International Tower Cranes 2013 update

With the third International Tower Cranes conference just a few weeks away the final touches are being put to the programme for the event in Germany. ITC 2013 will be on 5 November at the Hotel Kempinski in Berlin. An evening reception and registration function will be held on 4 November before the event.

Updates on speakers and topics at the event include the news that co-presenting with Nicola Castenetto from Terex Tower Cranes, will be Peter Jehle, CEO at P&J Arcomet, the North American division of the Arcomet Group, one of the world’s largest tower crane companies. Castenetto and Jehle will talk about how manufacturers and contractors jointly manage modern day challenges on job sites.

Nabil Al Zahlawi, managing partner at tower crane specialist rental and distribution company NFT in the Middle East, will present his insightful perspective on the tower crane market situation throughout the region.

Huang Qun, senior engineer and general manager at the Zoomlion Hoisting Machinery Branch Company (ZHMB), the tower crane and construction hoists subsidiary of Zoomlion Group in China, will explain an application story on using a heavy lift tower crane for a bridge construction project.

Rémi Deporte, Manitowoc Cranes global product director for tower crane mechanisms and self erecting cranes, will talk about the benefits and development potential of collision-avoidance systems in terms of safety and operating efficiency. Deporte has worked for Manitowoc and Potain for 25 years in areas that include operations, design, training, quality and marketing.

Co-presenting with Dominique Tasch from Liebherr will be Thorsten Hesselbein, head of the tower crane solutions department at tower crane manufacturer Liebherr-Werk Biberach in Germany. The Tower Crane Solutions Department includes the power station and plant construction, wind turbine and special projects business areas. Hesselbein studied mechanical engineering and is a welding engineer. He has worked in the tower crane business since 1999. Until November 2011 he was a sales manager and authorised signatory for a Liebherr dealer.

The opening speaker will be Chris Sleight, editor of International Construction, sister magazine to International Cranes and Specialized Transport. Sleight will present a unique perspective on global construction markets. He will link economic conditions worldwide with the industry and its financial outlook, the performance of the world’s largest contractors, and look at trends and regional hotspots.

Speakers at ITC 2013 will also include Dr Oliver Fries, vice president global R&D, innovation and technology at wire rope specialist WireCo Group Europe. Fries will talk about the next generation of ropes to meet the demand of high speed and long lift crane applications. Duncan Salt, director and general manager at HTC Plant in the United Kingdom will discuss ways of adding value and improving customer experience in the tower crane supply chain. Peter Juhren, national service manager at Morrow Equipment in the USA, will explain the importance of expanding quality control to all aspects of a business. Peter Schiefer, Wolffkran CEO and managing director will talk about financing tower cranes and the way forward.

In addition to the strong support of sponsors already on board, KHL is pleased to welcome a new sponsor, remote release hook manufacturer Ludwig Giritzer System, from Germany. Gold sponsors this year are Liebherr, Terex and Zoomlion. Silver sponsors are Geda and Manitowoc. Supporting sponsors are Casar, Jaso, Ludwig Hook System, Morrow Equipment and Proplate.

The 5 November event, in Berlin Germany, is the third time ITC has been held. Following on from the successful conferences held in London and Berlin, ITC 2013 it is a top level conference and networking event to exchange information and discuss best practice on vital industry topics. The conference, for industry leaders and senior managers, will focus on world-class best practice worldwide, safety and the development of common international standards, regulations and work practices. It promises to be an interesting and timely event.

The event is organised by the KHL Events division of KHL Group, publisher of International Cranes and Specialized Transport, American Cranes and Transport, Cranes and Project Transport Turkey and many other construction industry-related titles.

ITC 2012 was attended by 139 delegates from 23 countries and 70 companies were represented. For more details and to arrange attendance at the event see www.khl.com/itc