morning Tea | Sponsor: NMT Oceania NZ Ltd Trade Show Area
10.30am – 10.50am Changing Training Environment Rod Auton/Skills Ballroom
10.35am – 11.15am Project and Lift of the Year Videos Ballroom
11.15am – 11.45am Economic Update Philip Borkin, Senior Macro Strategist, ANZ Bank Ballroom
11.45am – 12.15pm Technology and the Crane Industry Andrew Esquilant – Liebherr-Australia Pty Ltd Ballroom
12.15pm – 1.15pm Lunch | Sponsor: UANZ Trade Show Area
1.15pm – 1.45pm Inspection Bodies Stuart Wright – Worksafe NZ Ballroom
1.45pm – 2.00pm Technology and the Crane Industry John Stewart – Manitowoc Cranes Ballroom
2.00pm – 2.30pm Incident Management – Karl Berendt – IPG Global Ballroom
2.30pm – 3.00pm Afternoon tea | Sponsor: JLT Trade Show Area
3.00 pm – 3.15pm Technology and the Crane Industry Tadano Oceania GM Anthony Grosser Ballroom
3.15pm – 3.45pm Transpower – Working around powerlines Steve Peake, Regional Services Manager, Transpower Ballroom
4.00pm – 4.30pm CICA Update CICA President Danny Black Ballroom
6.00pm – 7.00pm Gala Awards Dinner Networking Session | Sponsor: UANZ Trade Show Area
7.00pm onwards Gala Awards Night Dinner | Sponsor: Skills
Weighload Trophy, Skills Training Awards, Project of the Year | Sponsor: UDC Ballroom
Lift of the Year | Sponsor: UDC
PARTNERS PROGRAMME | Sponsor: Liebherr New Zealand
THURSDAY 19TH JULY
10.45am – 3.00pm Masterchef Challenge | Social Cooking School Meet in hotel foyer
4.30pm onwards As per delegates programme
FRIDAY 20TH JULY
10.00am – 4.00pm The Great Escape Island Challenge Meet in hotel foyer
4.00pm onwards As per delegates programme

36 July/August 2018
The best and the brightest
The crane industry will descend on Auckland in July to hear from a range of experts in the sector and to view the machines and
equipment that make the industry tick. Here’s a snapshot of the speakers and exhibitors who will be at the conference.

SPEAKERS

Will Pike - keynote speaker

Greg Ward - master of ceremonies
Be prepared to be inspired by the 2017 Blake Leader Award recipient
A prominent business MC in New Zealand, Ward
and national role model. The kiwi has had an interesting life, to say the
has more than 13 years of experience in the
least, from losing his leg in a volcanic eruption, to starting a nationwide
conference and events industry.
youth development program, to recently mountaineering in Antarctica.

Danny Black - CICA president and general
manager, Terex Cranes Australia
began his involvement with CICA in 2000 and has
served on the board since 2005. In 2009, he was
appointed vice president of CICA, moving into the
president’s seat in 2014.
Andrew Esquilant - Liebherr Australia mobile crane
division general manager
Esquilant manages 66 employees across sales,
service, and parts in Australia, New Zealand, and
Papua New Guinea. He also holds the position
of member of the board of Liebherr Australia. In his current role, he
particularly enjoys supporting customers with the mobile crane product
and is inspired by watching them build their own family businesses.
Bertus Marks - Standens
Marks is a qualified rigger ropesman from South
Africa, who has been living in New Zealand for 10
years. He has worked with wire ropes and lifting
equipment for 25 years.
Phil Borkin - ANZ Bank senior micro strategist
As a market strategist, Borkin commentates on and
advises clients specifically on the movement and
direction in interest rates and exchange rates.
Anthony Grosser - national general manager,
Tadano Oceania
Grosser was one of the original CraneSafe
inspectors until 2014 and has consulted on
numerous large construction projects in Australia,
Middle East and Asia. He has a 20-odd-year crane
industry career, which includes setting up AML Equipment that was
later acquired by Tadano Oceania.
Steve Peake - regional services manager, Transpower
Peake is currently leading and managing a team that is accountable
for the delivery of National Transmission Grid services to the Upper
North Island region of New Zealand. He oversees effective real-time
operations management to ensure that national transmission assets
are operated within their specified capability, including associated risks,
outages and events to maintain the integrity of these assets.

