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Home / Washington Business - September/October 2006 / Member Profile - Lampson International: Heavy Lifters |
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Member Profile - Lampson International: Heavy Lifters |
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Written On: September/October 2006 |
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Written By: by Daniel Brunell |
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Lifting crushing loads that would leave most cranes in a pile of rubble is all in a day’s work for Lampson International of Kennewick. Known as a heavy lift company that handles the most extreme in oversized loads, they are also the designer and manufacturer of the largest mobile cranes in the world. Lampson is also a leading manufacturer of crawler transporters, and they operate one of the largest conventional crane fleets in the United States. Their big blue cranes, crawlers, and compactors are easily recognizable at construction and industrial sites worldwide.
In comparison to other large heavy lift companies in the world, Lampson is unique. By total lift capacity, Lampson is the world leader, achieving this with only a third of the equipment used by their closest competitor. Lampson regularly sets world records with its lifts. In 1996, two of Lampson’s LTL-2600 Transi-Lifts hoisted a topside module for an offshore oil concrete gravity structure for Esso Australia. The weight was 1,425 tons lifted to a height of more than 60 meters.
The range of equipment they have lifted or transported is staggering. Barges, refinery equipment, 3,000-ton dragline shovels, sections of interstate bridges, and massive rock-crushing units for quarries. Lampson can not only lift these record-setting loads, but can also transport them. Their unique system, called "Transi-Lift," can carry up to 2,600 tons and precisely maneuver on tractor treads around a job site. This technology has been used with great success at refineries, waste treatment plants, and other dense industrial settings around the world.
What makes this possible is Lampson’s pioneering work in crawler transporter technology. Lampson’s first forays into this market was in the mid-1970s; today, they manufacture and operate one of the largest and most maneuverable fleets of track-driven transporters in the world. This has been a boon to heavy industries like mining and oil exploration, where they formerly might have spent months dismantling — or outright abandoning — expensive machinery at remote sites. Now, the equipment can be transported to new locations, saving time, money and the environment.
Lampson has grown from a single small truck-mounted crane to one of the largest fleets of industrial cranes in the world. This year marks the 60th anniversary since Neil Lampson founded the company.
"My dad came into the business at the exact time when the industry boomed," said Bill Lampson, Neil’s son and the current president of Lampson International. "My dad never graduated with a college degree. But with good common sense and a commitment that, when he gave his word as if it was written in stone, the job got done and done right."
Between the Hanford project, the building of the interstate highway system, and the construction of dams along Northwest rivers, Lampson quickly gained a reputation in the industry as an innovator and became known for reliability.
Lampson is as dedicated to their workers and community as they are to doing the job right. In many cases, several generations of the same family have worked for Lampson.
"Most of us have grown up together," said Lampson’s Bruce Stemp. "Bill has grown up with many of us. He makes himself accessible to the employees at all times to discuss work or personal issues. It would be amazing to many to think that a first-year steam cleaner can walk into Bill Lampson’s office and get advice on anything he needs, from buying a car to taking care of a personal crisis."
In addition to a tight-knit family atmosphere, Lampson offers good family wages, health care and other incentives. Lampson also has their own fitness center for employees and encourages their employees to be active leaders in the community by participating in everything from youth athletics to local politics.
The Lampsons have been community leaders in the Tri-Cities for years. Neil and Billie Jane Lampson gave generously to charities in the Tri-Cities throughout their lives. Their list of community achievements includes initial fund-raising for construction of Kennewick General Hospital; spearheading Tri-Cities Cancer Center fund-raising; building Neil F. Lampson Stadium for the Kennewick School District; funding the Billie Jane Lampson Pediatric Wing at Kennewick General Hospital; building the Neil F. Lampson Pits on the Columbia river for hydroplane racing; fund-raising for the Tri-Cities Preparatory School; and constructing the Billie Jane Lampson Clock Square in downtown Kennewick.
This in addition to the little things, like helping with Eagle Scout projects by supplying cranes; providing personnel for maintenance at schools and youth sports facilities; supplying equipment and labor for community projects; and assisting in the construction of facilities for charitable organizations and service groups.
The Lampson family was voted Tri-Citians of the Year in 1992; Bill was voted Kennewick Man of the Year in 1994; and the Lampson Company was voted Washington Large Family Business of the Year in 1988.
"Bill Lampson and his parents Neil and Billie Jane have left a lasting legacy in our community," said Kris Johnson, president of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. "The Lampson family’s generosity is the very spirit of what makes this community such a great place to live. I can’t think of a single major community project or initiative that Bill and his family haven’t been a part of."
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