5R Secures Exclusive Distribution Deal for PLM Cranes
A heavy construction equipment sales and rental company located in the south Chicago area, 5R Enterprises LLC of Morris, Ill., serving Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana, has secured exclusive North American and Central American distribution rights for PLM Cranes, including four new cranes—100-ton, 130-ton, 200-ton and 300-ton models.
PLM Cranes, a global brand based in the Netherlands, is a leading supplier of cranes for marine uses and is a division of PLM Group, which makes specialized barge cranes and equipment for dredging and manufacturing. The other heavy equipment partners of 5R include Mantsinen, Atlas, HKD Blue and GRYB/Bateman Attachments.
According to its website, 5R is “a small, family-owned business” that will “work as hard as you do to get the best equipment to your site.” Like so many businesses serving the rivers, ports and inland waterways, 5R Enterprises is relationship-focused. Chad Cailteux, the owner of 5R Enterprises, spent more than 20 years in the heavy equipment business and wants to grow 5R into “one of the country’s leading entities in the river and material-handling rental and sales business.” Cailteux has served on the Illinois River Basin board for Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals since 2012 and brings several years of experience in the scrap, port and bulk material-handling businesses.
Buying a crane can be a two-to-four-year-long process that requires a lot of close collaboration and customization between a distributor and the customer, Cailteux told The Waterways Journal. PLM has more than 200 cranes worldwide. They can be customized to suit the customer’s needs, specifically for their location and operations. “We handle pedestal-mounted, gantry-mounted, track- and rail-mounted cranes, in both two-rope and four-rope designs,” the company said.
Close consultation is necessary for equipment that is a major capital investment, may last 40 years and needs to adapt to the customer’s changing needs. “How many moves a day is your equipment doing? There’s a big difference between a crane designed to handle 10 to 12 picks a day versus one doing 300 to 400 a day,” Cailteux said. “And if you’re a port or terminal, you have to think about what your needs will be 5, 10 or 20 years from now because a Duty Cycle Crane will still be operating.”
