BELOW THE BOOM Ӏ SECTOR REPORT
FROM SEA TO SKY
The below the hook sector is thriving. Some of the drivers behind this include demand for custom products, subsea work, and the booming renewables sectors – both offshore and onshore. Christian Shelton takes a closer look.
A crane, like all machines, is the sum of its parts. Each element plays an important role and below the hook components are key to safe and efficient lifting. The below the hook sector is diverse; for this feature we’ve made it even more varied by expanding our remit to include ropes (hence the ‘below the boom’ tagline), as it would be erroneous to omit this link in the chain – particularly given the number of interesting developments in this sector. Plus, of course, there are multiple below the hook applications for ropes, too. The vibrancy of the rope sector is reflected by Ontario, Canada-
Unirope has
expanded its manufacturing HQ
headquartered wire rope and rigging product manufacturer Unirope who, in response to demand, has added 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space to its headquarters. It says this will improve lead times by up to 400%. Unirope has additional facilities in Quebec and Alberta; the three sites combine to deliver a service covering Canada and select customers in the USA and Europe.
CUSTOM PRODUCTS The company says that the majority of its work is on customised rigging products; 90% of all chain slings it manufactured in 2023 were unique – either in size, length, or configuration. “We have built a diversified
customer base over the last 68 years and continue to build on that strategy,” says Justin Brown, president at Unirope. “Our customers, without exception, are looking for professional and attentive service. “They want our input and
expertise; they are not looking for the cheapest and untested; they want reliability and quality.” On the other side of the North
Atlantic Ocean the Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group division of Belgium headquartered steel wire specialist Bekaert has launched a new
16 CRANES TODAY
ten-strand high performance steel rope for hoisting and luffing applications. The Dyform DSC10 PI has a compacted parallel laid rope construction with all the strands within the rope being spun/twisted together in one operation. It is used in applications where both ends of the rope are fixed and the load is prevented from rotating. Ruben Maes, global segment
director oil & gas and crane & industrial, says, “Complementing our product offering with this ten-strand rope is a logical step forward to ensure our leading position in the cranes segment. This ten-strand rope with advanced plastic covered core ensures maximum lifetime in a wide variety of applications where general- purpose ropes simply are not up for the job. The first ten strand rope with plastic core will be the basis for a further group of products, pushing the envelope in performance and lifetime.” Dyform DSC10 PI has very
high breaking strength, says Bekaert, and provides good crush resistance, an accurate rope diameter, and tight tolerance. Dyform DSC10 is designed to offer corrosion resistance with an internal plastic layer inhibiting moisture penetration to the core.
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