Four years ago, Essex started researching a second crane supplier to add to its fleet mix, but according to Ron Schad, CEO, the supplier needed to be reliable and be able to deliver exceptional performance and service. Strictly a bare-rental operation, it was important that the second crane brand be one that Essex’s customers would accept. Ultimately, the company settled on Liebherr with the addition of several duty-cycle cranes targeted at a new market for Essex – foundation work. “The response was better than we could have imagined,” said Jason Walton, marketing associate. “Not only did customers accept the addition of the Liebherrs into the fleet, but they even started asking for them by model number.”

Collaborative Efforts
Since then Essex’s relationship with Liebherr has transitioned from trial buyer to influential customer. The company’s most recent purchases, which include the 275-ton LR1200SX and 330-ton LR1300, were a direct result of Essex’s collaboration in the design of the cranes. Schad and Bill O’Rourke, VP of sales, convinced Liebherr that the LR1200 needed to have higher capacities and a stronger luffing jib to become a leader in the U.S. market. The SX model was a result of this collaboration. A similar effort between the companies continued with Liebherr’s development of the LR1300, which was unveiled to the world market at the 2007 Bauma exhibition in Germany.

Based on feedback from customers since buying its first LR1200SX in 2005, Essex is adding additional units of this model to its fleet. Deliveries have already begun and will continue into 2009. The heavy-duty LR1200SX has been well received because the luffing jib delivers long reach, high capacity and precise load control.

Vezers Precision Industrial Constructors International, Inc. used the crane at Monarch Cement Company in Humboldt, Kan., where they were awarded the contract to renovate and upgrade production equipment. The five-month project entailed regularly scheduled ductwork replacement plus conversion of a massive preheater to burn coke fuel in place of increasingly expensive natural gas.

“This was a mammoth project. We needed to rely on one crane for all major lifts to keep the job on schedule and on budget,” said Danny Saint, general superintendent and equipment manager for Vezers. Equipped with a 164-foot main boom and 154-foot luffing jib, the 1200SX was able to perform all major and routine lifts for the company. The crane also gives operators some added benefits.

“I’ve run other rental rigs from Essex and they are always reliable, but this new Liebherr is a special treat,” said Jim Sullivan, crane operator for Vezers. “The cab is really comfortable…a perfect fit even for a size XXXL. I especially like the control console and the crane’s smooth response.”

Other features of Liebherr cranes that have made them popular with Essex’s customers include their high horsepower, drum speeds and line pull. In addition, “Liebherr luffing jib capacities have allowed customers to use a smaller crane when a larger crane would previously have been needed to make the lift,” said Walton, which presents a more economical option for customers.

New Markets
Like that first foray into foundation work, Essex continues to look for new markets for its bare-rental crawler cranes. Currently the company is focusing on cranes rated at 220-tons and up. The sweet spot of the Essex fleet has always been around the 200-ton class, but according to Walton, that sweet spot is moving up toward the 250- to 300-ton class, hence the additions of the LR1200SX and LR1300. These cranes are useful to many different markets, including power, petro-chemical, refineries, bridges, heavy highway, and commercial construction.