Lafarge Purchases Shuttlelift Gantry Crane

Lafarge North America, Reston, Va., has added the SB 70, a single-beam gantry crane from Shuttlelift, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., to its fleet. To maintain its economic growth and increase production speeds, the Lafarge Calgary Pipe operation searched for the most cost-efficient lifting solution for their operation. “Simply, it was the only one to fit our needs,” said André Geurts, operations manager at Lafarge Calgary Pipe, said of the gantry crane. “We were specifically looking for a straight forward single-beam gantry crane that got the job done for less.”

The Shuttlelift increases portability and operational productivity, while decreasing the amount of time it takes to lift completed products and load trucks.

“Previously, we had to rent a crane and tandem lift with forklifts to move and lift our products. We are now able to work quicker because we only need one piece of equipment and one operator instead of two cranes and four operators,” said Geurts. “With the SB 70, the operator can easily rig the load and operate the crane.”

The SB 70 was designed to include Shuttlelift’s standard wireless remote-control, which allows the operator to stay at a distance from the load and control the machine while visually inspecting its outside parameters. Shuttlelift extended the width and height of the crane to fit Lafarge Calgary Pipe’s area of operation. The crane also has an enclosed cab option, which Guerts said is beneficial during the cold season and provides important backup for the wireless remote control. For ease, safety and a more efficient operation, Shuttlelift designs the cab control features in the same layout as the remote.

“Our cranes provide an increased factor of safety, because there are no load charts to misinterpret,” said Kurt Minten, director of industrial sales at Shuttlelift. “There are also no stability concerns compared with other lifting methods because the weight of the load hangs directly below the crane’s frame.”