24
ACT
DECEMBER2014
INTERVIEW
differencewe canmake for our
organizationwhenour employees are
excited about coming towork and feeling
great about their job.Our employees have
a feelingof accomplishment.When they
gohome, they can talk to their spouses
about the projects they are involved in
and thenew things they are learning to
do abetter job. Theydevelop the feeling
that they are engaged indoing their
part in improving the business to serve
customers, and in turnbetter secure
their job. It is the connection that our
employees cannowmake betweenwhat
theydo everyday andhow important it
is to the customers.Nomatterwhere
theywork in the organization, that is
crucial indriving the right culture.
WHAT IS YOURBUSINESS
PHILOSOPHY?
It is very simple. Leadership
makes a bigdifference in an
organization. The goal is to
create anoutstanding
operating company.
To this end, weneed
tomake sure thatwe
create apositive culture
wherepeoplework as
teams, all committed to
operational excellence and
doing a great job everyday
for the customer. Focus on
delighting the customer in every
aspect of the business in theway
we servehimor her. Be flexible in
developing solutions inpartnership
withour customers to address specific
needs to set ourselves apart from
the competition. Run the business
bypaying special attention to the
details from ametrics standpoint.
Runmarketing and sales from the
customer back. In effect, we create
an entrepreneurial, highperformance
process-oriented company that
continuously improves and adds value by
doingonly those activities the customers
pays us forwithout beingburdenedby
the bureaucracyof larger companies.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
SUPPLYING PRODUCTS FOR THE CRANE
INDUSTRY?
Finding the right peoplewith the right
talent fully committed to the success of
the company as awhole is our biggest
challenge.
HOW DO YOU VIEW THE HEALTH OF THE
CRANEMARKET TODAY?WHAT’S THE
WHAT IS IT YOU LIKE
ABOUT THE CRANE AND
RIGGING INDUSTRY?
I enjoy the fact thatwe
are apart of an industry
that builds lasting value. We are
fortunate tobe in an industrywherewe
canobserve the progress of projects from
initial building stages to completion.
Also this is an industry that createsmany
jobs inNorthAmerica, and I particularly
like the fact thatwe buildquality
products here andwhich aredemanded
globally.
WHAT’S THEMOST INTERESTING PART OF
YOUR JOB?
One ofmost interestingparts of the job
is the cultural changewe aredriving and
its positive impact on the organization.
Themost rewardingpart is thepositive
OF ALL GUNNEBO JOHNSON PRODUCTS,
WHICHWOULD YOU SAY IS THEMOST
RECOGNIZED IN THENORTH AMERICAN
CRANEMARKET?
From the JohnsonProduct line, our J
andQRJ (quick reeve) crane blocks are
well-recognized.We’ve been supplying
NorthAmerican cranemanufacturers
with innovativeproducts formore than
50 years.We literallyhave thousands of
designs andhaveproduced crane blocks
withworking load limits from5 tons to
5,000 tons.
Fromour LiftingProduct Line our
GrabiQ systemhas been appreciated
for its uniquedesign thatmakes lifting
operationsmore efficient and cost
effective. GrabiQhas beendesigned
to integratemultiple functions in
each component. Thismeans fewer
components in each sling, butwith the
same, and evenbetter, function than
the old system.Weunderstandhow fast
the conditions for a lift can change, and
we also recognize that time ismoney in
liftingoperations –big and small. The
user gets aquicker andmore ergonomic
liftingoperation each time.
About Gunnebo Johnson
Gunnebo Industries is a leadingmanufacturer of products such as crane blocks, wire rope
sheaves, chain and lifting components, shackles and lashing products, which are produced in
Sweden, Norway and theUnitedStates.
Founded in1764 in Sweden, the company has its roots in three countries, and is the
amalgamation of several respected companieswith rich histories.
Themanufacturing of Johnson crane blocks began in Tulsa, OK during the1950s. Another
Tulsa company, Hinderliter Tool Company, whichmanufactured oilfield andwell-drilling
equipment, acquired the Johnson brand in1962. In1988, the JohnsonManufacturing
divisionwas acquired fromHinderliter by SwedishGunnebo Industries. The Johnson product
linewas extensive including overhaul balls, wedge sockets, swivels, snatch blocks and
sheaves. However, after joiningGunnebo Industries, the company’s product lineswere further
expandedwith the addition of the flagshipQRJ crane block line, large diameter sheaves and
more than16,000 custom products for use on cranes serving construction, energy
and industrial markets.
Some examples of technical field applicationswithin theGunnebo Johnson
product line include:
■
Pressure compensated swivels for aNavy 250,000-foot deep sea sonar
trolling project.
■
A500-tonmicro inching crane block for erectingmissiles for launch.
■
11,000-ton tackle system for the Kiewit HLD crane.
■
650-ton pressure-compensated swivel for anchoring the floating
hotel off theGreat Barrier Reef.
■
Ultralight 200-pound140-ton tank retrieval block for theU.S.
Army.
■
Quick release launching hook for theU.S. Navy.
■
Crane blockwith remote-controlled hook opening and closing
for theHanford nuclear facility.
■
Force actuated fleet angle compensator for theHenry Shreve
barge crane.
■
High duty cycle sheaves for the San Francisco trolley car system.
Gunnebo Johnson has been
supplyingNorth American
cranemanufacturerswith
crane blocks for some 50
yearswithworking load limits
from 5 tons to 5,000 tons.