CK Rahi - Advanced Diagnostics

Rahi believes in empowering workplaces with suitable tools to provide better
and safer working environments, especially around drug and alcohol (D&A)
screening. CK likes to understand the requirements of her clients and provide
suitable options for them to execute their D&A policy effectively.
John Stewart - vice president and general manager, Australia and
New Zealand, Manitowoc Cranes
Following the integration of Potain and Grove with Manitowoc
post-2002, Stewart served as senior vice president sales and
marketing for greater Asia Pacific, covering all of the company’s
brands. In 2015, he was made vice president and general manager for
Australia and New Zealand.policy effectively.
Karl Berendt - managing director, Incident Prevention Group
IPG specialises in health and safety consultation, incident
investigation, and training to assist others with determining the true
root causes of incidents and the implementation of corrective actions
that actually work.
Stuart Wright - Worksafe
Wright is a technical specialist in the field of cranes, lifting, and
pressure equipment. In his current role, he provides technical advice on
the Pressure Equipment, Cranes and Passenger Ropeways Regulations.
He currently sits on Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand
standards setting committees as New Zealand representation.

EXHIBITORS

Exhibitor Booth #(s) Exhibitor Booth #(s) Exhibitor Booth #(s)

Cookes 1 SGS 8 Titan Construction 16, 17
Equipment/Terex/Kato & 18
Allcrane Sales & Service/ 2&3 Gough/Palfinger 9
Tadano UAA 19 & 20
CablePrice/HSC Cranes 10
AMS Group 4 Liebherr 21
Skills 11
Standens 5 Morrow 22
Allied Petroleum 12
NMT Oceania NZ Ltd 6 Perception Group 23
TRT/Manitowoc 13 & 14
Crane Sales New Zealand 7
Ltd/MIMICO Pace Cranes 15
CL

July/August 2018 37
 COLUMN

Calculating the surface

area of a load
In our previous article we looked at how to calculate the permissible wind speed to operate a crane based on
three simple things - load mass, load chart wind speed and surface area of the load, writes Stuart Edwards.

THIS is calculated using the formula:

1.2 m2 / t×Load mass

Permissible wind speed=Load chart wind speed ×
Surface area

The load mass and load chart wind speed are pieces of information that are relatively easy to obtain. This article focuses on calculating the surface area
of a load.

The surface area is made up of two components, where the total surface area is calculated by the following formula:

Surface Area=Projected Area × Drag coefficient

The projected area is the net area of the load perpendicular to the load. For example, for a 6.1m
long (12’) shipping container the projected area is 6.1m x 2.6m = 15.86m2.

The drag coefficient is more or less a measure of how easily the object “slips” through the wind.
For example, the most aerodynamic production car in the world, a VW XL1, has a drag coefficient
of 0.189. Conversely, the “boxy but good” Volvo 244 has a less flattering drag coefficient in the
range of 0.47.

The drag coefficient can be incredibly complex to determine accurately. Various standards and
publications provide different calculation methods (with various differences in results that are
borne out of the need to simplify something that is truly complex). In this respect, wind tunnel
testing may also be relevant but typically out of the scope of a typical crane hirer or contactor.

38 July/August 2018
In the first instance, is it recommended that surface area information be requested from the manufacturer of the
load. The manufacturer may have complete detailed calculations or have conducted wind tunnel testing. Wind turbine
companies are increasingly able to provide this sort of information, for example, but more commonly this information is
not available.

“Safety Issues in Wind Turbine Installation and Transportation” indicates that if a drag coefficient is
FEM 5.016
not known, it is permissible to use a drag coefficient of 2.4. If in doubt, it is recommended that an
GUIDELINE
appropriately qualified and competent engineer be engaged.

FEM 5.016 FEM 5.016 - Guideline - “Safety Issues in Wind Turbine Installation and Transportation” provides
GUIDELINE the following general drag coefficients

Further detail is included in ISO 4302 as per the extract below and other standards and publications.

Using this table, we can determine the drag coefficient of a 6.1 m container, using the ratios of b/c and f/b we obtain a drag coefficient of 1.4.

b 2.6 m f = 6.1 m
= = 1.06 and = 2.3
f 2.43 m b 2.43 m

Therefore, the overall surface area of the load is as follows:

6.1 m × 2.6 m × 1.4=22.3 m

Don’t forget the rigging, crane hook and hoist rope is considered by most crane manufacturers to be part of the load surface area. These can be
calculated separately and added to the total surface area.

