Obituary: Andrew Brown

With regret IC reports the death of lifelong crane man Andrew Brown at the age of 69.

At the end of 2012 Brown retired from a 50 year career in the crane industry when he finished work as the sales manager of the Kobelco Cranes Europe operation in the UK.

Andrew Brown started as a student engineering apprentice at Ransomes and Rapier in Ipswich, UK, in 1961, before transferring to NCK-Rapier as a sales representative in the north of England. He became product manager when the Ajax, Eiger, Orion and Olympus cranes were developed. As export manager he then led an export drive worldwide to sell cranes and walking draglines, helping to earn the company its first Queen’s Award for Export.

At Ruston-Bucyrus in Lincoln he was project manager, initially responsible for pedestal mounted offshore cranes.

Brown joined Kobelco when the UK company was formed in 2000. Commenting on the occasion of Brown’s retirement, Masayuki Kimura, Kobelco Cranes Europe managing director, said, “Andrew Brown is highly regarded and respected throughout the crane industry, both in the UK and many other parts of the world.”

Andrew Brown died on 20 November following a battle with cancer.