How Important is Crane Operator Training?

A crane operator often handles and moves heavy equipment with full responsibility and hardly any supervision. Hence, crane operator training is critical to any organization’s overall training program. Proper operator training reduces the number and intensity of crane accidents, which were once a severe jolt to a company’s annual budget. 

Let’s find out more on how crane operator training ensures safety on the shop floor and becomes a critical part of business culture. 

How does Crane Operator Training Enhances Job Site Safety? 

• Whether it’s the crane operator, workforce or supervisor, when working on the shop floor, they must be aware of all the safety guidelines and stay alert for any untoward situation. This can be achieved only if they are subjected to a proper training program.  
• The training helps the operator to make the right decision or sometimes refuse to lift or handle equipment when they pose a risk to shop floor safety. This awareness enhances the overall safety of the facility. 
• A professional training program helps the operator to fulfil their jobs and take informed decisions rather than rely on instincts.
• A training program not only helps the operator understand the safety guidelines but also on crane maintenance and inspection. 
• It explains them to stop hoisting or lifting when the load exceeds the SWL limit. 
• It helps them understand how a damaged component can lead to a potential accident or equipment failure. 
• Learning to prevent and what to do during an emergency forms the big picture of the training program. 

Why Cranedge? 

At Cranedge, our commitment to keeping your equipment productive begins with a unique operator training experience. Our technician ensures that this operator training enables operators to use the equipment optimally, ensure safe operations, and perform regular health checks to identify areas of concern. Our technicians can be contacted for a consultation on our website contact form.

Top Five Benefits of Crane Maintenance

A crane is an essential material handling equipment that demands heavy lifting during operation and quickly wears down mechanical transmission systems. If you do preventive maintenance, you can extend the crane’s service life. 

What are the Top Five Benefits of Crane Maintenance? 

The Top Five Benefits of Crane Maintenance are as follows: 

1. Extend the Lifespan 

If you purchase a crane, you must ensure that you can use it for as long as feasible. Depending upon the operating conditions and working hours, one can determine the useful lifespan of a crane. But your cranes won’t survive that long if you don’t perform preventative maintenance.  

By doing routine maintenance, you can identify problems with switches, chains, hooks, motor controls, and brake controls before they entirely fail. Your crane will become damaged over time if it is used frequently. So, it is essential to maintain it to avoid breakdown. 

2. Cost savings 

When you use a crane repeatedly without maintenance, its minor issues can become consequential. For Instance, Instead of air leaks, the entire air system can fail. As a result, you will have to spend more money to fix your crane’s fundamental problems. Regular crane maintenance might help you save money. 

Additionally, you’ll avoid losing money as a result of production delays. If your crane is essential to your manufacturing process, it may be challenging to keep going if it breaks down. You can reduce expenses and downtime by spotting problems early and fixing them while they’re still fixable. 

3. Safe to Use  

Your employees’ welfare should be your employer’s priority for moral and practical reasons. Preventative maintenance on your cranes can help you avoid workplace accidents involving workers.  

Cranes that aren’t properly maintained can become hazardous to use. Your crane will be out of service until you take proper Preventive Measures. Therefore, crane maintenance enables you to identify and address complex issues and increase productivity. 

4. Improved Inspection Record 

The improved documenting of inspections is one of the significant advantages of incorporating a preventative maintenance program into crane care.  

Daily operator inspections, weekly inspections, and monthly maintenance forms can add to a never-ending mountain of paperwork. A Crane Service Provider will have the necessary knowledge about the status of your crane and make it easier for you to monitor regularly. 

5. Customer Satisfaction 

You will receive calls from disgruntled customers if your crane causes production to be delayed. This annoyance frequently results from the client feeling that you don’t value their time. Customers who are upset may occasionally leave negative evaluations. These can harm your reputation and make it difficult for you to obtain future business. 

You can avoid negative reviews with crane maintenance since it prevents your crane from breaking down. As a result, you’ll have more time to fulfil orders or attend to client demands. After that, you can concentrate on boosting output and expanding your revenue. 

