The poll in question assessed the industry’s understanding of crane and hoist inspection and, thus, the importance it places upon it. The results will raise some eyebrows.
The poll asked: how long do you think it takes two technicians to conduct a thorough inspection of a 10t double girder top running bridge crane and hoist?
Here’s how the answers were spread: 30 minutes, 12%; 1 hour, 11%; 1-2 hours, 14%; 2-3 hours, 28%; 3-4 hours, 26%; Longer, 9%.
So, visitors were undecided whether it takes 30 minutes or more than four hours. The difference of opinion was clear from the moment the poll went live, as I outlined in a previous blog. And it didn’t improve.
I don’t mean to condemn the knowledge of the visitors to this site (in fact, they’ve proved their awareness to be generally high and astute), but surely it’s a concern that they do not know the difference between a thorough inspection (as the question asks) and a bit of a Spring clean and a dust-down, as surely you’d only have time to do in 30 minutes.
It demonstrates to me a real lack of education regarding service and I wonder if it’s one that manufacturers and service providers seize upon.
As I’ve said before, the problem for end users is that there is such a variety of service on offer, literally. They can’t all be expected to have a full understanding of the complexities of the lifting equipment they use or the service of it. For many end users a crane is a simple bit of kit. It lifts something up, moves it, then puts it down again.
Will a plant manager at, say, a local production firm really know how long it takes to service his 10t double girder top running bridge crane and hoist? So how can he be expected to choose between a plethora of service packages, without using cost as his only yardstick?
There’s a new poll on the site now, asking: what is the biggest problem with rigging? Don’t forget to have your say.
Richard Howes, Editor
rhowes@progressivemediagroup.com
