Advanced Cranes & Rigging BDM, David Popovski, discusses the history of Advanced Cranes, its expanding operations, and its developing relationship with CICA.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news from Australasia’s lifting industry.
- Don’t miss a lift and subscribe to our monthly magazine.
- Download our latest digital magazine to catch up on the biggest news and developments in the crane industry.
Advanced by name, pristine by nature.
In a brief summation, this play on the classic idiom is most apt to describe Victorian-based crane hire company, Advanced Cranes & Rigging.
Sitting in Business Development Manager David Popovski’s office, the laser-like focus Advanced Cranes & Rigging places on its operations is evident. Whether it be the spotless, pristine machines waiting to be deployed in the company’s Derrimut-based warehouse, or the attention to detail each and every worker is priding themselves on, from lift planning through to administration, it’s clear that presentation and delivery of quality take precedence at the major crane hire company. For David, the scrutiny on efficiency date all the way back to Advanced Cranes & Rigging’s inception.
“It’s our country work ethic,” he says with a laugh. “We get in efficiently, safely, and get the job done within schedule”.
Advanced Cranes & Rigging was founded in Ballarat out in Victoria’s inner-west by now-Director, Adam Tuddenham, in 2009, to match Victoria’s growing infrastructure needs. Since those days, however, operations have expanded drastically for the crane hire company, now running fully operational depots in Derrimut, Bell Park and Colac as well as its Ballarat home, to better assist with the demand for specialised cranes and heavy haulage across Victoria.
To aid in those endeavours, Advanced Cranes & Rigging possesses a fleet of over 50 cranes ranging from its three-tonne Maeda through to the monstrous 800-tonne capacity Liebherr. For David, the purchase of the 800-tonne machine is indicative of the growth mindset that has driven Advanced’s progress over the last 15 years of operating. Having been at the company in his position as BDM for nearly two years, the growth he has seen at the company – on both a machinery and skilled personnel level – is “immense”, he says.
“We acquired our 800-tonne Liebherr 18 months ago, because we wanted to open up as many opportunities as possible,” he says. “We’re always looking to expand our operational capacity, and we ensure we meet the demand that our clients expect for our craneage services.”
The acquisition of the LTM 1750-9.1 reflects that, as well as Advanced Cranes & Rigging’s commitment to providing a pathway for internal promotion and growth. As mentioned, Advanced Cranes & Rigging began as a company seeking to serve Victoria’s infrastructure needs – something it continues to do and do well according to client feedback, with David pointing to the large number of repeat jobs requested by clients worked with before, who frequently praise the company’s streamlined processes, efficient lifting operations, and high level of productivity, especially on projects across Victoria’s Big Build. However, with the pressing need to create more renewable sources of energy to reach net zero emissions by 2050 – Australia’s legislated target – wind farms are popping up across the country, and with the construction of wind farms comes the need for associated lifting equipment capable of erecting wind turbines. And, in an even bigger shift by the Ballarat-born company, it is now taking its operations all across Australia to aid in the push toward a greener future.
“Our LTM 1750-9.1 is currently on a wind farm project in Queensland,” says David. “We’ve sent – and continue to send – our cranes to wind farm projects around Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia also. We will journey to any location where there is a demand for our machines.”
READ MORE:
- CICA Member Profile: AGL & Son Crane Hire.
- CICA Member Profile: Max Academy achieves landmark first.
- CICA Member Profile: Buchanan Cranes.
Further underscoring the company’s commitment to innovation and growth is the push toward operating a more sustainable fleet. As David outlines, a carbon footprint can be a decisive factor in determining who wins a contract, and Advanced Cranes & Rigging is always looking to innovate in new ways to reduce its emissions output, whether that be through the procurement of electric, battery-powered equipment, or logistical measures such as navigating road access rules to reduce the need for support vehicles to travel alongside its cranes.
“We are keenly interested in accessing the sustainability aspect of our business,” he says, “because decarbonising modern day construction sites is a big focus for everyone.”
Another central aspect to crane hire is the safety of an operation – and, akin to its attitude in pursuing ways to innovate and grow as a business, Advanced Cranes & Rigging holds safety as a top priority when conducting its work. Through computer aided designs, detailed lift planning, complete maintenance of its equipment, and ensuring the correct, qualified personnel are in the right place at the right time, Advanced Cranes & Rigging leaves no stone unturned to ensure everyone who goes to work goes home safely at the end of the day. Also included in this is employing dedicated resources to the generation of a SWMS, JSA and lift studies prior to each lift.
This commitment is reflected in its growing relationship with CICA, the Crane Industry Council of Australia. Having been a member of the association for a while now, David says Advanced Cranes & Rigging is attending more of the association’s events that, in turn, is helping the company stay up to date on all the hot topics in the industry, such as the recent ‘Cranes in Wind Farms’ forum.
“It’s important to us to be members of CICA,” he says. “We support what the association does for Australia’s crane industry, and look forward to continuously growing our affinity with Brandon and the team.”
