In conference in Turkey

Final touches are being made to the programme for this year’s International Cranes and Transport Turkey conference.

CATT 2014 is a full day conference and evening networking event being held in Istanbul on 8 May 2014. It serves the interests of the industry in Turkey and the surrounding region of North Africa, the Middle East, South Eastern Europe and the so-called ’stan countries. First held in 2012, this second CATT will be held at the Marriott Asia Hotel.

CATT has a unique audience of senior executives and leading professionals from the crane and heavy lift sector and includes the buoyant energy sector. Be involved at the cutting edge of industry development by attending, sponsoring, speaking at or otherwise contributing to this event. The conference will be supported and sponsored by leading crane and specialized transport equipment manufacturers as well as the suppliers of equipment and services to the industry. It follows the very successful crane and transport events held previously in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Istanbul, Turkey; São Paulo, Brazil; and Shanghai, China.

As the bridge between Europe and Asia Turkey’s geographical location makes it a natural choice for such an event. It offers a unique gateway to Asia with close economic ties to the Middle East, North Africa and South Eastern Europe. Remarkable and steady growth in the Turkish economy over the last eight years has encouraged experts and international financial institutions to make confident forecasts about the economic future.

Investment is promised in infrastructure and energy sector development in the country and the surrounding region. With the consequential boost in demand for cranes and specialized transport equipment, skills and services, there is an increasing need for experienced operators and higher standards of safety in the region. Equipment operators, contractors and others need to ensure that they are working to world class standards of best practice using the best equipment.

The conference will begin with a short welcome speech from Alex Dahm, International Cranes and Specialized Transport magazine editor, international editor Cranes and Project Transport Turkey, American Cranes and Transport. This will be followed by opening remarks from the chairperson.

The presentations begin with keynote speaker Nabil Al Zahlawi, NFT Cranes managing partner, who will talk about, among other topics, the ongoing project to construct a new Bosphorus bridge crossing between the west and east sides of Istanbul, and the challenges of doing business in the tower crane sector.

Speakers in the specialized transport sector include Hüseyin Hüsnü İlgün, general directorate of highways, Department of Traffic Safety, transportation safety section chief. He will speak about the highway regulations regarding project transportation in Turkey. The view on this from the private sector will also be presented by Sadık Durmuş, owner of Çaba Ağır Taşımacılık specialized transport company.

Topics on safety and best practice will follow with a presentation from Dr Oliver Fries, WireCo WorldGroup, vice president of global R&D, innovation and technology, based in Germany. Fries will talk about the importance of looking after your crane’s wire rope.

After lunch, Andreas Köhler, Köhler Kran-Service chief executive officer will talk about the importance of maintaining the highest standards in crane repair and refurbishment. Counterfeit parts, especially for wheeled mobile cranes, is another topic on his agenda. Köhler is nominated as a crane expert by the German health and safety authority and part of his job is to inspect cranes after accidents.

On a similar theme, talking about the risks and dangers of counterfeit parts is David Semple, Manitowoc vice president sales, Middle East and Africa. Semple joined the crane industry in 1998 after a first work experience in Syria. Until 2005 he was managing the sales of Potain tower cranes over the Middle-East region, successively based in France, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. After the integration of Potain and Grove in the Manitowoc Group in the early 2000s, Semple was tasked in 2005 with establishing and managing the group’s regional offices in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone, supporting all Manitowoc dealers over 20 countries in the Middle-East. In his presentation Semple will talk about the dangers of counterfeit crane parts, especially tower crane mast sections, which can be severely flawed and cause death and serious injury.

Projects and case studies are on the agenda next. First up is Marco van Daal, Owner, The Works International, who will explain a practical approach to developing techniques for safe lifting and transport projects. Van Daal has been in the heavy lift and transport industry since 1993. He started at Netherlands-headquartered Mammoet and later was at Fagioli PSC from Italy. He is a contributing member on the P30 committee with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is a great believer in sharing knowledge and experience. As founder and owner of The Works international he offers heavy transport and lift seminars all over the world, both in a classroom environment as well as hands-on.

Following this is a presentation from Jan Peters, Anatolia Logistics owner, who will explain the processes and challenges on one of his company’s recent project transports. Jan Thies Peters established his own company, Anatolia Logistics in 2003. He has achieved remarkable project transportations in terms of both size and weight in northern Africa, Middle-East, CIS, Central Asia and Europe.

Also on this year’s agenda will be a presentation from Engin Kuzucu, general manager of Hareket Heavy Lifting and Project Transportation Co. Kuzucu has also worked as general manager of STFA Maritime Industry and Trading Co before he joined STFA Maritime where he was responsible for the logistic supplies of jobsites in the Middle East. Serkan Aslan of Sarılar will speak on transport issues surrounding traffic control issues, permitting and related transport projects.

Other speakers on the agenda for this year’s programme, plus the full CATT programme and more details on this and other KHL events, are regularly updated at: www.khl.com/events