Metro Crane Services recently took delivery of a new Grove GMK5150L-1. This is the first new Grove all terrain in the fleet. Owner Nathan Harrison provides some background to his business and his reasons for purchasing Grove.
Metro Crane Services registered as a company in March 2017. Harrison had previous interests in the crane industry and an opportunity arose in late 2016 to branch out with his wife, Rachel, so Metro Cranes was formed. Harrison’s vision is to take Metro Cranes from ‘the new kid on the block’ to a stand-out provider in the crane industry, across the greater Sydney metropolis.
“I have never looked at Metro Cranes as being just another crane yard in Sydney. My vision is for Metro Cranes to one day be the name on the tip of every tongue when it comes to crane hire in NSW,” said Harrison.
Metro Cranes is based out of Glendenning in Western Sydney. Glendenning is a perfect location for a crane yard as it is right on the north and south entrances to the M7 motorway. That’s why Glendenning is also base for many other crane companies due to its geographical location and proximity to the major motorways for Sydney metro.
Metro Cranes doesn’t have a typical client profile says Harrison.
“We service multiple factions of the construction industry from smaller residential builders through to some of the larger construction companies including FDC, Grindley Constructions and Lipman. We also have great working relationships with clients like Royal Wolf, who provide amenities for building sites, including change rooms, lunch sheds, office sheds, and other facilities.
“We also have a fantastic relationship with Narellan Pools, with approximately 45 pools to be installed over the summer. We have an extensive client base of roofing companies and we provide services for Visy Plastic Recycling, Eastern Portable Buildings, Coates Hire, and Infrabuild, which is one of our largest clients,” said Harrison.
According to Harrison, the Metro Cranes fleet is expanding and changing to service the market’s demands.
“We currently operate a Grove GMK5130, a Liebherr LTM 1100, a Liebherr LTM1060, a Liebherr LTM1040, two Terex Franna MAC 25s, one with superlift, a Terex AT20 Franna, and a 3t capacity Maeda mini crawler crane.
“We took delivery of the new Grove GMK5150-L in mid-May. We also have a new Liebherr LTM 1060 on order, which is due in July, and a new Franna MAC 25 on order for the end of 2022,” said Harrison.
Harrison goes on to discuss the importance of suppliers and the reasons behind the purchase of the new Grove.
“All of our OEM suppliers, such as Grove, Liebherr, and Terex Franna, lifting equipment suppliers, safety, and PPE suppliers, have been fantastic and have played a significant role in the day to day success and growth of Metro Cranes.
“As far as Metro Cranes goes, the GMK5150-L is the first new crane purchase from Grove. We have previously bought Liebherr cranes from new, however when we were looking at the investment involved in upgrading our fleet, Grove stood out to us in terms affordability, availability, increased productivity, serviceability, and overall performance.
“With the new GMK5150-L, we decided to upgrade our 2007 GMK5130. This is because the 5150 provides more capacity and a number of configuration options. The 5150 enables us to cover many more bases by being able to offer the crane as not only a 150t but also as 130t, 120t, and 100t capacity crane, if and when required,” he said.
“So far Grove has gone above and beyond in relation to the purchasing experience of the new crane. Neil Hollingshead, Manitowoc’s sales director, mobile cranes, has been very approachable and helpful in getting the crane to us. He has been available to answer all queries, and has pushed for timeline availability to ensure Metro Cranes receives the crane in a timely manner. From our dealings with the Grove team, the professionalism and knowledge of their support technicians they have more than met our expectations. Moving forward, we hope to build on our relationship with Grove as we look into the future of both our business and the crane industry as a whole.
“We have cranes ranging from 3t through to 150t in capacity with aspirations to include a larger capacity crane within the not too distant future. To an extent the work we do does influence the capacity of crane we have in our fleet. Being a small to mid-range crane company we currently have no need for larger cranes, but, that said, and with the customer feedback we are receiving and our approach to the business, a larger crane is definitely on the horizon,” he said.
Harrison explains his approach to ensuring the crane fleet is contemporary and how he keeps assets fully utilised.
“Our main approach is to have a modern fleet that is both affordable and reliable. We pride ourselves on safety, reliability, productivity, and affordability, and these issues are paramount with the majority of our long-term, and also our newer, clients. Newer clients have come on board because they know safety is paramount and a modern fleet helps to comply with today’s safety standards, which is critical for our clients and our team at Metro Cranes,” he said.
