GROWING UP

There were varied results in the most recent listing of the world’s largest crane-owning companies

Al Faris had the job of weighing, moving and loading out 19 modules, each weighting up to 950 tonnes, in Sharjah, UAE

More and bigger change is a pervasive element of International Cranes and Specialized Transport’s table of the world’s largest crane-owning companies in its 2024 iteration, of which this is an edited list. This list looks at the top 30 crane-owning companies in the world, whereas the original listing covers the top 100.

That change is almost universally positive, continuing the return to growth that began last year after the pandemic.

Starting with the 2024 headline combined index figure for all 221 companies entered this year, the total of 37,712,101 points is 9.28% up on the 34,510,957 points of 2023. Last year the overall number was 216 companies so there has been a net gain of five companies.

This was achieved with the addition of 13 new or returning companies, positively offsetting the removal of eight companies, two due to acquisition and the remainder were just old data.

Turning to the IC100, this year’s total is 35,107,721 points, up an impressive 8.43% on the 32,377,509 of 2023. Last year it was up 6.1% on the previous year. The top 100 companies account for 93% of the 221-company total figure.

Moving together

While nothing has changed at the top with Mammoet retaining its number one spot, its nearest rival, Sarens, is now nearer to it than ever before.

Last year the gap between the two was 646,318 Index points but this year that has been slashed to less than half, at 319,530 points.

In 2023, Sarens was 81% the size of Mammoet while now it is 91%. Mammoet is less than 2% bigger than it was last year but Sarens is 13.58% bigger. Add another couple of blue and yellow super heavylift cranes before next May and next year’s IC100 could have a new leader.

Elsewhere in the top ten there has been more movement than usual, but there are no new entries or leavers.

Contributing to some of the position changes may be a noticeable increase in the number of large crawler cranes, for example 2,000 and 4,000 tonne capacity models, often from the Chinese manufacturers, joining fleets. Some of the companies with these giants are Sanghvi, Sinopec, Hareket, Tiong Woon, Sarilar, SoP&G and Barkat. All have also made gains in the table this year.

There are 877 more wheeled mobile cranes in the 2024 IC100 than last year, up 3.34% on the year before.

There are 276 more lattice cranes in the IC100 than last year, up 3.43%.

There are 1,714 more employees in the IC100 companies than last year, up 2.02%.

There are 49 more depots in the IC100 than last year, up 3.12%. www.constructionbriefing.com

A small part of Fagioli’s major recent project involving a catamaran arrangement of vessels with SPMT and doubled heavy lifting gantry with strand jacks

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CRANES AND SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT

International Cranes and Specialised Transport is the world’s leading authority for cranes and transport information. It is published ten times a year and holds numerous industry events. The IC100 is a list of the top 100 crane-owning firms in the world and is published in the June issue. The ICM20, on the next page, is published in the NovemberDecember issue.

On the up and up

Talking of gains, Aguado from Spain looks like one to watch. Mario Aguado told ICST he has invested tens of millions of euros in new equipment in the last three years.

Acquisitions have also affected the table, notably with Barnhart adding three more companies in 2024, namely Baxter Crane and Rigging, White Crane and CR Holland. Also in the US, Bay Crane has been especially acquisitive in recent years, adding to its portfolio United Crane and Rigging, Crane Rental Company, and Capital City Group, among others.

As a result of its acquisition of fellow Belgian rental company Michielsens five years ago, Aertssen has combined the two companies’ numbers as they have now been fully merged, operationally and sales-wise, into one company.

This has increased Aertssen’s IC Index from 184,598 to 224,907, (21.8%.)

New additions

Of the new or returning entries, the highest placed was Trungnam from Vietnam, at 24. It was followed by Singapore-based AsiaGroup in 60th place, absent from the table since 2019 when it was 43rd.

It will be interesting to see what happens with next year’s table and if there might even be a change at the very top of the table of the world’s largest crane-owning companies.