The HIAB Method of Building Site Deliveries

Looking back with HIAB Method magazine, we feature another issue from 1966.

The first article, called “HIAB on site,” discusses some new challenges that builders were facing at the time. The article notes that many of the resources on a building site were dedicated to moving materials around, so any efficiencies that could be realized in materials handling were certainly welcome.

The article also talks about the mechanization of the building supplies industry, which resulted in large, factory-made units arriving at the job site. No longer were personnel required to move bricks and cement—they now had to move prefabricated sections that could tip the scales at nearly
800 kg.

With these changes in the construction industry, a new materials handling method was needed—the HIAB method.

It is interesting to look back at how the equipment we now take for granted, like hydraulic knuckle boom cranes, was considered novel and groundbreaking. In other posts this month, we’ll highlight a couple of the articles from this 1966 edition of HIAB Method, to show you just how HIAB transformed the construction industry.