New Beginnings
27 July 2021The crane industry predominantly consists of long-established manufacturers, many of which were founded just after World War II. This is the reason why when a company decides to enter the market is big news.
Dutch crane rental company PVE Cranes and Services, recently established a manufacturing subsidiary called PV-E Crane, which will offer battery-powered lattice boom and telescopic boom crawler cranes. At the time they took the decision to enter the market, there was no other manufacturer offering crawler cranes with this technology. They have developed a number of models, with the first unit expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of the year.
PV-E Crane will be competing with Liebherr, who has already launched two battery-powered lattice boom crawler crane models and has delivered two units. Liebherr’s Holger Streitz says local and government regulation as well as green finance will be triggering demand for zero emission equipment in the future.
This could lead to even more manufacturers developing such equipment. In the mobile crane segment, pick & carry and spider crane manufacturers are leading the way, with battery-powered machines accounting for a significant share of their current offering. Spierings offers the eLift battery powered hybrid mobile tower cranes, while Demag’s AC 45 City all terrain can operate with zero emissions with the electrohydraulic E-Pack.
In the future crane manufacturers may also be able to use fossil-free steel. SSAB wants to be the world’s first steel company to deliver iron ore-based fossil-free steel to the market, aiming to do that in 2026. It was recently announced that Volvo Cars is collaborating with SSAB, and will be the first carmaker to secure SSAB steel made from hydrogen-reduced iron from the HYBRIT pilot plant in Lulea, Sweden.
The manufacturer has already been working on this project for five years now, alongside Swedish mining company LKAB and power company Vattenfall. The first time I heard about this was in 2017, when I visited the SSAB plant in Oxelosund, Sweden.
This was one of many manufacturing plants I visited in the past five years working for Cranes Today. As this is my last issue as a member of Cranes Today’s team, I want to thank all the companies in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Japan for their hospitality. Trade fairs and conferences were also highlights of my time working for the magazine, as I had the pleasure to chat with industry professionals from all over the world. Lastly I want to thank all the marketing and communication managers for their help, all the industry experts for sharing their knowledge and my colleagues for their support. I hope our paths cross again in the future!
Sotiris Kanaris, Editor
