Nine Units. One Programme. Ahead of Schedule | MYCRANE

MYCRANE

29.10.2026

Nine Units. One Programme. Delivered Ahead of Schedule

A production facility for industrial alcohols in Eastern Europe. Nine units of large-tonnage equipment to be transported and installed within a single programme. Equipment ranging from 13 tonnes to 109 tonnes, and from 17 metres to 50 metres in length.

The site added three constraints that made equipment selection and sequencing critical. Ground bearing limitations restricted where cranes could stand and how long they could remain in position. Access was limited, which affected how equipment could be staged and how SPMTs could route between storage and installation positions. And the programme was compressed — there was no time to reposition cranes mid-programme or reassemble equipment that had been set up in the wrong sequence.

MYCRANE Engineering and Project Management delivered the complete scope under a single contract. Nine units transported and installed. Programme completed ahead of schedule.

The Scope

MYCRANE's engagement covered four workstreams, delivered simultaneously across the programme duration.

Transportation Schemes — All Nine Units

Every transportation requirement was engineered in full before the first unit moved. Equipment dimensions and weights, road surface conditions, storage locations, and installation positions were analysed together — not sequentially. The transportation routes and SPMT configuration were designed to minimise damage risk and ensure safe, precise movement of every unit from the fabrication point to the installation position.

The sequencing of transport movements was integrated with the installation schedule from the start — so that each unit arrived at the correct position in the correct order, without requiring temporary repositioning once on site.

Method Statements — All Nine Equipment Installations

Detailed method statements were developed for every lift — covering site preparation requirements, crane positioning, rigging configuration, lift sequence, and installation tolerances. Each method statement drove the crane selection for that specific unit. The engineering defined the requirement. The crane followed from it.

This sequence — method statement first, crane selection second — is the discipline that removed the risk of discovering crane limitations during execution rather than before it.

Method Statements — Steel Structure Installation

The steel structure installation sequence was engineered separately to allow parallel workstreams without crane conflicts. The timing and positioning of steel structure lifts was integrated with the equipment installation programme — enabling simultaneous execution where site geometry allowed, and defining the sequence where it did not.

Ground Preparation Drawings — Crawler Crane Positions

The ground bearing capacity was assessed at every crane position before any machine was mobilised. Concrete plate layouts and ground improvement specifications were developed to the required bearing capacity at each location — eliminating the risk of outrigger or track failure under load during the installation programme.

Ground preparation was completed before crane arrival. Every crane stood on an engineered surface. No mid-programme ground failures. No unplanned crane relocations.

Zoomlion QUY500w 500-tonne crawler crane — MYCRANE Engineering heavy lift installation

Equipment Selected

For Transportation

Specification

Detail

Equipment

Two six-axis self-propelled SPMT modules with two power units

Selection basis

SPMT configuration selected to distribute load of heaviest units across maximum axle lines — keeping ground bearing pressure within territorial load limits throughout the transport phase

Units transported

All nine — 13T to 109T, 17m to 50m length

For Installation

Specification

Detail

Main crane

Zoomlion QUY500w — 500-tonne crawler crane

Auxiliary crane

Zoomlion ZCT1500V633 — 150-tonne crawler crane

Selection basis

Both machines selected against specific lift envelopes defined in the method statements — not against catalogue capacity

Division of work

500T crawler: heaviest and longest units. 150T crawler: auxiliary lifts and steel structure installation in parallel.

The combination of crane types and the sequenced method statements allowed MYCRANE to optimise equipment usage across all nine units — minimising crane relocations, eliminating mid-programme reassembly, and compressing the overall installation schedule.

Six-axis SPMT modules transporting heavy equipment — MYCRANE Engineering Eastern Europe

The Outcome

The project completed ahead of schedule. Safety and efficiency were maintained at every stage.

The result was not a function of crane capacity. It was a function of engineering discipline applied before the first machine arrived on site.

The transportation schemes defined the routing. The method statements defined the sequence. The ground preparation drawings defined the platform. The crane selection followed from all three.

That sequence — engineering first, procurement second — is what allowed nine units of equipment across a 13T to 109T weight range to be transported and installed without a single unplanned repositioning, schedule extension, or ground failure.

Specification

Detail

Units installed

9 — ranging from 13T to 109T; 17m to 50m length

Programme outcome

Completed ahead of schedule

Crane relocations

Zero unplanned repositioning

Ground failures

None — all positions engineered before crane arrival

Schedule extensions

None

Contract structure

Single contract covering full scope: transport through installation

What This Means for Your Programme

Large-tonnage equipment installation programmes fail most often not because the wrong crane was selected — but because the crane was selected before the engineering defined what the lift actually required.

Procurement that starts with crane availability produces a crane the programme must be built around. Engineering that starts with the method statement produces a programme the crane is selected to serve.

MYCRANE's Engineering and Project Management team works across the full scope — from transportation scheme to method statement to ground preparation to crane sourcing. Every decision is traceable back to the engineering basis, not to crane availability or catalogue capacity.

For contractors and project teams planning multi-unit installation programmes, the questions that determine the outcome are asked before the first enquiry goes to market.

Engineering first. Procurement second. That is the sequence that delivered nine units ahead of schedule.

Engineering Support for Your Next Heavy Lift Programme

Transportation schemes · Method statements · Ground preparation · Crane sourcing.

Engineering support → my-crane.com

Frequently Asked Questions — Heavy Lift Engineering and Project Management

What is the role of method statements in heavy equipment installation programmes?

A method statement for a heavy lift defines the exact engineering basis for the operation — crane positioning, rigging configuration, lift sequence, installation tolerances, and site preparation requirements. On multi-unit programmes, the method statement for each lift determines which crane is required for that unit, at what radius, in what configuration, and in what sequence relative to other lifts on the programme. Developing method statements before procuring cranes ensures that the equipment selected matches the actual engineering requirement, rather than a catalogue rating applied to an unanalysed load.

Why is ground preparation critical before crawler crane mobilisation?

A crawler crane exerts load through its tracks across the ground surface beneath it. On sites with limited ground bearing capacity — such as industrial facilities where underground structures, drainage, or soft fill materials may be present — the bearing pressure from a loaded crane can exceed the ground's capacity, leading to track settlement, crane movement, or structural failure. Ground preparation drawings define the required bearing capacity at each crane position, specify concrete plate layouts or ground improvement measures, and must be completed before the crane arrives on site. MYCRANE's engineering team develops ground preparation specifications as a dedicated workstream on every installation programme.

What are SPMT modules and when are they used in heavy equipment transport?

Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) are multi-axle wheeled vehicles used to move heavy equipment that cannot be transported by conventional methods due to weight, size, or sensitivity to vibration. Each axle line is independently steerable and hydraulically suspended, allowing the load to be kept level and the ground bearing pressure to be distributed across as many axle lines as the weight requires. On the Eastern Europe programme, two six-axis SPMT modules were configured to transport units up to 109 tonnes while keeping ground bearing pressure within the territorial road and site limits throughout the transport phase.

How does MYCRANE Engineering manage simultaneous workstreams on multi-unit installation programmes?

MYCRANE's Engineering and Project Management team integrates all workstreams — transportation, steel structure installation, equipment installation, and crane positioning — into a single sequenced programme before execution begins. On the Eastern Europe programme, steel structure installation was engineered as a parallel workstream specifically to avoid crane conflicts and maximise utilisation of both the 500-tonne and 150-tonne crawler cranes. The installation sequence for each workstream was defined in the engineering phase, allowing simultaneous execution where the site geometry permitted without requiring mid-programme decisions about crane reallocation.



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