A Saudi joint venture with a UK-based company for making cranes has been successful in winning contracts from high-profile organisations in Saudi Arabia.

Eastern Morris Crane Company, set up in 2001 jointly by the AH Al Zamil Group, one of Saudi Arabia's biggest industrial organisations, and Morris Material Handling, has also exported cranes to the GCC states. Production of cranes up to 40m span and 150-tonne capacity takes place at the 3,500 sq. m purpose-built factory in Dammam's 1st Industrial City.

The joint venture came after a long history of association between Morris and Saudi Arabia. Morris actually started delivering lifting solutions to the kingdom 50 years ago, the first crane being delivered to Aramco in 1952. Across Saudi Arabia there are now more than 500 Morris cranes at work. The AH Al Zamil Group had been selling cranes supplied by Morris for more than 10 years but in 1997 Morris began working more closely with the group, building cranes in the kingdom and selling about 50 per year. Then in September 2001 came the joint venture.

Eastern Morris recently fulfilled an order from the United Gulf Steel consortium for 15 cranes for its $100 million plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

The 500,000 tonnes per year rod and bar mill was built by the Italian subsidiary of SMS Schloemann Siemag of Germany which had specified Morris cranes for the entire project.

"Morris designed high-integrity metal-handling 30-tonne cranes with full variable speed drives. Magnet cranes and semiautomatic grabs were specified and all cranes can be radio or manual controlled. The 15 cranes in the plant were designed in Loughborough, England, and built at the Morris/Zamil joint venture crane factory in Dammam," said Eastern Morris director Brian Yates.

"The equipment supplied to United Gulf includes a 30-tonne stand handling crane for changing mill stands, a 25-tonne roll maintenance crane and two 20-tonne magnet cranes in the billet shop for lifting steel billets. In the finishing bays are 10-tonne cranes with a fully rotating powered crab for handling finished products like angles channels and flats.

"Finally there is a 10-tonne crane for handling scrap and a 7.5-tonne crane for maintaining the furnaces. Morris is contracted to inspect and maintain all the cranes at United Gulf Steel using its Dammam-based technicians. The maintenance schedule is based on a mixture of BS and DIN standards. DIN standards are used for ropes and hooks because TUV, well represented in the area, is brought in to certify them."

A recently completed order came from Waraq Paper in Dammam. "The cranes have three hoists on a single pair of beams. In the middle is a 50-tonne hoist for moving heavy machinery for maintenance. At either side is a 25-tonne hoist which together lift paper reels weighing up to 40 tonnes out of the machine. All three hoists are true vertical lift and are designed not to touch each other," said Yates.

Other recent customers have included the Royal Saudi Navy at Jeddah, SCECO power stations, SWCC desalination plants and Saudi Aramco, which has bought many Eastern Morris cranes. Eastern Morris exports Saudi-made cranes to Alba and Balexco in Bahrain and to customers in Yemen and Oman.

Morris has UK-trained technicians based in Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah; its technicians have mobile workshops and can attend to emergencies in any part of the kingdom. "All types of crane and all makes of crane are covered. Morris is committed to quick supply of spare parts and its parts can be supplied for any make of crane under its Allparts(tm) supply scheme," said Yates. "Truly special parts can be made in its UK specialist factory named Swift Order Shop. No crane is too old or too obscure for Morris to inspect it and suggest a maintenance schedule."

Eastern Morris warrants the design integrity of its crane structures for 20 years. Morris cranes are designed to British Standard 466 (amended 1984), British Standard 2573 Part I (amended 1983), and Crane Manufacturers Association of America Standard 70 (amended 1996).

Morris structures are made of high strength to weight steels conforming to European Standard EN 100025 (amended 1995). These standards use steel of grade S275.

Morris designs conform to Fédération Européène de Manutention duty standards and meet the requirements of the Machinery Directive of the European Union.

Eastern Morris general manager Hemant Kshire commented " We are a Saudi registered and licensed company with a committed policy of Saudiisation. We expect to grow in partnership with our Saudi customers offering both product supply and lifetime maintenance."