Advanced Overhead Crane Services, Crosby, Texas has received a three-year, $1.8m contract from the City of Houston to assess, service, and fix overhead cranes for various city departments. The contract is to do OSHA inspections on the city’s overhead cranes, hoists, and lifts and is going to include full yearly preventive maintenance, emergency and repairs services. The contract also calls for yearly site surveys to make certain the company is maintaining the equipment correctly and is scheduled for a routine inspection. In addition, the survey is to make sure the contractor is doing all it can to keep the equipment maintained. This contract is one of only a few that call for yearly inspections of the equipment.
The reason the company feels this is important is because overtime for maintenance on the equipment can put stress on the machinery itself and cause cracks or other damages. These cracks could allow water into the hoist, or the crane pedestal, causing failure of the entire system. Because these types of failures are so rare in overhead crane services, the company feels these yearly inspections are necessary to insure the safety and efficiency of their system.
The two types of overhead crane services in the city of Houston that the company offers include single girder top running bridge cranes, as well as double girder top running bridge cranes. These units are not always used in heavy construction projects, but are sometimes used in low-site construction projects like street furniture. The single girder crane system is used for lighter projects, like street furniture. However, in heavy construction projects, the double girder crane system is used. These overhead crane services have the benefit of being used on a single foundation, which eliminates the need for two cranes, or even one, on the same foundation.
Overhead crane services also offer repair and maintenance of their material handling equipment. When damage is caused to a piece of their crane, they are capable of diagnosing the problem, repairing it, and replacing the damaged material. Repairing these pieces requires specialized training from an employee who has been trained in the field, as is the case with other complex construction problems. This also ensures the right materials are used, as the correct material handling equipment cannot be mixed up with the wrong part. In addition, these repair and maintenance tasks are scheduled before work begins, which helps to prevent unnecessary delays in production.
As part of the inspection process, overhead crane services also schedule inspections of the machine, in order to determine any potential safety issues. One of the main safety concerns for construction cranes is faulty wiring, which can lead to a catastrophic accident. Cranes with faulty wiring are typically not repaired until after the construction is complete, which delays the completion of the project. By scheduling these inspections, material handling equipment repairs can be prevented, reducing potential downtime and financial losses.
Material handling equipment, such as overhead crane services use special wire mesh detectors to locate faulty wiring. After the inspection is complete, this information is then presented to a qualified engineer, who will evaluate the damage and recommend a repair. Some inspections allow for the easy replacement of the damaged wire, whereas others require removal of the faulty part. In addition to inspections, overhead crane services also use visual estimating tools during production runs. This tool assesses the number of personnel needed to complete the job, which saves both time and money by reducing labor costs.
The final step of the inspection process is the replacement of damaged parts. The damaged part can either be replaced with a new part, or the part can be repaired, but only if the cost of repair is less than the cost of the replacement part. Overhead crane services are able to provide these estimates for their customers in a timely manner, allowing them to complete the work faster than usual. If your company experiences a reduction in manpower due to seasonal lay-offs or other labor-related lay-offs, you can expect your overhead crane services to help you find quality replacement parts and complete all necessary repairs in a timely manner.
An important point to consider is that the distributors that utilize the services of an overhead crane distributor must keep on hand the specific parts that need to be replaced. All distributors should keep detailed records of each of the parts that they sell. These records will enable the distributor to quickly identify when a part needs to be replaced, allowing the distributor to purchase the part in question before it is depleted. Additionally, some overhead cranes must be transported from one site to another, requiring a variety of different parts from the distributor. Therefore, it is very important that your distributor is capable of purchasing the parts that your crane needs in order to ensure that your work is completed in a timely manner.