こんにちは - Konnichiwa – Hello from Japan!
Ryoji Sakamoto and Shigeto Fukuda have been working with Liebherr fast-erecting cranes at Cranetal Noda for years. And of course they have some exciting stories to tell about their time with the company. They’re passionate about their work, have become friends through working with Liebherr cranes and are true Liftingheros.
Shigeto was already interested in repairing technical equipment, like radios and cameras, when he was a child. After first pursuing a different career path in retail, he came to Cranetal Noda in a roundabout way and has accumulated several years of experience with cranes, including time at reconstruction sites following the East Japan earthquake. “It’s never too late to learn!” is his motto.
At the moment, Shigeto is mostly busy with inspection and maintenance work at the company’s location in Ogaki City, assembling and dismantling cranes at building sites, and training crane operators.
He often finds himself on construction sites with very small plots where standard assembly / disassembly isn’t an option. He loves these kinds of challenges and, together with his colleagues, always finds a custom-fit solution. The exceptional adaptability and flexibility offered by the K cranes series prove most helpful in this respect.
Shigeto has already visited the Liebherr site in Biberach, Germany, twice with Ryoji where they learned a lot about the development and history of our K cranes. Since then, he has become even more fascinated by the fast-erecting crane series.
The two Liftingheros were able to combine their visits to Germany with Bauma in Munich. “Everything was so interesting and exciting! The huge variety of Liebherr machines made us proud all over again that we get to work with Liebherr cranes.” They met lots of other technicians as well as engineers at the world's leading construction industry trade fair and felt a sense of connection with them through Liebherr, despite the language barrier.
Ryoji knew early on that he would become a crane driver. His father and grandfather also worked as crane drivers and Ryoji wanted to follow in their footsteps. He has familiarised himself in detail with all 52 K cranes that make up the Cranetal Noda fleet. Four different models are currently in use: 35 K/J, 42 K.1/J, 53 K/J and 56 K/J, plus there is already interest in other models, such as the 81 K. Alongside his responsibility for K cranes, his expertise in mechanical and electrical engineering has given him the opportunity to work as a crane driver and trainer as well.
He travels all over Japan and works with K cranes under diverse conditions, ranging from snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures in northern Hokkaido to extreme heat and typhoons in southern Kyushu. “My dream is to promote Liebherr K cranes on Japanese construction sites and make them better known.”
Ryoji recently lost a family member in an accident. Since then, he has become even more aware of how important safety is in life, and always has the motto “safety is priceless” in mind when he is working with a crane. This year, he passed the national exam and qualified as a crane instructor.
“I want to travel to construction sites all over the country to share how important safety is in life.”
He feels safe with the Liebherr fast-erecting cranes at Cranetal Noda. They are specially adapted to the Japanese market so that they can withstand magnitude nine earthquakes and hurricanes of 200 km/h as standard.
The Liftingheros spend a lot of time together at work, know they can always rely on each other, and have become good friends. When their schedules allow, they like to go out to sea fishing together in their spare time.
What is a liftinghero in our opinion:
Tower cranes shape the image of every construction site. And what about the people who assemble, maintain, operate and work with the cranes? Whether crane operators, service technicians, fitters or construction site workers - you are the heroes of the construction site!
Only through you is the lifting of loads on the construction sites of this world possible.
Show us your workplace and tell us why your job is your passion.