Mini cranes in the loop: Jekko signs up to the EU’s FraimWork renovation consortium
Jekko has joined FraimWork, a Horizon Europe consortium developing prefabricated, digitally coordinated methods for deep building renovation, contributing compact lifting expertise for the handling and placing of modular façade elements.
What the consortium is trying to solve
FraimWork — an acronym for preFabricated deep Renovation with a modulAr Intelligent fraMe driven by autOmated and stReamlined worKflows — brings together companies, universities, research centres and technology partners from across Europe. The target is the continent’s stock of small buildings, which are hard to standardise and awkward to upgrade with traditional site methods.
The consortium’s answer is a package of modular prefabricated components, BIM-based digital tools, automation and robotics, tied together by new commercial models. Among the stated work areas are a digital infrastructure linking design, production, logistics and on-site installation; circular prefabricated envelope components; and technologies that support the positioning and installation of those elements once they reach the building.
Where the lifting comes in
That last point is Jekko’s entry route. Renovation work of this kind is concentrated in built-up areas, on sites with awkward access and often with no room for a conventional mobile crane, which is precisely the operating envelope of tracked mini cranes and minipickers.
“Jekko mini cranes and lifting systems can make a concrete contribution during the handling and installation phases of prefabricated elements, especially in urban environments, jobsites with limited access and renovation projects where precision, compactness and reduced operational impact are essential. Jekko’s participation in the FraimWork consortium perfectly reflects the company’s vision, which has always been focused on developing compact, innovative and sustainable lifting solutions for complex spaces.”
— Marco Zava, R&D Director, Jekko Innovation Center
Funding and scope
FraimWork is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Innovation Actions programme, grant agreement No 101236150. Jekko says the work fits its wider aim of making compact lifting technology available for projects that improve the quality and efficiency of existing buildings, rather than only new construction.
No timetable, prototype schedule or demonstration site has been published so far. For a crane manufacturer, the interest lies in whether the project produces installation workflows in which a mini crane is specified at design stage alongside the panel itself, rather than being brought in as an afterthought once the modules arrive on site.
Source: Jekko — Photos: Jekko