Cranes Can Never Be Replaced By Technology

When it comes to cranes, technology can make a lot of improvements to they way they work and the way an operator controls them, but technology will never replace the crane itself. At least, not until they invent some form of anti-gravity device. Cranes fulfill a unique role in the construction industry, a role that would see building taking ten times as long again to complete if we didn’t have cranes.

Why won’t cranes be replaced? Simplicity. The concept behind a crane is thousands of years old and it has never changed. A crane uses a boom to provide lifting leverage and a cable that is used to raise and lower loads. It is a simple concept, a concept that kids learn in the playground without even knowing a lot about cranes.

That simplicity is hard to replace no matter how good our technology. The shape, size, and configurations of cranes may change, but that basic lifting system will remain in place for a long time. While I may be simplifying the process of how a crane works, that doesn’t mean that operating a crane is getting any easier. The opposite is perhaps true with cranes becoming more complex in the cab.

Computer technology is playing an increasing role in an operator’s work whilst, at the same time, there is a lot pressure to increase the safe operations of cranes. Operators have to be far more vigilant and safety conscious than they were several decades ago. In fact, the workplace has reached a stage where legislators are now insisting that operators are certified to meet minimum standards before they are allowed into a crane cab.

Crane operator training through an accredited and respected training organization is the only way to ensure your training meets those minimum standards, and that you are then able to seek certification. Once you are trained and certified, you won’t have to worry about technology taking over your job – humans will always be required to operate cranes.