I’m no tax expert (other than sending 50 years of taxes to the IRS every April 15th), but this could be a really good time to reduce the cost of some needed equipment investments. Here’s two links to give you the details:

1. Material Handling Magazine – Article
2. Material Handling Industry of America – Article

Next week, back to technical issues.

He went on to tell about a great and booming retailer, B&H Photo in New York City, and how they exhibit three significant factors:

1. Product Knowledge – An in depth product knowledge of their full product line. A knowledge that transforms them from a sales clerk to a consultant.

2. Price Reducing Suggestions – A willingness to use this vast library of experience to expand or even reduce the size of the sale, depending on the interest of the customer.

3. Competitive Pricing – Because of their size, they have the volume to always provide a competitive quote.

After reading the article, I felt very good that we at Dearborn Overhead Crane strive to meet these 3 qualities. I can promise you that after the initial hello, every person you talk to here has a long history of experience with overhead cranes and hoists. The secret to our experience was discovered by my father and repeatedly illustrated to me in various ways. The secret is to create a company in which people like to work and stay a long time. Nothing compares to simple, old fashioned experience and the only way you can get it is to be on the job for many years.

So the next time you call, be prepared to take a little extra time and make sure to ask those questions you were reluctant to ask others. There’s a good chance we’ll have the answer at hand and if not, we have the largest library of crane related books, articles and specs available.

If you would like to read the Inc. article, here’s the link: Inc. Magazine – It Isn’t the Economy, Stupid

At the beginning, I will pull my topics from points of confusion that I have seen over the past 30 years in the Overhead Bridge Crane business. Ours is a family company that was started by my father and uncles in 1947 and I have been involved in overhead bridge cranes all of my life. I’ve seen just about every crane problem you can imagine and look forward to putting together a knowledge base here to help people avoid those all too common as well as not so common mistakes.

I once purchased a book entitled “If Only We Knew What We Know”. In spite of the apparent double talk, the title really struck me. It was my first exposure to “knowledge bases” and the concept really caught my imagination. Nowhere is the concept of a knowledge base more applicable that with overhead bridge cranes. There are hundreds of experienced crane technicians, plant engineers, and maintenance men and crane operators with 10, 20 and 30 plus years experience that have learn the hard way, but there is almost nothing written down to pass on this knowledge. This is the essence of a knowledge base, and this is what I hope to collectively put together here.

Some of the upcoming topics will include:

• The important of Duty Cycle in specifying and purchasing an Overhead Bridge Crane
• OSHA, what is really required?
• Do Mechanical Load Brakes really make a difference?
• Six issues you must confirm before buying an Overhead Bridge Crane

Look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Frazier Crane
PhD in Craneology (Piled High and Deep)