FEATURE | BELOW-THE-HOOK
the-hook devices, might look the same: a lifter, a beam, a clamp. A key difference, however, is that smart devices include sensors and might enable connectivity or autonomous management of tasks or data collection to measure what’s happening, alert operators to risks, automatically adjust lifts or be able to better understand the wide span of safety and maintenance needs. This could be load cells to alert to potential overloading regards weight, tilt, balance and orientation monitoring, automatic release mechanisms to prevent vacuum or clamps from releasing if still carrying a load. Alternatively, it might be data logging to help forestall overload or help with predictive maintenance or inform operator assistance and move towards at least part autonomous lifting. All critical when it comes to safety. “There is a big push towards keeping people from touching loads,” says Sherwood. “Whether that’s through mechanical or electronical…we have options in the product line.” Indeed, there’s a broad range of products on
the market when it comes to smart below-the- hook devices. Mazella, for one, manufacture what the company describes as a very popular ‘no touch’ Elebia hook, which allows remote control, has a built-in fail-safe no-open device, detects if the crane or hoist is overloaded and has automatic torque limits that can cancel unsafe operations. “This automatic open and close crate hook allows engaging with loads in areas that [businesses] either don’t want to put a person in or can physically get someone there…it’s a remote- controlled hook and we’re seeing these taking off like crazy because touch-free initiatives are being put in places everywhere,” says Sherwood. This is so-called smartness led by safety. However, the ‘smart’ market is not just being
led by keeping people out of harm’s way. The Caldwell Group retails (among countless devices) a telescoping coil that has sensors to detect the diameter of the metal coils it bears, can underwrite automatic handling, with other sensors that enable protection of the load as well as sensors that manage weight. In short, it allows the below- the-hook device to manage data collection. Elsewhere, HVR Magnet manufacturer’s magnetic grippers that fit into automated systems (such as factory settings that prioritise automation and humans being at a safe distance) for welding, picking and placing. Of course, safety, like Mazella’s Elebia hook, is front of mind here, but it is centred alongside productivity. “But it is mainly safety…driven by those new safety people in companies…and they need to clean up the lifting devices,” says Dan Corral, below-the-hook manager at Mazella Companies.
Indeed, a smart-below-the-hook is a logical
next step as industries embrace automation and intelligent production systems. HVR Magnet’s magnetic grippers claim to boost efficiency, reduce operational costs and streamline while foregrounding safety (in processes such as unloading, bending and welding) – critical in
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steel production, automotive manufacturing and manufacturing of renewable technology, such as wind and precision machining. It’s a similar safety bent that’s made the Elebia hook popular, says Sherwood. The Elebia auto-hook is part of Mazella’s broader no-touch offering, popular in the steel industry which over recent decades has increasingly focused on safety. Many steel mills are now prioritising implementing no-touch environments in order to keep workers out of harm’s way. For one, hooks in steel mills are used from melt shop to shipping but one of the critical uses is in handling graphite electrodes, which weigh several tonnes and are incredibly hot. The Elebia hook, being smart, can be remotely controlled (from over 450ft away keeping operators away from hot loads and indeed repetitive heavy manual labour), has fail- safe technology, meaning the hook won’t open and risk dropping debris on workers. Mazella go further with their smart products.
In steel production, electrode addition (critical for maintaining thermal energy for melting scrap steel) can be completed via Mazella’s no-touch system, which uses automated below-the-hook devices that can lock, suspend, rotate, weigh and measure pressure as well as oversee critical control. This not only keeps safety and efficiency front of mind but enables continuous production and sensors (such as a weigh scale) can help track electrode consumption, which better calculate overall usage and can determine cost-per-tonne of steel. “Traditionally, someone had to get on top of the furnace,” says Sherwood. “But sometimes these bumped off electrodes because of slack [human error] on the crane hook…and that’s where these Elebia hooks have come into their own because of keeping people out of harms way and preventing catastrophic accidents.”
And though not smart per se, and in line with
the customer-oriented products that Mazella pride themselves in offering, customisation options come as standard: be that a custom shank to fit the hook to the crane block, shield for heat resistance, protective bumpers to protect product being carried and LED light system to showcase whether the crane and hook are ready to lift – critical for operators manipulating the system remotely from away. Crucially, smartness or not, the robust nature of the product is also critical: Elebia is said to be able to complete three million cycles without mechanical failure. The overall picture this paints is one where it’s not just safety that drives smart offerings – but it is safety that is primarily driving growth in the below-the-hook market. Total growth for those that retail below-the-hook devices is projected to be a consistent 4.9% CAGR from 2025 to 2032: rising from £1.47bn last year to £1.95bn. This is driven by safety foremost, particuarly those new safety standards that requires use of certified lifting equipment. Of course, this then influences purchasing decisions. This is borne out by the data: the purchasing of below-the-hook lifting
devices has grown 18% over the past years in sectors that previously had high risk profiles. Smart below-the-hook especially can minimise worker exposure to dangerous lifting situations. Indeed, this is where the field is headed next.
“The next step is to have the human aspect taken out of [the manual work],” says Sherwood. This means smart integration driving safety.
Not just safety, not just smartness There are other considerations. The Elebia Hook, for one, isn’t just about safety but about outcomes and productivity. In material handling environments, the need for productive and increasingly automated decisions is also driving decisions. But this doesn’t always mean that companies are always looking for automated or smart below-the-hook solutions. “Companies are looking for what technology can make them safer,” says Sherwood. “But they’re not asking to change their process to add more technology for the sake of it.” Indeed, as Sherwood lays out, sometimes it’s
less technologically adapted below-the-hook solutions that companies might still turn to – as long as they are safety complaint. “The simpler the device the less downtime you’re going to have on it,” he says. “Less breakdowns, less parts… less talented maintenance staff.” In Sherwood’s view, it’s not as though smart below-the-hook devices, such as the Elebia Hook, are complicated per se, but they have more inputs. And they also come with a bigger price tag. “And they require a pretty big maintenance team to get that type of device running.” What this means for the market, says Sherwood, is a balance: “It’s about where does technology make life easier, more efficient and how technology can make that happen.” In many ways, this returns to the customer’s needs. Of course, safety regulations and growing smart below-the-hook options frame buying decisions but, says Mazella’s Corral, any below-the- hook decision by the buyer is still about the task at hand, whatever industry they are in. “It’s about size [of what needs lifting or manufacturing], it’s about load or the capacity,” he says. “That’s why there’s demand for custom designs…that’s [been popular] over the last few months.” Of course, customers need to adhere to
safety regulations, the need to replace older, non-complaint devices (we’re at a point where those are ageing out, says Corral) but as buying industries, be it steel production or manufacturing lines, try and improve safety and get humans out the loop it might be that smart devices, which can enable remote, come into their own. Not that Sherwood sees a total takeover of smart devices just yet. “I don’t see [a move towards total smart below-the-hook] in the next five years… I just see a harder push on getting those older devices up to the newest standards… and doing everything we can to design free type solutions,” says Sherwood. Meeting the customer where they’re at is critical. Indeed, they are, as the adage goes, always right.
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