Universal Cranes has navigated decades of change. Since its beginning in 1993, it has grown from a small family-owned crane hire service into a national player in Australia’s crane industry.
With more than 30 years’ experience in the cranes and construction sector, the company is responding strategically to the shifting landscape of wind energy demands.
Albert Smith, Group Managing Director describes the initial days when the company was new to the wind sector. Universal Cranes entered the wind industry in 2005, providing secondary support cranes to Danish crane specialists KR Wind, now known as BMS.
“Our early exposure gave us a real advantage, especially when we joined forces with Sarens in 2007 to manage their crane fleet operations in Australia,” Albert said. “That was a defining moment, giving us the operational depth to eventually go independent.”
Universal Cranes’ independent journey began with the acquisition of a new CC2800 crane in 2009. But as turbines quickly grew larger and taller around 2015, reaching heights from 100 metres (m) to more than 130m, Universal found itself facing new challenges.
Albert said the company’s fleet at the time was not high enough for these towering turbines and the industry had moved towards fixed-price lump-sum contracts, creating immense financial risk for crane providers.
“Profits became uncertain, and we had to make critical decisions,” he said.
The decision to temporarily withdraw from the Australian wind market was tough but necessary. Universal shifted its strategic focus, leveraging its expertise in other markets and terrains more suited to its available machinery.
“Australia had rapidly shifted towards taller turbines, but we saw an opportunity in New Zealand, where the terrain is steep, and the turbines remained below 100m,” Albert said.
To capitalise on the opportunity, Universal Cranes teamed up with associate company Smith Cranes in New Zealand and invested in Liebherr LTR cranes, designed specifically for quick relocation in challenging terrains for sub-100m turbines. However, the wind sector continues pushing limits, and now turbines are expected to range between 140m and 170m, significantly altering crane requirements.
“We are currently assessing our options to handle this next generation of turbines,” Albert said. “The cranes needed for these heights must be around the 1000-tonne range or larger, significantly changing the investment scale and operational demands.”
Recognising this challenge, Universal is actively researching innovative solutions that reduce the investment required across the Wind Farm construction phases. Its next step is to start developing capability in the 140 to 170-tonne range.
“Previously, we didn’t establish any capacity in the 100-140-metre tower segment. The LG1750 is the industry’s crane of choice but we missed the opportunity in that intermediate range,” Albert said.
The company’s focus now is to determine the best machines for the current range of 140-180m turbines.
Albert describes the wind sector in New Zealand as “going fairly well,” noting substantial growth opportunities ahead. He said Smith Cranes, a family operated company in which he holds a minority stake alongside his brother Tim, has a lot of work in the sector. However, this growth brings challenges.
“Just like elsewhere, New Zealand operators are facing the need to upscale their equipment to handle larger turbines,” he said. “They’re going to have the same issue we’ve seen globally – turbines are getting bigger, and existing crane sizes won’t cut it much longer.”
Looking at the broader implications for the crane hire sector, Albert said that Universal Cranes must keep evolving
to remain competitive in wind energy. It plans to do so strategically.