Huisman, the worldwide provider of step changing technical solutions, has doubled the slew bearing production capacity of its facility in Schiedam, the Netherlands. With this significant increase in production capacity, Huisman is able to meet the growing demand for large diameter slew bearings, an integral part and key component of its Heavy Lift Cranes.

Since 2010, Huisman has held a unique position in the market by successfully designing and manufacturing large diameter slew bearings in-house. Huisman produces its own slew bearings to secure the highest quality and to protect its proprietary production techniques. Responding to the considerable order intake of large Offshore Cranes, the investment in a second milling machine provides Huisman with sufficient production capacity for the future.

Slew bearings are an integral and key component of all Huisman cranes. Unlike high-maintenance solutions such as bogies or slewing systems on large wheels that are exposed to the harsh offshore environment, the Huisman slew bearing facilitates a substantial reduction in the weight of the crane and substructure, enabling crane vessels to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. Thanks to the unique, segmented design of the Huisman slew bearing, inspection and maintenance can take place on-site without disassembly of the bearing, resulting in a significant reduction of the operational costs.

David Roodenburg, CEO of Huisman: “The ambitions for offshore wind have resulted in a high demand for Heavy Lift Cranes. To ensure the highest quality and on-time delivery to our clients, we have scaled up our production capacity. We have opted to deploy a second Zayer milling machine in the Netherlands to guarantee the continuity of our projects here and to invest in the expertise of our people. Since our slew bearings are an essential part of the unique lightweight design of our cranes, the investment in production capacity allows us to strengthen our position as global market leader in Heavy Lift Cranes.”

After a series of increasingly large slew bearings, Huisman designed and delivered the world’s largest slew bearings for the Heerema Sleipnir 10,000mt Tub Mounted Cranes in 2018. These slew bearings have a diameter of 30m. To date, Huisman has a track record of approximately 25 slew bearings.

Earlier this year, Huisman expanded its paint shop in China by 1,675 m2 to a total surface area of more than 6,000 m2. This, to increase the spraying capacity, which eliminates a crucial bottleneck in the production process of heavy construction equipment.