We’ve looked at the past, now it’s time to focus on the future: we ask a number of key industry players what their strategy for further future development is.

WIM SARENS, SARENS CEO:

Our family’s blood runs Sarens blue, so I grew up in the world of heavy lifting. My first memory was attending a nighttime bridge lift in Belgium. I was about eight years old and there with my twin brother and father.

SEATTLE — When a tree falls in the city, does it make a table? Or a guitar or a cabinet?

It’s a question that’s increasingly being asked by state and city leaders, arborists, tree care companies and woodworkers. A growing coalition aims to turn urban wood into a valuable resource, rather than a waste product that is chipped up and sent to landfills.

Wire and fiber rope research is intense. D.Ann Shiffler reports.

Over the past decade, a handful of crane OEMs have partnered with wire and synthetic rope manufacturers to research the idea of replacing heavy wire rope with lighter fiber rope. The idea is to reduce weight without conceding strength.

One of the new product launches at Bauma that could easily have been missed was the new six tonne Böcker AK48 and more importantly the all-electric AK48e version which is mounted on a 27 tonne, battery powered Mercedes eActros electric chassis which uses three lithium-ion battery packs with a range of around 300km between charges.

Construction group Swietelsky is using a Palfinger PCC 57.002 articulating boom crawler crane for the construction of a hydro powerplant in a cavern deep inside the Austrian mountains.

The new Tauernmoos pumped storage powerplant, owned by railway operator ÖBB-Infrastruktur – which gets all the electricity for its trains and stations from renewable energy sources, is being built by Central and Eastern European construction group Swietelsky deep inside the mountains in Upper Pinzgau, near Uttendorf, Salzburg, Austria.

Arboriculture is defined as the care of individual trees or the cultivation of trees and shrubs. How did this practice come about and when and where did it start? I will attempt to provide a brief, and certainly not a complete, history of this practice.

Digital fleet management and crane monitoring hardware and software from Comansa designed to increase efficiency and cost savings

Spanish tower crane manufacturer Comansa has launched Crane Mate, a digital fleet management solution. The system debuted at the recent Bauma trade show in Germany.

Self-locking hooks, also known as safety hooks, have changed the lifting industry, but their use has yet to become universal.

Self-locking hooks, also commonly known as positive locking hooks or safety hooks, are used in all applications, from industrial manufacturing to offshore oil and gas. There are many clear benefits that end-users have found in switching from sling or standard hooks to self-locking hooks – all contributing to enhanced safety in lifting operations.

With the weather finally cooling down and rains around the corner, fall is great tree planting time! And just like kids, young trees need a boost in the right direction to get them set for life. Use the tips below to make sure your new trees survive and flourish!

Whereas many think that digger derricks are just trucks equipped with a boom, a winch, and an auger, they can also be tracked vehicles, which outperform wheeled vehicles in rough terrain and sandy, swampy, and snowy ground conditions.

Hoists and hoisting operations have become safer over the years, but accidents still happen and sometimes they can be very serious indeed. Julian Champkin reports.

A properly maintained hoist, used as it should be by a trained and competent operator, is generally speaking a safe machine. Nevertheless its purpose is to lift a load to a height, which is an inherently dangerous situation. Regulations on the construction and use of hoists, and a generally greater awareness of risk, have in recent years reduced the number of workplace accidents involving lifting gear; even so, accidents still happen, as the recent examples of OSHA reports from the past 18 months show – and OSHA has several others from the same period. They include non-fatal injuries ranging from amputated fingers and toes to a crushed pelvis.

Last month, DICA participated in the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association’s (SC&RA) Annual Crane & Rigging Workshop in Dallas, Texas, which provided critical industry updates for users of cranes. The association reported nearly 600 people in attendance.

It takes training, trust and clear communications for a crane operator to safely lift and place tons of materials. The risk is high and the lessons for government contractors should be clear.

S.T.A.R. (Stop, Think, Ask/Act, Review) is a powerful tool that we can apply in any situation — personal or professional — to reduce the chances of being involved in an incident.

As an arborist, stopping is one of the first things we do upon arrival. When we arrive at a job site, it’s important to STOP and conduct a simple assessment that includes looking from a distance, noticing any dead limbs, or anything else obvious.

A new, three-mile-long Howard Frankland Bridge is being constructed over Tampa Bay in Florida, alongside the famous-yet-flawed original span. A mega fleet of over 20 Manitowoc crawler cranes is being used to drive sheet and concrete piles, adapted for use in the marine environment in partnership with dealer Walter Payton Power Equipment.

Engineered Material Handling (EMH) offers the G-Series crane kit to help users design, manufacture, and install their own cranes. By integrating the new EMH EG series hoist, users can expect more capability, including enhanced trolley adjustment, the company states.

The question of whether construction subcontractors are “employees” is in question once again, sparking debate among industry stakeholders over what that classification means and whether it’s necessary to ensure workers’ rights.

On Oct. 13, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to help employers and workers determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

any geographies had an extremely dry summer. How does drought impact trees? The lack of water adversely affects nearly all plant processes. Plants are unable to to produce food, which results in weakness and limits growth. Drought stress also increases the chance of harmful insect and disease infestation. Long-term drought can eventually lead to branch dieback and tree decline.