Orlando, Florida is the location for the 2003 World Class Crane Management Seminar, being held from 3 to 5 March.

The event is sponsored by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), the University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Management and CranePartner International.

Moderators are Gary Waissi, dean and professor at University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Management, and Rolf Lovgren, president & CEO of CranePartner International and chairman of ISO committee TC96/SC5.

The World Class Crane Management Seminar is designed for: directors and general managers directly or indirectly responsible for crane safety, operations & maintenance, plant managers, manufacturing or production managers, crane service company managers and engineers.

Speakers include: John Nelson of Mammoet, who will describe the operation which raised the sunken Kursk submarine in 2001.

Dan House of Kalmar will explain how the port equipment manufacturer supports it 40,000 customers in 140 countries.

Svein Anders Eriksson of the Norwegian Society of Lifting Technology will discuss offshore crane safety.

Walter Heinrich of Det Norske Veritas, Sweden, will explain how DNV uses ISO standards in its crane inspection business.

Marc Ostertag of PAT America will make a presentation on crane safety systems – past, present and future Doug Maclam of KCI Konecranes will discuss developments in bridge crane technology, using Nucor Steel as a case study. Last year Konecranes America won a contract to supply two 200t hot metal cranes and a service crane to Nucor’s steel mill in Jewett, Texas. It was Konecranes’ first crane contract for one of the USA’s big steel mills, and the first time an US steelmaker has purchased hot metal cranes featuring AC technology.

Mike James of Morris Material Handling Inc of the USA will present a paper on the modernisation of heavy-duty process cranes Haakan Thorner and Steven Deutsch of ABB will discuss crane control technologies, including crane drives with built in safety and performance, crane automation for harbour and industrial cranes, and upgrades of electrical crane equipment.

Ted Daly of CSX World Crane Services will present a paper on preventive maintenance on container cranes. CSX World Crane Service maintenance teams are setting industry standards by keeping cranes in service more than 99.5% of the time, with some cranes reaching 99.9 %. The company provides management and administration of approximately 20 facilities worldwide.

Steve Harris of Crane America Services will explain the benefits to be found in outsourcing crane maintenance.

Alan Chockie, Chockie Group International, will present a paper on risk-based maintenance. By systematically analysing the risk of failure, organisations have been able to make significant changes in workload and spare parts requirements, while maintaining or improving equipment reliability and operational safety of their cranes.

Kjell Kittang of crane simulator manufacturer Hitec O will explain the benefits of simulator aided training.

Graham Brent of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators will discuss the USA’s crane operator certification programme.

The seminar is followed by a guided tour of the Kennedy Space Center.

Registration fee is US $995 per person.

Further details from CranePartner International, 2891 Windwood Court, Commerce TWP, Michigan 48382 USA. Tel: (+1) 248 685 1044. Fax: (+1) 248 685 1896. Email: info@cranepartner.com Internet: http//www.cranepartner.com