According to the latest Australian 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. Read more
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.
RIDER Levett Bucknall’s Q2 2018 RLB Crane Index, released in April, reported a decline in the number of residential tower cranes in Australia. This is the first decline in residential cranes in three years, reporting a fall of 57 since its last publication. This drop is in line with the slowing of the residential sector over the last year; the value of residential building work has fallen by 2.4%.
Overall, a total of 684 cranes are currently on projects across Australia, only one crane down from the previous index, despite a 10% fall in the residential sector. RLB said the non-residential sector played a key part in off-setting the loss. Here, the index has risen from 117 in Q4 2017 to 166, a rise of 42% represented by an additional 56 cranes across the non-residential sectors. Read more
Those who have a long history of attendance at CICA national crane conferences will most like associate names Mark Gilbert and Aztec Analysis with high level lift planning, writes Greg Keane.
There is general consensus here and globally that retirement criteria for a crane and the major inspection during its lifetime should not solely be based on the years since it was manufactured. A great many number of factors impact a machine’s lifespan and perhaps more importantly, its inspection and maintenance cycles, writes Jacqueline Ong.
The construction industry operates in one of the most dynamic and hazardous work environments, and while there are numerous factors behind construction site claims, cranes are involved in a number those events. Jan Arreza reports.
There is plenty of development activity in the pick and carry crane market: the cover of our last issue showed the prototype of a new 55t DRA crane, this story includes news of the anticipated 40t Terex Franna, and TIDD expects to soon announce an important new safety feature. All these updates are addressing safety in different ways, which is great for the industry. In some ways, 2018 is the calm before the storm, with most European manufacturers saving major announcements for bauma. Greg Keane reports. Read more
Universal Cranes is a business that finds itself comfortably In the Top 50, but few crane businesses would have reinvented themselves as often or as well as Universal, writes Greg Keane.
The outlook for the remainder of 2018 in the crane industry is certainly promising across most states. Crane hirers are experiencing demand for services at levels not consistently seen for almost a decade with engineering construction, particularly government-funded infrastructure on the east coast, generating immediate activity along with confidence to upgrade and expand crane fleets.
Dutch hydraulic loader crane manufacturer Hyva is actively focusing on technician training. The company recently held a three-day training course and workshop at the Hyva Malaysia facility, in Kuala Lumpur, for technical staff from its Asian offices.