EXPERT COLUMN | BELOW THE HOOK


MADE TO MEASURE


Only when the whole supply chain is involved, can a manufacturer design the perfect custom below-the-hook product.


There remains a constant need for custom, bespoke, or non-standard equipment; and it’s always a team effort.


about the importance of applying the right material handling product to the application, and it is alignment with that way of thinking that begins the tailor-made process. There are hundreds of below-the-hook


A


products, many of which we’ve explored in the previous 17 editions of this column. There are tools that cannot release the rigging while loaded; spreader and lifting beams; products that manipulate loads in the air; vacuum attachments; lifting points; and clamps. Capacities range from a few pounds up to many hundreds of tons. It seems like there is a product for everything, from handling delicate parts in an aerospace facility to picking up rounds with an inner diameter at a steel plant. However, there remains a constant need


for custom, bespoke, or non-standard equipment. Some customisations start as a standard solution that is modified to a large or small extent, while others begin as a blank sheet of paper. Here at Caldwell, a large amount of our revenue is generated via custom solutions, and closer to 60% of orders require a level of engineering to fit an end-user’s application. Our SmartSpec is an online tool that


allows distributors to configure lifting equipment. It resembles other advanced


18 | June 2024 | www.hoistmagazine.com


s we know, placing loads in a lifter that they are not designed for can be very dangerous. We have commentated a lot


product configurators but is unique in giving customisation options to dealers specifically looking for non-standard below-the-hook equipment. Our recent custom projects include a


system for rotating a track section during manufacture of the world’s most powerful telescope, which was based on a 242,500- lbs. (110t) capacity modular spreader beam and two 20t capacity swivel hoist rings; and, also outer-space in theme, a 2,500-lbs. (1.1t) capacity transport cradle, featuring a standard lifting beam with swivel hooks, enabling a dual crane connection for moving a lunar lander. Both contracts emphasised the importance of manufacturer, dealer, end user, and other parties, all working together. Only when the whole supply chain is involved, can a manufacturer design the perfect custom product. Oftentimes, a manufacturer’s distributor network or representative will establish the initial contact and gather application details, but everyone must eventually be around the table, including the user. Once a customised end product has


been conceptualised and designed, it must be quoted to the supply chain, and then the engineering and building process can begin, which is often a case of bringing custom components together to make a larger, bespoke tool. There might be a need for third parties to be integrated for large custom machining, load testing, special


painting, and weld inspections, for example. Thusly, custom solutions are typically more expensive than standard tools. In any specialist industry, it is only possible to successfully fulfil custom orders with an intrinsic understanding of the sector and the engineering horsepower to back it all up, including access to finite element analysis, welding certifications to AWS D14.1, blasting and painting specifications to NACE standards, etc. If a user has identified a need for a non-standard product, they should always trace the manufacturing process to source. As one might imagine, customisations


require an extent of testing; with off-the- shelf products, these steps have been taken long before in the design process. When working with manufacturers that are heavily involved in both standard and custom products, the whole supply chain has peace of mind that they are partnering with a business that has the necessary bases covered and is constantly gathering intelligence from all kinds of vertical marketplaces. Regardless of the type of product,


duty cycle, and other variables, while manufacturers and the manuals they write define use, inspection, and maintenance criteria, the owner is responsible for taking that information and establishing best practice at the point of application. By Dan Mongan, senior sales engineer, The Caldwell Group.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69