Conclusion 

The repair interval of the crane or mechanism, including the overhaul time, can be efficiently prolonged by crane maintenance, extending the crane’s service life. A Crane Service Provider such as Cranedge will help you to develop the crane’s life. 

Cranedge Resonates Shop-Floor Safety

Workplace safety is of utmost importance for any assembly unit. Every company tries to eliminate hazards by implementing HSE policies that safeguard the workers & operators on the shop floor. However, the employees must also take care of their safety and adhere to the safety rules laid down by the company. Generally, all industries design their safety guidelines in order to minimize the risk of injury to the stakeholders, may it be customers for a factory visit, workers, operators, or staff members. What they miss is the regular servicing and checking of the equipment they work with. Accidents that might take place on a shop floor, could be due to improper usage of equipment or due to low maintenance of equipment. 

However, sometimes it also happens that in spite of good maintenance, certain equipment with old or obsolete technology, tends to pose a great threat to the safety of the shop floor. Such equipment not only requires good health check-ups but also requires upgrading to newer parts and upkeep with additional enhancers to make work with other modern requirements. Below is one such incident, which explains why safety should be a priority on the shop floor:

Case Study

One of the largest vehicle manufacturers in India well-known for its range of passenger vehicles and tractors faced a security threat in one of its manufacturing facilities near Pune. The plant oversees the manufacturing of heavy parts required in the vehicles and operates in 3 shifts. This plant, being set up in the initial years of the company’s operations still continues to use older machinery and equipment for its material handling needs.

One day, during routine operations, a heavy load was being handled using one of their older cranes when suddenly, the load slipped off and fell from a height of 5.5 meters. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but serious damage was caused to the machinery & the floor, which resulted in financial and operational losses. The incident sent immediate ripples within the plant, and the issue was informed to plant heads of different units to take due diligence.

This also shook the corporate office as the crane posed a real threat to the shop-floor safety. It was high time for a company which is known for its adherence to the highest level of safety standards to take the incident very seriously. A thorough probe was initiated, and an immediate “why why” analysis was done to find the causes of this mishap, and it was decided to consult industry experts. That’s when Cranedge was called in to investigate the accident, suggest as well as implement a foolproof solution as well as undertake health check-ups for other cranes, not only for the Pune plant but also for other plants across India. 

Our Solution

The Cranedge team of specialists visited the plant to investigate the cause of the incident. Their preliminary investigation revealed that it was due to the failure of the hoisting brake and that it had no contingency measures.  Just to be on the safer side, our team conducted a thorough Health Check-up of the entire crane with structural analysis (FEA) of the main girders and another visual & functional diagnosis.

A complete report on the present condition of every major component of the crane was submitted to the customer along with our recommendations for additional features to ensure higher levels of safety. The additional features included:

1. Variable Frequency Drive (VFD):

The existing crane being used of older technology; it had slip ring motors on existing hoisting machinery. Today, the industry has advanced, and the slip ring motor (being almost obsolete) has its own limitations as against the combination of a squirrel cage motor and a VFD that offers better control. VFD being more energy-efficient also helps in reducing energy consumption. Considering these aspects, Cranedge modified the hoisting machinery by replacing the slip ring motors with a new squirrel cage motor and VFD’s in electrical circuits.

2. Anti-fall System:

In case the main brake fails, the crane’s electrical system will immediately trigger as it will detect load-free fall and deploy counter measures. Here, the motor will give a reverse torque to uphold the load for a few mins with the assistance of the VFD. The system also automatically triggers a siren warning to the operator and the people in the vicinity are well informed about the emergency situation. Furthermore, it was suggested to the client that for certain select, critical application cranes, an “emergency brake” could also be deployed. This critical time interval allows the operator to safely lower and park the load at a safe location. 

New Control Panel and Drag Chains :

The crane was upgraded with completely new electrical panel housing and VFD’s along with encoders and other circuitry controls along with a new robust drag chain system.

