System Rigging envisions being a one-stop shop through all aspects of the heavy lift, crane hire, construction, renewable energy, and mining & minerals sectors with their top-quality product lines. The family-run business, founded by Garry and Declan Kearney, brings a deep understanding of the industry through its global background and experience.
Declan and Garry started their working relationship through an engineering consultancy business, where they absorbed significant industry experience across the globe.
The consultancy group specialised in heavy lift, constructibility, modularisation, and logistics. Although the father-son duo enjoyed this aspect of the industry, they decided to shift their focus closer to home and the idea of System Rigging was born.
Garry explains how they reached this point of their journey, and what they hope to accomplish.
“Our firm belief was that by combining practical and innovative thinking with our deep industry knowledge, we could offer our clients truly independent solutions to their challenges. We can help ‘shape’ our client’s strategies, by providing the right equipment to get the job done,” he said.
After years of recommending and designing equipment for others across the globe, it was the perfect catalyst for System Rigging to find its place in the market.
“Before setting up the business, we did a large amount of market research to find gaps in the market, and where we could position ourselves. We found the lifting equipment sector was rather crowded, but it was something we always wanted to be involved in. This is where our business model came to life, where we would offer a one-stop-shop solution for crane and ancillary equipment, a niche,” Declan stated.
What does this unique selling point of System Rigging offer to the industry? The Kearneys describe their business model as any equipment “below the crane” or “under the hook”.
“It was clear that finding suitable ground support equipment away from the OEMs was a difficult task for crane owners, so we started off with designing our own range of steel outrigger pads.” said Declan.
The Australian Made certified range of steel outrigger pads proved to be a great kickstart for the business, they both knew if they could bring the Australian made quality to the product, it would become a welcome addition to the industry.
“We strive to achieve higher capacities than other pad designs out there, and the feedback we have received on their robustness has been great,” explained Garry. Although the steel pricing has been so volatile over the last year, clients are still acknowledging what high-quality Australian Steel can offer.
System Rigging recognised that ground protection could be a very important part of their business and didn’t stop their innovation and development at steel solutions. Australia hardwood timber cribbing was also introduced into their capabilities, however, with the rising timber shortage and supply chain issues, System Rigging needed to adapt and think of a different solution.
“Hardwood outrigger cribbing will always have a use in the industry. However, it is an organic material and brings with it plenty of exposure. The properties and performance of hardwood outrigger pads change as it becomes exposed to the environment, moisture, chemicals, and excessive usage. The hardwood begins to deteriorate and decay, and with continued use under load distribution pressure, it heightens the risk of both operators and equipment. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when the timber is even damaged,” said Declan.
From months of investigation and development, they found themselves offering a new product line, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) cribbing blocks. UHMWPE is a very tough material, with the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic presently made. It embodies all the characteristics of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with the added traits of being resistant to concentrated acids and alkalis.
“When evaluating outrigger pads, crane mats, and cribbing blocks, it is important to understand how strength and stiffness attributes of different materials and design affect the safety performance of the products in this application. Selecting the right combination of strength and stiffness to support your equipment safely and properly is a critical decision. We have found the UHMWPE material is the best suited for this cribbing application, and with our in-house designed test bed, we can truly put it to the test.” Declan stated.
Although these composite and steel outrigger pad solutions offer ground protection for mobile cranes, the largest aspect of System Rigging’s capabilities is its fleet of hardwood bog mats.
“We have conducted extensive research to best understand hardwood timber characteristics from around the globe and listened to what our clients need to reduce their ground bearing pressures [GBPs] on site. Our hardwood mats range from African Tropical Hardwood such as Azobe/EKKI, European Hardwoods, and Australian Hardwoods such as Karri,” said Declan.
Hardwood bog mats offer good flexibility and elasticity, allowing them to absorb and dissipate the forces of heavy vehicles, machinery, and materials.
“With both hire and sales opportunities available for these hardwood bog mats we have seen these are not just limited to the crane industry. They have become very popular for other applications, such as renewable energy, barging, temporary roadways, and pipelines. We have had the luck of providing some of the biggest companies in Australia with these products,” Declan explained.
a range of spreader beams.
Although a natural product, System Rigging still provide an engineered solution with these bog mats, offering the ability to provide crawler crane track GBP calculations if required.
Recently being awarded with Full Membership of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), it also provides an extensive range of high-quality lifting and rigging equipment from the world’s leading manufacturers. The full range offers products just like any other lifting house, with lifting chains, slings, rigging hardware, fabricated items, and transport restraints.
“We try and push Australian Made products as much as we can through our business, but its difficult to ignore the high-quality European imports for rigging equipment. One of our first ever orders was for some Grade 120 Pewag chain slings for a wind farm project. It matched our core values of providing good quality gear, at a fair value,” Garry said.
System Rigging has also recognised an opportunity to offer an alternative in the lifting device space, by developing its own Australian Made modular spreader beams. Locally sourced and manufactured, this reduces timeframes and lead-times for clients and projects needing this specialised equipment.
“Just like our steel outrigger pads, we strive on achieving high capacities than the competition. Although our beams are slightly heavier in tare weight, we are very happy with how the Australian high-grade steel performs for these products,” said Declan.
“Technical people want to talk to people with technical knowledge. We are not just a family-run business, we are associated with a team of experts of heavy lift engineers, naval architects, and marine surveyors. We have brought over our own intellectual property from the consultancy business to provide a full engineered solution. When a job gives you a problem, we’ll find you a solution,” said Garry.
System Rigging has been in operation since the start of 2021. With 18 months of trading under the belt, it is continuing to grow across Australia, providing products and solutions to clients across every state and to even exporting to PNG. With its motto of a one-stop shop, look no further than System Rigging for all your crane and rigging equipment needs.