Stuart Edwards is principal of specialist engineering consultancy, Edwards Heavy Lift and a Cranes and Lifting columnist. CL

July/August 2018 39
Impartial. Machine Specific. Peer Assessment.

®
SAFETY

TIDD turning the

corner on pick and
carry safety
When TRT released the 25t TIDD PC25 pick and carry crane in 2013, it incorporated a number of safety features
such as a Robway LMI system that automatically de-rated the lift chart for articulation and side slope, a ROPS
cab with FOPS option, ABS drum brakes and an electro-hydraulic steering system that reduced the steering
response as speed increased to overcome the problem of speed wobbles at speed. Greg Keane reports.

H
owever, the increased attention to
safety with articulated pick and carry
cranes, and their banning on some
construction sites, meant that more
was required to give the market confidence in
the safety of these cranes.
This was something that TRT recognised,
and it identified an issue where an operator
could pick up a load safely over the front
on firm level ground and then drive around
a corner with a side slope, inadvertently
moving the crane into overload for the chart
applicable to the degree of articulation and
side slope.
The combination of articulation and side
slope has a significant impact on the Safe
Working Load of the crane; and has been a
factor in a number of crane rollovers - some
involving fatalities.
TRT looked for a practical way to address
this problem without affecting the functionality
of the crane and Slew Safe (now patented) is
the result. It has been tested extensively and is
now ready for release to the market.
Slew Safe has a screen display that shows
the operator where the crane is compared to
its rated capacity. A circular display similar to a
speedometer displays green when the crane is
comfortably within its rated load, with the size
of the green display reflecting the percentage of
rated load.
There are separate load charts for up to
10° of articulation, between 11° and 20°
of articulation and between 21° and 42° of
articulation.
As the crane approaches its rated load, the
colour of the display becomes amber to denote
caution. If the load exceeds the rated load, the
portion of the display above the rated load turns
red and Slew Safe is activated.
The effect of Slew Safe is to:
• reduce the speed of the steering;
• make the steering harder, with feedback
through the steering wheel to the driver;
• load up the engine, providing an audible
change in engine tone to alert the
operator; and
• activate a constant, audible alarm both
inside and outside the cab to warn both
the operator and dogman of the overload.
This steering restriction operates only when
the operator is moving into overload: there is
no restriction on the operator straightening the
crane and thereby moving out of overload.
The Slew Safe system has been tested
extensively in a range of scenarios; and has
been found to operate as intended. Experienced
crane hire operators have been involved in
some of the testing and have provided positive
feedback on how it operates.

TIDD PC 25 WORKING AREA DIAGRAM Crane in an

overload position.
Working areas of the TIDD PC25.

July/August 2018 41
 SAFETY

OPERATOR RESPONSIBILITY
WHILE Slew Safe is a major advance in
active pick and carry crane safety, TRT
emphasises that it does not remove
the need to embrace safe working
practices for operating a pick and carry
crane, such as:
• recognising that surface
depressions and potholes have Slew Safe screen layout.
the same effect as a side slope;
• ensuring that tyres are inflated
to the correct pressure;
• ensuring that the ground can
support the axle loads of
the crane;
• recognising that when lifting
a load, crane sided slope
will change due to tyre and
boom deflection;
• recognising that as articulation
is increased, this increases the
induced crane side slope;
• using the minimum boom
length and boom angle to
keep the boom tip as close as
possible to the ground, and
use the minimum degree of
articulation possible;
• where possible, keeping the load
uphill of the crane (especially
when articulated, as the working The Slew Safe display that corresponds to the overload. pictured on p. 41.
radius will increase if the load is
positioned downhill);
• using a tag line where possible
to prevent pendulum action of
the load;
• making all crane movements as
smooth as possible; and
• adequately planning a lift to
minimise any factors that
can give rise to a reduced
load chart.

Slew Safe display for a lift within the load chart. CL

42 July/August 2018
Experience the Progress.

Mobile cranes from Liebherr

Top capacities in all lifting classes
Long telescopic booms with variable working equipment
High mobility and short assembly times
Comprehensive comfort and safety features
Worldwide customer support by manufacturer

Liebherr-Australia Pty. Ltd.

