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When most of us think about firefighting equipment, large ladder trucks are usually the first thing that comes to mind. But firefighting also requires support vehicles that can manage additional equipment.

When assisting at a fire, speed is essential. That is why the Fire Brigade in Zwickau, Germany chose three HIAB products for its support vehicles. With the help of a HIAB 244 EP-5 HiDuo truck crane, a Multilift JHS 250 hooklift, and a Moffett M4 piggyback truck mounted forklift, the Zwickau brigade can load, transport and unload vital equipment at the scene of a fire. What’s more, because the HIAB equipment is easy to use with fast loading and unloading speeds, only one operator is required to manage the job.

The Zwickau Fire Brigade uses the Multilift hooklift to carry foam and other items in a two-level container. At the scene, the operator can easily unload the necessary equipment using either the Moffett forklift or HIAB crane. Operators have noted how easy the Moffett truck-mounted forklift makes their job. It has proven ideal for loading, unloading and setting up a foam station for mixing and refilling.

Atlas Polar is pleased to carry a wide range of HIAB products. For more information on the HIAB equipment we sell, we invite you to visit our product pages: Multilift Hooklifts, HIAB truck mounted cranes, and Moffett truck mounted forklifts.

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HIAB cranes now conform to the new EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and crane standard EN 12999:20009. These new regulations are designed to increase both the safety and productivity of crane operators.

The first company to take delivery of a new super-safe HIAB crane was Bronij Infra B.V., a Dutch company that specializes in the delivery, installation, maintenance and testing of underground waste stations and small pump stations. Bronij purchased a HIAB XS 111 E3 HiDuo loader crane.

One of the safety features that Bronij is especially pleased with is the continuous Variable Stability Limit (VSL), which activates when the truck carrying the crane is not correctly set on the ground or if the operator wants to lift an excessively heavy load at a certain angle. The VSL system alerts the operator with red lights on the control panel and remote control.

Additional features and details about the Bronij application are available on page 9 of the attached issue of HIAB Method magazine.

For more information about the HIAB cranes sold through Atlas Polar, visit our HIAB truck mounted cranes page.

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HIAB truck mounted cranes are known for their versatility, but they can also be used in very specific applications. For example, the XS 310 was designed especially for brick and block handling.

We’ve summarized an article from HIAB Method magazine here to show how perfectly suited the XS 310 is to the task of handling bricks.

The crane is powerful, offering a maximum outreach of 17.5 metres and a maximum lifting capacity of 1,240 kg.

The crane is efficient and safe. With two joysticks and two pedals, several functions can be operated at the same time. Fast load cycle speed is achieved through the 450º slewing radius and long inner boom.

With a stabilizer span of seven metres, this crane offers exceptional stability. A ball and socket solution on the leg plates keeps the crane in perfect balance, which increases safety.

The HIAB oil bath solution extends the life of the crane. The optional variable flow pump also reduces noise and reduces the use of oil. Less oil consumption means lower costs and makes this pump a better choice for the environment.

To read more details about the HIAB XS 310 truck mounted crane or the other products featured in HIAB Method, we invite you to read the issue included here.

Visit our HIAB truck mounted cranes page for more information on the cranes we carry at Atlas Polar.

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Get a Quote on a Moffett Mounty Forklift

Get a Quote on a Multilift Hooklift

The name HIAB is synonymous with quality and innovation in materials handling solutions. From truck mounted loader cranes to Multilift hooklifts and Moffett piggyback truck mounted forklifts, HIAB covers all the bases when it comes to load handling.

But what does HIAB, the name, actually stand for?

The company was founded in Sweden in 1944. Its full name is Hydraliska Industri AB, which was shortened to HIAB.

The founder was Eric Sundin who had developed a way to use hydraulics to power loader cranes. Around the same time, three Finnish brothers developed the first hooklift. They launched the Multilift company in 1949. The two companies would later find themselves merged together when the Partek Corporation purchased Multilift (in 1977) and then HIAB (in 1985).

More mergers have occurred since then, and HIAB and Multilift have continued to thrive under their various owners: first the KONE Corporation, which acquired Partek in 2002, and then Cargotec, which acquired the brands in 2005.

Since 1953, Atlas Polar has worked as distributor of HIAB products—truck mounted cranes first, followed by the other HIAB products. In fact, Atlas Polar is HIAB’s oldest independent dealer in the world. To see the full range, visit our home page and then select the product category you want to learn about: HIAB truck crane, Moffett forklift, or Multilift hooklift.

