INTERNATIONAL AND SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
■
DECEMBER 2013
15
As a result of this global growth,
many end users of heavy lift cranes are
experiencing strong resale markets and
longer rental periods. Rick Mikut, crawler
crane manager at All Erection & Crane
Rental Corp in the USA, explains, “We
are seeing a strong resale market, both
domestic and international. Another
shift we’re seeing is longer rental periods.
A crane can be tied up for two to three
years, whereas previously there was more
movement between jobs. Shorter rental
periods were more common in the
recent past.”
Other shifts in the industry include
the change in the design and layout of job
A
ll over the world, new build reactor
houses, nuclear plants, oil and gas
projects and power stations are
undergoing extensive development. This
has increased the need for heavy lift cranes
to work in these areas, as a spokesperson
from Uchimiya in Japan explains, “After
the Great East Japan Earthquake in
2011, reconstruction demand increased.
Moreover, Japanese power companies
strengthened the ability of thermal power
plants, instead of nuclear power plants.
In the future, we expect the increase
of demand for construction, thanks to
construction projects related to the Tokyo
Olympics in 2020.”
>
Rapid growth in the
energy sector has
resulted in an increase
in heavy lift projects.
But small working
areas are a challenge
for manufacturers
and end users.
LAURA HATTON reports
sites, which is having a direct impact on
crane manufacturers and rental companies
working in these areas. Keith Rind, vice
president at Buckner HeavyLift Cranes in
the USA, explains, “We are seeing tighter,
more challenging sites, tighter safety
restrictions, more demanding customers
and continuing pressure on rates. There are
also significant requirements for reduced
ground bearing pressures and increased
demand for heavy lift attachments.”
Mikut agrees, “We seem to have less
and less room on most job sites. This often
means lifting at a wider radius since we
have to position ourselves further away
from the target. In other words, cranes have
Size on site
A Lampson Transi-Lift
LTL-2600 carries out lifts during
the expansion of a manufacturing
facility in the USA's Pacific
Northwest
Uchimiya installing a power reactor at a
petroleum plant in the Tohoku area of Japan
HEAVY LIFTING
Integrated Logistics using a
Terex CC 8800-1 crawler to
install a vessel in Kuwait
