JSC RIKON was founded in 1991 in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The company provides a full-cycle production including all stages of manufacturing of crago handling equipment, from development of drawings to production of the finished product, including supply of spare parts and service maintenance. Currently RIKON offers two types of cranes. The first is the Double Jib Level Luffing cranes, which RIKON offers as a series product. In 2024 RIKON delivered Double Jib Level Luffing cranes to Batumi Seaport in Georgia, Port of Brčko in Bosnia and to the Aktau Port in Kazakhstan.
Currently, RIKON has six Double Jib cranes in production for large industrial companies in Turkey.
The second crane type is RMGs. In 2024 RIKON supplied two RMGs to the First Dry Port Terminal in Uzbekistan. In 2023 ADIF, the Spanish rail infrastructure authority, ordered three automated RMGs for the intermodal terminal at Vilcálvaro, Madrid. RIKON won the contract in a public tender and will deliver the cranes in 2025. RIKON has since secured further RMG contracts, bringing the total number of RMG s it has on order to 10 cranes. In addition to the three RMGs for Madrid, ADIF has ordered two RMGs for a terminal in Valencia. These RMGs will be operated by remote control. In Slovakia, BB-Trade has ordered two RMGs for the Haniska terminal redevelopment in Košice, which will also be operated by remote control.
In Germany, RIKON has won an order for an RMG from BEHALA, the operator of the trimodal freight hub in Berlin. A RIKON spokesperson describes this contract as a “huge step for us.”
The company has ambitious plans for the future focused on expansion to meet demand for cost effective European-produced cranes. RIKON has its own factory to produce crane steel structures in Riga, employing about 120 people. The complete production cycle is fully in-house, starting from the preparation of steel sheets and pipe structures, right up finishing with customer-specified coatings in the paint shop. RIKON also has an assembly area, which allows the company to erect full cranes that can be shipped out from a berth at the factory.
STS and MHCs
RIKON’s big announcement for 2025 is that it is now interested in entering the markets for mobile harbour cranes, STS cranes and ship loaders. The mobile harbour crane is likely to come first, and the company said it is now finalising its design.
RIKON is encouraged by the response to its products and its strategy. Being a mid-sized company based in Latvia, RIKON enjoys competitive labour costs without the need to support a large corporate organisation. All externally sourced components come from European suppliers, which enables RIKON to offer a full-service local crane shop of sorts, bringing together more than 30 years of experience in steel fabrication, together with in-house equipment integration.
On the service side, RIKON offers on-site installation and 24/7 maintenance and support. All its cranes are equipped with connected drives that allow RIKON to monitor key parameters remotely and respond to any issues quickly.
Customer centric approach
What is also helping RIKON win business, a spokesperson said, is its customer centric approach and ability to offer tailored solutions. “This is really a big plus for us, because we are able to design a crane according to the customer’s needs, not only serial models.” In recent years much of the focus in the crane market has been on developing automation systems. RIKON offers automation and remote control, but the company believes that in the market today customers are more focused on working with companies that have their own fabrication facilities and greater control over the whole crane design and production process. The in-house philosophy is helping RIKON stand out in the market and win contracts, the spokesperson said. “It’s a whole different level of trust when customers see the crane superstructures in your factory.”
