ALE launches lightweight service cranes

This crane comprises of light modular parts that can be assembled by hand, with the heaviest component being 120kg. “This can be installed by the davit on top, no heavy material handling required,” R&D manager Harrie Smetsers told Cranes Today.

Each part can fit in an elevator or transported over an access walkway or stairs, making it ideal for use on projects globally where space is limited and access is difficult. The current design in aluminium form can handle 6t.

Richard Verhoeff, sales manager at ALE said: “The crane is suited to lifting items up to 6t at height in congested areas. For example, to put air treatment systems on top of a flat building would require a large, high capacity crane. Due to underground tunneling—sewers, cable tunnels etc—the ground stability is an unknown factor and blocking off roads would increase congestion and disruption. What’s more, obtaining road permits can take months.

“By utilising a small crane such as this, it overcomes all of these challenges and the benefits outweigh the option of using a large, high capacity crane.”

Verhoeff said this crane would fit within the offshore and subsea sectors as it is used to operate in remote and difficult to reach locations and onshore operations within the civil sector.

As to the reasons why ALE decided to develop this product, Verhoeff said: “We saw a gap in the market when it comes to maintenance in areas where regular cranes do not fit. This applies especially to a market like the oil and gas industry, where maintenance will be even more important in the near future: a smarter lifting solution will make the difference. We also saw a gap in civil markets, where road closures should be kept till a minimum as well as safety using cranes around high rise buildings.

“We wanted a lightweight crane that was versatile enough to work across onshore and offshore projects, on its own as well as being compatible with our existing equipment fleet.”

The new crane will be available globally to all ALE branches. Crew members will be able to operate the crane after having the general SSOT training in heavy lifting, a specialist in-house training course.

Smetsers added that a specific SSOT for operating this crane will be developed.