Get a Quote on a HIAB Crane

Imagine the challenges of working in a place like Iraq, especially if your work involves rebuilding infrastructure.

An article in the latest edition of HIAB Method describes how HIAB truck mounted loader cranes are being deployed by the Iraq Ministry of Energy. The cranes are being used to load and unload transformers, large power cable drums and other applications related to re-establishing the electrical system in the country.

One of the reasons Cargotec won the tender was its ability to provide the best technical solution and to provide local sales and service expertise. There were other benefits to choosing Cargotec as well. Delivery times were much improved because of Cargotec’s relationship with a local, third-party distributor. Installation times were reduced because of the modular assembly design used by Cargotec.

The truck crane used by the Ministry of Energy is the Hiab 244 EP-4 CLX. It has a lifting capacity of 20.7tm and a reach of 12.7m and is controlled easily with the CLX control system.

To learn more about the complete solution offered by Cargotec, we invite you to read the article in the attached PDF.

Our HIAB truck mounted cranes page can tell you more about the HIAB cranes carried by Atlas Polar, including complete product specs.

How can you increase the fuel efficiency of your HIAB truck mounted crane? Install a variable pump

In the latest issue of HIAB Method Magazine, Cargotec Senior Adviser Lars Andersson lays out the case for installing a new pump or retrofitting an old crane with a variable pump.

Here are just a couple of reasons you might want to take his advice. Variable pumps gauge oil flow on the basis of the operator requested speeds of different crane movements, and only deliver the oil flow needed for those movements. Saving oil—several thousand litres per year, in many cases—saves money. Lower oil consumption also benefits the environment by lowering demand for fossil fuels.

What’s more, the cost of installing or retrofitting can pay for itself in as little as six months.

Read more about the benefits of variable fuel pumps in the copy of HIAB Method linked here in PDF form.

To talk about adding a variable pump to your HIAB truck mounted crane, please contact your local Atlas Polar dealer.

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We have some great news for HIAB customers. HIAB Method, Cargotec’s customer magazine, is back and it is better than ever.

After a brief hiatus, the magazine has returned with some outstanding articles on HIAB products and the various industries that use them. The current issue, available through the PDF link in this post, begins with a great article and pictorial spread that tracks the shipment of Parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy, to Helsinki, Finland—along with all the Cargotec products used in the journey (Moffett truck-mounted forklift, Kalmar ship-to-shore crane, ZEPRO tail lift).

The magazine has always been an engaging read. It highlights the full Cargotec line of products, which includes the brands we sell at Atlas Polar: HIAB truck mounted cranes, Moffett piggyback truck mounted forklifts, and Multilift hooklifts.

Congratulations to Cargotec on the return of HIAB Method! We look forward to reading future issues and we will be highlighting articles here on our blog.

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Get a Quote on a HIAB XS 477

Get a Quote on a HIAB XS 055

Again we have news about a product innovation from Cargotec. Dutch energy firm Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM), the largest gas producer in the Netherlands, recently purchased five high specification trucks and truck cranes from Cargotec.

The trucks are designed to help the servicing division of this company carry out its work. This division is responsible for regular maintenance and repairs of the company’s oil and gas wells. The process they use is called wire line well intervention. This 100-year-old technique involves the insertion of a steel wire down as far as 4 km below the earth’s surface to clean, repair, or replace a damaged part.

During the repair and maintenance process, gas can enter the atmosphere. There can be no sparks during this process—safety is of utmost importance—which is why a customized product was necessary.

Since 1994, the company has relied on seven DAF trucks outfitted with HIAB cranes. When they decided to upgrade recently, NAM again turned to HIAB and Cargotec to develop a brand new service vehicle. Cargotec completed the design and production of five new multi-functional trucks that match the unrivalled specifications required by NAM.

The final result is a DAF truck with a load platform and two HIAB cranes: a 477 T5 stiff boom crane that extends to a height of 21.3 m (for feeding the wire); and a 055 DS crane that lifts a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) up to 7.5 m.

Other specialist features include remote control for all functions, and ATEX zone 1 certification which assures that all electrical power can be removed from both booms and the vehicle chassis when operating. These trucks are the only ones with these specifications in the world and they could potentially revolutionize wire line well servicing.

