Crane Hot Line is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
In January of this year, when Uperio Group named Ingo Schiller the new president of Uperio North America, Sébastien Desreumaux, CEO, referred to his “deep industry knowledge.” It was an apt statement about someone whose resume shows a more than three-decade long career in the crane and lifting industry.
Over the years, Schiller has served as an executive with crane manufacturers and as an advisor to equipment suppliers. With a father who worked for a global tower crane manufacturer in the 1960s and 1970s, he was familiar with the industry long before entering it professionally.
Schiller’s focus at Uperio North America reflects that broad experience, which gives him the ability to reflect on past experiences and apply lessons learned, as well as identify today’s challenges and work to find solutions.
Addressing Challenges
“Tower crane rental companies face several ongoing challenges and some of the biggest are access to and the cost of insurance and contract management,” Schiller said. “The cost of coverage is high and rising, and even getting the right coverage in place when contracting for jobs is a daily challenge.”
General contractors often have their own coverage and standard contracts that are used for trade subcontractors, Schiller explained. Pairing and syncing insurance coverage with contract terms is critical to ensure that the work can be done with a clear understanding of who is responsible for what and when.
“However, these standard contracts do not always fit the work that is provided by tower crane companies,” Schiller continued. “In a perfect world, contractors would have or accept contracts that are specific to the lifting industry, but until that time we continue to clarify contract terms and insurance coverage requirements with each job.”
Contractual activities are an essential part of the tower crane rental process, Schiller noted, but they only account for a small part of the activities that surround ensuring that the right crane is placed properly in the right spot to meet a customer’s needs. “The bulk of the work involves engineering and logistics,” he said. “On tower crane rental jobsites that involve a number of parties.
“The complexity of planning for a tower crane deployment is much more involved and often involves more parties than for a mobile crane job,” Schiller explained further. “Before you can transport and assemble a tower crane there’s a significant amount of work that has to be done.”
For example, Schiller pointed to the need to work with engineers on the tower crane’s foundation. He advised closely inspecting anchor placement and rebar configuration before the concrete is poured. “You have to be all in when it comes to minimizing risk by planning ahead and verifying everything for correct and safe operation based on the job specs, engineering plans and industry standards,” he said.
Positive Outlook
Schiller sees a number of positive things about the current tower crane rental business and the technology available to operators. The industry’s productivity, efficiency and safety record, for example, have been elevated by the availability of advanced and effective training and certification programs.
“Sustainability is one area where tower cranes are leading the industry because most equipment is electric and emissions are not an issue,” Schiller also said. “Even if there’s not enough electricity on the jobsite through the grid to run the crane, we’re able to offer battery packs that can be continuously supplied with a low amp electrical source or a small generator that burns very little fuel.”
Looking ahead, Schiller said that new technology aimed at improving jobsite efficiency and productivity is always coming from manufacturers. On his wishlist as well are more applications of telematics that can offer a predictive maintenance capability, leading to greater reliability by providing feedback and advanced warnings about componentry that needs service or replacement.
“With a tower crane the goal is to leave the yard in perfect condition,” Schiller said. “Our crews think of themselves like people who pack parachutes. There’s no room for error. The product has to work flawlessly for the duration of a job.”
There are financial considerations as well. “The best place for maintenance and to prepare a crane for work is at our facilities before it is dispatched to a job,” Schiller related. “For every dollar it costs to address an issue on a crane at our facility, the cost goes up tenfold at every step down the path to the jobsite. That’s $10 once it’s disassembled for transport, $100 before it’s erected on-site and $1,000 after the crane is assembled.
“The quickest way to lose a customer is to have unreliable equipment,” Schiller added. “Our goal is to ensure that our equipment is ready for work on arrival and fit to perform for the duration. At the same time, though, the average length of a tower crane job is 12 months, so regular preventive maintenance is essential. Even on a bare rental crane we see and touch it at least once a month.”
The responsibility for what Schiller calls “maintaining tower cranes in the air” falls to a special breed of technicians. “The people who work on tower cranes are mechanically, electrically and hydraulically knowledgeable,” he said. They’re also willing to work on all of those things 300 to 700 feet in the air and sometimes 200 to 300 feet out on the jib.”
Offering Choices
Customers have choices about tower cranes, Schiller noted. “All types of cranes have their place, which is why we have hammerhead, flat top, luffing and self-erecting models in our fleet,” he said. “We also work with a range of manufacturers to provide the best machines the industry has to offer.”
The use of tower cranes is steadily growing and one of the reasons, according to Schiller, is that they are getting taller, longer and stronger and are increasingly suited to handle a larger range of projects. “Until the 2000s, tower cranes in North America were still considered a niche product and were not in widespread use,” he said. “Four- to five-story builds with tower cranes were unheard of prior to 2000 but by the middle of that decade they had found their footing in North America.
“The crane and lifting industry’s customers are more sophisticated and better educated about their businesses, operations and equipment than ever before,” Schiller continued. “That requires crane rental companies to do better in all facets of our engagement with them.”
In his new role at Uperio North America, Schiller is focused on that objective, including enhancing service offerings and strengthening and fostering strategic partnerships.
“I’ve enjoyed working for several manufacturers,” Schiller said. “Now on the rental and customer service side of the industry I have an opportunity that allows me to take everything I’ve learned, collaborate with a talented team and deliver lifting solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers.”
