Crane Monitoring Technology Increases Uptime, Efficiency, and Safety

Your business uses cranes every day to get jobs done, but it can’t be forgotten that cranes of all types are complex machinery with sophisticated controls. This has changed over time, affording today’s crane owners and operators the chance to glean valuable information that wasn’t always available in years past. Data gathered from their systems today can impact day-to-day operations tomorrow and on into the future.

Use Technology to Your Best Advantage

Not only can cranes move materials that would otherwise be impossible for humans, but they can also gather information as they do their work. With the help of crane monitoring technology, cranes can collect and share data about a machine’s status and maintenance needs. They can also let operators know if a component needs to be replaced or if the machine is reaching its ultimate lifespan. 

Besides these key data points, cranes outfitted with the right technology can also gather and convey vital information about the load being moved, and that data can be collected and assessed over time. Reliable information over a span of time is so valuable to operators, as it can uncover potential issues. Usage behavior, material wear, and safety information can also be easily analyzed when these metrics are collected on a regular basis. All this diagnostic information is then more readily available than it once was, resulting in more accurate and actionable plans overall.

Once you’ve collected data over a range of time and working conditions, then should something fail or go wrong, you have a larger pool of data to draw from when searching for a root cause or when attempting to troubleshoot and resolve a problem. Clearly, up-to-date crane monitoring technology is well worth the investment.

This type of tech can be accessed wirelessly or via a wired route, but the end result is the same: a comprehensive look at your machine’s health and operational statistics and trends over a set period of time. Being able to limit parameters and zoom in on irregularities in the data can pinpoint potential future issues and give you a chance to act now, well before problems arise. Enabling operators and owners to use hard data to predict maintenance needs means that downtime can be scheduled, and productivity can be better managed. 

Safety is another huge concern and with up-to-the-minute data that stretches back in time, crane owners and operators can follow trends to locate inconsistencies or points of friction that could spell danger. This gives them a chance to act preemptively, not reactively. Not only can business owners keep their staff safer with scheduled downtime for repairs and maintenance, but they also can avoid preventable emergencies. But this type of troubleshooting is far easier when backed up by reliable data.

Another great feature of crane monitoring technology is its accessibility––components can be linked and communication can be facilitated between people and across remote locations. This increases the depth of the skillbase at work and builds invaluable networks. Experts can then tap into relevant facts from sensors, systems, and processes, from wherever they may be. This information can be recorded, processed, shared, and evaluated immediately. Having this kind of information available on demand allows business owners and crane operators to quickly address issues or plan necessary maintenance. Unexpected equipment failure then becomes more of a fluke than a norm. 

Crane monitoring technology can come in the form of diagnostics and analytics apps that function as a standalone system or those that can be customized to fit your specific lift operations. Signal monitors, equipment status, and energy use are just some of the vital data points that you can hope to capture. Modern problems deserve modern solutions, and crane monitoring technology fits that bill––it’s a tried and tested way to get the most out of your equipment.

If you are in the market for adding to or replacing your overhead crane and hoist components, let Americrane and Hoist Corp help. Our comprehensive product inventory can fill any gaps in your operations and our skilled team can engineer the ideal solution to fit your needs. We stock the best brands of cranes and hoists, along with a wide array of replacement parts. For more information or to request a quote on a specific piece of equipment, don’t hesitate to get in touch.