Operator’s Opinion
Operator’s Opinion Clay Marshall Clay Marshall is a local Roma lad who has been with Universal Cranes since 2006. Recently, the Roma Branch Manager role came up and Clay jumped at the opportunity to take his expertise back to his hometown and continue his career growth.
Clay, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Tell us a little more about your journey so far and how you came to be in your current role? In my earlier jobs I was always around cranes and found them interesting, so I decided to make the move into the crane industry. I started at Universal Cranes in 2006 in painting and have since worked in a range of roles including dogging and crane driving. I’ve worked for the Universal Cranes Townsville branch, have done shutdowns at Roxbury Downs and some refinery work. Recently, the opportunity for the Roma Branch Manager became available and it seemed like the right time for me to start thinking about a new challenge and taking the next step in my career. On top of that, I grew up in the greater Roma area, so the chance to return to the area with my family is something I am excited about.
Congratulations on the new role – it sounds like a fantastic new adventure for you! Now this issue is all about Centre of Gravity. As someone who’s been around the industry for a while, have you personally been involved in any lifts where COG was an issue? Honestly, most crane crews would face this on a daily basis. Getting load stability and the centre of gravity right in all cases is usually a combination between load specifications, experience and patience. Load specifications can include engineered drawings that specify load centres. Sometimes lugs are provided to aid in having the correct load centre. It can also be handy to have a crew member who has experience lifting a similar load whilst working on a particular lift. LIFTING MATTERS
ISSUE Q4 2020
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