It’s no surprise that the first day after Manufacturing Month, November 1st, is National Riggers Day. Rigging is essential to several industries, and manufacturing is one of the most important.
What is rigging? Chances are, you already know. But, for those still weighing out the options on how to move substantially heavy loads (pieces of equipment that will/do reside on your shop’s floor, or a product you’re looking to push out to a customer), your call to your local rigger will be a lifesaver.
In short, rigging is the act of attaching the heavy load in question to the crane and/or truck that’s lifting and hauling it to its end destination. In order to get that load in question off the ground, it must be balanced and properly assessed to be certain that the means of transport are correctly positioned. If the load shifts, it could be cause for serious concern which can include injury to human resources, and substantial damages to property. The consequences of failure are inexplicably vast.
Rigging isn’t the everyday man’s guessing game. It involves rigorous preparation and stout engineering skills.
The riggers job then, is to carry out the work outlined above. A rigger, the very person we celebrate on National Riggers Day (which began in 2013), attach loads of equipment to cranes or structures using:
- Shackles
- Cables
- Chains
- Clamps
- or Straps
Riggers use various suspension techniques to get their load around obstacles at such places as a:
- Construction site
- Loading dock
- Chains
- Farm
- Medical facility
- Military base/site
- Event site
- Shop floor of a manufacturing facility set exactly to the desired location and height
THE RIGGING INDUSTRY AT A GLANCE:
Riggers are the first line of defense when you start digging in to figure out how to achieve what seems like an impossible task on the surface (quite literally, “how the heck am I going to move that from (A) to (B)? If you’re in the manufacturing industry, this question is going to come up at least once in your career; more than likely it’ll happen several times.
So let’s get into it. The way we see it, there are three main components to the rigging industry that help you accomplish the aforementioned challenge of delivering a large load to the destination in question.
LET’S START WITH WHERE WE STARTED
1. Riggers (Load handlers)
Riggers can (should!) have a very extensive background. Some are “qualified” and some are “certified” which is an important distinction to make depending on your requirements/level of comfort. “Qualified,” in general, pertains to accumulated experience, while “certified” is literally as it suggests – a series of studies, examinations, and rigorous trainings. Many riggers have worked in different fields ranging from mining, oil, manufacturing, steel, and construction, among others. Riggers are by-and-large the hands on resources who are on the forefront of calculating, staging, lifting, and moving the load in a safe and efficient manner.
As mentioned, the rigger and their role includes aspects of calculation and precision placement of load moving equipment and other applicable objects. Quite often, the rigger you hire will also play something of an administrative role and will have the contacts in their network with regard to calling in a trucking and/ or crane companies for the long haul of a move. Which brings us to the next component…
2. Truckers (Transport)
You’d be surprised at what a truck can haul. There’s an appropriate sized trailer/bed for every move/object you can imagine. Thus, the trucker is your best friend after you’ve sized things up with the job’s rigger. The trucker understands how to get the task at hand from point A to point B with relative ease. That said, the haul is not often without challenges depending on the size/ weight of the job and the terrain that lay ahead.
Variables the trucker needs to take into consideration include road size, traffic, overhead clearance of bridges and over passes, turning radius, and, of course, (obvious to them, but perhaps not you) zoning regulations/restrictions. Put the driving to the trucker… Put the loading to the riggers, and finally we arrive at:
3. Crane Companies/Operators (Load movers)
Riggers and truckers are obvious key components, but without this imperative piece of the pie, how on earth are you going to move that thing into its “final” resting spot? The Hulk is just a comic book character, people… Like the truck, cranes come in a range of sizes that can complete the task at hand.
I don’t think we need to get into the particulars of what makes a crane valuable with respect to the completion to the job/move you’re looking to accomplish. If it’s big and bulky, a crane can move it – plain and simple. From the point of origin, to a truck, from the truck, to the point of final destination.
Let’s circle back for a moment though and reflect on the subject we’re shedding a light on here as it might pertain to your manufacturing goals and initiatives.
The rigger.
Without riggers, advancement in manufacturing would not be possible. Manufacturers rely heavily on riggers to haul, move, assemble and install, and even scrap their machinery to make room for new machines that produce products for today, tomorrow, and beyond.
So I guess you could say that Riggers keep manufacturing moving forward one machine at a time. And if you’re in need, flip through the pages of this Gateway Magazine that you hold in your hands and find the trusted source you’re looking for.
Here’s to National Riggers Day! If you’ve gone one in your life, reach out, show them a little appreciation, and shake their hand if they’re standing right next to you. It’s not an easy job, as we’re sure you know
– because quite frankly – when you hire a rigger to assess and see through such a move – your company’s wellbeing/investment is in their hands.
Fin.