Boaters know the importance of course correction in order to get where you want to go. Sailing blindly or making an educated guess can land you on the rocks. An experienced captain uses a GPS and backs that up with calculations to be on the right bearing. In the business world there is no GPS to plot against and a captain’s license won’t get you very far. I think most would agree that success is devised of a whole lot of little decisions that add up to the place where you are. The here and now. If you find something is working well, you keep doing it and trying to do it better. If you find something is missing the mark, you course correct.
While most companies would not necessarily dream of writing about their course corrections, I think that when circumstances create learning opportunities and changes are made, keeping clients up to date is a good thing. It means that you are partnering with a company that is flexible and can be proactive on changes and they care enough to share what is going on.
Such is the case at Crane Tech, and since we are starting a new quarter it’s time to share some of the little things going on behind the scenes. While none of these items warrant a press release on their own, I want to let you know that we are keeping up with the times so we can continue to provide industry leading products and services.
Adding Back to Back MCO and CCO Courses – With the certification requirement for crane operators approaching in 2017, we are receiving increased calls for our NCCCO Prep Class from operators, who have never taken a formal mobile crane operator course. While Crane Tech has offered a CCO prep course for many years, it is geared for experienced AND trained operators. The basics of mobile crane operating are only covered at a high level and we find that those who have never received formal training feel like they are drinking from a fire hose. We have also offered a qualification-level mobile crane operator course since opening our doors…the problem? This course is usually several weeks apart from the CCO prep course, making it difficult for companies and students to receive the training and knowledge they need in order to be fully successful, not just with certification exams but as an operator. So what are we doing about it?
Starting in May, we are adding a Mobile Crane Operator course on the 3 week days prior to the start of the next CCO prep course. This means companies can send operators for training and exam prep in one trip by taking advantage of these back to back courses. For those needing hands on training we will continue to offer our 3 week Professional Operator Development course.
Offering Lattice CCO Practical Exams – We’ve partnered with Barcelona Equipment to offer Lattice Boom (LBC/LBT) NCCCO Practical Exams as an adjunct to the Telescopic Boom Fixed Cab (TSS) and Telescopic Boom Swing Cab (TLL) we already offer with the CCO Exam Prep course.
Changing Up The Weekly Tagline – We hear feedback that you like the educational content that we provide in the newsletter. You are enjoying the Hooked On Crane Tech Blog Posts and finding them useful, but unless you need specific training you quickly scroll through the rest of the newsletter. Plus if you are reading it on your mobile device it can be pretty lengthy, so last week we simplified it. Like it? Hate it? Miss a particular section? Let us know, post a comment below or email us. This is one of those things where there is no map to guide you, except feedback from our readers.
Improvements at the Training Center – We’ve been busy laying lots of concrete. In January it was 16,000 sf under the overhead crane bays. Last week we created permanent NCCCO concrete zig-zags. Are these big things? Not unless you are the one doing the work, but it just shows that we are continually investing in the Training Center and making it a better learning environment.
Additional NCCCO Practical Examiners – We already think that we have some of the best instructors in the country, and we have been helping them add to their credentials with additional CCO practical examiner statuses in the areas of Rigging I and II, Mobile Crane (TSS, TLL, LBT, LBC), and Articulating Cranes (ABC, ABL). Next month we host a NCCCO mobile crane practical examiner workshop to certify even more of our staff as practical examiners. This shows that we value our instructors and we are investing in them to continue to meet industry needs.
Program Development Improvements – Next year we will celebrate 40 years in business…that is a lot of years (and a lot of course corrections). In the first quarter we’ve overhauled our Mobile Crane Inspector program and NCCCO exam prep programs, we’re totally revamping our Master Rigger (Level 3) program, and next up is an update to our Mobile Crane Operator changing the 4-day hands on program to a 5-day program to add more field instruction. These improvements come alongside custom program development for clients and the everyday updates as the industry changes. It’s good to know that Crane Tech has the flexibility and subject matter expertise to handle these kinds of changes.
Are you in for staying the course with Crane Tech? Are you excited to see where we navigate next? I know that I am. Let me hear your feedback. I’m always eager to hear from our customers.
– Bo Collier, President
