The Australian crane rental industry gathered in Freemantle, Western Australia in early October for the annual Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA) conference with the 265 fully registered delegates joined by 52 partners, and 409 people attending the Saturday night dinner dance and awards presentation function.

The status of the show was underlined by the high calibre of the outdoor crane display, and the number of attendees from international manufacturers Terex Cranes, Manitowoc Crane Group, Liebherr, Tadano, Kobelco, XCMG, and Maeda.

The international flavour extended to the conference sessions, with an opening address from Alexander Knecht, president of Terex Cranes International (the platinum sponsor of the conference); international heavy lift presentations from Klaus Scholpp of international heavy lift and transport specialist Scholpp, and Ben Schulte of Mammoet; and separate panel sessions for European and North American manufacturers, and Asian manufacturers.

The organisers were kept busy as two key speakers withdrew for family reasons on short notice, and the programme was “juggled” to fill the gaps. However, this did not appear to detract from the benefits that attendees derived from the conference.

CICA president John Gillespie reported that the CraneSafe annual crane inspection programme had been implemented in all States, with figures for 2005 showing a 30 per cent rise over corresponding figures for the previous year. He also pointed out an unexpected benefit of the database accumulated from inspection information, which assisted manufacturers with recall programmes to locate owners.

CICA released an updated Crane Manual in 2005, with more than 500 copies already sold. Funds from CraneSafe have been used to develop CD-based training aids, and a CD on Setting up of Cranes should be released in 2006. In addition, $17,000 is being spent to purchase a Simlog simulator, and locate it initially in South Australia for training purposes. The long-term aim is to have these in every state.

In his opening address, Alexander Knecht reported on the state of the world crane market, with continued growth in the all terrain crane market, strong demand for rough terrain cranes in the US and other markets, a recovery in the crawler crane market in mid-2005 following a decline for the previous year, and a steady demand for truck cranes. He expects 2006 to be a good year for crane sales.

The price of high-grade steel for cranes has increased dramatically, forcing manufacturers to impose an alloy surcharge. While the previous problems of steel shortages have disappeared, the price of steel has been an issue.

The new 1,000t capacity Demag CC5800 crawler crane was announced for November release. Despite its capacity, the crane has excellent self-erection capabilities and a transport width of only 3m.

In giving some idea of the future requirements for cranes, Knecht projected the future requirements of the wind energy, nuclear power, oil and gas/coal industries and petrochemical industries, in terms of maximum loads, load moments and lift heights.

For the wind energy industry, loads of 400t will be lifted (currently 200t); load moments of 12,000tm (currently 5,000) will be required, and lift heights will rise from 125 to 175m.

The nuclear power industry will require lifts of 750t (currently 400); load moments will rise from 20,000 to 90,000tm, and lift heights will remain steady at 75m.

The oil and gas industry requirements of 300t loads; 18,000tm load moments and 125m heights will all remain constant. However, the petrochemical industry will have loads rising from 1,250t to 2,000t; load moments rising from 25,000tm to 60,000tm, and lift heights rising from 125m to 150m.

Klaus Scholpp’s presentation of lifting around the world had a mixture covering three continents, with all except a bridge erection project at a German Daimler Chrysler plant being indoor jobs involving specialised gantries and other lifting equipment developed by Scholpp. The scale of these projects was beyond what has been experienced in Australia to date.

By contrast the Mammoet presentation covered some of the large outdoor lifting technology, highlighting its portability and versatility (common components can be used in different lifting systems). New solutions are continually being developed to solve new problems, such as a “jumping jack” platform with a pedestal crane for erecting offshore wind farms. Some coverage was also given to projects undertaken in Australia by Mammoet and its subsidiary, KR Wind.

The outdoor crane display featured a Terex, two Grove and two Liebherr all terrain cranes in the 100t and over size (two were more than 200t). All cranes were sold within the last 12 months, and work in Western Australia in a range of applications and locations.

The popularity of the pick-and-carry crane was also obvious. Terex has had a record sales year with the Franna, and showed 15, 20, and 25t machines. The 15t crane was made available for a novel live auction, where it was sold for $30,000 above the reserve price. This highlighted the current popularity of the Franna, and the size of the waiting list. Terex is donating $30,000 to the Leukaemia Foundation in memory of Brian Hain, one of the founders of Franna, who died with leukaemia in 2001. The live auction was less successful for a 25t XCMG truck crane, which was passed in at below the reserve, but the novel concept of a live auction was a success.

There was a large display of XCMG truck cranes from China, and a 55t Tadano GT550E truck crane that has helped to rejuvenate the truck crane market. James Equipment also showed two Tadano city cranes that have proved popular in many fleets.

The activity in the pick-and-carry market saw the re-launch of the DRA 20-tonne crane, which has been refined following prolonged field trials. The crane is unique in having air bag suspension, and one of the two units on display showed an innovative three-stage telescopic needle jib. The six-tonne Ronco R6000 was also displayed. This combines compact dimensions with a two-man cab and 68-km/h speed, and is successfully filling a niche market.

A panel of Alexander Knecht, Hans-Georg Frey (managing director of Liebherr-Werk Ehingen), and Glen Tellock (president and general manager of Manitowoc Crane Group) formed a panel that addressed questions on the world market. The general consensus was that there would be no immediate change to the position of China in the world market (i.e. servicing a large domestic market, but not a major player in the international market in the immediate future); that tyre shortages would be a problem until mid-2006, but the solution was in the hands of the tyre manufacturers; that steel was available, but costs more; and that extended lead times for cranes would continue to be a feature of the industry.

What was intended to be a similar Asian forum proved to be a marketeering exercise that detracted from the aims of the organisers. However, there was some news of interest to the Australian market, in two new 250t Kobelco crawler cranes to replace the existing machine of which eight have been sold in Australia in the last year, details of Tadano Faun all terrain cranes that are expected to come to Australia in 2006, and the availability of Liebherr all terrain cranes with a tag axle option that has benefits in some axle weight regimes (Demag has already sold cranes in Australia with this option). Liebherr also announced a 100t hydraulic crawler crane, the LTR1100, and a 40t all terrain crane with a 35m boom, the LTM1040-2.1.

A session on safety at heights highlighted the lengths that crane suppliers have gone to in meeting height safety requirements of BHP Billiton. This includes extensive use of steps and handrails on cranes, and an Australian-designed total restraint system, the TRAM, that allows operators to safely walk along the boom (this drew interest from international people attending the conference). While these changes are being made to meet the requirements of the mining giant following a risk assessment programme, they may be a forerunner to more widespread requirements in this area.

The Lift of the Year awards again proved a highlight of the annual dinner that concluded the conference. Nine entries were received across the two categories – major and simple lifts – though the term “simple” relates more to the level of detail required in the entry than to the complexity of the lift.

Aztec Analysis won the Major Lift category for its detailed lift analysis and engineering for the installation of a 70m steel spire on top of the 55-storey Riparian Plaza building in Brisbane. A Favco 750 tower crane owned by LCR Lindores undertook the installation.

Gillespie Crane Services took the honours for the Simple Lift category for installing a rail bridge at the Parramatta Station redevelopment, where there were restrictions on site access, standing area for support vehicles, and track access time. The station is in the heart of the Parramatta CBD, and there was a stipulation that the lift was not to impact on a major building project on an adjacent site. The 87t steel bridge was fabricated off site and pre-assembled there to ensure that there would be no delays on site. It was then disassembled, reassembled on site, and lifted into position by a 400t Liebherr crane with a 27m guyed main boom.