JPM Cranes recently took delivery of Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 from The Baden Davis Crane Connection. It adds to JPM’s capabilities and is already generating interest and demand from the Sydney construction sector.
It’s not the first time JPM has used the services of The Crane Connection and the crane came about as a result of a new contract the company secured. This would see their 60t Liebherr fully utilised for what could be up to 18 months. Ryan March, Operations Manager for JPM Cranes explains more.
“We figured it was a good opportunity to take the next step in terms of our fleet capacity. It’s not a giant leap but it takes us into an area of the market we haven’t been able to service until now. With 60m of boom, and excellent tight access, the Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 is perfect for height and radius.
“With the LTM 1090-4.2 we knew we were not going too big; it was about positioning ourselves for work including constructing small tower cranes, larger radius lifts including air conditioners for office roofs – basically work we couldn’t quite reach without this new crane’s extra capacity,” he said.
“They actually rate the crane in the 100t capacity. This now puts us into the ‘truck and trailer’ category which is a bigger step up for our organisation. It means we will need extra trucks to move the semi-trailers around, but that’s where we need the business to be over the next couple of years,” said March.
The Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 is ideal for small tower crane construction, construction sites with limited access and tight manoeuvrability for cranes, but where high lifts are required. It’s a sector of the market where demand is equally high, says March.
“We have customers in the roofing and air-conditioning sector that we have been servicing with our 60t machine but there have been projects we simply couldn’t reach, and for these we’ve had to utilise cranes from other businesses. Now we have the capacity to reach these further distances.
“These new, smaller compact cranes from Liebherr not only feature the VarioBase technology, they also have VarioBallast, so there are two configurations which provide a better radius chart. The LTM 1090-4.2 can still achieve the required heights and capacities but on a much smaller footprint,” said March..
With the new Liebherr, JPM Cranes are now in a position to service regular customers where they would have had to cross hire cranes in the past.
“Not only does the new crane negate our need to cross-hire from other companies, we can see cross-hire opportunities to businesses in the same position as we were before taking delivery of the crane, or who require this type of crane when theirs is busy.
“I’ve got good relationships with a number of crane hire businesses and they were ringing me before we took delivery of the crane to see if it was available for work. There are exciting work prospects with this crane.
JPM Cranes utilised the services of Ben Baden and Anthony Davis from The Crane Connection to firstly source the Liebherr and then bring it into the country.
“We have a long association with Ben, Anthony, and their team at The Crane Connection. We had previously purchased our Liebherr LTM 1045-3.1 and also the last 55t machine from them, so this is our third purchase. They have always delivered the same high level of service and in our experience, you step into a crane which is in brand-new condition when it has been through their processes.
“I find Anthony great to deal with; he’s not only a great bloke, he is very fair. He works with you within the budget you have set and he works with you to meet your expectations, every time. Obviously, you can’t get something for nothing, but Anthony will work hard to help you achieve what you want to the best of his ability,” said March.
March goes on to explain how JPM Cranes worked with the Crane Connection to ensure the right crane was sourced.
“I knew exactly what I wanted to replace the 60t crane. I had conducted plenty of research on the Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2, I understood its best features, its strengths and weaknesses and I knew it would suit our current customers for its radius strengths as opposed to it main boom height, reach and strength. In my opinion it is a far better radius crane than it is for height, and this is perfect for our customer base.
“I know Anthony can source a crane from anywhere in the world, so I went to him with the model I wanted. He knew the crane had to have the lowest amount of hours possible, low kilometres and it had to be in good condition. That’s what he promised me and that’s what he delivered. He had a connection with a company in Hong Kong and the crane actually came out of China.
“The service from Anthony and The Crane Connection makes the whole process painless. He manages the entire importation process, which sees the crane taken from the port and delivered to their yard and into their wash bay where it is quarantined for a week,” said March.
“They wash the crane down and degrease and clean, and when it is released from quarantine they service it and manage the crane inspection process. They provide a 1000- hour service with the crane and they manage the CraneSafe process prior to the it being admitted into their paint facility.
“They are also very flexible in their approach to business. They had no problem with me being in the yard and operating the crane for the CraneSafe process. This provided us with the ability to operate the crane and check it over. We were confident and happy with everything, particularly the time to get used to the way it operates,” he said.
March conducted the road test and drove the crane to the RMS for weighing and for registration which enabled him to get a feel for how it drove on the road and give it a general performance check.
“We are really confident this addition to our fleet will help us service existing markets but it will also help open new markets. I think it will prove to be a crane that speaks for itself. Once people know we have it and we start to utilise it and people see it in action, I think it will generate its own market,” he said.
March provides some advice for any crane businesses looking at a second-hand crane and debating whether to utilise the services of Anthony Davis and The Crane Connection.
“The service from Anthony and his team is outstanding. Anthony is a genuine bloke; he’s very matter of fact, he’s professional and easy to deal with, and he looks after you. My dad and I have never had an issue with him. As a business, JPM Cranes will certainly be utilising his services into the future and under my stewardship, we only see the relationship developing. I’m looking forward to doing business with him over the next 15 to 20 years,” he said.