Global demand for cranes, shifting but steady

The September 2012 issue of International Cranes and Special Transport includes several articles discussing regional slowdowns in crane demand - though it’s not all bad news. As is usually true, when demand decreases in one location it usually increases in another. While China’s demand for mobile cranes has fallen 45% over the first six months and Europe’s demand for tower cranes remains low; North American and Latin America have seen improving demand.

In the article Alex Dahm interviews Eric Etchart, President and General Manager of Manitowoc Cranes. Eric describes how North America’s demand seems to have bottomed out in 2010, but is showing improvement in 2012. Eric further explains how Latin America demand is still strong. He mentions the 20 tower cranes in use at the Panama Canal expansion project. It’s an excellent interview worth a quick read and it provides a helpful overview on the demand for cranes globally.

Tower Cranes, Crawler Cranes, Boom Trucks, Etc.

Overall therefore, it appears the global market for cranes is stable. But stability is a double-edged sword. It means construction is steady, but not growing. This generally translates into companies focusing on controlling costs. Maintenance and uptime of existing equipment becomes paramount.

When affordability and maintenance meet

Smart operators perform maintenance regularly. Longer and more frequent usage can put more stress on all motor and control parts. To help control maintenance costs many operators are turning to equivalent replacement electrical parts rather than purchasing the more expensive OEM parts.

Repco, in Marlton NJ, maintains a large inventory of replacement electrical contacts, control coils and carbon brushes compatible with most leading crane manufacturers. Repco replacement parts offer substantial savings and match the OEM parts in form, fit, and function. It’s why for both older and new crane motor and control parts, Repco is a good replacement source.