DIGITALISATION
way for different applications to connect and work with each other and deliver the requested information without user intervention,” is a standard definition. Konecranes have no fewer than five APIs. There is a Service General Data API; which gives visibility into crane maintenance history. “This API provides structured access to data on which services have been performed on which assets, including the specific service products delivered during each visit.” The Service Calendar API provides proactive maintenance planning including scheduled maintenance dates and the type of service planned for each visit. Service Report API gives instant access to service documentation; a Service Request API does what it says on the can and creates service requests – such as on-call or planned repairs – directly; and the Service Visit Cost API understands the cost breakdown of service visits.
Light overhead monorails from CMCO – candidates for automation.
of production, to say nothing of warehousing and delivery. They are all part of the same enterprise and function as a whole: the crane cannot deliver raw materials to a workstation if the raw material has not yet arrived at the plant.
When the crane delivers a product to a
warehouse, delivery to the customer depends on knowing where that item has been put and when. You can automate the crane; you can do digital inventory control; you can use AI or more transparent algorithms to move object A to site B at time C at speeds and accelerations and decelerations D, E and F, and you will have hardly begun on the digital control journey. These are all part of a unified concept that is smart manufacturing. Konecranes point this out: “As [our] equipment has become increasingly connected, the company has seen a significant shift towards leveraging this connectivity to enhance operations.” “We encourage our customers to leverage our digital services to achieve the best possible results,” says Sampsa Oja, advanced services product manager, port services, Konecranes. “Investing in digitalisation is not just about adopting new technologies but also about enhancing your overall operational strategy for long-term success.” It follows that digital products do not come singly. They come in whole fleets or rafts, each to be connected to the others.
Automatic data Konecranes products in the area do this explicitly. They streamline data flows by automating the connection between different systems, such as those for spare parts and equipment data, with of course the crane usage and predictive maintenance data and algorithms thrown in. “This automation enhances overall process efficiency and enables seamless integration,” says Konecranes. We need some jargon here. In particular, we need API, which stands for Application Programmable Interface. “An API provides a standard and secure
30 | October 2026 |
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All this is useful, necessary – and crane-centred. But the crane is just a single component of a production system. Konecranes also offer dedicated Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and their dedicated materials inventory system AGILON. They also offer TRUconnect, which is a remote monitoring and predictive maintenance system. It does not directly manage or link warehouse inventories. Instead, it collects and reports crane usage, operating data, component wear and safety alerts. These are simply first steps. Konecranes themselves envision going much further. They talk of exploring what they call the industrial metaverse. “Imagine stepping onto a factory floor where machines communicate like seasoned colleagues, robots perform processes with precision and AI independently manages and optimises the flow of production,” says Konecranes. That, of course, is more or less what we were imagining above. An obvious question follows: ‘Is this futuristic? Or is it something that is already happening?’ The answer is that it is already happening.
Konecranes completed this spring a modernisation of a paper roll warehouse in Worth in Germany in which the control systems of four new overhead cranes are linked to movements also of floor-based handling trolleys, which is a first for the company and moves it from a crane manufacturer towards what they describe as a “comprehensive provider of material flow automation solutions”.
No limit to control Spanish crane-makers Jaso are similarly alive to the needs of Industry 4.0 for communication and integration; they too have extensive experience of it. They offer different levels of customised digital control, either semi-automated or fully automated according to need. Installation of multiple sensors, data acquisition, processing platforms and CCTV systems are part of their offerings, with complete communication solutions to provide access to the crane from any location. Logistics and warehouse management systems are linked to the plant production platform. Material input
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