It can be hard sometimes to plan ahead when setting up a business, but the decision by DPW Plant Hire to have a strong focus on the rail industry and work closely with the rail sector were two good ideas.
Servicing both Victoria and New South Wales, DPW Plant Hire has been providing service to Rail projects in both states since 2005, and is now looking forward to its new venture in DPW Cranes and Rigging.
Since its inception in 2005, DPW Plant Hire has staked a claim as being a leading railway infrastructure company with an all-purpose edge.
The team has expertise providing crane work for civil and residential projects, rail projects, steel erection, warehouse relocations and sensitive equipment installs across Australia and internationally.
Started in 2005 the company has grown regularly, serving clients such as Sydney Trains, John Holland and Laing O’Rourke. Recently DPW Plant Hire has worked on projects such as the Northwest Rapid Transit train line, Leppington Train line and the new Sydney Metro stations at Barangaroo and Victoria Cross.
With the growth in the rail industry it was time for DPW Plant Hire to expand its fleet, so site and rigging manager Andrew Nasato turned to the Baden Davis Crane connection for its new crane.
The company currently runs a range of Hi-Rail multi cranes, Hi-Rail rotating telehandlers, a Franna and the brand new Liebherr LTM 1060-3.1, DPW also has a brand new Hi-Rail 15t Sennebogen Multi crane which just landed in the country and will be a first for the rail sector.
“We had got to the point where we needed something with a greater capacity, we turned to Anthony and Ben from the Baden Davis Crane connection to source the machine for us,” Andrew said.
“We knew the Baden Davis Crane connection would be able to source our requirements and they had the resources behind them to find the right crane for us.
The decision to bring the three axle Liebherr LTM 1060-3.1 was a simple one for Andrew and his team as he explains.
“We were drawn to the Liebherr as it is proven and tested to be the best in the business and is backed up by unbelievable manufacturer support,” he said.
The LTM 1060-3.1 has a 60 tonne capacity with a telescopic boom 48 metres long. It has a maximum hoisting height of 63m and a maximum radius of 48m.
It comes with a six-cylinder Liebherr engine producing 270kW with drive going to all six wheels with four-wheel steering, and with 12.80t of ballast it is more than capable on site.
The LTM 1060-3.1 is designed for driving on roads with plenty of ballast. A special method of dividing the ballast slabs has been included in the design of this mobile crane.
This means that a wide range of driving configurations can be achieved quickly and easily. Its compact dimensions and time-tested ECOmode and ECOdrive make this mobile crane extremely economical to use.
“We went with this model as the operations were just so simple for the team, the LTM 1060-3.1 has been proven to be the best in its class and as well, it looks impressive which is a big plus for us,” he said.
The Baden Davis Crane Connection managed the whole process, from finding the crane through to arranging the shipping, quarantine, cleaning, servicing, the CraneSafe process, and registration.
“We were unable to fault Anthony and Ben throughout the process, they communicated clearly with us and strived to understand our needs, they were extremely transparent.
“This was my first time using the Baden Davis Crane connection and have nothing but good things to say, I have dealt with Anthony before so that trust was there, but the whole process was extremely positive for us,” Nasato said
The Liebherr has been put straight to work by DPW Plant Hire: completing powerpole upgrades along the Sydney trains network, MRI machine installs and rail station upgrades and has not missed a beat.
The feedback from the team has been positive with many impressed by what the Liebherr is capable of.
“Libherr have thought of every way possibe to make it convenient and comfortable for the crane driver, the LICCON system is extremely simple to use,” Andrew Nasato said.
Liebherr mobile cranes are controlled precisely using intelligent technology, the LICCON computer system is at the heart of all this. Liebherr designs and produces the software and hardware for the mobile crane control in-house.
• Integral LMB load moment limiter
• All key components are manufactured by Liebherr
• Guaranteed spare part availability
• Proven in a very wide variety of climatic conditions around the world
• Easy to use
• Very reliable due to data bus technology
The size of the LTM 1060-3.1 was a major plus for the team at DPW plant hire, with only three axles it is slight whilst on site whilst providing a capacity boost.
“Space restrictions around railways is always a challenge so we needed to ensure we had something that was going to have a strong capacity whilst not being too restricted,” Nasato said.
Alongside confined working environments for the Liebherr the preparation and lift planning for DPW is pivotal to deliver on projects as Andrew explains.
“It all starts from the first initial site visit, the more information the crew receives on the job the better, the constant communication between supervisors and the crane crew is imperative for us to ensure every job is completed.
“Site visits are crucial to ensure every lift is planned well from start to finish, it is imperative we make sure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day.
“Crane crews will fill out Safe Work Method statements and Job safety analysis prior to each task taking place,” Andrew said.
“Our in house Lift plans are done by either using 3D Lift planner or the Liccon lift planner system supplied by Liebherr,” he added.