The Konecranes approach to crane maintenance

Jim Skowron, Konecranes

Skimping on the maintenance of vital equipment that lifts thousands of tons isn’t just asking for trouble, it’s asking for negative consequences to an operation’s bottom line.

At Konecranes, we take an approach to crane maintenance that focuses attention on the entire lifecycle of a crane. In turn, this approach not only improves the safety and productivity of our customers’ operations, it also lowers their lifetime cost of crane ownership.

Hundreds of thousands of assets around the world are supported by our Lifecycle Services, setting our expertise and knowledge apart from other crane maintenance programs. This provides us unparalleled insight into trends among manufacturers, evolving technology and types of cranes. It’s also enabled us to develop comprehensive crane maintenance programs that promote long-term safety and performance.

Customized crane service programs

The foundation of our crane service program is the establishment of a maintenance standard, followed by inspections and preventive maintenance. In developing a maintenance standard, our experts customize each customer’s crane service program based on applicable local crane regulations – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) overhead crane standards in the United States, for example – plus original equipment manufacturer (OEM) guidelines.

We also determine how each customer uses their equipment and how that matches up with the equipment’s design. Based on the established standard and our inspections, we then perform preventive maintenance.

Recommendations based on inspection results

Initial inspections often result in repair recommendations that will bring a crane into good operating condition. In the case of older equipment, we sometimes recommend modernization as a more cost-effective alternative to repair. As technology evolves, modernizations often make good financial sense, helping customers take advantage of advances in safety and productivity innovations while extending the useful life of their equipment.

Remote monitoring aids in maintenance planning

Between inspections, we offer a technology that alerts crane owners to immediate problems – TRUCONNECT Remote Monitoring. Designed as a compliment to an inspection and maintenance program, TRUCONNECT collects crane condition and operating data for select components impacting safety, operations, or design life of the equipment that can help fine-tune a maintenance program. 

Education is another component of our crane maintenance programs. Our technicians educate customers on crane usage, including the requirement for a pre-shift operational check and note when crane operator training is recommended.

Learn more about what sets Konecranes Service apart

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