Three companies with histories reaching back 75 years recently came together in Washington, D.C., when L.B. Smith Inc./Equipco delivered a new 777 Manitowoc lattice boom truck crane to Crane Service Company Inc. The crane is currently assisting Crane Service Company on various jobs for the federal government.
Company Histories
Manitowoc
Manitowoc can trace its roots back to 1925. The company’s first effort was a gas-powered Moore Speedcrane Model 100 with a 15-ton (13.6 t) capacity and a crawler base. Production continued, and today more than 7,000 Manitowoc cranes are in service on six different continents. They design and manufacture customized lattice-boom cranes, excavators and crane attachments that are used worldwide in heavy construction, surface mining, material handling and other specialized applications.
The company also is credited with several engineering and technology firsts, including the Ringer attachment, Vicon and Epic control systems, and crawler cranes that mobilize easily and can be self-assembled in just a few hours.
All Manitowoc cranes are manufactured, assembled and tested at the same location, an 80-acre facility in Manitowoc, WI. Each crane and attachment prototype undergoes demanding tests to ensure that it conforms to the equipment codes of the country where it will be used. The company’s involvement doesn’t end after the sale, either. Manitowoc’s CraneCARE program shows its commitment to after-sale support, covering classroom and on-site training, lift-planning software, and prompt parts delivery, no matter how long it has been since purchase.
L.B. Smith Inc./Equipco
L.B. Smith Inc./Equipco operates under the corporate umbrella Smith Land & Improvement Corporation. Enterprises of the corporation include construction equipment and quarry machinery, automobile dealerships, real estate development and nonprofit foundations
The company’s founder, Luther B. “L.B.” Smith, got his start as a teenager when he was a food vendor at a Harrisburg, PA, farmers market in 1918. He had an instinctive knack for business, and during his lifetime, L.B. founded, purchased, or became a principal in 75 corporations. After L.B. died in 1968, R.E. Jordan took over until 1992, when R.E. Jordan II became chairman and CEO.
L.B. Smith’s construction equipment and quarry machinery division operates from 48 facilities in 13 different states and is based in Camp Hill, PA. Its goal is to “serve our customers with long-term relationships.” This is accomplished by matching equipment to the job, custom-manufactured parts for older equipment, efficient accurate service, an innovative in-house engineering staff, convenient credit, and a knowledgeable sales, service and parts staff.
Crane Service Company
A full-service crane provider, Crane Service Company Inc. has been family-owned and operated in the D.C. area since 1926. Currently located in Upper Marlboro, MD, the company has expertise in all areas of crane and rigging needs. Operators are experienced in all phases of construction.
Hydraulic cranes are available from 18 to 150 ton (16.2 to 135 t), with boom heights up to 292 ft. (89 m). In addition, the company offers conventional cranes from 60 to 220 tons (54 to 198 t), with boom lengths up to 350 ft. (106.6 m).
Rick Mazzella, president, and Bob Hutchison, vice president, started working at the company when they were in high school, and went on to purchase the business in 1994.
This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.
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