Mobile Crane Division
1-15 James Erskine Drive
Erskine Park, NSW 2759
Phone: (02) 9852 1800
E-mail: sales.las@liebherr.com
www.facebook.com/LiebherrConstruction
www.liebherr.com.au
 TOWER CRANES

A trend towards
heavy lifters
NSW-based Strictly Cranes, the official Raimondi agent for Australia, has taken two new models to market in the
past 12 months. There appears to be a shift towards heavier lifting tower cranes in recent times and Raimondi
is dedicated to presenting a value proposition that it says will “far outstrip” other heavy lifting machinery
manufacturers. Jan Arreza reports.

T
he MRT234 flat top tower crane was the
first to be officially unveiled in October
2017, and the feedback from end users,
according to Strictly Cranes, has been
overwhelmingly positive. The second new
model, which is the company’s flagship crane
in the new luffing range, is the LR330 with a
triangular jib.
“One really strong aspect is that only two
people are needed to completely assemble
the MRT234’s jib over a period of a few short
hours. This crane boasts nine different jib
lengths, ranging from 70m to 28m,” said
Eng. Domenico Ciano, technical director at
Raimondi Cranes.
Turning to the LR330, Ciano said: “We set
out to design a luffer that could surpass market
expectations - our R&D segment clocked 4500
hours alone on the LR330’s mechanical and
control system designs. The LR330 spent
12 months in design stage, including the
conceptualisation of the crane’s new winches.
“Both the LR330 and the MRT234 were
presented at Intermat 2018 in Paris, together
with the Deluxe R16 Crane Cabin and the
SL20-TC Crane Elevator.”
The arrival of these tower cranes in Australia
is timely.
“The local market, based on what we
are seeing with our clients and from overall
market sentiment, is that developers are
favouring heavier-lifters,” said Ramey
Alkhoshaibi, founder and commercial director at
Strictly Cranes.
“We are noticing that this trend is directly
linked to versatility of use and return on
investment. The heavier lifters can be put to use
on a wider variety of jobsites.
“The development boom, including the

Aerial image of the Raimondi luffing LR330 and

the MRT234 erected at Intermat Paris 2018.

