Since 1964, Gengroup has built a reputation for safety, deep technical expertise – with roots in the Demag brand – and exceptional customer service. As a growth oriented company, Gengroup takes pride in their craft and doing things the right way.
Gengroups’ skilled and experienced technicians deliver comprehensive inspection programs, monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or annually. Designed to maintain safety, meet regulatory requirements and uncover issues before they become problems. Every visit is backed by Gengroup’s technical expertise and attention to details, ensuring your cranes continue to operate smoothly year-round. Whether it’s a minor repair or critical system failure, Gengroup’s team responds quickly to diagnose the issue, source the right parts, and restore operations as efficiently as possible, keeping downtime to an absolute minimum.
With over 60 years of experience Gengroup supports the Canadian industry with the highest-quality overhead lifting solutions – from engineering and fabrication to installation, parts and service.
Past Projects
Over the past couple of years, Gengroup has worked closely with a large manufacturer on the crane requirements for their multi-million-dollar plant expansion that started in late 2023.
Gengroup worked specifically with their customers’ architect and their structural engineers to generate the final overhead travelling crane requirements for their expansion.
This resulted in the supply of three new GENGROUP CRANE CORP engineered overhead travelling cranes all with different features and capabilities matching the company’s customers’ requirements:
- 1 x 15,000kg SGTR (single girder top running) with 1 x 15,000kg DEMAG trolley hoist
- 1 X 12,000kg DGTR (double girder top running) with 2 x 15,000kg trolley hoists and a full maintenance walkway
- 1 X 30,000kg DGTR (double girder top running) with 2 x 15,000kg trolley hoists and a full maintenance walkway.
The 30,000kg DGTR crane was supplied with two identical DEMAG 15,000kg trolley hoists that are operated using a single remote radio control system allowing the operator to use either hoist or trolley motion together or independent of each making this crane very versatile in the manufacturing operation. They can move a 15,000kg load with one trolley hoist or both. Just in case they try to lift more than the trolley hoist can handle, there is an integral system that will limit the maximum each hoist can lift and the maximum the crane can lift as well , keeping all workers and the support structure safe.
Along with the overhead travelling cranes, Gengroup also supplied and installed the required proper ASCE Crane Rail systems and the Runway Conductor Systems powering each crane runway, basically a full turnkey solution with its customer providing all runway support beams in the general construction of the building.
Gengroup recently turned over all three crane systems after commissioning and field load testing each to 125% of their rated lift capacity, along with the additional work required to extend two other existing crane runway systems into the extension. They are now ready to start using all three systems for production as of this week.
There is another special system that Gengroup worked with their customer to provide: a system to eliminate the safety issue of having two of the new cranes operation over two older cranes and the possibility of the upper cranes with a load crashing int o the lower cranes that will be trav elling in and out of the area on their extended runways.
The system provides electronic panels, RFID tags and readers positioned to allow all four cranes to know each other’s position on the runway and it lets the lower cranes know when they are encroaching on a loaded upper cranes load. Also, it will stop a predetermined safe distance away allowing the upper crane to complete its production work. The system can do much more than the simple task just described.
Current Projects
Gengroup has been working with another customer, delving into a new market where they have designed a first of its kind proprietary machine, which will be making large components from plastic composites that require a large capacity overhead travelling crane. The machines are very large and there will be a total of three in line requiring a production bay length of over 540ft and a width of over 100ft.
Gengroup worked with its customer’s architect and engineer to finalise the crane runway system and space envelope required to fit the crane in with all the required safety clearances and required power supply needed. The final height of the building was forced by the high hook they needed to meet their production and maintenance requirements.
The crane Gengroup is currently fabricating for this project has a large unsupported span of over 95ft and is made up of large plate box girders necessary to carry the 50t (10,000lb) live lifting capacity loads. The crane will be supplied with a 1 x 50t (10,000lb) trolley hoist and a 1 x 32t (64,000lb) trolley hoist.
The main function will require the use of one trolley hoist only to set a mold or remove a mold from the machine. The secondary and very important feature of this dual trolley hoist arrangement is it will be used to rotate (flip) the large molds up to 50t (100,000lb) capacity when they are in the dedicated mold repair area of the crane bay.
The requirements were forwarded to DEMAG Germany where they put a solution together with components and safety features, allowing the rotation of these heavy molds and keeping life and safety a top priority.
There is a safety system that does not allow too much angle in the lift. There is a system that knows what weight is on each load hook and lifting will be halted when any hoist itself is overloaded or if the sum totals more than the 50t (10,000lb) live load rating of the long span bridge.
In addition to the crane itself Gengroup is supplying and installing in the field over 1,080ft of 80lb ASCE crane rail and 540ft of 250 Amp runway power conductor bar required to operate this large crane.
Gengroup will install all systems and the crane, and then commission and field load t est the crane to 125% of the maximum rated load. All this will occur by the end of 2025.
No matter the size or complexity of your project, Gengroup is ready to help. For parts, service or complete crane solutions anywhere in Ontario call at 416-293-4103 or you can reach us at service@gengroup.ca.
