Friday round up: interviewing Tadano’s CEO; heavy haul trends; bauma China; power towers

Tadano president and CEO Toshiaki Ujiie

In his five years at Tadano, president and CEO Toshiaki Ujiie has overseen sweeping transformations, navigating the company through economic challenges and leading it into new markets and technologies. We started the week with an exclusive interview for Crane and Transport Briefing as D.Ann Shiffler spoke with Ujiie at Tadano’s state-of-the-art Kozai Plant in Takamatsu, Japan, where he shared insights on the company’s progress and the challenges ahead.

A Nelson Manufacturing West Coast 9-axle trailer with a well deck section was designed to transport mobile boilers.

On Tuesday, we reported on the thriving USA heavy haul trailer market which, despite lingering supply chain challenges, has seen new growth from the renewable energy sector, as well as from traditional construction industries. Manufacturers such as Nelson, Trail King, Faymonville, TII and Goldhofer emphasised the need for lighter, more versatile trailers tailored to specialized cargo. Latest innovations include modular designs and enhanced manoeuvrability.

XCMG’s range-topping 4,000 tonne capacity XCA4000 all terrain type crane announced in September and shown at Bauma China in November. Photo: Murray Pollok/KHL Group

Wednesday’s briefing looked at the wheeled and mobile cranes on show at bauma China this year, including XCMG’s 4,000 tonne capacity XCA4000 all terrain crane, designed for wind turbine construction, and Zoomlion’s innovative ZTK120000V knuckle boom crane. With significant global interest, particularly from Russia and Southeast Asia, coupled with signs of domestic market recovery, the event highlighted China’s continual, and substantial, influence in crane technology.

In part two of an epic series, Crane and Transport Briefing’s special correspondent Heinz-Gert Kessel explored how large luffing jib tower cranes offer a viable alternative to conventional wind turbine construction. Thursday’s lead article delved into groundbreaking models like Kitagawa Iron Works’ JCW1800, Japan’s first wind turbine crane, and unique design features tailored for wind farms, including compact towers, rapid height adjustments, and self-propelled mobility.