A Giant joins the team at Wm.O' Brien Plant Hire

20 August 2008

There has been much talk of the recession in Ireland of late with AIB recently predicting that 10,000 jobs would be lost in the construction industry in the next year. Wm. O'Brien Plant Hire is flying in the face of this adversity by moving into newer markets most recently, renewable energy.

Wm. O'Brien Plant Hire recently purchased a Terex® AC800, a crane capable of lifting 800 US tonnes.  The crane will mainly be used in the erection of wind turbines, as well as other specialised heavy lift projects.  Current Minister for the environment John Gormley claims that wind has been the world's fastest growing renewable energy source for the last seven years and that this growth will continue into the future. Wm. O'Brien Plant Hire has seen this gap in the market and maintains that over the next few years this "Gigantic Crane" will be kept busy in this specialised area.

The Terex® AC800 is the strongest mobile crane in the world. Its tasks include heavy lifting and rigging, involving heavy transportation, assembly and disassembly. Built in Germany it took six trucks alone to transport the crane to Ireland and it towers above the other impressive cranes in the fleet at Wm. O'Brien Plant Hire.

Managing Director Finbarr Warren said

"Wm. O'Brien Plant Hire has operated in all aspects of construction over the past fifty years. As a company we never stand still and are always thinking ahead. We see wind energy as an area that has huge potential growth over the next few years and after considerable research we decided to invest heavily in this area. The Terex® AC800 was the most capable crane for this type of construction and we are pleased with this significant addition to our fleet."

For environmentalists who would argue that the development and construction of wind turbines is a hazard to the environment it is worth pointing out that all energy used in the construction of these wind turbines is earned back in the first three months of use.

For more information on this crane or any others please log onto www.cranehireireland.com