ACRP announces new members
The Association of Crane & Rigging Professionals announced new members recently. Columbus McKinnon Corp. and American Commercial Lines C have both been added to the ACRP’s list of members.
Genie acquires Phoenix Equipment Co.
Genie Industries, Inc. acquired the assets of Phoenix Equipment Co., a Waco, TX company specializing in the refurbishment of aerial work platform equipment. This acquisition is key to Genie’s strategy of continuing growth and delivering value-added services for customers.
Phoenix Equipment Co. began operation in 1996 as a small aerial lift rebuilding and repair facility. Currently, Phoenix employs more than 140 people in Waco. Phoenix Equipment does not sell or rent equipment but is dedicated to providing timely repairs, painting and annual inspections on all types of construction equipment. Since 1999, Phoenix Equipment Co. has been a factory-authorized Genie Industries refurbishment and repair center.
John Carhart, founder of Phoenix Equipment Co., will continue with the company as it joins Terex AWP.
Safety Vision announces new chief technology officer
Safety Vision, a provider of mobile digital video solutions, appointed Christopher Fritz as chief technology officer. In this new role, Fritz will focus on developing technical solutions that help account executives win proposals in the mass transit, law enforcement and pupil transportation sectors. He will also be integral in developing partners to round out the company’s mobile video solutions suite and identifying new technology trends that keep Safety Vision on the leading edge.
DEUTZ appoints chairman of management board
The supervisory board of DEUTZ AG, Cologne, has appointed Helmut Leube as the new chairman of the management board with effective Feb. 1. His contract runs for five years. He will replace Gordon Riske, who moved to the KION Group at the beginning of October 2007. Helmut Meyer, the company's CFO, was the acting chairman of the management board for the period Oct. 2007 to Jan. 2008.
JLG expands aftermarket services; opens California service center
JLG Industries Inc., a subsidiary of Oshkosh Truck Corp., opened its fourth major U.S. ServicePlus Center to provide local aftermarket support for JLG customers in CA, NV and AZ. JLG’s newest customer support center, located in Riverside, CA, just outside of Los Angeles, provides equipment service, mobile tech support, parts stocks and used equipment for JLG equipment rental and distribution customers. Customers can also schedule operator, service and product training classes at the center.
Southern Industrial Constructors/Southern Crane names business development director
Southern Industrial Constructors/Southern Crane named Josh Payne as its director of business development. In his new capacity, Payne will seek to grow the companies’ relationships with existing clients, as well as look for new expansion opportunities.
Hitachi introduces large capacity AC drives
Hitachi America Ltd., Industrial Systems Division, introduced high-capacity SJ700 Series of inverters. The SJ700 extends Hitachi’s model range up to 500 hp, and expands on the performance, capabilities and functions of the SJ300. Three models, 250 hp, 400 hp and 500 hp are being released at this time. The SJ300 remains to cover the range from 200 hp and below.
The product features an improved Sensorless Vector (SLV) control algorithm that enables the SJ700 to develop more than 150 percent starting torque at 0.3 Hz. Using Hitachi’s unique “0 Hz Domain” open-loop control mode, the SJ700 can develop 130 percent torque at 0 Hz, ideal for vertical lift applications. At the same time, Hitachi has simplified the autotuning process.
The SJ700 also has features such as built-in RS485 Modbus/RTU communication, and options for other communications networks, such as Ethernet Modbus/TCP, DeviceNet, Profibus and LonWorks. The SJ700 can be configured via the front-mounted keypad or using Hitachi’s ProDrive PC-based software.
A global product, the SJ700 carries CE, UL and c-Tick marks, and is RoHS compliant.
Grove GTK1100 debuts on wind power site in Germany
Manitowoc’s Grove GTK1100 crane has completed its inaugural lift series at a jobsite in Germany. The crane first appeared at the bauma 2007 tradeshow in Munich, Germany.
The GTK1100’s first job was in Ilshofen, Baden Würtemberg in the southern part of Germany. Energy provider Repower Systems is installing a 2 kW wind turbine at the location and selected the GTK for an initial project.
The crane is designed to travel on four or five trailers depending on its configuration and local road regulations. For the Baden Würtemberg job the crane required only four trailers as there was no counterweight required for the lifting configuration.
The GTK1100 completed five lifts on the jobsite. The first three were the wind turbine tower mast sections that weighed 62 tons, 53 tons and 45 tons. Next, was the installation of the heaviest element, the nacelle, which weighed 70 tons. Finally, the crane positioned the three rotor blades (each weighing 8 tons), which were assembled on the ground before being lifted, as a single 42-ton load.
The GTK1100 has a 250.9-foot vertical tower that is topped with a five-section 196.8-foot telescopic boom. It is able to lift loads of over 70 tons to heights of over 393.7 feet. |
