BY: Bob Glenn, Editor and Publisher
Photos courtesy of Tom Siron, Barnhart Crane and Rigging
On Thursday, May 25, the John Sakach Company of St. Louis – now Mazzella John Sakach Co. – hosted a Crosby Group Demo Day and Open House. In one sense, it was an event three years in the making, “Covid postponed our original event, but it gave us time to continue perfecting our craft… and cleaning!” said Terry Driscoll, Regional Sales Manager, making light of the disruption.
The all-day event kicked off with a Crosby rigging training seminar, held at the Sam Wolfe Granite City Campus of Southwestern Illinois College, just a few miles from the John Sakach Company facility.
This seminar covered risk management considerations before the lift, applicable OSHA and ASME standards and regulations, Crosby application and warning information, and exercises to enhance the learning experience. All attendees received a Crosby rigging workbook, Crosby catalog, convenient pocket-size rigging card, and certificate of attendance.
Following the seminar, attendees enjoyed a catered lunch from Pappy’s Smokehouse. Described as Memphis-style barbecue, they have been Named Best Ribs in America by the Food Network and Best BBQ in Missouri by Southern Living!
The afternoon program consisted of hands-on demonstration at six stations:
Station 1: Sakach Proof Testing
Providing a better understanding of the process to proof test rigging products and explaining safety factors
Station 2: Slingmax
A break-test demonstration of a Slingmax® Twin-Path® 30K Sling on Sakach’s 300-ton test bed.
Station 3: Wire Rope Sling Fabrication
Visual demonstration “how it’s made” to properly Flemish a mechanical splice eye on a wire rope sling. It’s a dirty job, but Trevor Rossen (pictured above) shows how it is done!
Station 4: Gunnebo Industries GrabiQ & Sakach Chain.
GrabiQ is an all-inclusive chain sling system for coupling, shortening, and lifting in Alloy, designed to improve and make your lifting as quick and easy as possible.
Station 5: Crosby BlokCam and Crosby Straightpoint
Demonstrating tools to see the load, and know the load!
Station 6: Crosby Rig Safe, Rig Smart Truck
Bringing safe, effective rigging training to your job site on a wide range of Crosby products.
Tom Siron, on hand from Barnhart Crane & Rigging, gave the event a glowing review on LinkedIn. “The turnout was off the charts, and the energy in the room was electric! There’s something about being surrounded by fellow rigging professionals that instantly creates a sense of camaraderie… It was a joy to swap stories and trade tips with like-minded folks who truly understand the thrill of a perfectly executed rigging job.”
With respect to the Sakach team’s demonstrations, Siron said “I could’ve stood there all day, marveling at their precision and expertise. It’s clear that they take immense pride in their craft, and rightly so.” He also praised, “the fantastic rigging training provided by The Crosby Group that morning and their stellar job highlighting their top-notch products and offering valuable insights into the world of rigging.”
And about that lunch we mentioned? “I swear, I’ve never seen people devour sandwiches with such gusto. It’s like they were on a mission to prove that riggers have the heartiest appetites in the world. And boy, did they succeed!
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2023 Issue of Wire Rope Exchange