Thus, Cranedge provided a quick diagnosis of the problem and a viable techno-commercial solution to the manufacturing plant and instilled a sense of assurance within the stakeholders about the safe operation of the crane in the future. For more such servicing solutions for your cranes, visit https://www.cranedge.com/

We Do Our Best for a Business Facing a Crane Distress

We are sure that most of you must have heard of the tragic incidence of Ethiopian airlines which crashed in 2019. Now, we are not going into the scrutiny of the incidence but taking it as a reference to express the importance of a “distress situation”. Some authorities and agencies had published that, the pilots had made a distress signal from the plane, and they were re-directed to land back by the Air traffic controller. The pilots didn’t get enough time to land the plane safely and unfortunately, a lot of lives were lost.

So, what exactly is a distress signal or a situation? A distress situation is a condition of being threatened by an imminent danger and calls for immediate assistance. A distress call takes utmost priority and should be handled by a person of authority and worked upon by specialists.

When it comes to material handling equipments like cranes, it is important that any such distress signals from the operators or maintenance teams should not go neglected. Cranedge was born out of such a commitment of attending any such material handling distress calls for any crane, any brand, anywhere around the globe. Cranedge team is of around 200+ such crane specialists possessing in depth knowledge of various material handling components for any brand or makes. The team, while rendering services to different customers, has also meticulously compiled data of over 35000+ cranes of different makes, transforming it into a large ‘Knowledge Bank’. Thus, we are equipped with all the essentials required to address any material handling related distress calls. One such distress situation is discussed below:

Distress Signal: A Case Study!

A major renewable energy sector company faced a distress situation in the year FY 2015-16. Their plant caught a sudden fire that consumed all of its inside machinery and severely damaged the over cranes as well. The company had commitments towards their customers, and they could not afford to stay sedentary for long. The customers production team was committed to restore back its full production at the very earliest. The entire team at the wind energy producing unit was determined to rebuild the facilities in the shortest possible time and immediately start production. Whatever was to be ordered under Capex, was immediately taken up.

EOT cranes play a vital role in the manufacturing process of blades and towers, as expressed in our previous blog (Wind Energy)

Operating without the cranes was an impossible task. Considering this aspect, reinstalling the cranes was among the top priorities for the company. For this, they had two options – the first was to order completely new cranes, and the second was to explore refurbishing the existing damaged cranes. Considering the condition of the damaged cranes, the client’s production team wanted to rule out the refurbishing option. While assessing the delivery period of the new cranes, they realized that it would take at least 10 weeks of time to manufacture the cranes & start installation at their site. 10 weeks was a drastically long period given the tough situation. In order to meet their delivery commitments to their customers, it was imperative to start production within four to five weeks (maximum).

Thankfully, the manufacturing unit had an AMC for all their cranes with industry experts, Cranedge. Team Cranedge was at site immediately, to assess the damages. While assessing the extent of the damage to the ten cranes, they found that all the cranes were severely damaged barring the steel structure, which needed some modification & painting. Rest all the electrical, hoisting machinery, control circuits were rendered useless. They also understood the dilemma of the customer about being unproductive for long as the end clients were getting hampered.

Our Solution!

The open option for the Cranedge specialists was to refurbish and restore the damaged cranes. Was it Impossible? Not for Cranedge! An urgent meeting with all global network suppliers was called upon at the Cranedge HO and was requested to co-operate and supply the crane kits, electricals, cables & all necessary spares at the earliest. Plans were chalked out, engineers were sanctioned at the distressed plant, schedules were set, and the workforce was planned to start work at the site, round the clock. The parent company, ElectroMech, stepped in to look over the situation & provide assistance wherever required. All necessary spares were despatched on a war footing. The excellent coordination, perfect planning, and hard work of our dedicated team yielded results on Day 15, and four cranes were made operational. The remaining six cranes were also brought to normalcy with equal diligence and speed within the next 15 days.

