Patrick Mardaymootoo is the service manager at Pace Cranes. After initially gaining his Cranesafe accreditation at Pace and after 25 years, Patrick left to be a full time CraneSafe inspector. Seven years later, he moved back to Pace Cranes. Mardaymootoo explains how focused the business is on service and support.
“Since I’ve been back, we’ve rearranged the workshop to make it self-sufficient. This includes supporting the new cranes including delivery and ongoing servicing, and also the provision of major inspections for our customers’ cranes and other equipment,” said Mardaymootoo.
“This doesn’t mean we are only conducting major inspections on our brands, including Maeda and Sennebogen. We have worked on most brands of equipment and recently completed a major inspection on a Kobelco. We also have a Ranger pick and carry in the workshop for a complete rebuild. We have also refurbished telehandlers and elevated work platforms. All of this has kept the workshop very busy,” he said.
Pat goes on to discuss the process he and his team go through when assessing equipment prior to a major inspection.
“We have good relationships with our customers, and we are building a strong reputation as a trusted maintenance and service provider. We have a customer, Saunders International, who asked us to conduct a major inspection on one of their cranes. They were really impressed with the mechanical and the cosmetic finish of the crane, so when it came to a second crane and a major inspection, they called me.
“After I received the call the first step was to drive to their yard and visually assess the crane. The crane was a Kobelco lattice boom crawler, and we tested the crane on site. We then dismantled the crane, loaded it onto trucks and brought it to our yard,” said Mardaymootoo.
“Once in the yard, we conducted more testing, including testing the hydraulic system. When the crane
was fully washed, we moved the crane into the workshop and completely stripped it down, including all the winches and the drive systems for the tracks, and everything was brought right up to date.
The internal features of the cabin were worn and basically unserviceable, so we replaced everything and took the interior back to its original finish as if it were brand new. When we had finished our work, we sent the crane back to our painters where they sand blasted the crane, completed panel and rust repairs, and then painted the crane,” he said.
“Whilst the crane was stripped down all the lattice boom sections were sand blasted and all the lacings which required replacing were replaced. The crane was NDT [non-destructive testing] crack tested. The various ropes, including the winch and luffing ropes, were replaced. When we completed the overload test was undertaken at 25 per cent over, as per the Australian standard, and all winches were tested at 10 per cent over.
“When this was completed, we returned the crane to the customer’s yard. I took two mechanics with me, and we spent two days putting the crane back together and then went about testing the crane. The overload test was witnessed by our third party engineer, who has been following the progress since the crane arrived in our workshop. So, during each stage of the inspection, we sign off on the work we have completed, and the engineer certifies this work. The crane’s major inspection was completed five months ago and it has been operating every day and there has been no need for any follow up work, it is as good as new.”
This major inspection involved approximately 200 man hours. As the crane is being stripped down the mechanics are able to access the components of the crane and the required original parts are ordered from the original equipment manufacturer or from the distributor.
Some customers are not aware of what’s involved in a major inspection and the costs involved, but Mardaymootoo has not seen a customer who is disappointed with the end result.
“During major inspections, we have found issues which could have caused major issues in the crane. For example, with the recent Kobelco, we found the main brake spring for the luffing function, which is the most important part, was broken and although the crane was still working it could have failed at any time,” he said.
Obviously, the major inspection is a major investment for any customer. But when you factor in the cost of a new crane, the lead time for a new crane and the general lack of availability of cranes, the cost justification process of inspections becomes simpler to justify.
“If you have been operating a crane, from new, for 10 years, you know the machine and your operators know the machine and they are very comfortable with the crane. Investing in some cases a large amount of money on a major inspection is a major investment, but it is worthwhile,” he said.
Mardaymootoo goes on to discuss the service and support Pace Cranes provides to Maeda mini crawler
crane customers.
“A high percentage of Maeda customers are not crane hire businesses. They are niche operators in the commercial glass handling sector, they are small and large builders, air conditioning installing businesses, but they are not ‘Cranies’,” he said.
“We understand that when these businesses buy a crane from Pace Cranes, they are also buying our service and support, and spare parts capabilities. Our technicians are ready to help our customers who might have an issue of changing from four falls to two falls, which can be confusing for a customer, and we’ll send a technician to help with the reconfigurations.
“Pace Cranes is focused on partnering our customers for the life of the crane and I think this is the reason why customers continue to return and purchase new cranes from us. A good example is SVSR Mini Cranes, who have just purchased another three 4t capacity Maedas, and we have been servicing their entire fleet for years. They started out using the cranes in their sewer vent services businesses and now they have moved into mini crane hire. We have also completed 10 year major inspections on two of their Maedas,” he said.
He goes on to discuss the experience within the workshop.
“The technology in the cranes is always changing and we receive ongoing factory training with engineers regularly travelling from Japan and Germany to Australia, keeping our staff up-to-date with new models and technology. Our national service agent network also participates in these programs. The product support we receive from the manufacturers we represent is great,” said Mardaymootoo.