In fact he could just as well have given his professional thanks. On show at the opening were three ATs in green military camouflage paint, part of a 65-crane order to the British Army via military supplier company ALC. These particular cranes, fifty-nine 35t AC 35s and six 55t AC 55s, will be sent into the theatre of war. The larger units will lift shipping containers in ports; the small ones will help out in workshops.
Although the construction industy may be primarily civilian, the crane industry owes a lot to the military. These front-line orders are just the tip of the iceberg. Almost all of the military resides far away from the front lines, within what former US president Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex.
The military relies on contractors to get its work done. Although international engineering and construction contractors such as Kellogg, Brown and Root and Foster-Wheeler may win a big turnkey contract, the crane business will eventually trickle down to subcontractors many tiers below.
Whether it is for cranes for lifting containers, maintenance jobs or civil engineering work, military crane tenders are published several times a week on Cranes Today’s web site. Less visible, but surely vastly more important, are the construction needs of the military’s own suppliers, whether they provide munitions, logistics, vehicles, diesel, habitation, or any of thousands of other requirements.
Apart from business, the military gives the crane industry something even more important: people. Five years ago, I did a two-week training course with guys who were leaving the Army to start a new civilian career. Ainscough’s new safety director Bryan Cronie is one of many who left the services to enter the construction industry. Having finished their tours of duty, these men and women bring military discipline to job sites.
Cranes Today salutes the military. On behalf of the crane industry, here’s to the army, navy and air force of the Chinese, American, Indian, Russian, Korean (North, then South), Pakistani, Iranian, Turkish and Vietnamese militaries, to name the top 10 by number of personnel. We salute number 26 too, as it is our home country. Never let it be said we are not patriotic.
