Forktruck manufacturer Sellick Equipment uses Gorbel® Workstation cranes to assist with their assembly process.
In 2002, Gorbel purchased the Cleveland Tramrail®
product line, and transferred manufacturing to a third new building onsite. Cleveland Tramrail had a long legacy, allowing Gorbel to now offer material-handling solutions in capacities to 40-ton. From 2005 to the present, Gorbel opened a sales office
in Troy, Michigan, opened a plant in Beijing, China, and continuously added innovative, industry-altering products and services to its stable. “Certainly, the market for our products played a role in
our growth,” said McNeil. “A growing market was a good fit for a company that was reliable and fast. But we’ve also been very broad in terms of industries we serve—even today.” Ultimately, however, McNeil credits an additional cultural
ingredient with consistently driving the company forward. “We certainly have a common thread—reliability, speed, and responsiveness—which has been the thread since my first day
“A GROWING MARKET WAS A GOOD FIT FOR A COMPANY THAT WAS RELIABLE AND FAST. BUT WE’VE ALSO BEEN VERY BROAD IN TERMS OF INDUSTRIES WE SERVE - EVEN TODAY.”
here, but there’s something else, perhaps best described as restlessness. In that there’s always just a general feeling that we can do better, we’re not satisfied with the status quo, there’s always more things, new things—improvements in our existing businesses and other businesses that we can get involved in.”
COMMITTED TO THE PURPOSE Such a philosophy is at the heart of what is perhaps Gorbel’s most impressive innovation: CraneBrain®. “CrainBrain is a web interface with some very simple parameters and inputs,” said McNeil. “We allow customers to customize crane systems—creating drawings, building materials for us, and pricing instantly while the customer’s online. If you’re designing a crane system—literally everything you need to know—CraneBrain comprises software that does all of that for you. With basic information input, we can do it all: engineering, materials, design work, and then when you’re done, we create an AutoCAD drawing and a price.” Admitting that CraneBrain comes from precisely that
place of creative restlessness, McNeil pointed out that the system itself has gone through four major upgrades since the mid-nineties—the latest of which is a three- dimensional version.
30 SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2018 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
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