Smith Crane & Construction (NZ)

Verton Case Study – Smith Crane and Construction (NZ)

As the operator of the largest fleet of cranes in New Zealand, Smith Cranes are a respected name in heavy lifting and construction. Accordingly, they have rigorous health and safety standards that they are continuously improving for their employees and the public. In August 2019, Smith Cranes began working with the Verton EVEREST 6, and the benefits they’ve experienced even within a short period of use are substantial.

Smith Cranes needed to install 1,000 concrete floor plates, some weighing up to 5 tonne. Each panel needed to be lifted down through an existing, five storey, steel structure. In addition, roughly 80% of the panels had to be tilted on one axis to fit between columns and beams while the remainder needed to be tilted on both axes.

The project had been proceeding in the traditional way, using dogmen and riggers tethered to edge protection, threading taglines down through the building frame to control and orientate the loads, achieving a maximum of 16 lifts per eight-hour day. However, the requirements of this build, in addition to their tough safety standards, created an opportunity for Smith Cranes to find a better solution.

Once the EVEREST 6 was deployed, taglines were no longer required, freeing up staff to work on other tasks and projects. The EVEREST 6 system was a natural fit on-site and the Smith Cranes team was now able to complete 26 lifts per eight-hour day.

Thanks to their ongoing use of the EVEREST 6, Smith Cranes are now regularly ahead of their project schedule and can boast a safer and smarter work environment.

Smith Cranes representative, Chris Burrowes, has been more than impressed saying, “The Verton unit has removed our guys from harm’s way and improved our productivity at the same time. It’s just brilliant.”

Due to the sensitivity of site and project client, we’re unable to provide extensive photos or video or disclose the location beyond Christchurch, NZ