Having been in the industry for 25 years, Mark Eberhard has a strong insight into wire rope and lifting equipment, where the industry has come from and where it is headed. Having been recently appointed as the chair for the South Australian branch of CICA he is eager to bring his experience to the role.
“I am excited to take on this new role. I have been on the committee for a long time and this position will have its challenges, but I am excited for the opportunity,” said Eberhard.
Eberhard has a slightly different background in the industry to other members, but his experience will add value. Owner of both Crane Ropes Australia and LiftQuip, he has the opportunity to communicate to crane hire companies as well as a wide cross section of industry.
With many years of experience in the wire rope industry, including inspection, testing, and manufacturing through to supply, Crane Ropes Australia aims to use its valuable experience to provide crane owners with a partner that not only understands the technical aspects of this valuable product but aims to provide the highest levels of customer service. Eberhard explains more.
“We are effectively a one-stop shop for companies. We have all of their wire rope needs covered. This enables our customers to come to us with their requirements for all of their cranes rather than have to individually contact each OEM,” he said.
“When we are sourcing our ropes, we are working closely with world leading manufacturers. Often they are the same suppliers providing ropes for the leading OEMs.
“There is a group of manufacturers that we use to ensure we are offering the highest quality ropes available in Australia,” Eberhard said.
For Crane Ropes Australia and the team, some of the standout products have been from manufacturers Bridon and Casar.
“Both products are excellent, they really impress with their performance, and the ropes are designed to withstand the rigours and demands
of our industry,” Eberhard said.
Both wire rope products have a high breaking point and great wear characteristics that make them stand out in the market.
High performance ropes are designed for the highest breaking loads by a combination of various technologies. This includes: a large number of strands, which increases the metallic area of the rope; parallel lay, which leads to a more compact rope construction; a plastic layer, which reduces internal stresses; compacting of the strands, which increases the fill factor of the rope; and the tensile strength of the wires is chosen according to the requirements.
Wire ropes are designed using a computer aided rope design program to ensure the rope itself can stand up to the wide spectrum of mechanical stresses it faces. This is backed up by many hours of lab testing simulating operating conditions.
Eberhard speaks of stock during a challenging Covid period and how the team problem solves for clients.
“Stock levels are beginning to improve, and we are getting more consistency from overseas supply lines, but it is not quite back to the pre-pandemic levels,” he said.
“We obviously have stock in our own workshop but we also have good working relationships with the manufacturers, which allows us to be flexible. We are not tethered to one brand; we can provide options to ensure down time is kept
to a minimum.”
Solving problems is a big advantage that Crane Ropes Australia offers.
“I think being in the industry for so long, we have seen a wide range of problems arise before. The thing to remember is that not all problems are straightforward, sometimes you have to work through what has happened to get the right solution.
“Now, when clients contact us, most people have the ability to take videos on their phone so we can work through situations and find a solution without always having to go out to site.”
Being in the industry for such a long time has advantages that benefit crane owners.
“We have a large database of different types of cranes and what the requirements are of that rope – breaking strength, diameter, and length, etc,” he said.
“Our team is trained by the rope manufacturers to install end terminations to specification and ensure they stand up to the rigours
of the industry.
“Let’s say a crane owner did not want to replace the rope, they just wanted a new end fitting, we can go to site and replace that socket, test, and have the crane up and running quickly.
“It is about minimising downtime for our customers. For example, we keep replacement ropes for some crane models on the shelf, and we might get a customer calling saying they have damaged a rope and we can freight it out that night. When someone calls up and says ‘look we are in trouble here’, we can be super responsive and get a rope transported quickly.
“It is not just a part number to us – I have been in the wire rope industry for over 25 years – we understand what the problems are, and we can talk to the customers about their problems and attempt to provide them with a solution, quickly.”
Eberhard explains how Crane Ropes Australia’s location is a benefit for its Australia wide servicing.
“For us, being in South Australia means we are incredibly central, we can quickly get products across to all parts of Australia and we are overnight to Melbourne.
“We have begun to expand into drilling, winches, and marine applications as well as being absolutely focused on the crane industry. We can find solutions for
any application.
“We can provide advice and solutions on all aspects of wire rope and its maintenance, ensuring it stands up to the rigours of any environment our products are working in,” he said.