Mark Lock, sales director, Franna, recently took time to speak to Cranes and Lifting, sharing his reasons for joining the company and provided insights into Franna’s global product vision.
Franna, a Terex brand, recently appointed Mark Lock to the position of sales director. Lock joins the Franna team with an extensive background in sales, marketing, operations and general management within the industrial services and heavy equipment sector.
“It’s a very exciting time for Franna and I am absolutely delighted to be joining the team,” explained Lock.
“Since the early stages of my career I have had exposure to the fantastic Franna product and my strong affinity to the brand is what ultimately drew me to this role.”
“As a proud Queenslander it really is great to be working with one of Australia’s most prestigious manufacturers. In my new role I will be responsible for domestic and international sales and I’d like to give our customers an insight to the key elements of our global product vision,” he said.
Safety First
Since joining Franna Lock has been very impressed with the emphasis placed on safety, both in the workplace and out in the field.
“Safety is paramount in the heavy equipment sector and as a subsidiary of Terex, we are committed to the ‘Zero Harm’ safety vision shared by the entire company. This helps us strive towards a safer working environment for our team members and also to create safer products for our valued customers,” he said.
Innovation and continuous improvement
Franna has a rich heritage of innovation that dates all the way back to the 70s when the legendary Dave Francis developed the first pick and carry crane from truck components. While the original concept remains much the same, the Franna team have built on this success through engineering excellence and by incorporating new technologies into the design of the cranes – the recent AT 40 model is a prime example of this. In addition to new products and innovation, the Franna team endeavour to continuously improve existing product lines through safety enhancements, serviceability and ease of use.
The AT 40 is the largest Franna built by TEREX and is the first three-axle crane with a pick-and-carry capacity of 40t. Powered by a Mercedes OM 906 205kW diesel and Allison automatic transmission used on the popular 25t MAC 25, the AT 40 has a four-section 19.8m full-power boom offering 19m maximum hook height. On site the rear (third) axle is raised on its hydro-pneumatic suspension when lifting and on the highway the crane has maximum rated travel speed of 80km/h.
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According to Lock the AT 40 is the result of a collaborative, Terex-wide design project and incorporates the latest technology with engineering excellence.
“This articulated crane boasts 44 per cent more load moment capacity than the Franna MAC 25. The 3-axle design eliminates the need for a removable counterweight and the third axle control system raises axle 3 when operating on a work site, providing similar turning circle as the MAC 25. Additional features include a full width isolated cabin, articulating counterweight and increased cabin storage. Customers have been asking for a higher capacity crane and the AT 40 is our solution” he said.
Borger Cranes was the first crane hire business in New South Wales to take delivery of the Franna AT 40. Shawn Borger, general manager, Borger Cranes and explains the reasons behind the purchase.
“Because we offer small, medium and large cranes, a crane for every application, Borger cranes are operating somewhere in NSW every day in sectors including infrastructure, renewable energy mining and general construction.
“We work hard to provide the customer with the right crane for the job, and the purchase of the Franna AT 40 is an example of how we provide this service. At Borger Cranes, we try to implement the newest and latest technology with our cranes to make improvements for our drivers, so they are more aware of the site and more aware of assessing and managing risk,” he said.
The AT 40 features the zero- to five- degree side slope which de-rates as well other safety features which makes it a great ‘all-rounder’,” Borger said.
“The market has been asking for this sized Franna and now we have it. We are very safety focused and offer additional OH&S/EHS to our clients. If you are operating 20-year-old technology, this isn’t always possible and it is more likely incidents will occur, so we’re certainly keen to embrace new technology, like the AT 40, to make operations safer.
“This Franna is ideal for lifting heavy machinery and I reckon it can do the job of three cranes. It’s also perfect for general lifting in construction like tilt up panels. From an operational aspect, there’s an extra meter in the boom and the joystick controls make everything more sensitive to control.
Operators can bring the winch down millimetres at a time which is really good for site work and the steering has been brought back from 40 degrees to 35 which makes driving much easier,” Borger said.
International Sales
According the Lock, International sales and exporting is a great opportunity for Franna and he is looking forward to this element of his new role.
“Whilst the pick and carry concept is predominantly utilised in Australia, people may find it surprising that the Franna product has been directly exported to 30 plus countries to date. We look forward to growing this as we continue to promote the pick and carry concept and Franna product globally. This year we are attending CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas for the very first time which we feel is an excellent opportunity to showcase Franna to international delegates,” Lock said.
For more information on Franna pick and carry cranes, visit www.terex.com/franna or email franna@terex.com