Cranes Today asked crane rental companies from around the world how their business has been impacted by Covid-19 and their expectations for the next six months.

Frank Bardonaro, chief operating officer at US crane rental company Maxim Crane Works, answered: “Obviously, the pandemic has had an impact on everyone. Our CEO Bryan Carlisle and the Maxim Leadership team ramped up all safety precautions in early March and equipped our entire workforce with the equipment and practices needed to ensure the health and welfare of our team in the early stages.

Demolition robot manufacturer Brokk is now offering heat-resistant options for machines working in high temperature environments such as foundries.

Extending the working lives of dock cranes through refurbishment and-or relocation has long been a feature of the global port business but, today, you just as likely to hear it described as a software update or upgrade.

United Rentals to discuss lessons learned from Covid-19 during ALH Conference keynote (11 September)
United Rentals’ Norty Turner, senior vice president, services and advanced solutions, will kick off the ALH Conference on Oct. 23 with a keynote speech that discusses lessons learned by the rental giant during Covid-19.

The National Demolition Association (NDA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on Sept. 3 that the organizations have partnered to ensure demolition best practices are being followed on job sites across the U.S. Through this collaboration, NDA will provide demolition-specific training for OSHA compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) that can be accessed across the country. The collaboration between the two organizations is part of an ongoing effort to provide training, procedures and continued education within the demolition industry.

The construction of Wind Park Fryslân has started.

With finance coming jointly from ten banks and the province of Fryslân, work has commenced on Windpark Fryslân in the Dutch IJsselmeer, south of the Afsluitdijk, six kilometers off the Frisian coast in the Netherlands. The near shore windpark is being built by Zuiderzeewind, a consortium of Van Oord and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Never before has such a large wind park been built in any fresh water lake in the world.

Chinese manufacturer Goman has launched a new 18 metre 10kV insulated spider lift.

The new model the X18D features a long riser/lower boom, three section telescopic boom made of hot dip galvanised steel sections, topped by a fibreglass articulating jib and a fibreglass two man platform.

Registration is open for the free online ESTA Awards & Market Update on 24 September. Register here to reserve your place.

GMT Total Tree Control Grapple Saw Mounted on a Telehandler Removing a large hardwood

The Fifth Annual Industry Forum on Personnel Qualifications has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 29, 2020 as a virtual event, according to the NCCCO Foundation. Scott Ketcham, director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction, will once again provide the keynote address and participate in a Q&A session that will conclude the conference.

It's hard to overestimate the influence of ancient Greek society on architecture. Buildings like the Parthenon of Athens, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion have astonished visitors for thousands of years. The Greeks were able to build these column-packed wonders and more with the help of one of their most useful inventions: the crane. Now a new study says the Greeks developed the crane even earlier than historians had suspected.

Disasters that threaten a business can happen anywhere, at any time. We know that better than ever as we are currently living through an unexpected catastrophic event. Yet, if we are all familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s advice, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,” why are many businesses unprepared when unforseen events happen?

Italian mini crane manufacturer Jekko has launched the SPX650, a medium-sized electric mini crane, which the company says bridges the gap between its SPX532 and SPX1280 models. The crane utilises proven technology from both these cranes, as well as introducing new features.

At the Manitowoc crane manufacturing facility in Shady Grove, PA, there is a small white building that sits off the beaten path from the huge buildings where cranes roll from one assembly line to the other.

A crane can lift a burden, move it sideways, and lower it. These operations, which the Greeks employed when building marble temples 25 centuries ago, are now performed every second somewhere around the world as tall ship-to-shore gantry cranes empty and reload container vessels.

As crane underwriting manager with ProSight Specialty Insurance, I have first-hand experience of the risks impacting the industry from my early years as a crane operator. Over-the-road exposure is an area that requires careful attention in understanding why insurance premiums are going up—and, more importantly, what you can do:

In May 2019, I accompanied Cyril Hausin and Severin Murer on a job to trim three sequoia trees on Rheinau Island near Zurich (Switzerland). Here is a quick peek into a day in the life of an arborist and a few key techniques to safely climb in and around big trees.

One thing we can’t overlook about the disruption caused by COVID: it’s forced almost everyone to figure out tech on some level. Follow most tech roads and where do you end up? Young people. And what does transportation and construction need more than just about anything else in coming years? Young people.

Anyone who loves discovering how mega-machines work will have lots of fun with this LEGO Technic 42108 Mobile Crane. There’s plenty to learn about engineering and movement with this cool building toy featuring 8-wheel steering, 4 individually controlled outriggers, 2 cabins and a super-high telescopic arm! With its classic black and yellow design, this model looks just like the real thing. And with a mighty range of realistic features, it operates just like a real crane too.

Even 10 days after Isaias, workers are still faced with a sizable cleanup job to get rid of the debris the storm left behind.

The Town of Huntington Highway Department is putting in 14 hours a day with about 200 people in on the job. Officials say workers have already put in 100 hours of overtime, and it's not clear when the cleanup will be done. They say it might be two or more months of cleaning, pulling out tree stumps and cleaning sidewalks.