Konecranes provides overhead lifting equipment service and repair in California from two locations, with one site in Livermore and the second in Corona. This autumn, the company as a whole was awarded a Gold rating for a third straight year from EcoVadis, a global business sustainability rating agency. EcoVadis’s evidence-based assessment covers a broad range of non-financial management system impacts and sustainability performance including environmental, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

Konecranes’ actions, policies and reporting put it in the top 4% of all rated companies globally, and in the top 1% of its general-purpose machinery peers, while its total score improved versus 2022.

“This recognition from an industry benchmark like EcoVadis confirms that Konecranes is taking meaningful steps towards its sustainability targets. This is not only good for the planet – there are clear business benefits as well given how the EcoVadis rating is increasingly examined by companies when choosing their equipment and service partners,” says Konecranes president and CEO Anders Svensson.

“Konecranes wants to lead the sustainability efforts in our industry. The EcoVadis Gold rating with the improved total score and our high placement among all rated companies, not just versus our peers, confirms that we are making clear, concrete progress towards this goal,” adds Anniina Virta-Toikka, head of sustainability at Konecranes.

Konecranes has distilled the material aspects of its operations into four commitments for sustainability: it enables a decarbonised and circular world; it delivers safe and secure material handling solutions; it creates a fair, inclusive, diverse and engaging working environment; and it expects the highest ethical standards of itself and its business partners. The company has set ambitious targets for all four areas, and regularly monitors and reports its progress towards meeting those commitments.

To learn about the progress Konecranes made in sustainability last year, as well as how the company manages its economic, environmental and social impacts, see the latest sustainability report at https:// shorturl.at/jvFN5.

Corona

A five-minute drive up the road from Konecranes’ Corona site is Harrington Hoists’ Western division. Last spring, the company, which has its headquarters in Manheim, Pennsylvania, released its new Tiger Track Freestanding Workstation Cranes. The cranes are offered in single and double-girder configurations in all steel, all aluminium or with an aluminium bridge and steel runway. They are available in standard or low-headroom styles, with raised bridges in capacities of 1/8t through to 2t capacities.

“The cranes are lightweight yet powerful modular solutions that make operation even easier than using traditional bridge cranes,” says the company. The enclosed track design is said to maximise smooth movement and minimise the accumulation of dirt and dust in the track, which means operating the system takes “very little effort from the user”.

Harrington Tiger Track cranes are fully customisable to fit material handling and production needs and can be modified by adding components as production or facility requirements change.

Anaheim

American Equipment has sites across the US, with its Californian locations to be found in Anaheim, Brea, Pittsburg and Victorville

The turn of the year will see the first anniversary of the company’s acquisition of Shannahan Crane & Hoist, a provider of engineered overhead crane systems and maintenance, repair and overhaul headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The acquisition of Shannahan Crane marked the 14th add-on acquisition completed by American Equipment since partnering with private equity firm Rotunda Capital Partners in May 2021.

Speaking at the time of the acquisition, American Equipment CEO Adam Zimmerman said: “We now have a physical presence in 45 cities throughout the United States. This vast network brings us closer to more customers than ever before and I’m excited to take advantage of the many collaboration opportunities that await us.”

Modesto

CraneTech also has sites across the country, with its Californian sites being in Modesto, Fresno and San Leandro.

Earlier in the year, it announced that it had taken on its 100th employee. That individual was Chris Peña, who joined the company as a regional manager in Houston, Texas.

“We are incredibly proud to reach this important milestone of hiring our 100th employee,” said Eric Factor, CEO of CraneTech, speaking at the time. “It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our entire team, as well as the trust and loyalty of our customers. We look forward to continued growth and success as we serve the needs of our clients and help bring the crane industry forward.”