World Crane and Transport Summit Asia: helping to power your business

Singapore’s skyline is the backdrop to the 2023 World Crane and Transport Summit. Photo: Adobe Stock

The World Crane and Transport Summit (WCTS) has established itself as the key global event for engaged stakeholders in the global crane and specialized transport industry to network, learn and share best practices.

This year’s event is being held on 4 and 5 October in Singapore, once again in a region showing growth. WCTS is organised by International Cranes and Specialized Transport magazine, American Cranes & Transport (ACT) magazine, and their publisher KHL Group. Most frequently held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, WCTS has been running since 2009.

The supporting association for the WCTS 2023 in Singapore is the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SCRA). Event partners are the Singapore Cranes Association and the Singapore Transport Association. It is being held as part of the Singapore Logistics and Crane Carnival 2023 (see box).

A world-class programme of influential speakers on topical subjects has been created following consultation with major crane and transport equipment users and buyers, industry associations and equipment manufacturers.

A key theme of the event this year is the energy transition and the key 2030 deadline. The duration of a typical wind project is between five and seven years, from auction to first generation. So, this year is the deadline to enact clean energy policies that have a realistic chance of affecting 2030 targets. The energy transition is no longer some abstract, far-off concept – if we want to meet these goals, we have to act now. At the same time, rapid market growth is placing immense strain on the entire supply chain.

To align with the IEA’s Net Zero Scenario, wind power must grow by around 18 per cent a year, reaching 3,100 GW capacity by 2030. That’s more than 300 GW installed every year – 24,000 new offshore wind turbines or 55,000 new onshore wind turbines. If you were to build this as a standard onshore wind farm project using a single crane, you’d be working non-stop, day and night, for more than 900 years. And that’s what we need to achieve every year between now and the turn of the decade.

As a keynote speaker at the 2023 WCTS, Paul van Gelder, CEO at Mammoet, by far the world’s largest heavy lifting and transport company, will go into more detail on the above about how to meet these targets.

Strands and themes

Energy security prompting growth in the oil and gas industry is another element of the energy theme. A move away from Russian oil and the need for more industrial products, for example, plastics, means exploration and production activity is returning.

While energy and oil and gas are a key theme of the event there are others. Of course, crane and transport safety is always the one overriding aim. Highlighting this will be one of the opening presentations, to be given by Bernard Kwok, deputy director (engineering safety), at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore. He will give an overview on the safe use of cranes and outline any areas of concern.

Other safety-focused speakers include Joe Collins, Becht Engineering heavy lifting division director, and Brandon Hitch, CEO at the Crane Industry Council of Australia.

Other scene-setting speakers are economist Dr Nicholas Fearnley from Oxford Economics and Liebherr’s Albert Chua. The former will give an economic overview for the construction industry in the region and the latter will look at the challenges, trends and opportunities in relation to cranes.

A successful energy transition with safer and more efficient lifting and transport operations can only happen if the industry pulls together with all other relevant stakeholders. Join the conference to play your part in the energy transition, network with industry counterparts from around the world and help raise the level of professionalism.

On 4 October, the day before the main conference, we are hoping to arrange a site visit and-or a visit to a crane owner’s yard – to be confirmed. An evening drinks reception will also be held, in the Skai Loft, at the Fairmont Hotel from 19.30 to 21.30. On 5 October the main full day conference takes place at the Suntec Singapore Convention Centre, from 09.00 to 17.30, ending with a drinks reception afterwards.

For more details or to book see: https://www.khl-wcts.com/ 

Scroll down for the full list of speakers and topics.

Sponsors

This year’s Gold Sponsors are Comansa and Tadano. Silver sponsors are Denzai and Liebherr. Bronze Sponsors are Lebus, Modulift, WireCo and Yongmao.

Exclusive event partner is the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association.

Supporting associations are the Singapore Cranes Association and the Singapore Transport Association.

Preliminary schedule

Interior of Singapore’s Skai Loft bar atop the Fairmont/Swissôtel The Stamford, Stamford Road, Singapore

4 October 2023

14.00 – 17.00

SITE VISIT – to be confirmed

19.30 – 21.30

NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION at the Skai Loft, Fairmont/Swissôtel The Stamford

5 October 2023

09.00 – 5.30

CONFERENCE SESSIONS at the Suntec Singapore Convention Centre

12.30 – 13.30

NETWORKING LUNCH

17.30 – 19.30

FAREWELL DRINKS at the Suntec Singapore Convention Centre.

Singapore Logistics and Crane Carnival 2023

The crane and transport industry and its trade associations in Singapore are organising a series of events in the first week of October 2023 as the Singapore Logistics and Crane Carnival 2023. The schedule is to be confirmed, but will encompass a ‘Crane Carnival’ recruitment event, visits to crane companies and the WCTS Asia conference. In fact, WCTS will form the international centrepiece of the Singapore Logistics and Crane Carnival 2023, helping engage the wider Asian crane and transport sector in efforts to bolster safety and professionalism in the industry.