All the refurbished ten cranes were duly load-tested, certified by authorities & handed over for production within 30 days, as assured by team Cranedge. The production at the manufacturing unit begun operations in full swing.

The customer still has goosebumps when he remembers the situation, but also extends a heart-felt thank you to the members involved from Cranedge – Ultimately, customer satisfaction is the final goal!

A classic example of how the Cranedge team responded to a distress situation! This case deserves special attention from all our readers, that no matter how small or big the distress signal, responding and attending to the situation is the only way forward.

If you feel, your cranes and related material handling equipment needs a ‘specialists’ eye’ to see through the odds, then we are just a call away!

Before	After

Must-Have “Safety Enhancers” for Cranes!

Safety is the key to ensuring an accident free workplace. Though the cranes are manufactured keeping all the safety parameters into consideration, there are products, strategically developed, which further enhances the safety of the equipment and the operator. These safety enhancers try to nullify human errors and reduces the chance of any major mishap due to human negligence.

Cranedge has an array of products and services that help ensure safe, smooth and hassle-free operations of your cranes. These products can be easily be fitted to your existing cranes to experience many new advanced features. They allow the operator to master complete control over the equipment and enhance its performance

The following are an array of safety enhancers offered by Cranedge to our industry:

1.Sway Control

A swinging load can pose a serious threat to the safety of the work force as well the plant machineries. “Sway Control” as the name suggests prevents the free-swinging of the load when the crane is travelling with loads suspended under the hook and keeps them very stable while lifting and traversing. This is obtained by the usage of special components like encoders & a closed-loop system which detects the exact position of the hook & the suspended load under it thereby controlling the swaying of load. It also drastically reduces the time spent in stabilizing the loads, making it a must-have a feature with great benefits for your cranes having a higher height of lifts and larger size loads.

2. Anti-Collision

In several factories, multiple cranes operate simultaneously in the same bay. There can also be a scenario wherein the cranes are installed at different levels in the same bay. This always poses a threat of two cranes colliding with each other due to an error in the judgment of the crane operator. To avoid any such threats, Cranedge offers you the right solutions, with an appropriate Anti-Collision device. The transmitter–reflector duo work in unison with precision, thereby automatically detecting the safe distance, that needs to be maintained in between the two cranes. These sensors can also be synced with flashing alarms to alert the operator of a possible situation.

3. Anemometers & Crane Anchors

Outdoor duty cranes often have to bear the brunt of nature’s wrath. Be it heavy rains or strong wind forces, ElectroMech cranes are designed to stand tall in these extreme conditions. To ensure that during adverse conditions, when crane operation is not safe, Cranedge offers solutions such as “Anemometers” which can detect high wind speeds & trigger an alarm system in the cranes, hinting the operators about halting the material movement, as the conditions may not be safe.

Furthermore, as these cranes are usually gantry cranes used for various construction & infrastructure projects, crane anchors can be used on these cranes. A Crane anchor is a locking mechanism that is fabricated to the crane structure & it holds the crane firmly to its ground. It prevents the cranes from toppling and avoids serious damage to property and life.

4.Human Sensors

Human sensor is an extremely precise piece of equipment mounted on some specific cranes & related material handling products. Unlike the overhead cranes, the human sensors are fitted on ‘legs’ of gantry cranes or semi-gantry cranes, transfer carts or vertical mast of stacker cranes. These sensors can detect any person or object in its path. Once activated, they immediately actuate the brakes thereby stopping the crane.

5.Slip Ring to Squirrel Cage Motors

Several conventional cranes, especially those which are more than a decade old, were fitted with slip ring type motors. Technology has evolved but the industry still uses the old technology as the procured equipment was built as an asset. Replacing the slipping motors with squirrel cage motors offers several advantages. The most significant of them is that squirrel cage motors can be easily paired with VFD (Variable Frequency Drive). By using the VFD controller, you can experience the following advantages:

• Smooth start-stop, settable acceleration and deceleration values
• Flexibility in setting micro speed.
• The jerk-free transition from micro speed to full speed.
• Brakes get applied at almost zero speed.
• Enhanced life of brakes and crane brake liner
• Ease of connection with other devices within the universal communication protocol

Cranedge has developed an expertise in the replacement of slip ring type motors of several cranes with squirrel cage motors and the customers are experiencing enhanced productivity along with other additional benefits.

