Manitowoc Cranes Archives | Page 2 of 6

Africa’s first GMK 6400 for Mobicrane

Ghanaian rental company Mobicrane has taken delivery of the first 400 tonne Grove GMK6400 All Terrain crane in Africa, from local distributor Paterson Simons.

The six-axle GMK6400 has become the rental company’s flagship crane, with its 60 metre main boom and a 134 metre maximum tip height, when combined with its 79 metre luffing jib. Features include a 12×8 drivetrain, Grove’s self-rigging Mega WingLift system and a single superstructure mounted engine, driving the carrier through a drive line that passes through the slew ring.

The crane was handed over to Mobicrane at Grove’s German production facility in Wilhelmshaven, with Paterson Simons’ senior engineer receiving specific rigging and diagnostic training.

Revenues at Manitowoc Cranes continues to slip

Revenues at Manitowoc Cranes continues to slip, but order intake has boosted the year end backlog by 28 percent.

Revenues for the full year were $2.3 billion eight percent down on 2013, mainly due to lower sales of Rough Terrain cranes and boom trucks. Operating profits for the 12 months were $163.9 million – 25 percent lower than in the previous year.

Looking at the fourth quarter revenues declined six percent to $663.2 million for the same reasons as the full year numbers, but also compounded by Euro revenues translating into fewer dollars, thanks to the weak Euro and strong dollar. The order book at the end of the year was 28 percent higher than at the end of 2013, and up over three percent on the quarter.

Chief executive Glen Tellock said: “Uncertainty among our customers remains at the forefront of their purchasing decisions. Ongoing global softness in the Rough-Terrain and boom truck markets, coupled with declining oil prices, created a challenging environment for the segment. However, we continue to focus on the areas within our control, such as cost optimisation strategies which include lean initiatives and capturing savings through sourcing and purchasing initiatives. As we enter 2015, we anticipate that worldwide crane demand levels will remain very challenging in the near-term, but we are encouraged by our improved order intake, a strengthening backlog, and the strong market acceptance of our VPC crawler crane technology. As a result, we continue to position the business to capture the upside for significant cyclical growth with key investments to drive additional new product innovation, speed of new product introductions, and aftermarket product support initiatives.”

The group as a whole, which includes the Food service business reported revenues of $3.89 billion, five percent lower than in 2013. While pre-tax profits dropped 25 percent to $169.4 million. The fourth quarter saw revenue growth but a more significant fall in profits. The company also announced that it is now looking at splitting into two publicly traded companies by 2016

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.

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.

Grove for UK crane company Dewsbury & Proud

UK crane rental company Dewsbury & Proud has taken delivery of its second five axle 130 tonne Grove GMK5130-2 All Terrain crane in 12 months.

The GMK5130-2’s 60 metre main boom and hydraulically controlled 18 metre bi-fold swingaway with two extension sections, offers a maximum tip height of 92 metres. Lifts requiring full 40 tonnes of counterweight and rigging require a single additional transport vehicle. The crane’s first job was lifting construction materials for a new sports complex development at the University of Birmingham.

Dewsbury & Proud managing director Tim Proud said: “Grove cranes are tried and tested work horses that we know will work hard and always perform. Our cranes are out working on different job sites across the Midlands every day of the week, and as a taxi crane company we need cranes that are easy to transport and quick to set up. Dewsbury & Proud will continue to buy Grove because of their competitive prices, exceptional aftercare, and reliability.”

GMK 6350 for Carson-Mitchell

Missouri based contractor and crane rental company Carson-Mitchell has expanded the top end of its fleet with the addition of a 300 tonne Grove GMK 6350. The new crane boasts a 60 metre main boom and a maximum system length of 113 metres.

The company’s previous ‘flagship’ crane was a five axle 190 tonne, Grove GMK 5210. The company which was established in 1946, offers a range of truck, All Terrain and pick &carry cranes starting at 8.5 tons. It got into cranes though its own needs a general contractor and eventually began to rent the cranes out to others. This then developed into a separate division within the company.