For any business which undertakes lifting or repositioning of heavy loads, having the right equipment to improve safety and efficiency is essential.
When it comes to cranes in particular, the return on investment (ROI) they provide can be immediately felt. This, in terms of instantly improving the lifting capacity of your operations, in a way which also reduces injuries and even damage to the load itself.
However, what is also true about cranes is that they often provide a long term ROI and for many reasons.
Metreel supplies cranes to a wide range of industries across the UK and beyond.
In this post, we’re here to inspire you on what you can look forward to over the longer term when you invest in a crane for your business.
Indirect Productivity Gains
By purchasing a crane for your business, you reduce the need for manual handling, which also means fewer workers are needed per lift. By freeing up labour for other tasks, this can work to improve productivity elsewhere within your operations.
Faster cycle times compound significantly over thousands of lifts per year. Even when it comes to nighttime or weekend operations, having the right mechanical handling equipment increases operational capability without proportional labour cost increases.
Risk And Liability Reduction
As we’ve just touched upon, one of the main factors for investing in cranes is to improve workplace safety. However, in reducing work-related injuries, this can also work to reduce associated costs for employers.
For instance, a lower incidence of musculoskeletal injuries reduces employer liability, insurance premiums and sick pay. LOLER compliance also reduces the risk of HSE prosecution and associated fines.
Additionally, fewer near misses can improve overall site safety ratings, which can positively impact contract eligibility.
Asset Protection
Cranes enable the controlled and precise lifting of loads. This is important because controlled lifts reduce product damage, which is particularly relevant for high value or fragile goods.
Better control over lifts can also reduce wear on floors, racking and surrounding infrastructure compared to forklift alternatives. Furthermore, reduced vehicle traffic in tight spaces lowers the collision risk for stock and equipment.
By reducing damage to assets (if not eliminating it entirely), this also works to save the business money.
Space Optimisation
Warehouse space is expensive. Thankfully, overhead handling eliminates the floor space that forklifts need to manoeuvre, which can unlock additional storage capacity or production floor area. In some cases, the space saved is worth more than the crane itself, especially in high rent environments.
Throughput Consistency
While all cranes require maintenance, they don’t take breaks, need shift changes or even require repositioning between bays in the same way mobile equipment does. For any business concerned with improving throughput, the difference that cranes can make is significant.
Energy And Maintenance Vs Alternatives
Energy bills are a topic that doesn’t just concern households, but also the running costs of businesses.
Investing in modern crane technology can reduce business overheads. For instance, electric overhead cranes have very low energy costs per tonne lifted compared to diesel forklifts.
Fewer moving parts than mobile handling equipment also means a lower maintenance spend over the 20 year average lifespan of a crane.
Discover Your Ideal Crane Or Lifting Solution From Metreel
Does your business undertake lifting operations? Metreel specialises in a wide range of material handling equipment, which means we can offer bespoke lifting solutions to suit your industry and application.
Head over to our handling page to view our solutions such as workstation cranes, overhead cranes, gantries and hoists.
Or, for tailored advice, please get in touch or call us on 0115 932 7010.