WestRock Solvay Mill Turns to Empire Crane, Broderson

(L-R) are Luke Lonergan, CEO, Empire Crane Company; Cory White, senior vehicle maintenance technician, WestRock; and Scott Walrath, vehicle maintenance technician, WestRock.

Thu October 15, 2020
Empire Crane Company

The team at WestRock Solvay Mill needed more lifting capacity than what their 1999 Broderson IC-80 could offer.

After looking at other brands, they found that only Broderson offered the lifting capacity they need in the small footprint they require.

Cory White, senior vehicle maintenance technician and mobile equipment safety trainer at WestRock provided his technical expertise to the decision-making process.

The Solvay Mill decided to purchase the new 2020 Broderson IC-100-3B from local dealer Empire Crane Company. It offers more lifting capacity and reach, and is within the required footprint. Their primary application is for repairing rotating equipment and screens inside their paper mill.

The Broderson IC-100-3B is a 10 ton rated industrial carry deck crane designed for in-plant lifting and material handling applications. It features:

  • 49 ft. 4 in. sheave height
  • 5.6 ton pick and carry capacity
  • 360-degree boom rotation
  • 6 ft. 6 in. wide
  • 7 ft. 5 in. tall
  • Fully hydraulic controls for smooth precise operations

In addition, WestRock opted to include a 10 ft. boom extension, operator guard and the dual fuel (diesel / propane) option.

"This unit will run indoors 99 percent of the time, so we run strictly propane" White said.

An improvement since their last Broderson purchase is the auto-throttle feature. Operators currently have to run the foot throttle to keep a higher rpm. With the auto throttle, they can set it to run at 1,200 or 1,800 rpm, leaving the operator to focus more on the movement of the crane and the safety of his surroundings.

"It's so loud inside of our mill that you can't hear the engine running behind you. By setting the auto-throttle, our operators won't need to listen to gauge the rpm levels," White said.

Empire Crane CEO and vice president Luke Lonergan said, "Broderson cranes have a leading reputation in the carry deck sector because of the quality and reliability.

"We've serviced WestRock's IC80 for years and years. We're so happy they've been satisfied with the unit and are glad to assist with adding a larger unit to their fleet."

For more information about Empire Crane Company, visit www.EmpireCrane.com.

For more information about WestRock, visit www.WestRock.com/.

(L-R) are Luke Lonergan, CEO, Empire Crane Company; Cory White, senior vehicle maintenance technician, WestRock; and Scott Walrath, vehicle maintenance technician, WestRock.