Business South November 2021

42 | CONTRACTING Cranetech Solutions From the garage to the big leagues T T Russell Fredric C ranetech Solutions is the classic Kiwi success story of starting out small from home and growing on the back of pro- fessionalism and service excellence. The company is owned and run by Brent Sibley and Danica Thompson who started the business five years ago from their garage “with a ute and some hand tools” for field service work. Brent has a wealth of experience under his belt, having worked in the industry for 15 years. “I previously worked for another crane com- pany but there was a change of ownership which prompted me to go and do something myself. “Another experienced staff member came with me from that company, and we literally started out of my garage.” This meant they were able to keep over- heads low while establishing the business. After almost two years in business and with a growing reputation, the company moved to a 300 square metre premises in Sockburn and have recently leased another nearby work- shop space for building cranes. Cranetech Solutions has also grown an im- pressive client base and now employs seven staff. Like other businesses, finding the right staff with the right skill set and attitude can be chal- lenging, Brent says. “The staff that we currently employ at Cranetech have a number of years combined experience in the industry, all have compli- mentary skill sets, each adding to the business to get the job done professionally, and with excellence”. A core element of Cranetech Solutions business is crane servicing, maintenance, and breakdowns. From its early beginnings and with the growth of its staff and focus, it now offers re - pairs and maintenance for both the mechan- ical and electrical components on a variety of equipment. Cranetech Solutions also specialises in the refurbishment, repair, and relocation of cranes, as well as new crane manufacturing. “We tend to pick up work based on our reputation. We’re dealing with high-quality products and the clients we work with expect very robust health and safety standards and the excellent standards of workmanship that we produce. “It’s put us in quite a good position, and rep- utation-wise as well. We’ve put a lot of effort into health and safety.” The company is IMPAC Prequal assessed which means it has been independently audited for its health and safety systems and procedures. Cranetech Solutions clients in the Christchurch region include major companies that work within the construction, steel, and engineering industries. Christchurch clients make up a large portion of the company’s business, however they also service clients from all over New Zealand. Working with high value products means that a large percentage of its work is with German manufactured Demag Cranes. Other brands they service include Kone, ABUS, Kito, Nitchi and SWF. Servicing these and other brands requires advanced technical skills and specialisation; there is much more to modern cranes than wire ropes and pulleys. “This involves maintaining very high stand- ards and many of the cranes we service have got a lot of electronics in them.” Crane components such as hoists used to have a life based on their age, but computer software now records specific elements of their activity and workload, the components that need to be replaced and the overall ser- vice life of the crane. “There’s a lot more electronics involved in cranes these days than there were 10 or 15 years ago.”