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After more than 25 years with the FASSI brand, Tony Hitchcock is retiring from Walker Crane Services.

Back in the mid-90s Fassi was not so widely known & Tony established our brand in the southeast when every call was a cold call.
He was bold, persistent & persuasive.

A favourite story from these early days is Tony & big Ron driving round with the exhibition trailer loaded with FASSI cranes & blocking the entrance to prospective customers yards ….. refusing to move it until the boss had come out & had a look at what we had to offer, by which point Tony had them hooked.

Hand in hand with Walker Cranes, Tony’s tenacious approach increased sales year on year with some major milestones along the way. He went past 100 cranes per year in 2014, his 1,000th crane in 2016 & leaves us with a career total of 1,700 cranes shipped. The Harry Kane of cranes.

His never say die attitude saw him bring many a sale back from the dead earning his nickname of the Phoenix. Calm under pressure, wise with his council, influential amongst the other dealers, a master of being equitable to both Walkers & FASSI in every situation, I always knew Tony had my back.

The final part of an illustrious career is to leave your legacy in good hands. With Paul & Danny Jnr & the loyalty of so many customers he has done just that.

A great personality, a true friend & an unrivalled professional in the field of sales, we will not see the like of Tony again. We have been blessed to work with him & he will be missed by all at Fassi UK, the factory, our dealers & customers.

Leigh Carter
Managing Director

The new issue of Lifting Tomorrow Magazine is OUT NOW with all the latest news & developments from the FASSI group. Read about:

• The FASSI technology hub: a brand new facility that houses the design teams, prototype construction, fatigue testing, development of hydraulic / electronic systems, with a showroom for displaying new products.

• FSC TECHNO and FSC-P: a new generation of FASSI stability control systems.

• Steel 24 Ltd take delivery of an impressive FASSI F820RA.2.27 xhe-dynamic with flyjib & winch.

• FASSI sponsors the Mooney VR46 Racing Team in the MotoGP World championship 2023 season with the company logo displayed on the front & rear fenders of their Ducati bikes.

• FASSI UK x GALA GLOVES: designed by Gould Creative London these luxury leather, made in Italy, work gloves are FREE with every crane order placed between September 1st and December 31st 2023.

You can download a copy here: https://www.fassiuk.com/lifting-tomorrow-2/

Congratulations to Darren Taylor of Canvey Supply Ltd who wins 1st prize for his photo entry ‘Red Alert.’ It’s a wonderfully artistic shot of his FASSI F215A.  Darren wins a FASSI x LAS Helmet; new FASSI back pack; a Gilet and merchandise pack with FASSI hoodie, T-shirt, insulated bottle, cap and chamois leather.  To see all winners head on over to the gallery in the operator hub or www.facebook.com/fassiuk

The photos shared this month were bursting with creativity. None more so than by the overall winner Ben Screen. We felt that his image ‘Red Rain’ of the Richard Lester Transport FASSI F820RA could have been taken by a professional!

Congratulations Ben you win 1st PRIZE of a FASSI branded fleece, Gilet and merchandise pack consisting of: Hoodie, work gloves & pouch, FASSI multi-tool, beanie and pen.

In 2nd place and winners of the FASSI gilet and merchandise pack are:
‘The Watcher’ by Mass Group
‘Goose Chase’ by Adam Lee with a FASSI F660RA
‘Miami Vice’ by Stuart Watson of Portacover Machinery Movements with a FASSI F710RA

In joint 3rd place and winners of a merchandise pack are:
‘Leg up’ by Mark Little of Russell Machinery Transport with an F1150RA
‘Farm Land’ by Harvey Paulger of MRA Transport with a FASSI F660RA
‘Narrow gauge’ by Lee Hughes of Hughes Specialist Transport with a FASSI F710RA
‘Pipe Fitter’ by Steven Butler of D&G Noble
‘Stair Lift’ by Richard Keely of CAB Freight with an F820RA
‘Tee pee’ by Ashley Palmer of Eagle Plant with a FASSI F820RA

Visit the #fassifriday gallery to see all the October winners.

Essex based Arctec Fabrications Ltd undertakes complex building projects and also specialises in temporary works and facade supports.

A recent job saw them working in partnership with KCP demolition to erect a steel structure to preserve the original façade of a building on Marylebone Lane in Central London. Working in such a busy part of London certainly presented its challenges. There were limitations on the number of vehicles allowed through during the closure of the narrow road; little space to deploy the crane’s outriggers coupled with noise and safety considerations for residents and passers by.

The company used its FASSI F660RA and long reach flyjib to its full potential with little margin for error to ensure the steel structure was erected safely protecting the building’s façade. The skills of the operator combined with the reach and the millimetre precision of the FASSI crane allowed for the steel beams to be lifted into place with no margin for error. Beams were carefully passed through windows and to the roof of the building enabling the demolition to be carried out behind from the top down.

Thanks to Dean Stiller for sharing this #fassiatwork story and photos. As Dean says ‘Everything is made easier with the FASSI.’

Richard Lester Transport comes from a family of specialist haulage contractors dating back to the 1930’s. Operating out of their main depot in Chesterfield, with a fleet of over 25 vehicles & a wide range of chassis, they have grown to be one of the major specialist transport companies in the UK concentrating on the bespoke transporting of plant machinery and over-sized freight.

The company operates a fleet of light, medium and heavy duty FASSI cranes from an M25A.12 up to the F820RA.2.26. and recently purchased two new FASSI cranes, both F660RA.2.26 he-dynamics, from FASSI UK main dealer Central Crane Technicians in Chesterfield.

The power to weight ratio of the FASSI F660RA.2.26 he-dynamic has made it the UK’s best-selling crane in its class. With the FSC-SII stability system matched with ‘HS’ supplementary outriggers, the crane can work up to rated capacity with the outriggers extended by only 25%, safely controlled by the tilt sensor.

When Richard was asked why he chose FASSI cranes again he explains:

“ FASSI cranes are reliable and our drivers enjoy using them, they are smooth, simple and at the end of the day they are good lifters, enabling us to provide a fast, reliable, and efficient service to all our customers.”

Gloucester based Keith Rhodes Machinery Installations have been in operation for nearly 40 years and are “Specialists in Motion” undertaking all aspects of abnormal loads and heavy haulage.

A recent job saw the company tasked with relocating the last surviving Gloster Javelin FAW4 X364 aircraft at the Jet Age Museum in Gloucester. The plane had been stored near the end of the runway since its arrival from RAF Leeming. The move allowed the Museum to assess the requirements for refurbishment and preservation of the aircraft into the future.

This fantastic photo shows Keith Rhodes using a FASSI F450CXP and F710RA crane in an impressive and carefully managed dual lift. The FASSI cranes are the perfect choice for a job such as this combining precision lifting along with manoeuvrability.

#fassiatwork – Photos courtesy of Carl Radford.