Comments Archive
Archive of comments from the global cranes industryComments By Date
November 2019
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Wind of change
On the occasion of the UN Global Climate Action Summit and the Global Climate Strikes, renewable energy became a hot discussion topic among government leaders as well as citizens of countries around the world.
October 2019
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A wide ranging issue
This month, we cover the industry about as widely as we could: at one end of the capacity scale, our regular correspondent Stuart Anderson takes a deep dive into the small telecrawler sector; on the other, feature writer Julian Champkin, visits the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant, where he saw one of the world's biggest cranes at work.
September 2019
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Checking research on checklists
Checklists have become a routine part of modern life. In simple form, as to-do lists and shopping lists, they help us all keep track of the overlapping and numerous tasks of our day.
July 2019
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Experience and innovation
One of the things that makes the crane industry so interesting to report on, is the level of innovation coming out of a relatively small and tightly-knit industry. Unlike other sectors I've covered, it has been relatively easy to meet a broad range of suppliers and users; and, where some industries progress only slowly, just in the decade or so I've been covering the sector, I've seen new crane types come into regular use.
June 2019
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Mind the gap
For travellers on London's underground railway, the warning to 'Mind the gap' quickly becomes part of the background of daily life: the city's old, curved, station platforms don't fit neatly with tube carriages, meaning there's often a substantial hop from train to platform. That phrase, painted on every platform edge and spoken over the tannoy at every stop, seeks to prevent us hurling ourselves absentmindedly under the train. By and large it...
May 2019
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Fitting capacity to requirements
On any crane contract, the first and most vital commercial step is to make sure that the crane you bring to the job site matches the clients' lifting requirements: big enough to work safely, but not so big that you're wasting capacity (and, therefore, investment that you can't earn back with profitable rental rates).
April 2019
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Digging deep for opportunity
In this issue, two of our lead features look at the impact of infrastructure projects on demand for lifting equipment.
March 2019
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Demag answers and questions
In our lead news items this month, I've tried to find answers for at least a few of the questions readers may have about Tadano's planned acquisition of Demag from Terex. As you'd expect for a deal at this stage, I wasn't able to get a lot more detail.
February 2019
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Choosing a look, choosing names
Sometimes, how a thing is presented, how it looks or how we name it, shapes how we think of it, even if the thing itself is unchanged. Think, for example, of how 'premium' and 'basic' products are packaged at the supermarket: glossy packaging, metallic embossing, and an emphasis on ingredients for 'premium' goods; primary colours, simple design, and a focus on price and value for 'basic' goods. Often, the gap between the two is not as great as...
January 2019
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A sliding window of opportunity
There is a concept in political science known as the Overton Window, after its creator, Joseph Overton. Overton argued that political policy is set within a window—ranging from 'more free' to 'less free'—of public perception of acceptable ideas. Over time, the limits of this window of acceptability change, and the policies politicians propose change with them.
December 2018
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Looking back
This month, I've been taking a look back over our news coverage for 2018. There have been quite a few significant developments over the year.
November 2018
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Digital disruption
Security expert Bruce Schneier has, for decades, warned of the overlooked risks associated with the computer age. Sometimes, politicians, regulators, and industry leaders have paid heed.
October 2018
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An inventive season
We have a surprising flurry of new crane launches this month. This includes a series of new tower cranes, new loader cranes, and a new rough terrain.
September 2018
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Precise planning for perfect practice
My first job on Cranes Today was reporting on one of our London conferences.
August 2018
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Keeping cranes safe on the roads
Ten years ago this year Ann Copeland and her two young daughters, Niamh and Ciara, were killed when her car skidded out of control after running over a patch of oil leaked from a poorly-maintained all terrain crane. Barry Copeland, who lost his entire family in the accident, pushed for owners of all terrain cranes to face the same requirement for roadworthiness testing as cars and heavy goods vehicles.
July 2018
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A step forward for safe wind work
I've written previously about the good work being done by the European crane and special transport association, ESTA, and manufacturers' group, FEM, on wind safety.
June 2018
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Necessary training, sufficient evaluation
In late May, US regulator OSHA published a much-anticipated new notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register. This further clarifies how the US federal government plans to set rules for operator certification.
May 2018
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Valuable shows, sustainable growth?
I write this month's comment shortly after returning from Intermat in Paris. As I wrote in my pre-show comment six years—two Intermats—ago, the purpose of the French show is at times unclear. It is at once too big to be a tightly-focussed national lifting show, and too small (and overshadowed in the triennial trade show cycle) to be a global launch show.
April 2018
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Steel yourself for higher crane prices
For many people in Western countries, globalisation has been far from an unalloyed blessing.
March 2018
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Viva l'Italia
Visiting the North of Italy in January may not be on most people’s list. Putting aside the cold and Milan’s inexplicable fog, it was an enjoyable week; full of beautiful scenery, delicious food and interesting discussions with local manufacturers. These discussions will turn into articles, full of exclusive information, which you will find in this and the following issues of the magazine.