Inspired Investment

For the Middle East’s overhead lifting sector there are many side effects to sustained low oil prices. On one hand some government backed client entities reliant on hydrocarbon export profits are cutting spending on infrastructure and energy related projects. On the other hand the cool down has seen raw material costs bottom out too, making it an excellent time to invest in new cranes and equipment - for those that can still afford to. In this issue, Bernadette Ballantyne, explains that this doesn’t just apply to investors. Crane companies also tell Hoist that they are able to use the downturn to invest in their own facilities and systems as well as work more closely with clients to give them the cost effective solutions that they need.

“The low oil prices in the region are definitely leading to quite a few projects going slow or being cancelled out right,” Tushar Mehendale, of India’s overhead crane manufacturer ElectroMech tells her.

“We look upon this situation from a positive point of view, because during slowdown, the clients also wish to stretch their dollar as much as they can. Hence clients typically will expect to get more for less and hence our customization approach will aid the customer in deriving maximum value for their investment.”

Elsewhere in this issue, we look at when heavy lift specialists Versabar was required to carry out a load test on a well support clamp at its Houston, Texas facility, it called on Straightpoint for two of its Radiolink Plus load cells to conduct the 150 ton proof load process.

We also place the spotlight on Street Crane Company, which is cementing its position as a leading UK manufacturer after recently completing the installation of three overhead cranes at one of the world’s most advanced factories.

AMRC Factory 2050 is known as the UK’s first reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research.At the end of last year, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing took possession of Factory 2050, which is the revolutionary, glass-walled “reconfigurable factory” at the heart of the University of Sheffield’s new advanced manufacturing campus on Sheffield Business Park.

In this issue, we also speak to Bridgend, Walesbased Rope and Sling Specialists (RSS) Ltd, which has completed load tests on a new 5t capacity overhead crane at a Lee Tunnel Thames Water site in Beckton, East London.

The crane installation, located at MVB Lee Tunnel Thames Water Site 4, was handled by Reel Crane Services UK, a division of Reel UK. This was positioned above the main tunnel shaft at the major infrastructure project and will utilise 80m height of lift and 37m travel to remove debris from beneath.RSS, headquartered in South Wales, also has a number of facilities across the UK. Its London office managed a scope of work to complete dynamic and static load tests on the cab-operated crane. Thanks again for all of your ongoing support of the magazine.