Maeda trains US technician in two-week Japan service programme

Maeda America technician completes two-week Technical Service Certification Program in Japan

Mini-crane manufacturer Maeda has put a service technician from its North American subsidiary, Maeda America Inc., through a two-week Technical Service Certification Program in Japan, combining hands-on maintenance work on its spider and mini crawler cranes with visits to two key component suppliers.

Hands-on with the MK3053C and MC305C

The core of the programme, which ran in late October, was practical maintenance work on Maeda machines. Sessions covered the installation, removal and troubleshooting of the main boom on an MK3053C spider crane, as well as disassembly and reassembly of an MC305C mini crawler crane, including removal and installation of its electric motor unit, hydraulic hose installation and the fitting of the accelerator cable for the electric drive.

Earlier training days took in boom clearance adjustment with the wire rope extended and retracted, wire rope end treatment after gas cutting, basic welding techniques and a component-by-component review of engine functions. Maeda says the length and curriculum of the certification programme are tailored to each participant’s knowledge, experience and learning objectives.

Inside the boom and hydraulics suppliers

The visit also gave the technician a look behind two of the suppliers that shape how Maeda cranes perform. Iwashita Seisakujyo Co., Ltd manufactures the booms for Maeda’s cranes, and the trainee joined practical sessions there covering boom welding techniques and boom assembly processes. Maeda says it plans to publish a more detailed look at the boom maker’s facilities at a later date.

A further day was spent at NEOX, the hydraulics specialist responsible for the design and manufacture of the hydraulic systems used on Maeda cranes — the technology behind boom extension and retraction, boom hoisting and lowering, and outrigger deployment. Training there included press-fitting bushings and assembling pistons into cylinder tubes.

Building service capacity overseas

Maeda frames the programme as part of a wider effort to strengthen its global after-sales service network. Its stated objectives are to improve and maintain the service and technical capabilities of Maeda dealers and partners, to develop talent and to motivate its service teams. The company says it hopes the experience gained during the two weeks will feed through into better service quality across North America, where Maeda America supports the brand’s growing mini-crane population.