In many ways the record attendance was a reflection of the buoyant state of the Australian crane market, but it also reflected large increases in membership of the state crane associations of which CICA is the peak body. The CICA CraneSafe annual inspection programme can be credited with attracting many of those numbers, and it was announced that the inspection programme will be extended to include Vehicle Loading Cranes, Self Erecting and Hammerhead Tower Cranes.
Funds derived by CICA from administering the CraneSafe programme have been reinvested in the industry, with the latest initiative being a self-paced instructional CD “How to set up cranes.” This is provided to members of the state associations free of charge, and is the third in a series of instructional CDs.
The conference featured its usual international panel answering questions on the international crane scene, and attracted senior executives from Liebherr, Demag, Manitowoc Crane Group and Tadano. It was little comfort for attendees to hear that the rest of the world was experiencing the same extended delays in supply that Australian operators faced, or that the situation was expected to continue for some time.
Perhaps a sign of the times in Australia, with severe shortages of crane operators and riggers, was a presentation and workshop on how to attract and retain Generation Y employees, and a workshop on skilled migration programmes, with case studies of how two companies in the industry were adopting this solution.
A surprisingly large outdoor equipment display reflected well on the modern cranes in Adelaide fleets, with a mix of all terrain cranes, truck cranes, mini crawler cranes, pick and carry cranes and telescopic handlers. The strength of the pick and carry crane market in Australia was evident, with an updated model from market leader Franna and the long awaited prototype of its challenger, the Panda. The Panda has Australian design input and is to be built in China.
Although Franna production has increased significantly in the last few years, the waiting list has also grown and orders are being taken now for 2009 production. Another local company, Construct Engineering, displayed a 20t pick and carry crane that is made in relatively small numbers but also has a waiting list. Zoomlion is also expected to enter this market in early 2009 with a Chinese-manufactured crane built to an updated Linmac design (Linmac no longer exists).
Others are attempting to find alternatives to the Franna-style crane for some pick and carry applications, and Manitowoc Crane Group displayed a Grove carry deck crane while Genie, Dieci and JLG telescopic handlers were displayed – some of them with jib attachments.
Australian Crane & Machinery (ACM) displayed the prototype of the Panda articulated pick and carry crane. This company provided design input for the Panda and initiated the project, which will be built in China for ACM by XCMG, the Australasian distributor for XCMG. ACM will retain distribution rights for western markets.
Feedback from crane owners and operators (much of which was already identified by ACM) highlighted a number of flaws with the prototype, many relating to the consequences of designing a crane to meet the requirements of Australian Design Rules (ADR) regarding forward projection. This restricts forward projection to 3.5m from the steering wheel. To date cranes have been classified as Special Purpose Vehicles, and exempted from these requirements.
ACM has prepared a list of 48 changes required to the prototype before going into production, the main changes being relocation of the air conditioner from the rear of the cab to under the dashboard, to improve the ergonomics of entry to the cab; a change in the seat rails; a deeper front window to improve forward vision; a redesigned head of the boom, and smaller hook block, to improve height under the hook in low head room applications; fitting of a Euro3 engine with common rail fuel injection; and tidying up the hose routing. The most immediately obvious consequence of designing to minimise forward projection is the reduction in boom length, which may not be a problem in many pick and carry applications.
ACM Managing Director David Potter reports high interest in the Panda from North America, India and Africa as well as Australia, and was buoyant about the market in general, with 80 XCMG cranes sold in two years, and orders for Kobelco crawler cranes being taken for 2009 delivery. He also had high praise for the Adelaide conference, saying, “It is the best conference I have attended in over 30 years in the industry, in terms of the venues, attendance and opportunities for marketers to display and promote their products.”
The Australian-built market leader in the popular pick-and-carry crane market, Franna, unveiled a Series III update to its most popular 20t capacity AT-20 crane at the conference. Some of the changes were visual, bringing the crane in line with the previously updates to the 15t and 25t cranes. A redesigned cab interior provides greater room and comfort, with joystick controls, integral HVAC system vents and a Bluetooth hands-free communications facility.
An upgraded centre pivot is now adjustable, the hydraulic system has been upgraded with 20% more flow at 1500rpm, and larger air tanks have been fitted at the front and rear.
The update was well received, with the order book strengthening as a result of the display at the crane conference. Despite production continuing to increase (it will approach 300 units for 2007, with around 350 targeted for 2008) the order book has continued to grow, with orders being taken now for 2009 delivery.
Franna is owned by Terex Lifting, which is also experiencing strong demand for crawler and all terrain cranes, with the biggest problem being the availability of cranes to sell.
Liebherr was the main sponsor of the conference, and took the opportunity to establish the changes to its distribution since the previous conference. Previously and independent distributor was appointed for the east coast, but Liebherr took over in 2007. There was some initial dislocation with a difficult search for new premises in Sydney nearly completed, and support personnel transferred from Germany until such time as sufficient local staff were recruited and trained. Mark Figel moved from Germany to take over the crane division in Australia, and is very confident about the future of the brand in Australia.
Another distribution change since the 2006 conference has been Boom Logistics’ acquisition of Tadano distributor James Equipment. James Equipment itself acquired the service facilities in Sydney and Brisbane that were established by previous east coast Liebherr crane dealer GM Baden.
Grove has become a significant force in the all terrain crane market in Australia over the past few years, but the reintroduction of the Tadano all terrain crane to Australia has seen this brand also become a significant player, and this market sector is now fiercely contested.
The overall feeling of attendees was that the market in Australia should remain strong for at least another three years. Host state South Australia has good reason for optimism, with a number of large mines opening up or planned in desert areas in the centre of the state. It was in many ways fitting that the winning entry in the Lift of the Year contest covered an innovative method used to erect a large mining shovel at one of those mines.
The crane features redesigned interior, joystick controls, air conditioning and hands-free communications. Series III of Terex Franna’s 20t AT-20 articulated yard crane Franna, Grove and other cranes on display at the Crane Industry Council of Australia Franna, Grove and other cranes on display at the Crane Industry Council of Australia