Advanced automation solutions can help add more safety features
We have many norms but the main thing is to really implement them in our day- to- day working, says Saeesh Nevrekar, Deputy Country Manager, Konecranes. Excerpts from the interview with Equipment India.

Brief us about the current safety norms and regulations in the lifting and loading machinery, especially cranes. Are they up to the mark?
At present, there are various crane safety, operational and maintenance norms in India like, handling the bridge travel, trolley travel, wearing safety accessories, following the safety alarms and signals, regular inspection of critical components of cranes, etc. We have many norms but the main thing is to really implement them in our day-to-day working. Still in many small industries, the crane safety norms are not being followed strictly and it causes accidents on the shop floor.

Do we need to upgrade the existing specs and standards? What are your suggestions?
Basically, crane specifications are determined based on customer requirement and the crane is designed according to it. I feel it?s not about changing the specifications but we need to focus more on the crane automation part which actually monitor and control complete crane operations. Advanced automation solutions can help add more safety features and make it easy to operate.

Give us details about the safety features (optional/inbuilt) in the Konecranes range.
Our Smart Cranes come with many unique features which ensure the overall safety of a crane, like the Sway Control feature which helps to reduce accidents by preventing load sway and keep the load steady even if an inexperienced operator is handling the crane; the Adjustable Working Limit feature defines the area in which crane is allowed to move, so the operation of crane can be restricted to a particular area of plant.

Are safety features a major factor when the customers opt for new products?
Safety is very important and it should not be neglected. Now we have seen many cases where customers are focusing more on safety aspects and are willing to add more safety features and to pay more price for that. Particularly in critical applications in steel plants, power plants, automobile industries and heavy engineering industries, safety plays a major role in the customer?s buying decision. A small accident and consequent downtime of the crane can lead to huge losses to customers resulting in low profits. So in fact, safety plays very important role in overall profitability of businesses too.

Is cost a deterrent for the sale of advanced machines?
Crane safety is most important for aspect in complex manufacturing set-ups like steel, power, automobile plants and if the crane stops working, it will entail a huge loss to the company. We have been receiving a very positive response to our advanced cranes with more safety features and customers are willing to pay a premium price for it. The situation will surely improve in future and customers will give more attention to safety features and will pay higher price for the same. However, there is a niche market too, where customers do not wish to pay premium price for advanced safety features.

What is the role played by Konecranes to ensure safety at the job site?
Typically, a crane is not just an equipment to lift things, it helps to keep your production process and business running smoothly. There are possibilities of human error and mistakes while operating cranes, even if the operator is well trained. We do provide the operator training to our customers to ensure that they operate the crane with the most appropriate way. Any good crane can lead to problems if we keep operating it the wrong way for a long time. All Konecranes service engineers are trained with all safety measures and precautions while working on cranes at customer?s site, we always equip our service engineers with advanced tools and encourage them to follow all safety norms.