ESTA Awards 2017 call for entries

Next year’s ESTA Users’ Night and Awards is being expanded to include articulating (knuckle boom) cranes for the first time. ESTA is the European association for abnormal road transport and mobile cranes.

Articulating cranes will be part of the category for telescopic cranes, lifting capacity up to 120 tonnes. The category has been amended to include articulating cranes of any type and lifting capacity. Jobs can be carried out with one of these cranes or in combination with wheeled mobile types up to 120 tonnes.

Together with the new amended category is the fact that organisers are keen to encourage more small companies to enter and attend the event, with projects large or small.

The news comes as European specialized transport and mobile crane companies of all sizes are being reminded to celebrate their successes by entering the awards and support what has become one of the industry’s biggest events.

Commenting on the extended category, Søren Jansen, ESTA director, said, “Knuckle boom cranes are increasing in size and increasingly are replacing smaller mobile cranes, so we wanted to include them in the category below 120 tonnes. “We are also hoping that this will encourage smaller companies and projects to enter. We are very serious about wanting them to be part of this event.”

The ESTA awards are every year in the Spring with the 2017 event held on Thursday, 6 April, at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A deadline for entries has been set as 20 January but, whenever possible, ESTA is asking companies to try and get their entries in early, to help ease the pressure on organisers.

The awards dinner is jointly run by ESTA - the European association for abnormal road transport and mobile cranes - and International Cranes and Specialized Transport magazine.

The full list of ESTA Awards categories is as follows:

* Transport job of the Year, trailer and load under 120 tonnes GCW (gross combination weight)

* Transport job of the year, trailer and load over 120 tonnes GCW

* Telescopic cranes lifting capacity up to 120 tonnes and-or knuckle boom cranes of any type and capacity

* Telescopic cranes lifting capacity more than 120 tonnes

* Cranes lattice boom

* Safety award

* Innovation award for end users

* Innovation award for manufacturers

* Combined techniques award

* SMPT job of the year.

A special Personality of the Year Award is made in years where a suitable candidate is nominated.

David Collett, ESTA president, said, “The users’ night and awards is a great party and a marvellous opportunity to meet old friends and make new contacts. If you have not been involved before, I strongly suggest you both enter the awards and come to the dinner in Amsterdam next April. I am sure you won’t regret it.”

For further information see: www.khl.com/events or www.estaeurope.com