ATLAS rises to the challenges of globalization

ATLAS loader cranes are working all around the world

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The term “globalization” is an issue everyone is talking about these days and for crane manufacturers it means a technical challenge. Loading situations and applications vary all around the world; in a nutshell: they are handled differently in the true sense of the word. For one user the classic load hook will do and they might just want to expand it by using lifting strops and loops; for another it must be a professional attachment optimally adjusted for the application. While one user is happy with the traditional twin ground controls, the other prefers a state-of-the-art radio remote control system, e.g. with a display, and everything the latest technology has to offer.

Having already been active in the export business for decades, ATLAS is ready for these variations: from folding to long-boom cranes, from simple features all the way to a “Swiss army knife” version – we offer the solutions for ALL customers’ material handling applications.

In New Zealand, this small T crane, mounted to a seeding machine, provides improvements in processes. It serves to keep the system free from stones or similar objects, which can affect the mechanism or even stop it. The farmland they have to work is huge and the farmer cannot afford a breakdown of the machine, for both time and cost reasons.

In contrast, on the other side of the globe, we find long-boom cranes especially designed for working on foundations or equipped with rotating forks for studwork – these are typical applications for cranes in Canada. ATLAS is very much a pioneer in this field; fitted with top seat controls to provide the crane operator with an optimum operating position which is so important for the sucess of the task in hand, the so-called V cranes are the ideal tool for fast handling at high and long reaches. Installed on typical American trucks they are always an eyecatcher.

On the other side of the Canadian border, they love “big solutions”: The exceptionally long-reach of the 440 Vboom crane provides an outreach of 22 meters, this makes our customers in the United States very happy. The main application for the model is concrete forming, but the crane can also be equipped with a brick and block clamp making it the ideal tool for efficient material handling. Top marks for versatility goes to the 440 V!

While customers in North America focus on special applications and “big solutions”, the Swiss customer prefers the multi-functional crane – a Swiss army knife in the form of a crane. Loading jobs vary greatly and are changing constantly; therefore, a loader crane has to provide the business with a vast number of possibilities for application – fitted today with a grab for bulk material, tomorrow with a logging grapple for forest applications, and the day after with Z jib and load hooks for extra-long reaches. Multiple possibilities for variations with adjusted control technology on one machine – these are always interesting challenges for our engineers in the field of electrics, electronics, and hydraulics.

For some countries EU standards is already too much technology in regards to electronics, especially given some of the environments they operate in. For countries where customers want only little or no electrics at all, non-EU cranes are the solution, since they are robust and need minimal maintenance. For this group of customers ATLAS designed the CS series of cranes, which offer the same reaches and load capacities as their EU equivalent but the crane safety systems are purely hydraulically.

From the mountain heights to the low lands. The Dutch coastline is about 450 kilometers long, many canals crisscross the countryside, and the Netherlands have numerous inland lakes. Therefore, it is only natural to install loader cranes stationary on boats, ships and barges. Such “stationary installations” are a tough job for a loader crane because shocks and vibrations are transmitted straight into the crane while, when mounted to a truck, these are absorbed by the chassis and tires.

“Lifting heavy loads was never easier” – This slogan applies to all countries where customers operate in different industries and markets with incredibly diverse lifting requirements. It is important to put a loader crane to work efficiently and with equipment exactly tailored to the application. This front-end investment provides dividends to the customers for the many years the crane will be in service.