Founder sells Robway to management

Australian crane safety system pioneer Robert Way has sold his business, Robway Safety Systems, after 25 years at the helm.

The South Australian-based business was sold for an undisclosed sum to Robway's current general manager Andrew Powell and sales director Andrew Toop.

"I am confident the new owners will ensure the company continues on its successful path and maintains its dominant position in the domestic and international market," Way said.

Established in 1977, Robway Safety Systems evolved from a crane hire business owned by Way in the 1960s. During this time, he became aware of the need for a safety system that effectively monitored the load of a crane to ensure the machine was not in danger of tipping over.

After importing systems from the UK and USA, he found that they were not always suitable for the harsh Australian conditions, and set about producing his own safe load and load moment indicators.

Robway Safety Systems manufactures and supplies about 10 types of safety systems, with more than 100 variations to suit the specific needs of offshore oil and gas platform cranes, tower cranes and all types of mobile cranes and forklifts. Approximately 70 per cent of the company's annual production is exported across Asia, the Middle East and the USA.

The load monitoring system operates by sounding a warning signal when the crane approaches lift capacity. If the operator continues to lift the load to a dangerous level, the warning signal increases in intensity and may stop the motion of the crane.

Toop said: "Robway's key to success has been its emphasis on developing leading edge technology in all its systems, which, combined with its commitment to after sales service and support through its 24-hour global service network, provides peace of mind for users over the life of the system." In 1998 Robert Way was the first recipient of the Crane Industry Council of Australia's Con Popov award for services to the Australian crane industry.