Looking up These are the main types of cranes you will see here: CRAWLER CRANE - Moves on tracks - Has to be assembled and disassembled on site, meaning that more time is needed for setting it up - Is employed in piling and drilling works as its sturdy frame can handle shock and vibrations better - Can lift heavier loads than other kinds of cranes -  from 20 to 1,600 tonnes MOBILE CRANE - Moves on wheels - Can go on roads - Can be set up more quickly than a crawler crane - The all-terrain mobile crane can lift the heaviest loads in this category -  from 20 to 1,200 tonnes TOWER CRANE - Fixed to the ground or "jacked up" and supported by the structure as it is being built - Takes up less space on the ground than other kinds of cranes - Most often used in the construction of tall buildings - Due to its height, has to be either "tied" to the building or mounted to the walls of a lift shaft for support - Lifts less weight than the other types of cranes . usually no more than 10 tonnes

INSIDE the three-storey office building of crane leasing company Tat Hong in Sungei Kadut, phones are ringing off the hook.

On the line are construction contractors, each badgering Tat Hong's operations managers for a crane from its fleet of more than 600 machines.

Just a year ago, hiring a crane was a cinch. Only about 70 per cent of Tat Hong's cranes were leased out at any one time.

Today, practically all its cranes are being rented out all the time. In fact, these giant machines hardly ever return to the company's yard for a rest as they are moved from job to job.

'There is a real crunch now so we have had to be efficient with them - maximise their usage and keep them in good condition,' says Tat Hong managing director Patrick Ng.

As the company with the biggest fleet of cranes in Singapore, Tat Hong is probably benefiting the most from the red hot crane market.

Because contractors keep only a small fleet of their own cranes, they usually have to rent the rest from equipment suppliers like Tat Hong.

Industry sources estimate that there are more than 20 companies in the crane leasing business here, with fleets ranging from five to 500.

They buy, sell and rent out new and second- hand cranes, which are parked mostly in Tuas.

The demand is a result of the boom in the construction industry here as well as the oil and gas sectors - all need these mammoth machines to do heavy lifting, piling and excavation works.

According to the Ministry of Manpower, the number of cranes registered here has risen from 2,523 in December 2005 to 3,038 now.

The scene is most apparent when one drives down the Benjamin Sheares Bridge. On the Marina Bay Sands' site, about 70 to 80 cranes can be spotted working day and night on the integrated resort, which is scheduled to open in 2009.

Korean construction company Ssangyong estimates that the number of cranes it needs for its projects today is more than double that two years ago.

Mr Alistair Sim, managing director of foundation piling company Bachy Soletanche, which is working on the Marina Bay Sands site, says: 'The industry has been caught by surprise. I don't remember a time here when construction schedules have been more intense.'

The squeeze has resulted in rental prices going up by 30 to 50 per cent this year, contractors say. A 150-tonne crawler crane which could be rented for about $26,000 a month last year now costs about $40,000.

And even if you are willing to pay, the crane may not be available, they add.

And it is not just the machines that are in demand. Crane operators have become hot property, with their salaries doubling and more people signing up for training in the past year.

Order a crane now, get it in 2009

SUPPLYING cranes in this tight market has been a challenge to crane leasing firms, especially this year.

It requires a lot more careful scheduling from the company's managers, who have to ensure that no client is left without a crane when he needs one, says Mr Ng.

On the ground, Tat Hong's teams of mechanics have been kept busy. Working in teams of two or three, they rush around different job sites where their cranes are being used.

They service about two cranes a day, changing the oil, greasing moveable parts and replacing spare parts that are worn. Mr Ng estimates that their workload has gone up by about 20 to 30 per cent.

At a time when cranes are in demand, keeping these machines in tip-top condition has become essential, he says. A breakdown means one fewer crane - which would worsen the crunch.

Contributing to the local demand is an international construction boom led by the Middle East, India and China. With projects going full steam ahead in so many locations, leading crane manufacturers in Europe and Japan are struggling to keep pace.

If you order a crane from a manufacturer today, you go on a waiting list and will get it only in 2009, says Mr Robin Chan, general manager of equipment leasing company Tanglin Corp. A year ago, one could get a new crane in six months.

The used cranes market has benefited as well. Mr Chan relates how one crane company recently offered $230,000 for a 14-year-old 55-tonne crane - four years after he bought it for $195,000.

Mr David Christodoulou, operations manager of construction company McConnell Dowell, says: 'Two years ago, if you called for a crane you can be sure of getting it the next day. These days, you may have to wait for a day or two.'

This shortage could lead to project delays down the line, he says.

But others feel that the industry here has matured after the last construction bubble burst 10 years ago.

'This time round you see more restraint from contractors with the projects they accept and the deadlines they are prepared to commit to,' says Mr Sim.

Family businesses

MOST of the crane leasing companies are media- shy, either rejecting LifeStyle's request for interviews or asking not to be quoted for the information they share on the industry.

However, LifeStyle understands that many of them are second-generation, family-run businesses that went into the equipment supply business in the 1970s to capitalise on the HDB construction boom.

CIMB-GK researcher Lawrence Lye, who specialises in the construction industry, estimates the crane leasing industry here to be worth around $500 million to $600 million today, a two- to three-fold growth from $200 million in 2004.

'Crane companies have not just capitalised on the construction boom but also the growth of the petrochemical, oil and gas industries,' he says.

'They are more resilient because cranes are used in different industries. As such, suppliers are not dependent on the construction industry like contractors are. Instead, they can capitalise on upturns elsewhere.'

From their modest roots, some have grown into major global players.

Tat Hong, for example, is mainboard-listed and ranked seventh in the world by lifting capacity - that is, the total weight that all its cranes can lift.

It also has the world's largest fleet of crawler cranes - that is, cranes which run on tracks. Its shares, which traded at 50 cents in May 2005, are now about $2.50.

The company was founded by Mr Ng Chwee Cheng and started in the battery supply business in 1958. It moved to heavy equipment supplies 20 years later, when Singapore was undergoing massive infrastructure growth. Today, seven of Mr Ng's sons are working for Tat Hong.

Then there is Tiong Woon, which is also listed here and ranked 11th in the world.

It was founded by Mr Ang Choo Kim, the father of current chairman Ang Kah Hong. The latter has been with the company for the last 27 years and has grown the company's fleet from one hydraulic truck crane to more than 200 cranes today.

Its share prices have also seen a big jump, from 27 cents in July 2005 to about $1.10 today.

And it looks like good times are here to stay.

Mr Sim says this is still the early stage of the 'up' cycle for the construction industry, and predicts that the healthy outlook will continue for another three years.

Which means that the cranes here will probably continue soaring for a while yet.

» Crane operators can earn up to $8,000 a month

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