44 July/August 2018
increasing numbers of high level residential and
commercial buildings, and the push on lower
level apartment blocks, both can be serviced by
bigger cranes.”
And Raimondi remains committed to the
Australian market, having extended every
possible support mechanism to the region.
“On a weekly basis, we are seeing our
cranes at work across the country; to facilitate
our agents’ service offerings we have even
sent Raimondi technicians from our Italian
headquarters to Australia,” Ciano said.
“Regarding the shift in ordering patterns,
we have noticed that, and we’re pleased to be
able to fulfil our agent requests and help them
to meet client needs. It varies of course from
region to region, but we are very confident
and filled with pride when our ever-increasing
market share is addressed.
“Strictly Cranes are really neck and neck
in terms of success stories. We are always
receiving new queries from both Australian
agents, and we’re extremely proud of how
they have both positioned Raimondi’s cranes
so pervasively.”
The new machines have already been sold to
various fleet rental companies and developers
in the country.
In October last year, Strictly Cranes sold
Street view of the Raimondi luffing LR330
and the MRT234 at Intermat Paris 2018.
Work in progress at One The
Waterfront in Sydney.
July/August 2018
three new Raimondi tower cranes to residential
builder-developer Piety THP. The two MRT159s
with 1.7m masts, and the 10t MRT152 with
a standard mast section, are scheduled to
be onsite and operational for a period of
three years.
“We recommended the MRT159s for this
jobsite as this tower crane can be climbed
to heights that other heavy lifting machinery
can’t,” Alkhoshaibi said.
“On this particular jobsite, One The
Waterfront, the cranes are tasked with lifting
rebar, precast panels, and other site materials
like timber, formwork and scaffolding. The
cranes will also hoist excavators out of the hole,
and other heavy machinery as needed.
“We don’t just provide a crane, we provide
the labour and the lifting accessories including
Boscaro brick cage, manbox, kibbles for
concrete together with the first aid cage as
required safety site regulations,” Alkhoshaibi
added.
Strictly Cranes also erected the first-ever LR213
luffing crane in the country in a mixed-use residential
and commercial development by ALAND, situated
in Liverpool. The crane is scheduled to be onsite for
approximately two years.
“Pre-erection of the LR213, which included
basic preparation like setting up the electrical
Raimondi cranes erected on a
Sydney construction site.
wires, galvanised balconies, greasing bolts and
more, took one full day,” Alkhoshaibi said.
“We recommended the LR213 to ALAND
as the project is in a congested location - it’s
surrounded by other high-rise buildings that will
be built over the course of the next few years.
“The luffer is to be climbed to a final height
of 100m so the LR213 is ideal. It has a high
free stand with the additional booster tower,
allowing for minimal climbing and bracing of
the crane to the building, thereby increasing
overall jobsite productivity and meeting our
client’s timeline needs.”
Moving forward, Raimondi has a third
upcoming product launch on the horizon where
they will be introducing their first ever hydraulic
luffer, the LRH174, which Ciano says is quite a
big step forward for Raimondi.
“The LRH174 is now in agent pre-sell stage,
and soon will be introduced to the wider market.
The details I can share with you now are the
reduced out-of-service radius. It is a major
advantage of this crane, as it is only 10m when
compared with a traditional luffer at minimum
double that radius,” Ciano said.
“The hydraulic LRH174 boasts much easier
installation, similar to that of flattop tower
cranes, due to the lack of A-frame and tie rods
used in traditional luffers.” CL
The erection process at One The
Waterfront site in Sydney.
45
 TOWER CRANES
Reds Global moving
with the times
Jason Redman had a long history in tower cranes before he started Reds Global Cranes and Personnel
(Reds Global) in 2008. He started in 1990 working for his family and industry icon Lindores, and this provided
an excellent grounding. In 2000, Jason started Fire Up Cranes and Rigging, which was bought by Verticon in
September 2005, writes Greg Keane.
H
e ran Verticon for two years prior to
starting Reds Global. Persistence and
innovation has seen this business
continue to grow. Having its main depot
in Sydney, it now has cranes working in key
markets around Australia although the Greater
Sydney area has the highest concentration.
Things have changed a lot in tower cranes
in Redman’s time in the industry. At the start,
Favco diesel hydraulic tower cranes dominated
the market and the average age of the cranes
was much greater in the earlier era (the average
age of the Reds Global fleet is three years).
These big changes were helped by the vastly
improved performance of electric cranes that, in
earlier times, could not compete with the Favco
cranes. In addition, there has been increased
attention to noise levels, and the electric cranes
have also proved to require less maintenance
and taken away the issues of refuelling. The
greater performance of the modern cranes has
been achieved while using less power, such
have been the improvements in efficiency.
Of more recent times, the cost of labour on
site has seen an increased use of concrete
panels cast in a factory and transported to
46
site, and the size of panels has increased to
reduce site labour requirements and speed
construction times.
Coupled with this is that site access for
trucks delivering panels is becoming more
difficult, requiring cranes to pick panels up at a
longer radius.
These are some of the reasons for Reds Global
investing in six Terex CTL 430 luffing jib tower
cranes. While they have a 60m jib and maximum
capacity of 24t, the telling statistic for the business
is that it can pick up a typical 10t precast panel
at a 45m radius. Four of these are working on
Meriton’s The Retreat project at Lidcombe (three
of them freestanding to 72m) and two are at a
Richard Crookes Constructions project at UTS
(these are fitted with cameras for safer operation).
Another emerging requirement is for greater
freestanding tower height and, to address this,
Reds Global bought the first high strength
reinforced Terex six-bolt tower sections in
Australia: the 6m Super 6 section that forms the
base and 12m Super 12 sections that fit above
it. Together, these allow the CTL 430 to free
stand to 84m. Without ties to the building, the
crane is not an impediment to maintaining the
Internal climbing system being set up.
tight timelines for project completion.
Reds Global is grateful to Danny Black and
the Terex team for their assistance and advice in
the selection of the right equipment package to
meet or exceed emerging market requirements.
Another trend is the use of internal climbing
systems to reduce the footprint of the cranes, and
Reds Global has two Favco three-beam internal
climbing systems with 268t jacking capacity and
the ability to set up in a 1.9m wide shaft. The cycle
time to jack the crane up a floor is 45 minutes.
Reds Global has devised a system for
climbing the crane out of the lift shaft and sliding
it across the roof on grillage, where it can be set
up over the stairwell. This has the strength to
support the crane while it lifts the mast sections
and climbing system out of the lift shaft and
places the precast roof so that the lift fit-out can
be completed on the timeline. The crane can be
pulled down by either a large mobile crane or
a recovery crane. This system will shortly be
used on Richard Crookes Constructions’ The
Miller project at North Sydney.
Reds Global outlined a recent project
that demonstrated the benefits of changed
building practices and modern tower cranes. A
July/August 2018
22-storey building was completed in 50 weeks,
from excavation of the foundations to fitting out.
For the structural work itself, each floor was
completed in a week. Six free standing tower
cranes were used on the project – a reflection of
a trend to use more tower cranes on site so that
shorter construction times can be achieved.
Redman himself was initially sceptical of
the builder’s estimated construction time but
was forced to review his opinions of what
was achievable.
As important as the cranes are, Redman is
adamant that the greatest asset of Reds Global
is its people, and “Cranes and Personnel” has
been part of the Reds Global business name
since its inception, with many key people also
being onboard from the start such as Dave High strength tower sections allow these Terex CTL 430 luffing cranes to achieve high freestanding height on these projects.
Brown (business development), Neil Hodgen
(maintenance manager), Karen Fletcher (sales)
and Simon Stewart (head technician).
Redman has recently taken a step back and
appointed Damien Laforest as general manager,
allowing him to spend more time with customers.
Other senior management positions reflect the
importance of safety, maintenance, human
resources, rigging and customer service but Redman
is proud of all of his “diversely gifted” team.
Safety is one area that Reds Global is
particularly proud of, and this a reflection of the
systems, training and performance in the field. In
the rare event that there is an incident or potential
incident, this is used as an educational tool as
well as to reinforce vigilance. Site-specific safety
plans and safety audits are part of the Reds Global
approach and safety extends, on occasion, to in-
house modifications to incorporate or improve
safety systems on equipment. Tablet apps have
been developed in house for use in operator
handovers and site audits.
The business has hosted WorkCover people,
unions and other key industry stakeholders
to demonstrate its systems and training. The
recognition of the quality of Reds Global people
is such that they are increasingly being used on
projects not being serviced by Reds Global cranes.
Other sectors of the business include the
supply of generators, as many sites do not
have power at the start of construction; and
the supply of ancillary equipment such as
European-sourced kibbles with tremies, which
are well received by builders.
For the future, Redman sees even larger
tower cranes in the fleet (the Reds Global
fleet is concentrated at the upper end of the
market), although these would have to be cost-
effective for builders and their budgets. Fleet
composition is close to a 50:50 split of luffing
and hammerhead cranes, where previously
hammerheads dominated. Ancillary services
are constantly reviewed to reflect feedback
from customers or perceived opportunities, but
the investment in people and safety will remain Reds Training Day in 2018 - safety and skill levels mean that Reds Global workers are in demand.
a non-negotiable constant. CL

