Sturgeon Bay, WI – Maddox Industrial Transformer is changing the way they lift and load their electrical products by going from forklifts to a more efficient and space effective way utilizing mobile gantry cranes. The new and improved solution is the Single Beam (SB) mobile gantry crane from Shuttlelift. Maddox has now purchased and received three Shuttlelift SB gantry cranes in the past year to enhance operations at their facilities in Greer (SC), Batavia (OH) and Battle Ground (WA).
Maddox Industrial Transformer has been selling, buying and renting new and reconditioned transformers since its founding in 2015. Serving the commercial, industrial, and renewables segments of the transformer market, they are dedicated to fast lead times and helping their customers get projects powered on as fast as possible. “The goal is to have transformers in stock and be able to ship them to customers faster than anyone else can”, says Miles Whitling, Marketing Manager at Maddox.
Maddox has four transformer yards across the United States, in order to be more accessible to customers, and in the early years were using large forklifts to move product around the storage yards. Forklifts require wide aisles and ample spacing between the transformers to operate, which limited the space available for storage and created problems when having to retrieve a transformer from the back. “Because the transformers in the back of rows were blocked by those in front, a slow shuffle was needed to get access to them”, says Christian Sturtevant, Maddox’s engineering manager. He added, “Shuttlelift’s mobile gantry solved these issues for us since it would travel down a much more narrow aisle and pluck out any transformer with ease.”
To further maximize usable yard space Maddox equipped their cranes with Shuttlelift’s patented all wheel electronic steering system which allows for five modes of steering, including carousel and crab steering. The AWS option allows the cranes to maneuver in tighter quarters and further reduces the amount of space needed to operate. Sturtevant emphasized that the “all-wheel steering has been essential” with the ability to crab steer comfortably sideways to position the crane to travel down a different aisle. He also pointed out, “The operator is able to quickly correct any steering error and navigate tighter paths, which best utilize yard space.”
All three of the Shuttlelift cranes are also equipped with wireless remote control and automatic variable throttle (AVT). The wireless remote is standard on all SB gantry cranes from Shuttlelift and allows for maximum visibility by giving the operator freedom to position themselves anywhere around the load. The operator can then also be the one rigging the load, which cuts down on personnel needed. The AVT option is a built-in engine program that adjusts the engine RPM automatically to ensure that you are only using the power needed to complete the task at hand. AVT helps to significantly reduce fuel consumption and increase component life.
Customers in need of transformers for their projects expect the right one to be available and ready to ship fast. Maddox is doing their part to make sure the customer is taken care of in a timely manner, and the Shuttlelift gantry cranes are helping them accomplish their goal of having stock and getting product out quicker. “We can stock more inventory in a yard and access it much faster than if we were still using forklifts.”
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Shuttlelift rubber-tired gantry cranes are the preferred customer inspired solution for heavy lifting requirements and are manufactured to specification for a multitude of applications worldwide. The Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin USA-based company manufactures cranes with capacities ranging from 30 to 1,000 U.S. tons and greater, all of which are supported by a global network of experienced dealers. Through superior engineering innovations, Shuttlelift has become one of the premier lines in today’s material-handling industry.