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“Following 15 years of designing and engineering for the Terex Franna brand, I joined Tadano Oceania 12 months ago. During conversation with the team at Tadano I could see the move was going to provide the opportunity to expand my ‘commercial skill set’ within the business, better understand how different businesses operate and how Tadano Oceania can further ‘add value’ to our customers,” said Michael.
The role is broad in the sense it provides Michael and his team with opportunities to be at the forefront in the continued improvement of business practices and help Tadano Oceania continue its ‘road map’ towards a ‘zero emissions’ future.
“I’d say this is a fairly unique role for our industry. You don’t often see subsidiaries of a factory investing heavily in engineering capabilities but that’s exactly what Tadano Oceania has done.
“Investing in myself and the rest of the Engineering team provides an extra layer of confidence in the Tadano Oceania business and also with customers potentially looking at acquiring Tadano product.
“Customers now receive quality support from our Technical Support team which features in-depth product knowledge that impresses me every day. Now with our Engineering team in the mix, we have the extra ability to converse and provide a level of certainty when answering internal questions or from the field, to ensure customers are maintaining their cranes in the correct manner, thus improving productivity and uptimes,” said Michael.
Straddling both Sales and Product Support teams is an interesting juggling act for Michael and his team.
“We are technically part of the Sales team, but my technical background sees me also engaged with the Product Support team. From the sales point of view, I’ve been assisting with second- hand and resale machines. We have also focused on our smaller product lines and used machines, including truck-mounted cranes and aerial work platforms,” said Michael.
Michael goes on to discuss the Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and how these are impacting Tadano and the crane sector in general.
“With my technical background, the move to Tadano Oceania was good timing as far as the ADRs are concerned. I am comfortable with issues relating to regulation and compliance and with the team, I have been making the relevant submissions particularly for the Tadano product lines out of Europe.
“There have certainly been challenges and I think the whole industry has experienced these, but the level of detail required shouldn’t have been unexpected. As we work through the process, we will remain focused on the strengths of the Tadano brand, and customers may see minor changes which shouldn’t adversely impact their businesses,” said Michael.
Tadano and other OEMs are facing the increasing challenges of designing and manufacturing cranes which contribute to a sustainable future, assisting in the reduction of carbon footprints throughout the construction process and other industry sectors. Michael discusses this topic.
“We can all see the demand for this technology is increasing exponentially. Tadano’s commitment to sustainability
is more than a statement; it’s a mission. Facing the global challenge of climate change, Tadano is taking decisive steps to reduce our carbon footprint, aiming for zero emissions by 2050.
“Tadano is at the forefront of these developments, particularly in Europe, where strict guidelines around emissions and decarbonisation are driving the acceleration of product development throughout our factories.
“Locally, we are being exposed to these developments. At last year’s CICA National Conference and Exhibition we had new products highlighted including the electric rough terrain. These development programs have continued, and the factories are now working towards full production for these machines,” said Michael.
“Tadano is now offering a 25t battery electric rough terrain to the Japanese domestic market and the larger capacity battery electric rough terrain will follow. For larger construction sites Tadano’s e-PACK system is well recognised, having been available for a couple of years now and our engineers are in the later stages of ‘prototype testing’ hybrid machines. Hybrid machines exist, they are not a pipe dream, and they are being trialled to ensure we can achieve the high-quality standards that the Tadano brand prides itself on,” he said.
Michael discusses other business opportunities where Tadano is looking to expand its footprint with lesser-known product lines.
“Tadano make a great number of products for the Japanese domestic market. We have a presence in truck- mounted cranes as well as aerial work platforms. We will be examining the opportunity to expand and grow the population of these product lines throughout the region,” he said. “Bringing it back to the rest of the business, our Parts and Service teams continue to examine ways to better support our customers and our growing population of cranes. We have designed programs for internal actions to standardise the solutions we provide across our products.
“These programs will help improve our handling of servicing requirements over a five-year period through to 10-year major inspections. As these programs evolve, they will become more embedded within the organisation and will drive a better return on investment for customers. We see these programs help to position Tadano as a leading service and support provider with a full product life cycle solution for our customers.
“Ultimately, we will be providing value-add solutions for customers, that typically other OEMs won’t be able to provide because they don’t have the capability of our teams. We are examining turnkey solutions which start with the delivery of a new crane and look at how we can improve the way we service and support the crane, including providing updates that can really extend the life of the crane, to maximise the customer’s return on investment,” said Michael.
