Crane industry news Archives | Page 9 of 37

Four Manitowoc 2250s assemble overpass bridges

Four Manitowoc 2250 crawler cranes were featured prominently in the assembly of several new overpass bridges as part of a $61 million highway project in Wisconsin. The work also included the expansion of highway U.S. 41 traffic lanes, the reconstruction of several of its interchanges and the addition of 40 roundabouts. Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental of Milwaukee handled the lifting work.

“The 300-ton capacity cranes were just what we needed for the large pick weights associated with many of the lifts, especially the prefabricated tub girder structures that weighed up to 120 tons,” said Scott Jerome, senior branch manager, Dawes. “The Manitowoc crawler cranes exceeded our expectations and were the right crane choice for the project.”

The cranes’ 330-foot main booms were crucial to the lifts, raising loads above and across several traffic lanes and other road construction equipment to carefully position them on concrete support piers. The 2250s also endured shifting seasons to complete the project, ranging from heavy snow in February to excessive heat in July.

Global Parts Centre for Kobelco

Kobelco Cranes Co has officially opened its Global Parts Centre in Singapore which started operations at the beginning of this year. The opening ceremony was attended by Akihiko Tsukamoto chief executive of Kobelco Cranes together with senior company executives, dignitaries, Kobelco dealers, business partners and associates.

The new centre is strategically located to supply both the Asia Pacific and Australasia region as well as Europe, Africa and the Middle East, from a single location. The initial stock holding is valued at ¥400 million ($340,000) and will be expanded to¥ 1 billion ($850,000) by 2020.

The opening ceremony included a reception on Thursday at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, with chief executive Akihiko Tsukamoto and other members of the senior management team officiating. The function was also attended by Mike Lee, senior manager of International Enterprise Singapore and other dignitaries.

Tsukamoto said: “The Global Parts Centre in Singapore is one of our strategies to increase our presence in this region and through this facility we can further enhance the level of customer satisfaction with more prompt availability of our service parts in the APAC region, as well as in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.”

“The Global Parts Centre in Singapore can supply the parts within 36 hours after confirmed order and as a result we are hoping to increase our parts sales of 1.3 billion JPY ($11 million) in 2014 to 2 billion JPY ($17 million) in five years,” said Toshiyuki Hiromitsu, head of customer support for Kobelco Cranes.

Kobelco is increasing its parts stock in Kobelco Global Parts Centre to 400 million JPY ($3.4 million) in 2015 and is planning to expand to 1 billion JPY ($8.5 million) by 2020.

Sennebogen and Manitowoc launch crawlers

Crane manufacturers Sennebogen and Manitowoc have signed an agreement to produce a series of telescopic crawler cranes at the Straubing location in Lower Bavaria, Germany.

The agreement is for the production of telescopic crawler cranes for the North and South American market. The crawlers will be produced by Sennebogen and sold using the Manitowoc Grove brand name, a company spokesperson said.

The new models include the GHC55, GHC75, and GHC130 telescoping crawler cranes. The GHC series has a compact footprint, which provides excellent manoeuvrability on the job site, a spokesperson said.

Mike Herbert, global product director for rough-terrain cranes at Manitowoc, said, “The GHC series is for customers that need a compact, manoeuvrable crane that can face the rigors of merciless terrain. With minimal transport requirements, 100 per cent pick and carry ability and a telescoping boom, these cranes will prove very nimble in both getting to and navigating job sites.”

The GHC Series cranes are fully supported by Manitowoc Crane Care’s service network. A variety of attachments are available for the models, including an auger attachment and pole claw, ideal for companies working on power line projects.

The Grove GHC55 has a 55 US ton (50 tonne) capacity and 30.4 m main boom length. The total crane length with boom retracted is 10.7 m long and crane retracted width is 3.5 m. It has an overall height of 3.2 m.

The Grove GHC75 has a 77 ton (70 tonne) capacity and 36 m main boom length. The total crane length with boom retracted is 13 m and crane retracted width is 3.2 m. It has an overall height of 3.2 m.

The Grove GHC130 has a 132 tone (120 tonne) capacity and 40.2 m main boom length. The total crane length with boom retracted measures just 15.3 m long and crane retracted width is 3.9 m wide. It has an overall height of 4 m. All three cranes feature Tier 4 final compliant Cummins engines.

Manitowoc will offer services for maintenance, service, spare parts, and financing. The equivalent products from the Sennebogen product range (the Sennebogen 653, 673, and 6113) will not be offered in these sales regions.

