Used Kobelco CKE700-1F finds new work on a Welsh barge

How Kobelco’s used crane finder matched Williams Shipping with a 70-tonne crawler

Williams Shipping wanted more lifting capacity on the water at Milford Haven. Kobelco’s used crane service put the marine operator in touch with a seller of a 2009 CKE700-1F, and found a buyer for the 50-tonner it was replacing.

A brief that started at 70 tonnes

Kobelco Cranes has opened its Used Crane Finder to the public at kobelco-europe.com, a service built to connect buyers and sellers of second-hand Kobelco machines across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. One of its first completed transactions involved marine and logistics company Williams Shipping.

The operator was looking for a crane in the 70 to 80-tonne bracket to replace a 50-tonne unit in its fleet. Kobelco’s team worked from that outline brief and approached existing customers, among them Nottinghamshire-based BPH Equipment, which had several used CKE700-1Fs available.

“Williams Shipping have been a valuable Kobelco customer for a number of years, so we were delighted when they approached us to assist with their fleet replacement at Pembroke. From their outline brief, we were able to recommend an immediately available CKE700-1F to add extra lifting capacity and radius to meet their necessary operational requirements.”

— Alex Burt, used crane sales representative, Kobelco Cranes

Inspections, price and a second sale

Once buyer and seller had been introduced, Kobelco arranged inspections of the 2009-built CKE700-1F — supplied with a 48.8m main boom, auxiliary sheave and 12.2m fly jib — and of the 50-tonne crane Williams Shipping was disposing of. The manufacturer’s team also helped negotiate the final price.

According to Burt, the process ran from first contact through engineer and customer inspection to delivery in a couple of months, with replacement parts agreed and supplied the month after. The outgoing 50-tonne machine went to Irish rental firm NCLS Crane & Lifting Services, another Kobelco customer.

Working the waterway

The crane was delivered to Williams Shipping’s dock in Wales and now operates from one of the company’s barges, carrying out lifting duties and supporting civil engineering work across the Milford Haven Waterway. The extra capacity lets the operator take on heavier lifts and chase rental work that was previously out of reach.

For the buyer, the appeal was dealing with the manufacturer rather than an intermediary.

“Despite the restrictions the Covid-19 pandemic placed on all concerned, being able to deal directly with the crane manufacturer, rather than through a dealer or agent, gave us the extra peace-of-mind and transparency we needed to conclude a successful deal, while any teething problems we had following delivery were dealt with quickly by Alex and the team at Kobelco.”

— Philip Williams, Managing Director – Marine, Williams Shipping

Burt argues the manufacturer’s own customer network is what makes the model work, giving both sides a full aftersales history and a degree of due diligence a broker would struggle to match.

Source: Kobelco — Photos: Kobelco