6.Load Limiter Display

A load limiter is a safety device that prevents unintentional overloading of EOT cranes, hoists, and winches. A load limiter prevents lifting of the load in the event of overloading (exceeding the safe working load of the crane) and at the same triggers an alarm, making the operator aware of the situation so that necessary steps can be taken to avoid a major mishap.

7. EMote

EMote – A unique feature with hosts of benefits from the cluster of offerings from Cranedge. EMote offers remote diagnostics of crane health and remote support for maintenance. Various sensors and condition monitoring devices fitted on the crane collect and transmit data in real-time & with the facility to store data on cloud/servers. Such data can be easily accessed by the customer and the Cranedge specialists through a portal to make an informed decision about maintenance & upgradation in the crane. Promptly attending to such maintenance issues helps in improving productivity and safety at the workplace.

Thus, to conclude, the above-discussed safety enhancers can be viewed as a boon for any workplace in many ways but the most significant advantage of having them will be to increase efficiency and productivity along with safety on the shop floor.

Crane Operator Training

Usually, any crane operator is responsible for operating the equipment efficiently and most often they go about doing their job without any assistance or supervision. This needs them to be extra careful and precise while handling heavy loads. The way they manoeuvre such large and heavy equipment and precision with which they handle the loads makes them the most skilful bunch from the whole of the workforce. However, with advanced technology and modern equipment, the need for operator training is coming to light.

The advancement in technology and equipment have ensured that crane-related accidents have become a rare occurrence. However, accidents don’t knock on your door and give prior notice before taking place, so saying that accidents have been completely eliminated – will be an overstatement. Given the current scenario, where most of the workforce is contractual labour, most of the crane-related accidents that occur are attributed to human errors, especially due to a lack of skill. A human error could be anything from a communication lapse or an operational failure, improper maintenance of the crane leading to a snap during operations, or even non-conformance to the safety standards by the operator. Thus, it becomes essential for businesses to include crane operator training to their overall company’s training module.

Why Train your Crane Operator?

Good crane operator training educates the operator to distinguish between normal working conditions and when something could possibly go wrong and needs an alarm. Operator training, thus bring in a host of benefits viz:

• Safe operations with the equipment are directly proportional to overall safety of the job site
• It reduces the risk for both the employer and the staff working at the job site and prevents any fatal occurrences
• A proper training helps the operator to handle the equipment in the right manner, assisting the operator to take educated steps in case of emergencies rather than relying on instincts.
• It educates the operator about the loads and capacities the equipment can handle at a given moment of time.
• With the size of the material handling equipment increasing day by day, good operator training will help operators understand how to avoid accidents due to obstructions.
• Overall, a trained crane operator helps to operate the equipment in healthy condition and ensure high uptime levels for productivity, eventually saving expenses on sudden repairs and downtime.

Cranedge at Your Service!

We at Cranedge believe proper training of the crane operator who is the ultimate user of the crane, goes a long way in ensuring its safe and reliable operations. Our specially designed training programmes & modules are a combination of “classroom as well as workshop training”. It enables operators to ensure safe operations and perform visual checks to identify areas that could require attention. The training programme is ideal for newly hired operators and also to educate the seasonal operators about the new technical updates in the equipment.

Thus, it can be concluded that training operators for the safe and efficient use of a crane is like an investment in the safety of employees and their workplace. It is the easiest and most practical way of reducing your maintenance costs for the equipment. Crane operator training is also the right way to educate them in operating the equipment and responding to an emergency situation while handling heavier loads.