Digital Crane Maintenance Data

“Konecranes has always been at the forefront in the development and implementation of online customer/client interactive platforms as we believe it is the quickest and most interactive way to communicate with our customer base and technicians,” says Ian Grobler, Sales Manager for Konecranes South Africa. 

 “Our newly launched Konecranes Portal, takes online communications to the next level through its single point of access to our digital customer platforms. The portal lets customers quickly and easily access their crane maintenance information, asset condition and usage data from quotations and agreement details.”  

Informed decisions 

The portal has been developed to deliver the information to make informed maintenance decisions. When a customer’s equipment is serviced, Konecranes uses the Risk and Recommendation Method to document component exceptions, assess and prioritise risks and provide recommendations to improve safety and productivity.  

 The company’s technicians load the acquired information to their mobile devices during a service visit giving the customer quick access to their service report on the portal. 

 Assets 

“As a registered user, the customer is able to browse and order spare parts, manuals or accessories for many brands, makes and models of industrial cranes and hoists, making the process simplified and all-embracing to customer needs,“ adds Ian. 

The portal also displays data from the customer’s assets with Truconnect Remote Monitoring in real-time. Safety and Production risks are colour coded and component condition is shown in easy-to-read graphs. 

Irrespective of the brand 

Digital services data on the portal enables data-driven maintenance to assist customers in optimising crane performance and reducing downtime. It offers users the option to browse the Konecranes Store for spare parts, manuals and accessories for all lifting equipment and components irrespective of the brand.  

From the Store page, customers can browse product categories, use the quick links or use the search function to find what they are looking for. In the Parts Manuals, users can select the model of their equipment to browse the archive for generic product 

manuals and spare part catalogues. 

Safety risks 

The Slings and Inspection facility has been designed to inspect non-maintainable load lifting attachments and accessories that are attached to the crane hook during operation. The inspection identifies deficiencies and deviations from local statutory safety and health regulations. The inspection service utilises radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to help quickly and reliably identify attachments and a smartphone app to record load lifting attachment inspection data.  

The information on the portal keeps track of inventory, executes audits and plans for replacements. The fleet view shows all recorded loose lifting devices for the selected location. By default, the devices in this list are sorted after the next due inspection. Devices that are not inspected yet or are past due should be taken out of service without delay and should be inspected as soon as possible to avoid a safety risk. 

Remote service products 

Truconnect is a suite of remote service products and applications that support maintenance operations and drive improvements in safety and performance through the analysis and identifying of anomalies, patterns and trends. The Konecranes Portal opens up access to Truconnect’s Remote Monitoring, Brake Monitoring, and Wire Rope Monitoring options. 

All Konecranes technicians utilise slim devices for the uploading of inspection, servicing and repair data to the portal, making the availability of data and records instantaneous. This assists customers with costing and budgetary functions as well as the supply of lifting equipment performance data. 

Working blind 

“Measurement of usage, performance, malfunction, wear and tear is compromised without the relevant data which is delivered via our portal. We believe the ability to communicate the required data, in real time, is a key factor in ensuring that a partnership is developed between Konecranes and its customers. 

“Without measurement there is no data and without data there is no indication of performance and condition. Data is now a critical element of lifting equipment performance and lifespan. One could say our portal is a data-full resource, essential to both our customers and technicians,“ Ian concludes.