Section Cranes

Chairman           Mr Roderik van Seumeren (VVT)
Vice Chairman   Mr Ton Klijn (VVT)

Members
Mr Albert Bos Mr Hendrik Sarens Mr Roger van de Weghe	ABELG ABELG ABELG	Belgium Belgium Belgium
Mr Soeren Jansen	Danske Byggeri	Denmark
Mr Marceau Cochez           Mr Jean-Baptiste Fédide Mr F. Koenig Mr Chrsitian-Jacques Vernazza	SNUG SNUG SNUG SNUG	France France France France
Mr Robert Markewitsch	BSK	Germany
Mr Sergio Pontalto	ANNA	Italy
Mr David Ruiz Garzon	Anagrual	Spain
Mr Lars Morast	Swedish Mobil Crane Association	Sweden
Mr Ton Klijn Mr Johan van de Scheur	VVT VVT	Netherlands
Mr Steve Cooke Mr Colin Wood	CPA CPA	United Kingdom United Kingdom
Associated Members (manufacturers and individual companies)
Mr Jos Verhulst	Kobelco Cranes Europe
Mr Karl Stöhr Mr Hans-Dieter Willim	Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH
Mr Manuel Meurant	Manitowoc Crane Group Lyon
Mr Thomas Schramm	Terex-Demag GmbH & Co. KG
Mr Michael Spatharas Mr Alexandros Spatharas	Spatharas Bros Co. Spatharas Bros Co.

The Section Cranes aims at
• European harmonisation of legislation and rules for working with cranes;
• European harmonisation of permit procedures and conditions;
• development-issues for new cranes;
• exchange of information.

Introduction
The use of cranes has stimulated and will stimulate the development of the economy world-wide. In every kind of industry, specivcaly the building industry and production industry, cranes in all kind of shapes and measures are used.
In the ESTA the crane hiring companies of Europe that exploit all types of mobile cranes and tower cranes are united, represented by their local association. The cranes that are exploited by these companies are the type that can be seen on the road or near by all kind of building activities,
like houses, roads, bridges, flats, industrial buildings and windmills, heavy maintenance activities, like repair or overhaul of large machines, and all kinds of lifting activities for moving objects, like ships, large machinery and planes. The possibilities of lifting objects with cranes are enormous, so the enumeration is surely not complete.

European Harmonisation
Economical activities become more and more global. Boundaries and differences in legislation discourages this process. Europe is trying to unite and accomplish European legislation for al the associated countries. This is a very difficult and time devouring process. The ESTA Section Cranes believes that she is able to support this process to bring in its experience and do joint proposals from the users of the cranes.
The subjects of harmonisation contains the use and deployment of cranes; legislation and rules about craftsmanship and operation, rules about the technical condition of the cranes, like inspection terms and conditions, permissible axle loads and gross vehicle weight. At the end the harmonisation of legislation should make it possible to develop types of cranes that can be used and equally operated all over Europe without having trouble with “paper borders” at all.

Exchange of Information
Almost all crane hiring companies are very enthusiastic concerning the machinery and the use and potential of cranes. Therefore the ESTA Section Cranes  is a group that very often discuss common technical problems, the technical possibilities of the cranes, environmental issues that are dealt with and solutions how to handle a certain job. These exchange of technical information also leads to supplemental specifications for the development of new cranes.

To work in Europe across other countries, unfortunately, we must still accept that there are differences in rules and legislations. So information about the specific rules of the concerning countries are exchanged between the associated members.