Hiab Launches 2018 Crane Operator Contest

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March 21, 2018 - Hiab, part of Cargotec, is inviting the world's best crane operators to enter the company’s third World Crane Championship.  

Local heats begin soon, and the winner will be crowned at the finals during the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hannover, Germany, on Sept. 22-23, 2018. 

The World Crane Championship aims to showcase the skills of loader-crane operators from around the world, and let them test their skills using Hiab’s latest load-handling products.  

The first World Crane Championship, in 2015, generated so much interest that Hiab decided to make it a biennial event.   

Contestants use a HIAB X-HiPro 232 crane to move water cans from a truck around a circuit of obstacles, in the shortest time and as accurately as possible. The operator with the fastest time and fewest faults is crowned the winner, and takes home a prize worth €25,000 (about $34,640 US). 

The first qualification rounds for the 2018 contest will take place in Germany and Austria in early March.  To date, there are entries from 16 countries, including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, The UK and Ireland, Spain, France, Poland, Slovenia, and Israel.  

The winner of the second World Crane Championship in 2016 was Tim Hansen, from Denmark, with a time of 2 minutes, 51:42 seconds. Just 25, Hansen, of Tim S. Hansen ApS, and the third generation of crane operators in his family, said, "Winning was a bit unreal, but it felt pretty good to win the prize and be able to call myself World Crane Champion."    

The operators are the key people in any crane business.  Their skill and precision determines how quickly and safely goods can be delivered.  

"The competitors take their entry into the competition very seriously," says Lotta Sjöberg, Hiab’s global marketing manager, loader cranes. "I have been told that some set up a replica course in their work yards, and practice on a daily basis to hone their skills.”  

Sjöberg says that this year, Hiab is keeping all elements of the test course, the crane, and the truck the same, because contestants want to test themselves against the two previous winners on a like-for-like basis.  

"We invite competitors from around the world to take up the challenge of testing themselves against each other," says Joakim Andersson, Hiab senior vice president for loader cranes. "I am looking forward to this year's contest, and seeing the breathtaking levels of skill and precision that will be demonstrated by our finalists.” 

For more information, and to sign up to compete in the qualification rounds, visit www.worldcranechampionship.com.

 




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