By Jay Shiffler

If from the start, you never think of a damaged crane part or component as being reparable, then you are likely never to consider a repair option. Historically, it has been ingrained into our thinking that structurally damaged cranes and crane components are not safe to repair. For decades, the manufacturers have been quick to condemn most anything that comes across their desk and threaten those that argue or resist.

This past year, we have written on several topics that seek to dispel the many myths and misconceptions about structural repairs. We will continue to bring you useful information and resources that will encourage you to seek a higher level of knowledge and understanding about structural repairs. In our effort to change the paradigm, we also need to let go of our old habits and change our way of thinking, and we need to develop a repair mentality and think repair.

To encourage this change of mind and advance the rational thinking behind repairs, I thought the new year would be a good opportunity to share reviews of some of our most popular content from 2012. Here they are:

1. This past year, we started our discussion about changing the paradigm, and started a conversation to make transparent the issue and dispel the myths and misconceptions about crane structural repairs: Crane Insurance Exposure | Working to change the crane manufacturers paradigm   
   
2. Then we opened a discussion about the importance of having a repair option on the table: The Top 5 Reasons to consider a structural repair option
   
3. Next, we discussed the importance of, and requirements for, documentation, and offered a white paper on the topic: Protect Yourself Demand Crane Repair Documentation!
   
4. One of the “hottest topics” we hit on this year was disclosing the facts about how OSHA views repairs versus modifications: Facts about Crane Repairs VS Modifications. 
5. And finally, we published a comprehensive eBook that caught the attention of the many crane and insurance industry professionals:

We appreciate your reading our crane repair and restoration blog posts, and look forward to continuing the conversation in 2013. We also appreciate your feedback on those conversations, and would invite your input on topics that you would like to hear more about. Comment and let us know about a topic you would like hear about. The blog is loaded with great content, and you can browse it by the topics on the right-hand column.