Camilleri Lifting Services (CLS Cranes) provides customised lifting services for a range of customers in numerous industries from its bases in Mackay, Nebo and the Bowen Basin. CLS is headed up by industry expert Charlie Camilleri.
Charlie first gained his crane operator’s ticket at the age of 19 and worked on the construction of the Port Augusta Power Station, operating a 22RB.
“That crane had a V4 diesel engine rubbing up against your back as I was sitting on a bare steel tractor seat. There were 11 manually operated levers in front of me, a bottle of talcum powder to sprinkle over the brakes six inches away from your shoulder, this helped your freefall operate smoothly,” said Charlie.
“And there was a bottle of vinegar to spray on the lift clutches when they started slipping. Air conditioning was courtesy of the open door.”
“From there I worked my way through construction projects throughout Australia.
“In 1985 I bought my first 20t Kato crane and became a sub-contractor for General Cranes in Sydney. After a few years I moved to Mackay working in the mining and constructions industries, working my way up the ranks to branch manager for Brambles Cranes.
“At this point I convinced Brambles to introduce the first road registered 200t all terrain in Queensland. In 2000 I bought the Brambles Crane depot in Mackay. When I took over it consisted of one branch, five cranes, 20 forklifts and seven employees. When I sold it to Boom Logistics six years later the business consisted of five depots, 55 cranes, 140 forklifts and 75 employees,” he said.
Charlie and his wife Fiona started Camilleri Lifting Services in July 2020. Cranes have always been his passion and after selling his former crane company in 2006 he took a break from the industry but realised he missed it.
“When the opportunity came up to buy four crawler cranes from my mate Greg Lee, I thought the business would be a nice little hobby for me, 15 cranes later and here we are,” said Charlie.
“CLS is a proud family business. We are fortunate that each of us has our own skill set that complements the business. Fiona has a diverse wealth of business experience, having owned her own businesses and headed up the board of an international company.
“My son Jonathan started with me just after he left school when I had CIA cranes as a trainee crane operator/ dogger and has been in the crane industry since, having gained a wealth of experience in the last 17 years across various crane and construction companies,” he said.
CLS assists its customers in Mackay, all over the Bowen Basin and Queensland wide with its general hire and bare rental fleet.
“Being regionally based there is no typical customer profile, we look after anyone who needs a lift. We have customers in various industry sectors including Construction, Sugar Mills, Engineering, Industrial Services and Mining,” said Charlie.
“Customers keep coming back to our business because we always strive to provide an outstanding lifting experience and we aim to be their ‘one stop lifting shop’. Our customers come to us with their problems, and we provide the solutions, whatever that may be, including lifting, logistics and storage. We have the best crew in the business and go the extra mile to assist our customers. We deliver on what we promise,” he said.
The Camilleri Lifting Services fleet includes Frannas, all terrains, rough terrains and crawlers.
“Our capacities go from 20t to 220t and we run various brands. We buy cranes which best suit our fleet and our customer’s requirements at the time. The backbone of our business is our people. Our team is highly regarded by customers and they often tell us that our team are the best they have had,” said Charlie.
“Our team includes guys with over 30 years experience, as well as those just starting out in cranes as trainees. We have employees that worked with us over 20 years ago and have returned when we started up as CLS.
“We strive to create a family friendly environment; many companies talk a good game, but we live it. We love to see our guys take time to attend kids school concerts or sports training, any other important family events. Family is at the heart of our business,” said Charlie.
Customer service, support and safety are priorities for Camilleri Lifting Services.
“We are ‘laser focused’ on customer service and support, without customers there is no business. By ensuring we service our customers on their schedule, not ours, we demonstrate how important they are to us. Customers are more willing to be flexible when unexpected circumstances cause a disruption. Our business has grown organically based on our service to customers This leads to new business by word of mouth, which is the best form of advertising.
“Safety is where everything starts, we take it so seriously we are ISO certified. We believe it’s a great benefit to have a third party review our processes and procedures and highlight any gaps we may have missed,” said Charlie.
CLS was a finalist in the 2023 Lift of the Year competition. Charlie explains more about the nominated project.
“We were approached by our customer V2R Projects at the tendering stage of the Berth 5 Approach Replacement. Being involved so early was the key to success for us and also V2R as it enabled both of us to identify potential issues early and work through the planning process together.
“This was important as there were several significant challenges including lifting over water and exposed fuel lines, limited access, crane positioning, ground bearing load restrictions, etc.
“We were so pleased to receive the Peoples’ Choice Award for this project at the CICA conference in Adelaide. There is nothing finer than being recognised by your peers for a job well done,” said Charlie.
The Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA) plays a critical role in the industry and Charlie is a committed participant in various CICA initiatives.
“CICA is vital for our industry, and it is critical that we have a single and united voice. This ensures our industry is viewed by government, regulators and business in general as being professional, well organised and authoritative.
“I have been involved with CICA since the mid 90’s and today I am a member of QLD steering committee and sit on the National Reference Group. I believe the crane industry needs CICA to present a professional front and united voice for us.
“In an industry that is high risk and faces the continuous challenges of ever-changing legislation, regulations, road regulations etc, CICA’s advocacy enables cranes businesses to focus on our core activities of getting our cranes out and servicing our customers.
“In my opinion, the CICA team are the unsung heroes of our industry, they work tirelessly in the background lobbying state and federal government agencies to help all of us cut through the red tape and bring innovation into our industry, saving us time and money,” said Charlie.