The contract was signed in November 2014, with production beginning in 2015.

Record year for Liebherr harbour cranes

Liebherr’s mobile harbour crane division has reported a record year in crane sales for 2014, with deliveries up 9.8 percent from its previous record set in 2008.

Celebrating its 40th year since delivering its first mobile harbour crane, the company delivered a total of 112 units to six continents last year – a 9.8 percent increase from 2008 when the company sold a record 102 mobile harbour cranes.

Europe remains the company’s largest market, accounting for 38 percent of its shipments, while the African market tripled last year’s sales numbers to account for nearly 30 percent. This was due, in part, to a substantial order of 20 units from port operators in Algeria, which almost doubled the total number of units delivered to Algeria since its first in 1995. Latin America and Asia both accounted for 13 percent, while the company also delivered units to the Middle East, North America and Oceania.

The LHM 550 was the most successful model with 35 units shipped worldwide, while the number of LHM280s more than doubled from 2013 to 23 units.

Matthias Mungenast, Liebherr mobile harbour cranes sales director, said: “For a fantastic year like 2014 several factors have to come together. We started with a record order backlog into the year. Throughout the year demand for our cargo handling solution was very stable on a high level. Moreover, large orders helped to significantly increase the population of Liebherr mobile harbour cranes. Finally, we broke the existing record by nearly 10 percent, which is amazing considering the economic environment.”

The company also confirmed its order backlog for 2015 is one of the highest to date and is highly optimistic for 2015.

Terex UK open day

Terex Cranes UK held a customer open day at its premises in Long Crendon today where four 160 tonne Explorer 5600 All Terrain cranes were on display.

The open day, which also took place yesterday, offered customers a chance to tour the company’s premises and view a range of Terex cranes on display.

Of particular interest were the first four Explorer 5600 All Terrain cranes in the UK, which have been ordered by Southern Cranes & Access, ABA Crane Hire, King Lifting and Sangwin Crane Hire. Due for delivery in the next couple of weeks, Southern Cranes is scheduled to take the first unit.

The five-axle 5600 features a seven section 68 metre main boom and a 21 metre bi-fold swingaway with a 12 metre straight insert, offering a maximum tip height of 94.6 metres. Features include a single engine concept, a newly designed cab, start/stop function, wireless remote control, and Terex’s IC-1 control system. Lifts requiring the full 46 tonnes of counterweight and rigging also only require a single additional transport vehicle.

Other cranes on display included a 40 tonne AC40/2L city crane for King Lifting, two 60 tonne Challenger 3180s ordered by AB2000 and Sparrow Crane Hire and a 220 tonne Explorer 5800 for HTC Plant. A 75 tonne Quadstar 1075 Rough Terrain crane was also on show, as well as a number of second-hand cranes.

Julian Dyer, Terex Cranes senior manager UK/Ireland, said: “With four customer Explorer 5600s present the open house was an ideal opportunity for the UK launch. The new 5500 is due for UK delivery in March which takes the five axle Explorer range up to three machines.”

Large Liebherr and JLGs for Singapore

Singapore rental company LH Construction and Machinery Leasing, a subsidiary of Lian Hup Brother (LHB), has taken delivery of the first 300 tonne Liebherr LTM1300-6.2 in Asia, as well as two 185ft JLG 1850SJ self-propelled boom lifts.

The six-axle LTM1300 features a 78 metre main boom, a 70 metre luffing jib and a single engine concept which provides the power for the carrier as well as when driving the crane superstructure via a combination of mechanical shafts.

LHB chairman Chua Kim Seng, said: “We are very impressed with the single engine technology as well as its strong load chart compared to the competing models. Our experience with Liebherr cranes has been excellent, and Liebherr has always been a preferred choice for us for the All Terrain cranes.”

The company has also taken delivery of two JLG 1850SJ self-propelled boom lifts which offer a working height of 58.5 metres and a maximum outreach of 24.4 metres with a platform capacity of 227kg. Maximum platform capacity is 454kg.

Allan Chua, chief executive of LH Construction and Machinery Leasing, added: “When we first started our rental business in 2007, we have been diligently working to provide the best equipment for our customers. The orders of both Liebherr LTM1300-6.2 and JLG1850s have reaffirmed our commitment in bringing most advanced equipment for our customers and tethered towards solid and massive success.”

Established in 1968 LHB specialises in the import and export of heavy machinery. Its subsidiary, LH Construction and Machinery Leasing, operates a rental fleet of more than 2000 units, including cranes, aerial work platforms, telehandlers and other construction equipment.