Hiab Crowns World Champion Crane Operator

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September 26, 2018 - Andreas Öhman from Sweden has won Hiab’s World Crane Championship (WCC). The finals were held September 22-23 in connection with the IAA exhibition in Hannover, Germany.  

One of 15 finalists, Andreas Öhman won the championship final with a time of 2:32:89. Jani Väisänen of Finland came in second at 2:38:95. Tim Hansen of Denmark came in third at 2:33:18. 

In the finals of the third World Crane Championship, the crane drivers got to operate the cutting-edge HIAB X-HiPro 232 mid-range loader crane. The competition tested the contestants' skills and ability to move water cans along a predefined path in the shortest possible time. 

"I was very nervous during the competition, I had a high heart rate during the whole time, but now it feels so good," Andreas Öhman commented after the race. "The WCC competition was very well arranged and a lot of fun - you meet people from all over the world!" he said. 

Ohman will return home with the title of World Crane Champion, a EUR 5,000 travel check and a EUR 20,000 voucher to purchase of a new Hiab loader crane. Lotta Sjöberg, the global marketing manager of Hiab Loader Cranes, congratulated Öhman on the championship title.

This year, the finalists came from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Slovenia.

Joakim Andersson, senior vice president of Hiab Cranes, said: "I want to warmly congratulate Andreas Öhman for the win and all the finalists for a great competition. Andreas put up a stunning show at the World Crane Championships. The national qualifiers leading up the finals were truly amazing, with hundreds of professional crane drivers taking part. We at Hiab are thrilled to have hosted this event for the third time, where the industry's best drivers have proven that they really have what it takes. We look forward to the next championship final at the IAA 2020 exhibition in Hannover!"