Company Announcement - Cortland Australia has announced significant investment in the Asia Pacific region with the introduction of high performance round sling manufacturing capability in addition to a full-service test machine. Scheduled for commissioning in March 2016, the new equipment with industry leading testing capabilities will be available in the Western Australian facility in Perth. Services will focus on destructive testing, proof-loading, and re-certification of synthetic fibre ropes and slings up to 600 metric tonnes.  The new test equipment offers a four metre stroke combined with a 45 metre bed to accommodate testing of a broad range of products.

This increased capacity arrives on the back of a year where Cortland gained DNV GL approval for its Selantic® tethers, and the opening of a similar testing and certification facility in the Gulf of Mexico. Mike Fitzpatrick, Cortland Australia Sales Leader, said:  “Despite the current market slowdowns in select industries, the Cortland team remains committed to serving our clients with this added capability which rounds out our portfolio of services by adding testing and fabrication of heavy lift products.  This investment reflects the importance of the Australian and Asian Pacific markets to the long term Cortland strategy; we are excited to be bringing this equipment online.” 

Cortland’s synthetic products have improved safety as well as operational efficiency in a diverse range of critical operations, replacing steel wire rope.   As a major manufacturer of synthetic products using High Modulus fibres including Plasma® Ropes and Selantic® High Performance Round Slings; the ability to manufacture, test, and certify synthetic assemblies and associated hardware reliably with purpose built machines is a next step to meet customer requirements. The new equipment will be able to conduct highly rigorous testing of a broad range of products including synthetic ropes and slings as well as hardware.  It will provide customers with full product lifecycle management and recertification as well as supporting ongoing product development. 

With the addition of the custom designed high performance round sling machine, Cortland Australia will be able to engineer and produce high performance Selantic® slings locally. These high performance slings will be produced in the Perth facility and will supply the lifting industries with a greatly reduced lead time.

Stuart Janke, VP of Global Sales for Cortland Rope and Assemblies, said:   “This investment is the next step in the expansion of our capabilities globally.  These capabilities allow us to better serve customers in Australia and the Southeast Asia region with the same high level of engineering, manufacturing, and testing services that are behind the successful track record of our Plasma® and Selantic® products.

“Along with other supporting services and its enviable engineering resource pool, Cortland has proven that even in difficult market conditions its dedication to customer safety, experience and satisfaction is paramount.”