As part of Freo Group’s vision to be the best crane hire company in Australia, Freo Cranes has extended its ever growing heavy lift fleet in recent months. Freo’s have recently taken delivery of the first 350 tonne capacity Liebherr LTM 1350-6.1 all terrain crane to arrive in Australia. Executive General Manager Cranes and Logistics, Dean Short says “Not only does the LTM 1350-6.1 represent the latest in all terrain technology, it bridges the gap between the 250t and 500t Liebherr already in the fleet”. In addition Freo Cranes has also purchased a third 500 tonne capacity Liebherr All Terrain Crane.

In alignment with client requirements, Freo has also strengthened its crawler crane fleet with the addition of a 750t Manitowoc 18000 crawler crane. This crane operates with up to 97m of main boom and 121m of fly jib, and with the MAX-ER counterweight system the capabilities are even further enhanced.

Freo Cranes now has one of the most comprehensive heavy lift fleets in the country including:

• 1 x Manitowoc 750t Crawler
• 3 x Liebherr 500t All Terrains
• 2 x Liebherr 350t All Terrains
• 3 x Liebherr 250t All Terrains
• 4 x Liebherr 200t All Terrains

“There are not too many crane companies in Australia that can match our impressive and extensive heavy lift line-up and that is partly due to the fact that we do not wait for a contract opportunity to purchase a crane, we buy our cranes to attract the opportunities.” Dean Short said.

When asked what crane Freo would be buying next, Dean Short only has this to say “Well you will have to wait and see but be assured it will be bigger and better than anything Freo’s have seen before!”

Another important milestone was achieved in our journey towards safety excellence. The company gained certification of our Occupational Health and Safety Management System to AS/NZS 4801:2001standards.

Freo’s are fully committed to continuous improvement throughout all levels of our organisation including senior management who have a strong involvement in workplace safety, development of safety systems and employee training.

It was an exceptional safety effort that was the key to the following achievements in 2010:

• In excess of 1,260,000 man hours (564 days) without a Lost Time Injury (to 30/07/2010) for all FGL WA Operations.
• 2 Years LTI free at the Pluto LNG Project Karratha (in excess of 700,000 man hours) and Contractor of the month status June 2010 for superior Safety Performance.
• Recognition for attaining high standards in Health, Safety, Security and Environmental management systems during the 2010 BP Accredited Contractor Program (within Top 5% of all contractors nationally working at BP Australia sites)

Oversize Transport, Freo's Heavy Haulage and Over-dimensional Transport division, has recently purchased 6 brand new Freightliner Prime Movers to add to its already impressive fleet line up.

After securing several contracts for the Logistics division, Oversize Transport acted quickly to boost their current fleet. Boris Kovacevic, Branch Manager of Oversize Transport said "the choice of the Freightliner Prime Movers was an easy decision based on the excellent value for money and the caterpillar engines are well renowned for reliability and availability of parts and service throughout regional Western Australia."

Another reason Oversize Transport decided to invest in the 6 new prime movers was to support their drivers on long haul trips. The new prime movers boast several creature comforts for drivers including automatic transmission and 110 inch brakes for driver ease and a built in ice pack and refrigerated air conditioning to ensure driver safety and comfort when sleeping overnight in the cabin on long haul trips.

These 6 new Freightliner Prime Movers join a specialized fleet of equipment including 10 and 12 line platforms, 50 and 100t low loaders, semi trailer flat tops, drop deck trailers and extendable trailers, extendable trailers up to 25m, jinkers, jacking and skating equipment, semi hiabs, rigid hiab trucks and pilot vehicles.

Freo Group is always striving for excellence and one initiative where Freo is certainly progressing in is caring for its most valued asset – employees. Executive General Manager Shared Services, Don Gordon believes that there are many advantages to demonstrating care and compassion towards employees including becoming an employer of choice. "When a company takes the time to help employees with issues they are having at work or at home, employees will become more comfortable and secure with their employer, which in a tightening labour market means that you are more likely to retain your staff."

Freo Group is a 'caring' employer and this can be demonstrated with the implementation of its Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a free, anonymous counselling program offered to all employees. From a HSE perspective, the company believes that if we can help people avoid the distractions that inevitably come from issues they may be dealing with away from work, then they are likely to achieve better personal outcomes at work.

Don Gordon believes that if Freo Group offer a consistent and authentic concern for employee's welfare, we will certainly develop a high amount of trust in our employees, which they will then hopefully tell their friends and family about their positive working environment and encourage them to seek opportunities with the company. With a tightening labour market Freo Group are not only experiencing a staff turnover well below industry standards but they are also able to fill vacant positions from employment enquiries from the website alone.

With Freo Group offering its services from depots all over the state, the company is committed to supporting community growth and local business. We believe in fully integrating with the communities we live and work within. Our community contribution to sporting clubs, children’s events, schools, hospitals and charity organisations is substantial and we will continue this support into the future.

Oversize Transport has secured a 30 month contract with CEVA Logistics for their Western Power Logistics project. The work includes transportation of various power transmission equipment across Western Power’s work sites from their Jandakot distribution centre.