Roofing company deploys truck-mounted crane to reduce physical strain

Hans-Dieter Büschkes GmbH & Co. KG expands its lifting and access capabilities with a truck-mounted crane from Böcker Krantechnik, improving ergonomics, safety and flexibility on site.  boecker.de Operational context in the roofing sector Hans-Dieter Büschkes GmbH & Co. KG, based in Euskirchen, is a long-established roofing company carrying out a wide range of roofing, installation and repair work. Many of these activities require the regular handling of heavy materials and safe operation at significant heights. Increasing requirements for occupational safety, workforce retention and operational efficiency led the company to further reduce physical strain on employees while expanding its ability to operate on complex construction sites. Objectives: workload reduction, safety and expanded capabilities The investment aimed to relieve employees from physically demanding tasks, improve safety during work at height and enable projects that are difficult or impossible to carry out using conventional methods. At the same time, the solution needed to be flexible enough to support both material handling and installation or maintenance work. Selecting a truck-mounted crane with access platform capability At the end of October, the company integrated the AK 46 truck-mounted crane from Böcker Krantechnik into its fleet. The decision was driven by the combination of high lifting performance and a compact design. With a gross vehicle weight of 26 tonnes on a Mercedes Actros chassis, the crane offers good driving and manoeuvring characteristics, which is particularly beneficial on urban construction sites. From a technical perspective, the AK 46 covers a wide range of applications with payloads of up to 3 tonnes (optionally 6 tonnes) and extension lengths of up to 46 metres. Outreach of up to 39 metres at lower loads enables material transport to hard-to-reach rear sides of roofs and buildings. Improved safety and ergonomic working conditions For operations in low-light conditions, the truck-mounted crane is equipped with LED area and load-bed lighting as well as work lights at the boom joint. A key element of the operating concept is the PK 350-D personnel basket. Using the EasyLock system, the crane can be converted into a full aerial work platform within minutes. This allows up to three people or 350 kilograms to work safely at heights of up to 39 metres and outreach of up to 33 metres. This configuration enables the company to carry out installation and repair work directly from the platform, while continuing to use the crane for material handling. Digital support for fleet management Another factor in the selection was integration with the BöckerConnect customer portal. Through the platform, the company can access location, usage and diagnostic data for the crane. Functions such as geofencing, route tracking and usage statistics support deployment planning and contribute to more efficient utilisation of the machine. Integration and initial results Delivery of the truck-mounted crane included comprehensive operator training for the entire team as well as a tour of the production facilities. Within the first few weeks of operation, the crane was already in frequent use. Combined with the company’s existing AHK 36 trailer crane, Büschkes can now operate on multiple sites simultaneously: repair work in platform mode and material transport by crane can be carried out in parallel. Managing Director André Büschkes summarises the investment pragmatically: “The truck-mounted crane significantly reduces physical strain on our employees and enables safe, ergonomic work at height. At the same time, it expands our range of services.” Conclusion By deploying the truck-mounted crane, Hans-Dieter Büschkes GmbH & Co. KG has strategically expanded its technical capabilities in the roofing sector. The solution improves occupational safety and ergonomics, increases on-site flexibility and supports the efficient execution of demanding projects. www.boecker.com Powered by Induportals Media Publishing