Lifting industry standards

– Shaun Inguanzo
IT WAS a case of no pain, no crane, for Bomac Engineering’s Barry McFarlane.
The forward-thinking owner of Bomac can now proudly flout his world-beating Altrac rail and workshop-crane system.
But during its design process several years ago, Mr McFarlane’s pioneer idea was the subject of doubt from the industry.
Mr McFarlane said the Altrac system was made of aluminium, which meant it was in some cases more than half the weight of its rival steel products.
The aluminium also means that companies could order Altrac kits, and piece it together in a Lego-style manner and with ease, as opposed to requiring armies of workers to erect a heavy steel crane.
The product is so popular that companies in the United Kingdom are now importing kits for their workplaces.
Mr McFarlane said the kit cranes were also certified to industry standards – a key factor missing when companies pieced together ‘homebrew’ steel cranes.
But beyond its ability to help employees in warehouses lift heavy loads, the Altrac system is an engineering feat with the potential for a variety of applications.
Mr McFarlane anticipates that the rail system – which can easily be set up inside a building without the drawing and design hassles of steel – could be used in hospitals to help lift patients.
The surgical appearance of aluminium also meant it was more likely to be used in a medical environment, he said.
Airline Qantas is using the Altrac system in a unique manner referred to as ‘fall arrest’.
The lightweight crane system acts as a safety hoist to keep its workers from crashing into delicate aircraft parts if they fall while carrying out maintenance work.
Mr McFarlane said the hoist was so lightweight, and moved very easily, meaning employees’ abilities would not be limited by the Altrac system’s movement.
Mr McFarlane is evidently proud of his design and said he had been stewing on the idea of the Altrac system for years.
But he said people – including his suppliers – initially doubted Altrac’s ability compared to the stronger and more traditional steel cranes used to lift objects in workplaces.
He said the turning point came when the company promoted a track design similar to the Altrac system, but for trolleys.
Mr McFarlane took the idea to a vacuum lifting equipment seminar in Sweden.
He said that European designers were so impressed with the system that they gobbled up the Altrac brochures.
“I was taken back by the impact and interest,” he said.
“But I knew I couldn’t sell a pipe alone.
“I had to take something and make it a unique product, and later (the Altrac concept) came to me as a whole package.”
Mr McFarlane said the idea of selling a system as opposed to the design of the rail eliminated the risk of other rail manufacturers treading too far on his turf.
Despite Altrac’s success, Mr McFarlane said enormous challenges lay ahead.
He said businesses were still looking to Asia for cheaper products, and that a trade skills shortage was affecting Bomac’s ability to find skilled workers.
But he praised Greater Dandenong’s business network organisations, including the South East Melbourne Manufacturers’ Alliance and South East Networks, for their ability to ensure Greater Dandenong manufacturers are actively promoted.
Bomac Engineering began in 1983 in Dandenong and has recently moved to larger premises in Hallam.