REGIONAL REPORT | SOUTHERN EUROPE
NIKO EXPANDS IN THE SOUTH
The light crane in the image is at the end of one of Niko’s from the powder coating conveyor, which handles all the reinforcements, bridges, jib cranes, the freestanding steelwork for shipping.
with supports in four corners. “The Niko system can span up to 10m and lift 2,000kg with this type of ladder reinforcement. Having less steelworks gives a greater working area and fewer obstructions,” says Sam Upton, MD of Niko Cranes SA, a newer subsidiary within the group that was set up to increase Niko’s presence in the light crane market across Europe.
“And we have our newly introduced
Podem Datalogger, which improves safety and is also a powerful data monitoring system. It digitally processes the crane’s working cycles and real-time operational information and transforms data into insights to ease operations and maintenance management, and decision- making process for the owner.” Helm Hellas is an international company with subsidiaries in Austria, China, Germany, Poland, the US and the UK and distributors in many other countries. It is firmly based, however, in Korinthos, Greece, where it has been manufacturing for more than 50 years. It is the parent company of Niko, and the Korinthos plant is where Niko equipment is manufactured. Niko is focused on developing,
manufacturing and marketing high-quality 44 | April 2023 |
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track and fittings – it makes track for sliding doors as well as the light crane, conveyor and fall arrest markets and is a well-established player in the UK light crane market. “In the Mediterranean region, though, it is perhaps in the sliding door sector that we are most known,” says Niko’s Sam Upton. That is about to change. “Niko Cranes SA is a newer subsidiary within the group which was set up to increase our presence in the light crane market across Europe,” says Upton, its managing director. Its light cranes, he says, are ideal are for lifting solutions up to 2,000kg. “They can be used for isolated tasks,
or on a production line. The Niko track is extremely smooth and free-running. That makes it easy for the customer to move the trolley and also offers accurate positioning. The light cranes are fitted with polyamide
wheels, which are more silent than a steel alternative and need a force of less than 1% of the load to set moving.” Niko can offer anything from a kit of components to a turnkey solution. “The equipment is often supplied to
trade customers who will do their own service and installation. Niko is always looking for new partners and distributors,” says Upton. “The light crane market did see a dip
in 2021, with Covid disruption in many countries and customers seeing lockdowns and isolation periods. But many of the markets recovered in 2022 and turnover is now surpassing pre-Covid figures.” Expansion, digital technology and carbon
footprint reduction are the dominant themes for manufacturers in Southern Europe – themes that seem to be serving them well. ●
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