Set fair for Singapore

The three-day crane Singapore Crane Fair, being held on 28 to 30 September 2014, will be a great regional focal point for the crane and transport industry. Its target visitors and attendees include all levels of crane industry employees, their families, managers and owners of crane companies, contractors, distributors, and representatives from regulatory authorities.

The event starts with the Crane Carnival on Sunday 28 September, continues with a half-day Singapore-focused Crane Safety Symposium on Monday 29th and then concludes with the international CATAP conference on Tuesday 30th. The three-day event is a joint effort organised by several organisations, including the Singapore Cranes Association (SCA), the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL), the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSH Council), International Cranes and Specialized Transport and its publisher KHL Group, and Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MoM).

The Singapore Crane Fair starts on the Sunday with the Crane Carnival, at Singapore’s Institute of Technology. It is being organised by the SCA and SCAL. First held in 2013, the day is for Singapore crane industry professionals, their families, jobseekers and students. It aims to increase awareness of the crane sector, showcase the industry’s approach to health and safety, and help communicate the high level of responsibility and professionalism required to be a successful operator. The Carnival, which has the support of MoM and WSH Council (National Crane Safety) Taskforce, aims to promote the crane industry and create a competent workforce.

Speaking about last year’s event, a WSH Council spokesperson said, “The inaugural Carnival attracted over 800 participants, comprising industry players, their families and the public. Participants were treated to a series of fun-filled activities including crane demonstrations, hands-on workshops, as well as mobile and tower crane skills challenge. The activities were designed to educate participants on workplace safety and health in the crane industry while injecting excitement and fun elements.”

On the Monday is the Crane Safety Symposium, an annual event organised by the WSH Council in collaboration with the MoM. It is a specialist conference looking at safety issues in Singapore and targets management-level personnel from crane owners, suppliers and manufacturers, crane users and contractors.

“The Crane Safety Symposium aims to raise awareness amongst crane stakeholders on the importance of crane safety and at the same time showcase the latest crane developments within Singapore to the industry,” a spokesperson said. Both the Crane Carnival and the Crane Safety Symposium are free events.

The final element of the Singapore Crane Fair is the International Cranes and Transport Asia Pacific (CATAP) conference on Tuesday 30 September, organised by International Cranes and Specialized Transport magazine and its publisher, KHL Group.

The CATAP conference, held at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore, will include a roundtable on lifting in the oil and gas sector, the latest advice on health and safety issues and a special report on Myanmar’s fast-growing crane industry. Rajiv Biswas, chief Asia economist at IHS, is the keynote speaker and Cor-Henk Roolvink, Asia Pacific construction manager at Foster Wheeler, is taking part in the oil and gas roundtable. Biswas, an expert on Asia who worked with The Economist before joining IHS, will assess economic prospects for the region and address issues that include China’s future growth and the impact of the recent Indian elections.

Representatives from Sarens, Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift, Mammoet and Leighton Contractors Asia will be among the participants. Speakers and topics will include Bryan Cronie from Mammoet, who will present Creating a safety culture in lifting operations and Rob West, from Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift, who will deliver a presentation on Expectations and challenges in Australia’s crane industry. Dirk Verwimp from Sarens will present Large modules: forward planning and reducing costs and Mohamed Abdul Akbar Bin Mohamed Abdul Kader, from National Crane Safety Taskforce & Nan Guan Construction, will deliver a safety presentation titled Singapore’s crane industry: making safety a priority. Steve Carter, from Leighton Contractors Asia, will present Crane safety and operator training in Asia - a contractor’s perspective. The conference will be concluded with a round-table, which will focus on China’s crane market, including the nuclear sector, and trends in the mobile and tower crane markets.

Gold sponsors of the CATAP event are crane manufacturers Terex, XCMG and Zoomlion. Silver sponsor is Sany. Supporting sponsors are Modulift, Scheuerle/Nicolas/Kamag and LSI Robway.

Associations and organisations supporting the event are: Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA), Singapore Cranes Association, Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC), Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA), and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

For more information and full programme details and speakers see the conference website: www.khl-group.com/events/catap