Ho Lee Machinery buys 12 Liebherr tower cranes

Singapore’s specialist crane rental company, Ho Lee Machinery, has taken delivery of the first units of its order for 12 Liebherr cranes comprising five 280 ECB Flat-Top cranes, three 280 EC-H tower cranes and four 160 HCL 8/16 Litronic luffing jibs; placed as a major part of its fleet modernisation and expansion programme.

With three 280 EC-B 12 Litronic already delivered, the final two units will be delievered in July and the three 280 EC-H tower cranes are scheduled for delivery in September in 2008.

As the first ‘topless cranes’ in the fleet, the 280 EC-B 12 Litronic units will meet demand for projects complying with Singapore’s stringent height restrictions and overlapping regulations.

Two 280 EC-B 12 Litronic have quickly been erected for the start of Phase I on the prestigious multi-towered Reflections condominium project in Keppel Bay – on rental to main contractor Woh Hup Construction.

Ho Lee Machinery Pte Ltd is part of the Ho Lee Construction group of companies founded in 1972 by today’s managing director Benjimin Tan’s father, Peter Tan and his business partner Seow Kim Peow.

The rental company was formed in 1979 to specialise in tower crane rentals primarily for its own companies within the group – although confirmed Benjimin Tan, “we also now supply rental units to outside contractors.”

Today it boasts a fleet of 60 tower cranes, but Benjimin Tan, recognises that with half of the fleet becoming more than six years old it is important to modernise.

The order for the new cranes was therefore placed through Liebherr Singapore at the start of the year to meet the ongoing construction boom and modernise the fleet.

The new Liebherr cranes will all feature plc electronic frequency converters to increase the cranes productivity and regulated safety.

“In placing the order for the Liebherr units we recognised the importance of ensuring maintenance and trouble-free operation, freeing up our service team for other tasks,” said Benjimin Tan.

Another important aspect of the order was the reduced costs and stock of items such as wire rope and trolleys.

“We recognised savings were possible with the Liebherr’s ability to lift 12 t with a single trolley and a 2-fall operation for high rise construction above 100 m,” confirmed Benjimin.

He elaborated, “Other marques of crane require 4-fall and two trolleys when lifting 12 t above 100 m.”

As a further factor in reducing fleet rental costs just one type of tower mast section was recommended for both the 160 mt and 280 mt cranes, allowing complete interchangeability for both models.

In winning the order for the 12 models, Liebherr Singapore’s regional manager Mike Tay acknowledged that they had participated “more as a partner rather than just a supplier – assisting in sourcing projects and specifying the best crane for the job.”

With around 10 crane rental companies in Singapore, Benjimin Tan recognises that the quality and serviceability of the new ‘state-of-the-art’ Liebherr cranes will help to keep Ho Lee at the forefront of the industry.