Sites for cranes and brains

Here are places to get information on bridge cranes and computer software.

By -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/1/2000

Here are some sites we' ve come across recently:

Crane manufacturer North American Industries offers CraneDirectory.com . The site includes specifications, articles, and a list of major suppliers of overhead cranes and hoists-including many of North American' s competitors. North American' s marketing manager Bill Applegate explains: "We felt there was a need for that kind of information to be available. Of course we' d like users to choose us, but if they choose a competitor, so be it."

Users who are stumped by crane quandaries can get answers through the "Ask CraneMan!" feature. North American Industries' engineers answer queries, says Applegate, and the site promises a response within 24 hours. Users must sign up in order to use the site, but it' s free and the form is short. The only contact information that' s required is an e-mail address. According to Applegate, the information won' t be used to "spam" users, although it may at some point be used for a one-time-mailing.

ITtoolbox (www.ittoolbox.com ) is concerned with information technology. The site is segmented into various communities or "portals," including enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM). Each portal offers information in categories like White Papers, Hints & Tips, Software, Source Code, and Presentations. In addition, books are for sale through Amazon.com. Within each portal, you can drill down almost endlessly for more information.

There' s a downside to all the options, though. Although there' s useful information to be found, many of the links have nothing behind them, and it can take several clicks to find that out. In addition, the organization is somewhat confusing.