each other – has very high market penetration. Roughly 50-75% of customers are asking for this type of automation because it is an easy feature to add, which ensures safety for the equipment and operators. We offer our customers collision avoidance in the form of our BridgeGuard system. Overload condition is another automation feature that has highly penetrated the market. This feature includes a load cell that will prevent an operator from trying to lift something that is unsafe. When it comes to anti-sway and no-go lifting, these types of automation features are not as common. Only roughly 10% of customers are asking for them. Digital automation is a large spectrum, but currently, most customers are looking to add the most basic features to modernise their crane operations. DM: Generally, Caldwell does often provide lifting equipment that integrates with automated crane systems – sensors, encoders, lights, etc. – that tell the crane what’s going on. We don’t necessarily automate ourselves per se.
OCH: What control systems are most common: pedant, remote, fully automated (as in a process gantry overhead crane that can, for instance, feed waste into an incinerator at a waste-to- energy plant without human intervention)? AK: Radio remote controls are the most common,
with pendant back-ups. For semi- and fully automatic cranes, radio remote systems are generally supplied as a back-up/manual operation. BC: In general, pendant and radio remotes are the most common crane control systems in the space. Traditionally, overhead cranes came with pendant controls, but in the past 20 years, radio remote systems have grown exponentially. Until the past couple of years, it was common for facilities to use radios to control the cranes while also having a pendant solution as a back-up. Now, as a cost-saving measure, our customers are moving away from the back-up pendant option. We’re seeing this trend… because modern radios, like our Airmark or Jay Advanced lines, are very reliable, and the receivers rarely fail. Especially with products like our Airmark radio that can be paired to any crane in under one minute, it doesn’t make much sense to buy a pendant as a back-up anymore. DM: More frequently, we’re providing radio remote control systems for our lifting devices. We’ve even had customers provide them that we’ve wired into systems. More typically, we work with a third- party supplier.
OCH: Are variable frequency drives now standard, as part of digital control? Are they now the default drive on electric machines?
AK: Yes, we have standardised on variable frequency drive/digital control. BC: Almost all customers get variable frequency drives by default when purchasing a new crane. We’re even seeing variable frequency drives added to older cranes for modernisation. DM: They’re not standard for us, but in many cases, we are utilising them.
OCH: Digital automation technology progresses far more quickly than the steel components of track and trolley, which resist obsolescence for far longer. Is retrofitting therefore an economical option for many? Is retrofitting still a major activity, and in demand? AK: Yes, modernisation of control systems is still a major activity in the market. BC: Retrofitting existing cranes is not the most seamless process, given that the life of a crane is so long. A crane might last 25 years, and think of how much technology has changed and can change in that time frame. Within the crane space, customers do routinely retrofit their cranes to add a few key digital automation safety features, such as collision avoidance or no-fly zones, but when it comes to full automation retrofitting, that process is much harder and a larger investment.
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