WireCo is the market, manufacturing and technical leader in wire and synthetic rope manufacturing, offering a consultative approach to give customers a single, reliable source for solutions that fit their specific application and budget needs.
WireCo has continuously invested in manufacturing equipment and test facilities over the years, for products to be subjected to extensive inhouse testing and quality assurance standards.
All WireCo’s manufacturing sites utilise the same corporate system, ensuring that the same quality processes are followed regardless of manufacturing location.
“We have been a distributor of WireCo products for many years and what stands out for me is the technical support they provide. They have a lot of people with in-depth knowledge of the products,” said Ben.
“When you have a problem with a damaged rope or the problem is visually obvious, then it’s easy, you discard it and put a new one on. But you can have a range of other issues with ropes.
“Ropes can twist up, or you can have ropes not spooling correctly onto winch drums, and you can have various other problems with them that are not so straightforward,” he said. “In these instances, they need someone with a bit of expertise to try and work out what the problem is. WireCo has this technical expertise available.”
Supporting Ben’s point, Kath Darr said WireCo prides itself on its post sales and product support.
“Tony Duricin, WireCo’s National Mining Division and Services Manager, along with his team can assist with any challenges that they may arise for customers utilising our Casar, Oliveira and Drumet WireCo Branded Products nationally,” she said.
Wire ropes can be an expensive item, especially when you are working with the larger capacity cranes said Ben.
“When you start getting into the larger capacity cranes, wire ropes can be a large expense. On the smaller capacity cranes the costs are not too bad, but when you start looking at cranes with capacities of 250 tonnes and upwards, you’re starting to get into tens of thousands of dollars,” said Ben.
“Now with the huge 750-tonne, 800-tonne – and more – capacity cranes building and servicing the wind farms, for example, you are talking somewhere between$30,000 to $80,000 worth of wire rope. With this type of cost involved, resolving issues relating to the performance of wire ropes can be crucial.
“There are a lot of basic checks that can be done, and advice can be provided over the phone, but there have been occasions where WireCo has sent a technical expert to site to go over the machine, view it and rectify the problem,” Ben said.
“This level of support is important when you are talking about cranes operating on wind farms or mines where the performance of the wire rope and the crane is critical and any down time is seriously costly,” said Ben.
Kath agrees with the sentiments expressed by Ben, saying WireCo is committed to working with its distributors and end users long term to help them manage their wire rope assets.
“Our focus is to provide the best rope, with the best possible service life, and with the best long term value proposition. We hold large stocks of wire ropes for all types of cranes at our distribution centre, located on the Gold Coast in Queensland.”
WireCo offers three tiers of ropes, Casar, Oliveira and Drumet – which are all manufactured in Europe. This gives the clients a range of ropes to suit their specific requirements. Ben highlights a few issues relating to wire ropes that crane owners can look out for.
“People don’t realize that worn sheaves make quite a big impact on rope performance. Traditionally in the Australian market, a sheave stays on for the life of the crane, unless it has been physically damaged,” he said.
“But sheaves wear, and this wear is not immediately apparent visually. This tends to happen on older cranes, and if you’re having rope issues, this can be one of the causes.
“Another cause of poor rope performance can be the result of incorrect installation of a new rope. Again, that becomes more complex with the bigger cranes,” Ben said. “Like everything in our industry, ropes have become more technical, and with all technology, you need a good, technical support network to assist when they go wrong. It’s fine when everything is working smoothly but when something goes wrong you need to be confident the support is there, which WireCo provides,” he said.
Kath elaborates. “We don’t just supply ropes, we can fit all types of end terminations including sockets and spelter buttons. We proof test every termination and supply a NATA certificate in every instance. In addition, we offer the client the education and expertise needed to enhance product performance and value,” she said.
Ben had some advice for crane owners around the maintenance of wire ropes.
“For wire ropes to continue operating at optimum performance I would recommend that they are inspected by a technical professional at least once a year,” he said. “In terms of wire rope maintenance, frequent lubrication is really important and can sometimes be neglected,” he continued. “Lubrication is something that should be considered a lot more during general maintenance of the machinery.”
READ MORE:
- WireCo’s diverse range of wire rope services for the crane industry.
- Quality wire ropes and excellent service to support them.