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I n the world of truck-mounted cranes Finnish firm Hiab is
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a byword; it produces more than 100 models, although, as its ;orporate brochure states, customisation o meet customers' demands makes for "an incountable number of individual crane ;onligurations".
Of all Hiab's products, the biggest to date is he new XS 1055 92tm model. CM viewed it it Hiab's second largest truck-mounted crane actory, in Zaragoza, northern Spain. The Aant has 20,000m of floor space, employs 240 )ersonnel and last year produced more than ,250 cranes.
Julio Borque, factory manager,gets the hall 'offing in the waiting area where we see the nost important material: high-tensile steel. 'We have consignment agreements with )ur suppliers," he says. The steel is forged in iweden,Austria and Italy, and consists of i00N/nun' and 1100N/rnm2 product.
)uick transformation
[he steel stock does not wait around for long: he emphasis is on transforming it into Hiab mroduct as soon as possible. Lasers slice the tee before it is sent to the bending machines; hese reduce the need to fashion the steel sheets from separate sections and effectively shorten the welding process.
Robot, as well as manual welders, are used at the Zaragoza factory. After the mechanical welding, one of 45 welders fine-welds the crane booms,a secondary process that doubles as a quality control measure in its own right.
Borgne takes us past the outdoor testing area and on to the assembly plant.All Hiab's truck-mounted cranes are made to order, which inevitably leads to a degree of customisation. In addition to this, says Borgia!, in 2006 some 10% of cranes were supplied in a colour other than the standard Hiab black.
After touring the hydraulics area and its range of control panels,Borque shows us a Hiab 550 undergoing final testing— it is one of the manufacturer's larger models. -Here we see the big toys," he says proudly."Once we have assembled a complete system. it is taken to a test bench."
A short mini-bus trip later, we find ourselves at a restaurant where Eduardo Calejoro, vicepresident,sales and marketing, leads us to the car park at the rear to see a stationary Scania 360 rigid, a demonstration truck which bears two new Hiab cranes: an XS 211 20tm, and the mighty flagship, the XS 1055 92tm.
The 211, says Hiab, is a perfect tool for smaller installation jobs and digging.An inner boom link makes it possible to lift a heavier load close to the column, while the outer boom link helps in lifting to higher positions. Fully extended,the 211 cuts an elegant silhouette across the Spanish sky.
Graceful giant
As stately as it is, though, CM has come to see the high-tensile steel sections of the XS 1055. Hiab describes this lofty piece of equipment as a "graceful giant". Certainly, it extends itself with little fuss.
It has eight hydraulic extensions and when fully vertical stands 33m high. Stretched out parallel with the ground, it reaches 29m and at this length can lift a 1240kg load.With the jib so far away from its host truck, they appear to be separate entities.
Technical specifications aside, the demonstration underlines the versatility of the apparatus. Hiab says its "diesel consumption and contamination have been reduced and the profitability increased-.
Truck-mounted cranes are potent pieces of gear, because a flat does not have to rely on third parties' cranes to load and unload, making it attractive to customers who do not want to invest in pricy lifting equipment.
Available in Britain
The XS 1055 was completed in September, at the Spanish factory, while the XS 211 was made in Sweden. Product manager Sergio Peiro says the 1055 is now available to British operators.The use of high-quality steel means it is slimmer than many of its competitors.
Hiab cranes are commonly used in the waste and recycling, defence, industrial products and building material sectors.
Ismo Leppanen, UK managing director, says of the XS 1055: "It's nice to see that we have stepped up; it is still within the XS concept — a modular build with a slim structure."
He confirms that the lirst XS 1055 order has been placed in Britain and that the firm is in the process of negotiating the second. It costs £150,000. which includes installation. Hiab makes a point of its willingness to tailor its machines to customers' demands, and this formidable piece of machinery will be no exception.
"This is the cherry on the cake; we can more or less cater for all the customer's needs," says Leppanen.
Hiabs in the builders' merchants sector are worked hard and have a projected life of around eight years, he says. B ut gear such as the XS 1055 will be used for specialist jobs, which will mean a longer lifespan. In the UK, Hiab now offers full service and maintenance packages.
As CM departs the site, we can't help wondering whether Hiab is going to build a crane larger than the XS 1055. Calejoro delivers his answer promptly: "We will not reveal our strategic plans. But we are not stopping anywhere," he says.