THE BUSINESS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
THE BUSINESS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Street Crane Company may not be a household name, but if you’re a manufacturer there’s a fair chance that you use their machinery in your factory. The firm that became the UK’s largest producer of factory overhead, gantry and jib cranes and a global supplier of advance hoists and controls began after World War II when an RAF pilot who had flown Spitfires, Hurricanes and Horsa gliders was given ‘demob money’ of £88, a ‘gratuity’ for his service to the country. Peter R Street decided to start a company in Sheffield, and to buy the first company vehicle – a motorbike and side car. The fledgling firm repaired cranes in factories, a niche business but a vital one in an industrial landscape decimated by the war.
The company soon began manufacturing its own cranes and now has over 100 international distributors of its UK-designed and manufactured advanced hoists and controls, recently opening a dedicated facility in Houston, Texas. Despite the pandemic, at the end of 2020 it launched new online crane configuration software, Eazycrane, which automates crane design, drawing, component selection, quotations, and ordering.
“Due to Covid restrictions, it is unlikely that we will be able to mark our 75th year as we have done similar milestones in the past, when many of our distributors were able to easily visit. However, in what has been a difficult year for everyone, reaching 75 is a note of positive news. Even more positive is that the spirit of our founder continues to drive us forward,” explained MD Gus Zona.
“Sadly, Peter is no longer with us, but his spirit lives on. While Covid hasn’t destroyed industrial infrastructure in the way bombs did all those years ago, he would see similarities in the need to invest, rebuild and innovate,” said Martin Street, Peter’s son and current Chairman. “Had Peter survived he would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Another good reason to remember our founder and the generations of colleagues who did the groundwork upon which we are building our future ability to meet the challenging and changing lifting needs of a rapidly changing global marketplace.”
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