September 2008 International Cranes and Specialized Transport magazine editor's comment

Demand for electrical power around the world continues to rise, especially in China and India. Construction of new power plants and expansion of existing ones, plus wind turbine erection, constitute a large part of the world's crane activity. This work is often done using large crawler cranes but there are applications in power plant construction for large tower cranes.

Aside from the main turbine hall, a primary feature of many power plants is the group of giant parabolic cooling towers. These vast concrete chimneys are often constructed using specially designed tower cranes. Due to erection and dismantling requirements they have unusual design features, some of which could be useful elsewhere. For details of tower cranes used in cooling tower construction see the feature starting on page 35.

Continuing the energy theme is the feature on components in this issue starting on page 19. Rising oil prices and increased fuel cost increases the economic dimension of the need to consume less energy. Manufacturers of cranes and specialized transport equipment are under increasing pressure and obligation to develop products that are more economical, both directly, for example, in terms of the amount of diesel they burn to operate and indirectly, for example, in terms of manufacturing processes and component sourcing that has minimal environmental impact.

Another highlight of this September issue is the feature on operator certification. It reflects the growing concern surrounding crane safety in light of the unusually high number of crane related fatalities, especially in the US, this year. Learn more about this vital area of the industry on page 63.

Finally, it is time again for the TopLift competition. See page 52 for the annual IC contest where you vote for a favourite lifting job of the year drawn from projects in the magazine over the last 12 months. Please help us celebrate industry success by entering your choice on the form provided on page 54 and returning it by e-mail to toplift@khl.com, by fax to +44 (0)1892 786257, or by post, to the IC office by 3 November at the latest please.