Kito Crosby Australia (Kito PWB) is a leading supplier of high-quality products in the lifting and rigging industry. Established in Australia in 1923, it has a rich history of serving the market.
Since April 2016, it has been a part of the Kito Corporation, a global leader in hoists and cranes. In January 2023, Kito Corporation joined forces with The Crosby Group, a world-renowned provider of lifting and rigging solutions. Together, they formed Kito Crosby, one of the largest and most innovative companies in its field.
The safety of all users is at the core of what the company aims to achieve, not just within the organisation, but for the lifting industry overall. In conjunction with safety, KITO has invested heavily into designing products which reduce downtime and Manufacturers’ Monthly February 2024 foresee future problems before they happen. With this in mind, Glenn Morgan, national hoist specialist, explained the company’s advanced form of maintenance.
“All of the maintenance is set out in the manual. It can tell you when to change the oil, when to check the brake and even when to complete a major inspection, not simply by time but by usage,” Morgan said.
“This provides a pathway for appropriate preventive maintenance to be conducted to ensure the hoist is operational for when you need it.”
Morgan explained that many users will change hoists prematurely and the Kito Crosby range of hoists eliminate this problem for users.
“Majority of crane service companies advise their customers that hoists must have a major overhaul or be replaced after 10 years. This is based on the date of manufacture,” he said.
“The Kito RY, ER2, EQ & EQS hoists are fitted with our CH Meter, that counts hours of usage and number of operations, this information is then used with the owner’s manual to determine when parts or lubrication needs to be replaced or checked. Some hoists may sit on a shelf for one to two years before they are installed, the CH Meter is the best indicator of where the hoist is, in its working life.
“The CH Meter allows companies to easily plan their preventative maintenance on the hoists, this eliminates costly down times and the risk of future accidents,” Morgan said.
Hoists with the CH Meter includes the powerful –ER2 Electric Chain Hoist and MR2 Motorised Trolley, the effective EQ, EQS Electric Chain Hoist and MR2Q Motorised Trolley and the high-performance RY Electric Wire Rope Hoist.
The standard inverter control for the dual-speed hoist provides soft start and soft stop to minimise impact and reduce shock loading but the customer can also customise the speeds to meet their exact requirements. A low-load high-speed function on the EQ, EQS and RY Hoists allows for faster lifting speeds at low loads to increase productivity. The smooth start and stop and transition from slow to fast protects the load and supporting structure and reduces load swing and bounce.
Morgan explained that the CH Meter was developed to improve the productivity of their products by making it easier for the customers to plan and conduct preventative maintenance, thus reducing the risk of breakdowns.
“So often you see competitors really making their money from replacement parts, if Kito Crosby did that we would not survive, that is just the nature of our hoists, they are high quality with minimal breakdowns,” he said.
“We have always insisted on making high quality prducts that are designed to last and maximise safety.
“This gets back to our core belief that we should make the safest possible products for industry, and I believe Kito Crosby is the best at doing this,” Morgan said.
In some instances, crane service providers have not promoted KITO Crosby Australia’s products, because of their superior durability. Minimal breakdowns and repairs are required for KITO Crosby Australia’s equipment, losing opportunities for providers to make more money off repairs.
“From an end-user point of view, that quality and durability is what they want,” Morgan explained. “End users should be specifying KITO Crosby Australia because they know their cost of ownership or runtime costs will be much lower compared to others. When you increase productivity and reduce ongoing repair costs it makes a difference in the long run.
“Lifting is one of the most dangerous things you can do and most people don’t actually give it the attention it deserves,” Morgan added.
“The old adage of a chain is strong as its weakest link applies and KITO Crosby Australia is always very conservative with its engineering, always over- engineering something to ensure complete safety. It’s probably this approach which translates to the company being the pinnacle of quality whilst still having a high market share.”