Harrison confirms that it would be hard to label any particular work Metro Cranes specialises in because the client base is broad and diverse.
“Previously, our typical customer was the smaller builder, along with pool builders, including companies like Infrabuild and a lot of subcontractor work for other crane companies.
“However, over the past 18 months, our sales and supervisory staff have pushed Metro Cranes into new markets, building relationships with our existing clients but also bringing new clients on board, and this has broadened our customer base. This momentum has seen the name Metro Cranes come to the attention of some of the larger construction companies that have been elusive for many years,” he said.
Long-term relationships with customers have been key to the success of the business, says Harrison.
“Metro Cranes has serviced Infrabuild since our inception in March 2017. We have built on the relationship, completing works on all shutdowns as well as breakdowns and scheduled servicing, etc. We have also serviced a lot of our builders since 2017, which still use Metro Cranes on the majority of their projects.
“Being Sydney-based, we generally concentrate our services within the Sydney metropolitan area. However, we regularly work outside of Sydney metro for a lot of our clients, and we have sent cranes to the Central Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong, and through the southern tablelands and west of Lithgow when needed. We have travelled to Tamworth and further on occasion. So, we will travel for the work and for the customer.”
Harrison explains how much emphasis the business places on customer service and satisfaction.
“From our office staff through to our crews on site, the Metro Cranes team prides itself on reliability and productivity. From our perspective, a happy and satisfied customer is a likely to be a repeat customer and, by providing them with a second-to-none service, we continue to build our relationships on all current and future projects,” he said.
“Our operators, riggers, and dogmen have a broad range of experience with some of our operators boasting more than 20 years of experience operating mobile cranes. The majority of our dogmen and riggers have between five and 15 years of experience on the end of a set of chains or tools. We do have a couple of younger guys who have only been in the industry for about a year or so, however, with the proper training and the right attitude to work and approach to safety, they have proven to be just as valuable as our more experienced staff on the ground.
“Our office staff have a lot of experience in administration and accounts. Although they may not having many years of experience in the crane industry our team of ladies have been a valuable asset to Metro Cranes and have been proactive in introducing procedures to assist the growth of the company. Their contribution can range from monthly sales figures and comparisons to ensuring all paperwork is current, crane maintenance is up to date and service records are logged and filed appropriately,” he said.
“Our supervisory/sales/management staff have combined industry experience of over 60 years and this is in all facets of mobile crane hire from dogging, rigging, operating, and management. Our guys on the road, Don Marshall and Kel Rushby, take a different approach to many others when it comes to dealing with existing clients and bringing on new clients.
“They look at each job from the perspective of an operator and dogman, which is very different when compared to the approach of a sales representative. Having both been operators and dogmen, and for many years, they believe that examining a job from their perspective compared to a sales perspective puts Metro Cranes in good stead moving forward. Their approach and experience is helping us to stand out in what many see as a crowded crane industry. Clients trust their focus on the highest levels of safety, their commitment to the right lifting solution, and their passion to deliver what they say they will,” said Harrison.
Harrison discusses Metro Cranes’ approach to safety, lift plans, and site visits.
“Training is a major priority for our organisation. We ensure all of our operators, dogmen, and riggers receive the correct training on all machinery, equipment as well as any site-specific training that may be required. Our office and management staff also receive the same training to ensure all aspects of lifting are in line and adhered to. Site inspections and lift studies are completed on specific lifts or when requested by our clients.
“Our supervisors attend our sites regularly, whether it be for site-specific lift studies or to answer queries from our clients. We like our supervisors to be onsite with our clients and not stuck behind a desk,” he said.
“We also conduct random weekly site safety checks to ensure our crews are adhering to all site specific and company requirements. From set-up location to watching general slinging of loads, ensuring that all company instructions and safety measures are being adhered to.
“Depending on the lift or scope of works our supervisors will attend the site, thoroughly measure the radius, the set-up area, obtain load weights if available, check for underground or above ground obstacles, and determine if traffic control or pedestrian control is required.
“From there we advise our clients as to what capacity will be required to complete the proposed works safely and within capacity of the crane. If required, we will also contact council and air traffic control to determine if any permits are required to complete the works.
“We are very proud of what we have achieved at Metro Cranes and in a relatively short period of time. We are taking a new and fresh approach to our work and the new Groves are part of this approach. There is nothing better than to welcome a brand new crane into the fleet. We know the Grove GMK5150 will prove to be a valuable asset for us well into the future. We can see the same with our relationship with the team at Grove,” said Harrison.