Friday roundup: new leadership, nuclear transport and gantry growth

Alan Barnhart is no stranger to change - but this one feels different. After 39 years as president and CEO of Barnhart Crane & Rigging, Alan is stepping into a new role as chairman. While he’s not retiring, he’s passing the leadership torch to David Webster, a longtime Barnhart team member with a deep understanding of the company’s mission and culture.

Monday’s CTB featured a wide-ranging conversation from the latest issue of American Cranes & Transport, Barnhart reflects on five decades with the company, the importance of growing talent and the adventures, both in business and in life, that have shaped his leadership journey. From navigating critical turning points to embracing new challenges, Barnhart shares candid insights on what it takes to lead with vision, humility and heart.

One of the most notable engineering challenges for the Edwards team involved the securement of large radioactive components using the Goldhofer Faktor 5 high girder bridge system.

Read the full interview here.

Edwards Moving & Rigging demonstrated its expertise in heavy transport with the successful delivery of four Class 7 radioactive components from Florida to Texas in the United States. This multimodal project required meticulous planning, with nine months of coordination across state agencies third-party engineers and local authorities. The 991.5-mile (1,595.7 kilometer) journey combined barge and over-the-road transport, overcoming challenges like 158 bridge crossings, contraflow movements and pier-to-pier jumps, all while ensuring the highest safety standards for handling hazardous materials.

The Edwards team relied on cutting-edge equipment, including Goldhofer’s Faktor 5 high girder bridge and THP-SL hybrid dollies, to manage the weight and complexity of the loads. Creative solutions, like synthetic chain securement for components without traditional lashing points, showcased the team’s problem-solving skills and commitment to safety.

Read more about the winning JOY in the hauling greater than 500,000 pounds net category.

Two of the most respected experts in the design and manufacture of hydraulic gantries discuss the evolution and usage of this important rigging equipment. J&R Engineering’s Kevin Johnston, whose father was one of the original founders of hydraulic gantry, said that companies look for ease of operation and reliability when adding a gantry to their fleet.

“Recently electronic systems are being used to synchronize the movements of lifting, lowering and driving the gantry,” said Johnston. “Our system is the Lift Equalizer, which has all these movements shown on the control module and remote control.”

Ben Forster, vice president of Riggers Manufacturing and Lift Systems, which produces several gantry models, said that gantries are an essential tool for today’s rigging and machinery moving and installation companies.

“As people move around the industry between companies, or even outside the industry, they take their knowledge and experience with them, which leads to new user opportunities,” Forster said. “Additionally, the internet has opened new opportunities, and it is still common when speaking with a new prospect outside of the rigging industry to hear them say that they never knew gantries existed until they found them on the web.”

Don’t miss this important article about gantries and what the future holds for these innovative lifters.