July/August 2018 47
SUCCESSION PLANNING

Buchanans – a small
family business looking
to the next generation
Buchanan Mobile Cranes is one
of two family crane businesses
that are well established on
the Mornington Peninsula - the
other being Patterson Crane Hire.
Together, these businesses have
served the Peninsula well, with
each having its own client base but
working together when the work
requires this, writes Greg Keane.

G
reg Buchanan, founder of Buchanan
Mobile Cranes, has a boilermaking
background and the cranes were
initially something that evolved out
of the need to install or erect the steelwork
that he fabricated. While the crane work is
now a significant business in its own right,
steel fabrication and engineering complement
the crane business and there are many niche
projects that require both areas of expertise.
Greg’s son James developed an early interest
in cranes, from around the age of eight as he
recalls. With the business and family home
co-located on acreage at Moorooduc, it was
easy for James to help out after school and on
weekends. It was a great learning environment:
nothing was forced but neither was anything
sugar-coated. As James says: “Every day was
a school day.”
A son’s perspective
James’ learning covered both sides of the
business and, when he left school, he took
on an apprenticeship to become a fitter and
turner with Jack Thompson Engineering in
Hastings (VIC). After spending four years in the
mining industry in WA as a FIFO worker, James
decided that it was time to return home. Greg
and Melanie happily embraced this decision.
An opportunity arose to drive a 25t Franna,
and James commenced a new round of
learning. He has gained a lot from stepping
back and watching how experienced operators
approach and undertake a job. While they have
been willing to share knowledge when asked,
and diversity of challenges that have helped him to build his
James felt that they tended to keep “the little
one-percenters” – the tricks for coping with
really difficult situations – to themselves. He
found that observation was the best way to
learn these tricks.
This doesn’t mean that James blindly copies
the example of those that he observes: a talk to
him will quickly tell you that he is his own man
and will combine the best of what he sees that
makes sense to him with his own ideas.
One of his observations – typical of a small
family business – is that you won’t always
have a crane that is an ideal fit for a job, so you
have to work out the best fit and approach the
job differently.
Another observation is that you need to be
thinking four or five steps ahead when you
undertake a job: jobs are rarely simple, so
you need to have in mind the methodology
that you need to take to achieve the end
result so that you do not find yourself in the
Work on the Mornington Peninsula has provided James
Buchanan and the family business with a variety of work
skills, not just in crane operation, but also in planning lifts
and working with customers and others on the work site.
wrong position when only part way through a
lift sequence.
Remaining open and flexible to meet clients’
needs and expectations is critical – anything
from installing sculptures at local winery venues
to moving specialised precision engineering
equipment to turning over a complete
craftsman-made boat inside a small factory.
Greg says: “Our clients need to have
confidence that their lifts are treated with
respect and the utmost care. James is a lateral
thinker; and this helps in planning lifts that may
involve some serious challenges; and leads to
some creative problem solving.”
He is confident but respectful in talking to
customers, and an ambassador for the business
in photographing and promoting work that the
business does. He and Greg travelled to the 2016
Cairns and 2017 Adelaide CICA conferences as
a delegate; two of many that James has attended
in the past with his family.

