For over 30 years, TNT Crane & Rigging Inc. — one of the largest crane service providers in North America — has provided innovative lifting services to customers across diverse industries, including refining, petrochemical, oil and gas, power and commercial end markets. The company is comprised of five regional brands that all operate under the TNT umbrella: TNT Crane & Rigging Inc., Southway Crane & Rigging, Eagle West Cranes, Stampede Crane & Rigging and RMS Cranes.
TNT’s customers are served from 40 branch locations throughout North America operating a modern fleet of over 625 hydraulic truck, all terrain and crawler cranes with lifting capacity up to 1,300 tons, plus a fleet of tower cranes. TNT has a comprehensive inventory of specialty lifting equipment, including gantry jacks, cantilever beams, forklifts and rigging equipment. This combination of equipment provides a high level of resource utilization flexibility to deliver solutions safely and efficiently. The motto “Lifting America to a Higher Standard” is representative of TNT’s goal: “to be the benchmark by which others are judged in the heavy lift and transport industry.”
The following is a recap of key highlights from the past year.
Incident and Injury-Free® journey
Mike Appling, CEO, and Kregg Lunsford, president, have made the commitment to create a culture absent of incident and injury. Their decision was driven by the desire for every employee to arrive at work and return home safely in the same condition each day.
TNT partnered with JMJ Associates to help implement the “Incident and Injury-Free® (IIF) Safety Approach,” which challenges the status quo and helps companies create change in people, processes, culture and organizations. IIF Commitment Workshops were held for all company managers to help them understand their personal roles and how to create an incident- and injury-free environment. A Corporate IIF Leadership Team was formed with representation from all TNT companies to guide and oversee the journey. The team developed an IIF Vision Statement to help everyone focus on what is really important and that reflects the passion and hopes for the company.
TNT Crane & Rigging Incident and Injury-Free® VISION STATEMENT
We will create:
A world where we hold human life and its preservation as the highest of values.
An environment where Incident and Injury-Free is our way of life.
An organization in which “who we are” sends an unwavering message throughout the industry that we do what’s “right” because it’s the right thing to do.
A culture that places the utmost value upon our families, co-workers and ourselves.
A world where our commitment to excellence equally drives our personal and professional lives.
TNT conducted IIF Orientation Workshops companywide to help employees understand the meaning of IIF and their personal roles. Today, workshops are part of new employee orientation. Supervisor skills training is currently underway to help train managers to inspire and lead their work teams, and leadership teams are in place for all TNT companies as well as several regional and branch teams.
The IIF journey to elevate and further personalize the company culture is well underway at TNT, and all employees are making great strides in their transformations.
Lift & Move USA Career Event
One of our industry’s greatest challenges is the growing skills gap within the nation’s labor force. In February, the TNT Houston Branch hosted the Lift & Move USA Career Event, which is designed to bring the next workforce generation into our industry. Sponsored and organized by the Specialized Carrier and Rigging Association, the KHL Group and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, these events are targeted at young people considering future careers in the crane, rigging and specialized transport industry. The Houston event drew over 650 students, teachers and military from the Houston area as well as Beaumont, San Antonio and Dallas, Texas.
Participants listened to industry representatives as they discussed career opportunities in the crane and rigging and transportation business sectors. Antoy Bell, TNT human resources director, described potential career paths and compensation. Attendees spent time on crane simulators, viewed equipment demonstrations and visited with industry representatives.
Southway Crane & Rigging was a Silver sponsor at the second Lift & Move USA event held in Graham, North Carolina, in May that drew 300 participants.
Expansion
This year, TNT has further expanded its geographic footprint and fleet composition. Southway Crane & Rigging opened a Branch in Birmingham, Alabama, with a fleet of nine cranes up to 200 tons. Southway is expanding its coverage to serve the telecom, paper, power, commercial construction and industrial end-markets. Customers will benefit from the sum of expanded service, manpower and resources available from Southway’s experienced team and diversified fleet. Jerry Reynolds, president, said, “We are pleased to make the commitment to bring Southway’s experience and expertise to customers in the Birmingham community and work with you to meet and exceed your job requirements and deliver customer satisfaction to every project.”
In July, TNT Crane & Rigging — Canada opened a branch office outside of Edmonton in Leduc, Alberta, to serve multiple industries, including oil and gas, wind construction, bridge and road construction, and commercial customers from British Columbia to Ontario. Bob Fairbank, president and CEO, said, “Edmonton offers great potential for growth, and we look forward to expanding our customer base here through this commitment.”
This summer, TNT also opened a new branch in Sulphur, Louisiana, to provide crane services to the rapidly expanding Southwest Louisiana market. The new branch will enable TNT to capitalize on new opportunities and expand its presence in the region.
In December 2015, RMS Cranes received a new 900-ton all-terrain crane to support expansion into the wind energy market in the Rocky Mountain and Plains regions. The new LTM 1750-9.1 is equipped with a luffer, superlift and a wind luffer capable of work on 90-meter wind turbines. The crane has multiple configurations available, giving it a wide range of capabilities. A second LTM 1750-9.1 is currently being commissioned for TNT’s Houston branch.
Specialty Lifting Services
TNT established a Specialty Lifting Services division dedicated to providing specialty rigging solutions utilizing gantry systems, cantilever beams, jacks and slide systems, and specialty forklifts. Applications for this technology include:
• Installation of large generator packages in commercial buildings with limited access.
• Cantilever beams for custom installation and removal of components in structures.
• Removal and replacement of larger transformers in substations.
• Jack and slide services to remove exchangers from restricted units in refinery and petrochemical plants.
Hydraulic gantries are a safe, efficient way to lift and position heavy loads in applications where traditional cranes are restricted. TNT’s Hydrospex SBL 1100 Super Boom Lift is designed to meet the highest standards in safety and precision control to ensure optimum stability during lifting operations. It has a lifting capacity of 1,220 tons, a maximum lifting height of 40 feet, 200 feet of tracking capability and uses the remote-controlled Intellilift Control system, which features automatic synchronization and overload detection.
Recently, TNT introduced two cantilever beams to its Specialty Lifting operations. These custom-designed systems provide three-dimensional control for complex lifts. The beams feature several safety features, including automated braking systems and wireless control. The TNT specialty fleet also includes 6,000-60,000 pound forklifts and rigging trailers equipped with a comprehensive inventory of tools and rigging equipment for complex projects.
TNT continues to expand and innovate and show its customers why it’s “Lifting America to a Higher Standard.”
For more information, visit www.tntcrane.com or call (800) 799-2505.
