One of the more common mistakes on construction sites is the use of too many cranes. Often times, in order to complete a project, managers tend to lean towards more cranes in the theory that this will enable the project to be completed quicker. Using this theory in many cases you are in fact limiting the amount of workability each crane is able to perform, and in return limiting the amount of lifts it is able to carry out.
In these instances we have found that cranes are usually only working at 30% to 50% efficiency. This is highly inefficient, and it raises the cost of the project due to the cost of the cranes, plus the labour needed to erect, service, operate, and dismantle the cranes during the extent of the project. A construction site should be engineered to have a working efficiency of the tower cranes up to 80%. This allows each crane to have full range of motion at all times, while working at its max radius without interference from other cranes positioned too close on site.
In order for this to be effective and for there to be no delays to the project it relies heavily on micro management. The best way to ensure this is to have a person on site dedicated solely to the management of logistics. The person’s job would be to schedule each and every delivery on site and note what delivery point it will be arriving to and where it needs to go. This will enable the project to maintain tower crane efficiency and organize the site so that each and every aspect of the project can be planned down to the day.
By managing the daily workload of the tower cranes, this will enable you to ensure that they are working to max efficiency with little downtime, and keep the project moving along smoothly with no delays. We can provide a complimentary consultation on your next project, contact me.
What has your experience been like with tower cranes and efficiency on your job sites?
