June 2014 | CranesBlog

Liebherr LTMs in mammoth airport hangar tandem lift

The Felbermayr Group has used Liebherr LTM 1400-7.1 and LTM 1350-6.1 mobile cranes in a tandem lift of a 190t truss for a new Austrian airport hangar construction.

The lift of the 100m-long truss was part of a steel skeleton erection for a maintenance hangar for business jets at Schwechat Airport, Vienna.

Wels-based crane and heavy load contractor Felbermayr also used three smaller Liebherr mobile cranes for positioning and installing cross and connecting elements.

A total of 800t of steel was lifted to form the hangar structure.

Meanwhile, Felbermayr has been investing in its Eastern European operations with purchases of the Liebherr LR 11000 crawler crane with 1,000t lifting capacity and three large LR 1750 crawler cranes.

The LR 11000 is currently installing a 300t reactor at a refinery near Bucharest.

Sennebogen precision lift for Guggenberger

A Sennebogen 643 mobile telescopic crane is being used by Guggenberger to lift prefabricated concrete sections on a residential construction project in Bavaria.

German construction and civil engineering industry supplier Guggenberger, which has its own gravel, concrete and asphalt facilities, says the 40t Sennebogen with 4-point outrigger has a range of up to 43m with attached fly boom and is lifting components weighing up to 9.8t on the site in Neutraubling.

The concrete components needed to be placed with pinpoint precision to form a storage canal under a road to channel rainwater.

Guggenberger is using the Sennebogen to cover all construction site requirements, citing benefits such as short set-up times and maximum mobility and manoeuvrability on narrow sites.

Local Sennebogen sales and service partner IBS Baumaschinen supplied the 643 M.

Liebherr builds rescue crane for German army

Liebherr has developed an armoured rescue crane for the German army to aid rescue and towing of the army’s new generation of vehicles.

Passenger protection was a high priority when the order for the G-BKF was placed, so Liebherr worked with Rheinmetall Defence to produce the armoured driver’s cab and armoured crane cab, which has been extended 250mm compared to the standard cab to provide storage space for personal protective equipment and integrate military communication equipment. The driver’s cab has a double-thickness steel bulkhead construction and the transparent armour offers ballistic protection, while the armoured crane cab is a composite build to reduce weight.

The G-BKF is mounted on a four-axle all-terrain crane chassis, using Liebherr’s own D946TI 544bhp engine. In towing mode, vehicles up to 16t can be mounted on the lift cradle, with two Rotzler Treibmatic winches mounted on the rear. A telescopic 20.9m boom can handle loads up to 20t.

New brake guidelines after accident

A New Zealand engineering and crane hire firm has issued new handbrake safety guidelines following an accident involving one of its Kato NK250V 30t all terrain cranes.

Croucher & Crowder Engineering Co Ltd issued a statement, also published by the Crane Association of New Zealand (CANZ), outlining new safety recommendations. The release came after the incident with the all terrain which saw the parked crane roll from a car park across a site access road, knocking down 25m of a boundary fence before partially tipping over the edge of a bank.

The company said the failure was caused by the crane operator misunderstanding the crane braking system with the operator believing the crane operated on an air-maxi braking system, where in fact it had the air over hydraulic type system. It said the operator had confirmed the handbrake had not been engaged.

The new directive says all handbrakes must be applied when the vehicle is stopped, with a low gear engaged.

It has also immediately addressed a “systematic failure” in its management processes that let an incorrect crane handbrake assumption carry on.

There will also be a biennial re-assessment of crane operators with a registered crane assessor so operations are carried out in accordance with legislation and company procedures, and in a safe manner.

“Luckily there was no injury to people or damage to the crane and we are putting things in place so this cannot happen again, hence the safety alert,” Croucher & Crowder managing director Marvyn Towers told Cranes Today.

Liebherr reports turnover boost for cranes business

The Liebherr Group’s tower crane and mobile crane divisions performed well in 2013, recording a turnover growth of 10.4% and 7.1%.

Liebherr’s annual results showed an increase in its cranes business, despite an overall 1.4% dip in group turnover to €8.96bn, which the firm explained as being partially due to reduced sales in the earthmoving and mining divisions. A 34% overall fall in group earnings to €364m was put down to a backdrop of “moderate economic progress”.

Liebherr’s tower crane turnover was €395.5m which the manufacturer said was due to an improved performance in Germany, Switzerland and Russia. Whilst its mobile division reported a €2.07bn turnover explained by the firm as being linked to growth in Germany, the Netherlands and the USA. The maritime cranes division saw a small rise in turnover to €830.1m.

Western Europe was Liebherr’s strongest growth region with turnover up by 4.8% to €4.15bn. Eastern European business shrank by 13.2%, while the Middle East was steady at €306.5m. Significant increases were seen in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

In America, Liebherr described business as positive, with turnover dipping only slightly to €1.47bn. Africa registered a 2.4% turnover rise to €606m, while the Far East/Australia region was 9.7% lower at €1.50bn.

Group investments in 2013 matched the previous year’s level at €830m, with the mobile cranes division investing €86.3m. The tower cranes division invested €73.2m with €71.1m invested in maritime cranes.

The company said that initial estimates for 2014 suggested its total turnover would be similar to 2013, with the total workforce expected to further increase.

Daiya’s Grove RT550E gets to work in Singapore

Singapore-based Daiya Engineering & Construction Pte has set its first Grove RT550E rough terrain crane to work on a luxury villas development in the city. The 45t capacity crane with 39m boom was delivered to Daiya by Manitowoc local dealer JP Nelson.

Daiya specified the Grove RT550E as it needed a compact crane that could access the narrow roads and offer a good reach. It also said the crane’s fast set-up time ensured projects could progress on schedule when the units were being moved regularly and lifting irregular loads.

The crane is working on a six-month project building luxury residential homes on two sites in downtown Singapore, lifting sheet piling, steel bars, concrete and timber.