Gantrex, the global leader in crane & rail solutions, has decided to enter into a strategic partnership with Villari, a specialist in wireless structural health monitoring technology. The collaboration expands Gantrex's Crane Diagnostics portfolio with advanced crack detection and structural monitoring capabilities designed to help asset owners make better-informed maintenance and asset management decisions.

The partnership combines Villari's certified wireless monitoring technology with Gantrex's extensive expertise in crane structures, structural inspections, engineering assessments, and lifecycle management. Together, the two companies will offer customers a comprehensive solution that not only detects structural changes but also provides the engineering interpretation needed to transform data into actionable recommendations.

As industrial assets age and operators seek to optimize reliability, safety, and maintenance expenditure, continuous monitoring is becoming an increasingly important component of modern asset management strategies. By providing real-time visibility into structural condition, the combined solution helps customers move beyond traditional inspection schedules and towards a more proactive, condition-based maintenance approach.

Turning Monitoring Data into Maintenance Decisions

Villari's technology continuously monitors critical steel structures for signs of fatigue crack initiation and propagation through permanently installed wireless sensors. The system provides ongoing visibility into structural behavior and allows asset owners to identify potential issues at an earlier stage. While monitoring technology provides valuable information, understanding the significance of that information is equally important.

Through this partnership, Gantrex will provide the structural engineering expertise needed to analyze monitoring results, assess asset condition, and support customers in determining appropriate maintenance actions. This combination of monitoring and interpretation enables maintenance teams to make informed decisions regarding inspections, repairs, operational planning, and asset life extension.

"At Gantrex, our objective is not only to provide our customers with data, but to help them understand what that data means for the reliability, safety, and performance of their assets," said Frederik Leflot, CTO, Gantrex. "By partnering with Villari, we are strengthening our Crane Diagnostics portfolio with innovative monitoring technology while continuing to deliver the engineering expertise that our customers rely on."

Supporting Critical Industries

The Crack Detection and Structural Health Monitoring service is particularly relevant for industries operating heavily loaded steel structures, including:

• Container terminals and ports

• Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes

• Rail-Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes

• Automated stacking cranes

• Steel plants

• Industrial manufacturing facilities

• Material handling operations

• Other critical steel infrastructure

The solution helps customers gain earlier awareness of structural changes, optimize inspection programs, reduce unexpected downtime, improve maintenance planning, and support long-term asset integrity management.

Expanding the Crane Diagnostics Portfolio

The partnership represents another milestone in Gantrex's strategy to provide customers with a complete range of diagnostic and engineering services throughout the lifecycle of their assets.

For decades, Gantrex has supported customers worldwide through inspection services, engineering studies, crane rail solutions, maintenance support, and structural assessments. The addition of continuous crack detection and structural health monitoring further reinforces the company's commitment to helping customers maximise asset availability, extend service life, and improve operational safety.

"Villari was founded on the belief that continuous monitoring can fundamentally improve how industrial assets are managed," said [Name, Title, Villari]. "By partnering with Gantrex, we combine innovative monitoring technology with deep industry expertise, creating a powerful offering that helps customers better understand and manage the condition of their critical assets."

Looking Ahead

With increasing pressure on operators to maintain ageing infrastructure while maximizing operational performance, the demand for predictive and data-driven maintenance solutions continues to grow. Through this collaboration, Gantrex and Villari are helping customers adopt a smarter approach to structural integrity management by combining continuous monitoring, engineering expertise, and actionable insights into a single service offering.

The new Crack Detection & Structural Health Monitoring service is now available globally through the Gantrex network.