Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.

Cranes in action Cranes in action Cranes in action

Date of visit
May 2016

Cranes in action

Ceremony in the morning offering prayers for safety.
The crane working late at night.
The mood at the site once this big job was over.

Ceremony in the morning offering prayers for safety

The ceremony offered prayers for safety and focused everyone’s minds on the forthcoming job. It was both reverential and something of a bonding session.

  • Crane operator Koji Nishitani leading the team in the ceremony offering prayers for safety.
  • Sake is ritually poured over the crane and the four sides of the crawlers.
  • The ceremony ends with a wish for safety.
  • Mr. Nishitani in the cab with a set of tools, getting a feel for the controls.
  • One of the massive crawler units.
  • Several weeks of preparation went into a job that would take only several hours.

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Getting down to the job at night

An elaborate formation put together by teamwork. The participants get a keen sense of the importance of Mr. Nishitani’s remark, “Slowly and very carefully.”

  • Checking on the line-up, each person’s role in the team, and the tasks that are to be carried out.
  • The mood gets tense after the cry, “We only get one shot!” The work begins.
  • The flyover span weighs 240 tons. It has to be lifted and conveyed exactly to the right spot.
  • The flyover is slowly lifted off the ground.
  • When the flyover turns, the dolly has to turn with it. The job is at its climax.
  • Slowly, slowly, and ever so carefully, the flyover span is brought to where it’s supposed to go.
  • Throughout this job, the workers have to rely on the crane, and the crane has to respond to that trust.
  • Done! It’s a quiet yet moving moment.

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