UNIC Cranes Europe train troops to use military mini cranes

Fully qualified trainers and testers from UNIC Cranes Europe, part of The GGR Group, have been training the troops in how to use UNIC mini spider cranes safely and skillfully for helicopter maintenance and repair work at airforce bases.

Three airmen at the helicopter wing of Karup military base in Denmark were trained to use a UNIC URW-706 crane over three days with UNIC Cranes Europe instructor Adrian Richards. The 6 tonne capacity mini crane that they were being trained to use was originally sold to NATO by Levo S.r.l, UNIC Cranes Europe''s official distributor in Italy, and then eventually passed to the Royal Danish Air Force. The trainees were taught both practical crane operation skills as well as health and safety legislation in classroom based lessons.

The UNIC mini crane at the Danish air base will be used for maintenance and repair work on the military''s helicopter fleet which includes Fennec, Merlin and Lynx models. This will include removing and replacing rotor blades and gear systems, as well as lifting helicopter blade storage and shipment containers.

Another of GGR''s trainers, Robert Ballantyne, travelled to RAF Odiham in Hampshire, UK to carry out an assessment on a serviceman working towards his NVQ Level 2 qualifications in Plant Operations recently. In 2012, the Ministry of Defence invested in a fleet of UNIC URW-376 mini spider cranes from UNIC Cranes Europe to be used by British Forces for lifting operations. These mid-range 2.9 tonne capacity UNIC mini cranes have since been used for Chinook repairs and maintenance work at both RAF Odiham and Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. Since 2012, twenty troops from RAF Odiham have taken part in the accredited CPCS A66 compact crane training course at UNIC Cranes Europe''s depot in Buckinghamshire, UK.

UNIC mini spider cranes are proving popular for work on both military and commercial aircraft as they allow engineers to work more efficiently and with more flexibility when lifting heavy components. Mini cranes can carry out maintenance work both inside hangars or out on the flight line, whereas before time would have to be spent moving the aircraft inside so a hangar''s gantry cranes could be used.

As part of their commitment to raising health and safety standards on sites, UNIC Cranes Europe employ a dedicated in-house team of training staff who carry out CPCS accredited A66 mini crane training at depots in Manchester and Buckinghamshire as well as bespoke training sessions overseas.

UNIC Cranes Europe CEO Graeme Riley comments, “We provide our customers with this industry approved training as we want to increase awareness of how important it is to follow health and safety procedures when using these compact cranes. People shouldn''t be mistaken in thinking that because these mini cranes are small and user-friendly that they could not become dangerous if used incorrectly, as with any construction plant equipment.”