July/August 2018 49

Some jobs are complex dual lifts and others are more routine single crane lifts, but all get the same care and attention.
For the future, he is hoping that by taking on
more responsibility, this will allow his parents to
step back a little and enjoy the fruits of their labour
more. He has a younger brother who has followed
a similar path to him in completing a trade (diesel
fitter) with William Adams Caterpillar and is
beginning a second trade (heavy equipment auto
electrical) and working away from home. James
would be pleased if his brother one day decided to
return to the family business.
Reflecting on his experiences working in a
family business, James concedes that “Dad
50
taught me 70% of what I know but the next
10% comes from experience and the next 20%,
I believe, is knowledge yet to come.”
A parent’s perspective
In looking back at his son’s exposure to the
family business, Greg said: “The boys were
always out in the workshop eager to learn
skills - always making and pulling apart things
like pushbikes, a Villiers engine, motorbikes,
go karts, 4WDs… and also doing welding and
small engineering projects.
“From a young age, they always accompanied
me in the crane or trucks when it was safe to
do so, and they got an insight into becoming
a tradesperson and also grew up with an
awareness of safety around large equipment.
“After completing a trade qualification, they
can specialise by following their individual
interests while always having their qualifications
to fall back on.”
When James was older and started to show
an interest in the business, Greg tried to instil
in him a respect for machinery, the importance
of punctuality, an ability to hold a conversation
with elders and peers, and the need to listen to
others’ opinions and understand that there is
more than one way to go about the same job.
Looking back on early crane conferences,
Greg recalls them as a family occasion when
their three children would company him and
wife Melanie, who is an integral part of the
business. He says: “The two boys were to be
frequently found in the marketing booths talking
to the reps and perfecting their lifting skills on
the crane simulators.
“We all especially liked attending the crane
displays and learning about new technology
and designs and seeing new models and talking
to people from all aspects in the crane industry.
I think they gained an insight into the complexity
of the industry as a whole from this experience:
from the sales people selling lifting chains to the
reps promoting crane insurance and even all the
sophistication of the computer componentry.”
In discussing James’ announcement that he
was considering a return to the family business,
Greg said: “I always said to give him a go.
You have to be very mindful, with the younger
generation, to encourage but teach - I like to
keep in mind to guide and protect. You have to
work to a set of values. It has been a learning
curve for me with juggling work commitments,
family and lifestyle, monitoring money concerns
and keeping customers happy.
“Now that James has had considerable
experience at operating a variety of cranes, I value
the learning opportunities he can have by attending
the sessions at crane conferences and learning
the regulations and statutory requirements; not to
underestimate the value of networking with others
in the industry on a national level.”
In commenting on James’ hope that his
parents would be able to take a step back, Greg
and Melanie said: “Achieving a perfect work/life
balance is a goal but family businesses are,
by nature, very intense because we are all
passionate about what we do, and we are all
individuals with differing strengths but striving
towards a common goal.
“We hope to eventually step back from the
day-to-day business duties and act in more
of a mentor capacity for James as he takes
on more responsibility in this vibrant and
ever-evolving industry.” CL
July/August 2018
Powerful, Efficient
and Effortless
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P: 1300 TADANO I E: info.au@tadano.com I W: au.tadano.com