McKay United has been a familiar name in Victoria’s crane hire sector for more than 30 years. The business began in 1987 and has grown into a group that includes Williamstown Crane Hire and East Side Crane Hire.
Today, the company supports projects of all sizes across Victoria, handling general hire, inspections, engineering work, emergency services, plant movement, transport and heavy haulage.
Over the years, McKay United has focused on building a strong team, maintaining safe work practices and keeping its operations running smoothly. The fleet works across refineries, gas projects, wharf facilities and major construction sites, which means the business needs systems that can handle fast changes and busy workloads.
This focus on improvement led the company to move away from manual, paper-based processes and adopt a digital platform. The shift to the new Visual Dispatch system has changed the way McKay United schedules jobs, manages records and keeps track of daily work.
A turning point in how the business runs
General Manager Simon Atkins said the older system had become outdated and was barely used.
“We’d run that for eight or nine years, but it was virtually like a typewriter,” Simon said. “You’d just type the job in, and we didn’t use it for anything else. It was basically a typewriter.”
As the fleet grew and the work increased – including new Frannas and regular shutdown projects – the team needed a system that could keep everything organised. After reviewing other options, it decided the new version of Visual Dispatch was the right fit.
The new system was rolled out during a major refinery shutdown.
“It has been two years. We chose to implement this when we were in the middle of a shutdown,” Simon said. “I just thought, if we can get through that, we’ll be doing ok.”
Day-to-day operations run smoother
Allocator Hanna sees the benefits clearly in her daily work.
“For me as a main allocator in operations, I feel like Visual Dispatch is doing the job for me,” she said. “Sometimes you do the job for the system instead of the system doing the job for you. Visual Dispatch does it all for me.”
She can now allocate cranes, people and trucks much faster and track past job details easily.
“I could go back to a list of where we went to this street before and who were the crew,” she said. “It keeps records of everything.”
The business still uses a digital whiteboard to see where cranes and crews are located, but it is now just a visual aid.
“To allocate these jobs to the crew, you need a system that’s automated and it can do a job for you in one click,” Hanna said. “You want to work smart and manage your time effectively. This system doesn’t just save time, it helps you work smarter and finish every day strong.”
Digital timesheets and better compliance
Another major shift has been the move to digital timesheets. When Hanna first joined McKay United, the business was still changing from paper to digital.
Daniel McBride, National Manager, AU & NZ Cranes at Visual Dispatch supported the team during the transition.
“When that got implemented, we had Daniel’s full support,” Hanna said. “He came in here a couple of times to show us how to run the digital timesheets and he was always available through phone calls and emails to resolve issues.”
“The product is only as good as their support, and their support’s very good,” Simon said.
The system also stores induction cards, tickets and equipment records. If something is expired, the allocator is notified instantly. “It’ll show a pop-up message that this registration has expired,” Hanna said. “That’s when we update the information.”
Maintenance tracking is still done through another system for now, but Simon said the company plans to use the new maintenance features once Visual Dispatch releases them.
Better quoting, faster invoicing and real savings
Simon said the system has also improved the administration and quoting process.
“I used to type every quote on our letterhead. Now, I can go back to a job six months ago, copy it and just change time and date,” he said. “Anything you put in there, you can always go back and look at.”
He has also seen a reduction in paperwork and related costs.
“It’s reduced some cost across the board,” Simon said. “The massive amount of paper dockets that would be lying around has decreased dramatically.”
Many crane hire companies still rely on whiteboards. Hanna believes moving to a digital system is now essential.
“With the booming technology nowadays, we have to be resourceful,” she said. “It keeps operations running smoothly, allowing you to complete critical tasks in minutes while staying free to focus on everything else.”
The team still sees value in having a visual board in the office, but only for quick reference.
“It’s to see where the cranes and the guys are allocated,” Hanna said. “But you need a system that’s automated.”
McKay United’s move to Visual Dispatch shows how a long-running crane hire business can update its systems without losing sight of what works.
The company’s fleet, experienced team and strong relationships remain its foundation. Now, with a clear and efficient digital workflow, McKay United is prepared for the growing demands of the industry.