With a clear understanding her business has to work around the demands of mobile and tower cranes companies, Casey-Lee Powell has built Red Radio Solutions into the “go-to” supplier for the crane industry. Cooper Heavy Industries were one of Red Radio’s first customers.
Red Radio Solutions has been working with Cooper Industries since it (RRS) opened for business six years ago. Owner, Dylan Cooper, was one of the first customers’ to come on board; Powell knew him from the previous company she worked for.
“Dylan called me looking for radios. By this time, I’d set up Red Radio Solutions and he decided to come on board,” said Powell.
Powell has been working with radios for 12 years, and in her own business for the past six. She saw the opportunity to start Red Radio Solutions when customers spoke about the lack of service they were receiving from their radio suppliers.
Powell provides (Dylan) Cooper with equipment and also installs and de-installs equipment in his cranes. “We’ve completed the installs for all his cranes, from the large capacity Liebherrs through to the small Maeda crawler cranes he runs in his fleet,” said Powell.
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When a new customer speaks with Powell they start by explaining the type of radios they are operating. Based on what she hears, Powell builds a package for them and then highlights the reasons and benefits for a possible upgrade. “I’m very fortunate because I’ve been working in the crane sector for some time now, and my word is trusted in the industry. A lot of new business enquiries are referrals where customers are happy to take my advice and run with it.
“With a customer like Cooper Heavy Industries, the number of units he has varies because we are continually installing and deinstalling into different cranes. He frequently makes changes to his crane fleet and it’s up to us to be responsive to his requirements,” she said.
“Ever since Red Radios began, we have been using them, purely because of the ease of dealing with Casey Lee Powell. Nothing is a problem and she has always gone above and beyond to get issues sorted for us. Whether it involves an early morning drop off or a handheld that needs replacing, she has always been there for us. I’d like to take this opportunity thank you Casey Lee for her amazing service,” said Cooper.
Earlier in the year, Red Radio Solutions brought in Ben Sharp as the technician for the business. Sharp is an electrical mechanic and rigger by trade with a background in the tower crane industry. He has been kept busy with the special-build items, particularly for the tower crane sector, which includes battery backups, tower crane intercom systems, foot switches pedals, and gooseneck microphones.
Battery backup systems are a specialised item installed into a tower crane in the event of a power failure onsite or a drop-out from the crane. Once they convert to the battery backup, radios will still have approximately three hours of constant operation. It’s a safety precaution as much as anything else. Gooseneck microphones and foot switch pedals enable the operator to (open up and) talk over the radio without taking his hands from the controls.
“This is part of our standard offering for the tower crane sector; it makes their life a lot easier and their operations safer. We also offer the same foot switch and gooseneck microphone solution for companies operating larger capacity mobile cranes. Because they are lifting heavier loads, it is much simpler and safer for the operator if he has his hands on the controls at all times,” said Powell.
Business is going very well, says Powell. At the start of the COVID pandemic she noticed a contraction and a certain lack of confidence in the industry. “But our work has been very steady and I’m noticing a move away from sales and towards hire, especially in the tower crane sector. This is a good way to operate your radio system as it takes away the upfront fee for the units. All our services are included without cost in the hire agreement. A customer basically pays for the hardware and the associated equipment and if there’s a problem, the fix is managed free of charge,” said Powell.
Red Radio Solutions is providing positive outcomes for major names in the tower crane sector including Marr Contracting, Crane Contractors, Reds Global, Titan Cranes, and several smaller companies.
As far as rules and regulations concerning radio communications, the same rules apply. “Tower cranes must have site-specific frequency because they are on a job site for longer than six weeks. The mobile crane sector is more flexible because they move around so much. There’s nothing happening that crane hire companies are not already across.
As far as product support, radio upgrades, install, and deinstall, we offer onsite services and installs at either the crane company’s yard or the manufacturers yard; we’ve recently spent time at Liebherr and Grove completing installs. Our technician is available to do whatever needs to be done,” said Powell.
Powell is more than happy to fit into a customer’s busy work schedule. “There are plenty of very early mornings and late nights in this business. If it helps the customer to have a five am meeting so it doesn’t interrupt their working day, I will be there.
We also provide a 24-hour seven-day service, especially to the mobile crane sector, because Sunday is the only day we can access a customer’s yard to complete an install or service the units in a crane. It really is an all-round service,” said Powell.