National Crane, An uplifting experience

Manufacturing in Action, Source : The Manufacturer US

National Crane helps give the construction industry a lift as Colin Browning discovered.

The crane, a common sight at today’s building sites, has helped shape the look of today’s big cities. National Crane has been providing the giants of equipment for construction projects since the days of the post-war boom.

National Crane began life as one of the small, private companies that sprang up at the end of WW II as the US economy switched back to a civilian emphasis. After years of war production, the nation was ready for the switch, and many were prepared to invest to take advantage of the pent-up demand that had built up during the austere war years. Many of these companies soon burned themselves out, but National Crane had put down some firm foundations and was one of those that flourished.

The name National Crane was not formerly adopted until 1963, but by that time the company had reached such a stage of development that it was appropriate. Only the year before the company had undergone a relocation exercise and moved to a new home at Waverly, Nebraska, which is where it is still located. Over the years, it has seen many business ideas and innovations come and go and has now found the strategy that suits it best. The company has focused its business and marketing strategy on two main areas. These are the production and distribution of hydraulic telescoping and articulating cranes.

Obviously the manufacturing process has not stood still at the Nebraska plant over the last 30 years, and a considerable investment program has ensured that the manufacturing facility has remained at the cutting edge of the industry’s technological advances. The plant has expanded and developed throughout the company’s history and now covers some 303,800 square feet, with room for further expansion as it becomes necessary. Keeping the operation going is an army of employees now numbering 350.

There are some fascinating facts about National Crane and the products that come off its production line. Since it took up residence in its new home, it has manufactured nearly 30,000 individual units that have been shipped across North America and the world. Remarkably, it has been possible to keep track of these incredible machines, and the company is proud to state that more than 90% of them are still actively, economically engaged.

Having established a name for itself, by the 1970s, National Crane was coming to the attention of the bigger corporations in the industry, and by the end of the decade it had been acquired by the Kidde Group. Kidde already had a substantial interest in crane production through its ownership of the Grove Manufacturing Company, a producer of large industrial cranes, which already had the infrastructure to market National Crane worldwide. A new arena opened up for the team at National Crane.

Ten years later, Kidde, Grove, and National were taken under the wing of Hanson Industries. Things have not been static since then, and National Crane is now part of Grove Worldwide.

This corporate shifting has provided National Crane with a firm financial footing on which it faces the future. This extensive financial backing translates into an ongoing product development plan where new models can be produced as the market demands and with a minimum of delay. Although other parts of the company deal with their own areas, National Crane can be relied on to provide the necessary expertise in truck mounted models. The strong links between the different departmental teams are what keeps the company pushing at the boundaries of crane design and manufacture.

An example of this technological drive can be found in the new National Series 800D, a heavy duty, extra long reach, hydraulically telescoping crane that the company has recently brought onto the market. With a 100-foot long, four-stage extending boom, it has the longest reach of any crane in its class.

It is not simply the sheer scale of the 800D that makes it stand out. One of its main features is an internally routed anti-two-block wire. This unique design feature brings the wires through the inside of the boom, keeping them out of harm’s way. All too often, craning operations are subject to delay as a result of the crane wire coming into contact with external objects and suffering damage. By working on this problem and coming up with the internal routing solution, National Crane has significantly added to the usability factor of its cranes.

As National Crane moves forward, it has an exciting series of plans for the coming years. Under the umbrella of Grove, it has been able to develop a continuous improvement strategy, with product innovation at the very center of what it does. It sees this innovation as being based on three interlinked assets. First is the use of technology. Second is state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. Third is the knowledge of employees and the skills base that they have built up. So if you are looking for a big lift, you know where to come.

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