In 2006, Ben Rose worked alongside his two colleagues Mitch Atkinson and Dan Bell in the gear locker for P&O Ports.
The trio, doing their time in the stevedoring industry maintaining and inspecting lifting equipment, worked hard to keep all the products that came across their path up to a high standard, while constantly seeking new ways to further develop the equipment on the Queensland port for cargo handling.
“Of course, it was at P&O Ports that we brainstormed and developed a self-equalising flat chain,” said Ben. “That was the inception of Hulk Lifting.”
Officially beginning in 2008 and now run by Ben and Mitch in the Brisbane suburb of Newmarket, the duo has expanded Hulk Lifting to distribute its lifting solutions across Australia. Designed predominantly for cargo handling in the stevedoring industry, Hulk Lifting’s products are capable of standing up in any environment according to Ben.
“We pride ourselves on creating innovative, engineered lifting solutions,” he said, “that are dependable, durable, and quality.”
To supply the market with high quality, bespoke lifting solutions, Ben is well aware that the foundation products need to come from high quality manufacturing. As luck, fortune, serendipity, or – most likely – the importance of maintaining good relationships in the industry would have it, the team at Hulk Lifting already held a relationship with one such manufacturer: RUD Chains.
Globally renowned for its technical expertise in manufacturing and recently receiving a high appraisal from SureLift Crane Hire owner Mark ‘Chopper’ Read in the October issue of Cranes and Lifting as the “only products” he’ll use for lifting and lashing solutions, the German-based manufacturer’s product range features more than 700 lifting slings and lashing points. For Ben, the introduction to RUD’s products came in 2004, through Product Manager Stuart Nolan. Ever since then, like SureLift, Hulk Lifting has consistently turned to RUD for any lifting and lashing solutions it needs, according to Ben.
“Knowing that we’re using RUD’s products provides us with a sense of comfort and reassurance,” he said.
“RUD really are ‘best-in-show’ for us: through the design, manufacturing and final build stages; everything we receive is simply top notch.”
Supplying its products across the country and, in some instances, globally, Ben is well aware of the importance of providing equipment that is structurally and physically sound, not least because of the safety element involved in the lifting, stevedoring and bulk-handling industries.
At the forefront of its products is the “globally renowned” flat chain sling that inspired the inception of Hulk Lifting; at the core of its flagship product is RUD’s Grade 120 chain.
RUD’s ICE Grade 120 chain carries 30 per cent less weight than the next nominal grade chain and a 60 per cent higher breaking force than a grade 80 chain, which offers a significant safety advantage to anyone using its products.
Designed and manufactured back at the company’s home base in Germany, the chain slings are then assembled and proof load-tested at its Australian facility in Brisbane, where the products go through a rigorous testing process to ensure the chains meet Australian Quality, Environmental and OH&S standards.
On top of this, the global manufacturer also holds LEEA and NATA accreditation, ensuring it is part of the movement in the lifting and rigging industry that focuses on supplying the market with internationally accredited, quality products.
For Ben, this gives the team at Hulk Lifting better peace of mind.
“We sleep easier at night with RUD’s engineering because, in our experience, it really is the safest,” he said. “We’ve worked with other products, and we’ve seen RUD’s chains consistently exceed others in their performance.”
Supplying the Australian lifting and rigging market with high-quality, durable, sustainable products comes at a price when compared to its single, two-time, maybe three-time use counterparts. The price, however, is one well worth paying, according to Ben, with the environmental, financial and operational benefits all paying large dividends to those who decide to invest.
“People who’ve worked with high-quality lifting and rigging equipment know the value of manufacturing such as RUD’s,” he said. “Safety needs to be paramount in the lifting and rigging industry, which RUD’s chains provide to anyone using them.”
It’s not, however, just the ICE Grade 120 chains that put Ben and Mitch’s minds at ease. As manufacturers, RUD also designs and creates a host of lifting beams, spreader beams and lifting and lashing points, with over 700 tested boltable and weldable lifting point variants featuring load ranges all the way up to 250-tonnes.
Working with RUD to provide customised lifting solutions, Ben points to the first production lug in the world which was the 31.5-tonne capacity ABA, which the manufacturers shipped to Australia for Hulk Lifting to weld onto a lifting beam. As Ben was quick to highlight, it’s that high-level of commitment to anyone using RUD’s products and services which ensures the German manufacturer remains a high-quality partner, from product through to post-sale service.
“Whenever we get something in from RUD, there’s always an engineer coming afterwards to inspect the product and ensure that it’s performing exactly as it should,” he said.
“Ultimately, RUD gives a top-end service that is supplied by top-end people providing a top-end product to the Australian market.”
READ MORE:
- RUD Chains “brilliant” according to SureLift.
- Explained: RUD Chain Lifting Kit.
- RUD works with Universal to deliver on Pacific Highway upgrade.
