29.08.2024

Stafford to enter STS crane market

Irish American crane company Stafford Crane Group is designing and developing an all-new American built Ship To Shore (STS) port crane.

The new crane is being designed at the company’s design 'hub' in Milan, Italy and has come about as a result of the BABA (Build America Buy American) programme and the edict issued by president Biden in May, in which he announced that the US government will place a 25 percent tariff on imports of Chinese built Ship to Shore port cranes this year.

There are currently no North American built STS port cranes, most come from China or in the case of Liebherr – Germany. See: US slaps tariffs on STS cranes Although Konecranes, which builds its STS crane in China, said last month that it will [44348](set up a network of US suppliers) in order to be able to build a high local content crane.

After the May announcement Stafford began looking into the feasibility of such as project and now president Patrick Stafford and co-owner Derek Stafford have given the project their full blessing. Given that the manufacturing location will be a major factor in the project, the company is considering setting up a new company to build this crane type of crane within the group.

The statement said: “Stafford family wish to offer this industry a true American brand of STS/Panamax cranes into the American market, 100 percent fabricated and manufactured in the southwest of the USA. We can also confirm to all our current clients in the tower crane sector that it is ‘business as usual’ and there is no cross over to affect production or delivery of our tower cranes.”

The company added: “Stafford Crane Group will draw on its resources in crane manufacturing to prepare a new concept in STS cranes utilising our years of experience in tower crane manufacturing and applying it to a new STS product line. We also have knowledge and experience gained from our heavy duty gantry cranes further assist us in this new development.”

“Technology has advanced considerably in recent years with this type of crane now supporting automated operations, so the company is focusing on this as part of the together with eco-energy and sustainability. Much intelligence is still to be gathered from the end users to establish what the ideal product should be together with particular attention to the required security and safety features.”

Phoenix, Arizona based Stafford Crane was established in 1996 when Derek Stafford set up his business with a single tower crane in Dublin, Ireland. In 2004 his brother Patrick set up the American operation in Arizona. Today the company sells and rents a wide range of cranes, including mobile towers, overhead cranes and construction hoists, while also offering a range of associated services. It operates across 10 states, with headquarters in Phoenix, and depots in San Diego in California, Denver in Colorado, Salt Lake City in Utah Oklahoma City, and in Texas Austin and Houston. It has also expanded internationally with Stafford Gruas Torre de Mexico in Tijuana. Stafford acquired Soima The Portuguese tower crane manufacturer in 2021 and earlier this year brought it under the Stafford branding while setting up its new design centre the - Milano Tower Crane Hub – in Milan Italy. See: Soima becomes Stafford

The group remains a family owned and operated business through Derek’s company Tower Crane Technical Solutions in San Diego, and brother Jack Stafford’s company Stafford Crane and Hoist Rigging in Colorado. Patrick is based at the Phoenix headquarters, along with his son, also a Patrick.

Vertikal Comment

While Konecranes is looking at some form of US production, Stafford seems determined to go well beyond that and set up a proper production facility in the US. It will of course, need to be close to a sea port of course as these cranes do not move well on the road.

Although STS cranes are relatively simple structurally, they increasingly rely on sophisticated electronics and automation. This is an area where Stafford has been investing in recent years. So it could be much further along in the development process that you might initially expect.
Watch this space.