Jan Kuipers, Team Leader Wire-Line at NAM Well Service, noted that prior to 1994, the trucks he used underperformed and were hard to service. HIAB changed all that. He said: “In 1994, Hiab developed a new truck-mountable crane perfect for use in the oil and gas industries due to its long boom. We took delivery of seven, mounted on DAF trucks, and they have served us well for many years…However, the latest order, the result of ongoing and successful co-operation between NAM and Cargotec, takes our servicing capability to new levels in terms of the speed with which we can respond and the safety for those working at the well.”

Mr. Kuipers also noted how well the Cargotec team worked with his, answering questions and providing solutions throughout the development process. He believes that no other company could have matched their specification for keeping the area surrounding the well free of electrical current. And because of the MEWP and stiff boom crane being installed on the same truck, NAM requires only one vehicle to do the entire job, making the entire process more efficient.

Cees Mollema, Segmentation Manager of Cargotec EMEA Customer Solutions added that these trucks are used every day of the week and there is no reason why trucks like these couldn’t be used “to meet the need of any well servicing company looking for a more effective and safer alternative to traditional methods.”

Congratulations Cargotec on developing another innovative solution to help your clients work more safely and efficiently!

Atlas Polar carries a wide range of Cargotec products under the HIAB banner, including HIAB truck mounted cranes, Moffett trailer or truck mounted piggyback forklifts, and Multilift hooklifts.

Get a Quote on a HIAB Marine Crane

I have yet another example of the diverse capabilities of Cargotec to share with you.

In February of this year, Cargotec successfully completed sea trials with the US Navy on their ‘Test Article Vehicle Transfer System’ (TAVTS). The TAVTS aims to reduce the risks of transferring military vehicles between ships at sea. The goal of the US military is to carry out large-scale logistics movements without having to rely on foreign ports.

According to Cargotec regional sales manager Jeffrey Siegel, the development of the TAVTS incorporated the expertise of the company’s ramp technology experts and offshore specialists. The TAVTS consists of a self-deploying ramp system and a new self-deploying sideport platform.

During testing, vehicles were transferred between a surrogate mobile landing platform (MLP) and a “large/medium-speed roll-on/roll-off” (LMSR) ship. The tests began with demonstrations at anchor and then progressed to low sea state conditions in open water and eventually to increasing sea states. Successful transfers of personnel and vehicles were made during high Sea State 3 and low Sea State 4.

What is really impressive is the types of vehicles that were moved—high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs), logistics vehicle system wreckers, amphibious assault vehicles, and M1A1 main battle tanks are just a few examples.

To read more about the TVATS testing, we invite you to read the full press release.

Atlas Polar carries a wide range of Cargotec products under the HIAB banner, including HIAB truck mounted cranes, Moffett trailer or truck mounted piggyback forklifts, and Multilift hooklifts.

Get a Quote on a HIAB Truck Crane

Do you ever wonder where the hatch covers on a cargo ship come from? Probably not, but as a reader of this blog, you might be interested to know that the market leader in this specialty field is none other than MacGregor – sister company to HIAB whose truck cranes are sold by Atlas Polar.

Both MacGregor and HIAB are part of the Cargotec family of companies. MacGregor designs and manufactures marine cranes, lashing systems and hatch covers for the shipping industry. The company has been making hatch covers since 1937 and has built a reputation for anticipating and responding to customer needs with excellent products.

MacGregor hatch covers are known for their durability, weathertightness, and optimized weight/strength ratio. Their products were recently chosen by Samho Shipbuilding for use in six 32,000 dwt bulk carriers. Samho is installing MacGregor’s hydraulically-operated folding weatherdeck hatch covers, along with MacGregor cranes and the CC3000 crane control system.

Torbjorn Dahl, Cargotec’s senior naval architect for bulk ships, noted the significance of this purchase in a company press release: “The crane and the hatch cover outfits are an integral part of the cargo access and handling ability of the vessels, and the MacGregor cargo handling solution offers an efficient and reliable system for the ship owner. The order also demonstrates our ability to deliver conceptual sales that consider the whole operation of a vessel.”

As a seller of HIAB products, Atlas Polar is proud to be part of the Cargotec family and pleased to promote the excellence of all branches of the company.

To learn more about our HIAB truck-mounted cranes, visit our HIAB Truck Cranes page.