JDN Monocrane’s bright future comes in many shapes and sizes.
By Melissa Meehan
JDN MONOCRANE’s bright yellow overhead cranes were surely not overlooked in this year’s Business Awards, winning the Manufacturing Award.
The company is not shy in its labelling, and nor should it be. JDN Monocrane provides innovative lifting and storage solutions – a business that began back in 1979.
In 1979 the business was relatively different; a small components manufacturer owned and operated by John and Dorothy Nottage, hence the name JDN.
A young and energetic Colin Smith joined the company 10 years later and his business flair has got the company where it is today.
In 2000 the business turned over less than $10 million with less than 40 employees and today has 90 employees Australia-wide and its turnover has more than tripled.
Managing director Colin Smith is keen to show off the business.
“We pride ourselves on providing full in-house engineering, electrical and structural engineering,” he said.
“We build the cranes completely – design, engineer, build and deliver.”
He says the company has been able to expand because of its can do attitude.
“What doesn’t kill us will make us stronger,” he said.
“That’s another reason why we are able to develop our own technologies such as the i-glide and hyperspeed technology.
JDN Monocrane boasts that the new technology has never been seen before.
“A lot of workers were getting injured from hoists swinging and hitting them, it was a real problem for the industry,” Mr Smith said.
“So we had to work out a way to ungenerate the force that is required to move the hoist.
“It is something we are very proud of.”
He said that hyperspeed would also make a massive change to the day to day work of those using cranes.
“We have developed ways that can double the hoisting speed,” he said.
“We are revolutionising the crane industry.”
