With 87 units delivered, Liebherr offshore cranes achieved a new delivery record. Liebherr offshore cranes once again contributed to the overall success of Liebherr Maritime Cranes. Beside the new ram luffing knuckle boom crane (RL-K) series board offshore cranes (BOS) and mast type cranes (MTC) are Liebherr’s most-in-demand crane types in the market. Well filled order books allow for an optimistic 2015 forecast despite a generally unstable world economic development.

“Our distinctly increasing turnover figures wouldn’t be possible without our new production site in Rostock, Germany, as well as our worldwide sales and service network. We are all working together as a team, always close to the customer to meet new needs before they arise. Our success proves that Liebherr offshore cranes are on the right track, despite the challenging economic environment,” said Wolfgang Kueng, Sales Director for Liebherr offshore cranes.

BOS and MTC series most successful
The BOS-series had already been the most successful offshore crane type in the Liebherr offshore product portfolio in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, the number of supplied units was even doubled, compared to 2012. With 38 units delivered, BOS is the most demanded offshore model series and continues its striking success. The BOS 4200 had a significant impact on this positive development as customers opted for 22 cranes of this type. This model impresses with a maximum capacity of 150 tonnes and a boom length of 33 to 72 metres. Used in the oil and gas industry, for heavy lift construction as well as wind plant installation, Liebherr BOS series are designed for outstanding versatility. The BOS series is characterised as a reliable state-of-the art slewing bearing offshore crane with rope luffing system and lattice boom.

In addition to the BOS success, Liebherr nearly quintupled MTC deliveries in 2014, compared to 2013. With a total of 33 units supplied, Liebherr mast type cranes clearly contribute to the satisfying annual sales figures of Liebherr offshore cranes. Mainly used for the oil and gas industry Liebherr MTC model series stands out as a safe stateof- the-art king post mounted offshore crane. Liebherr customers benefit from minimised total lifecycle costs and guaranteed spare parts availability from several service stations across the globe.

Ram luffing knuckle boom crane opened up new market segments
Through the new ram luffing knuckle boom series RL-K Liebherr extends its range of offshore cranes and offers its customers a convenient solution for general purpose but also subsea operations as well as pipe- and riser handling.

With the RL-K 7500 Liebherr offers an innovative active heave compensation concept for subsea applications up to 3660m below water level. The crane can be rated both as general purpose offshore crane and as heavy lift crane, being able to hoist loads weighing up to 300 tonnes. It can thus be installed on board drill ships and also on pipe lay vessels.

The RL-K 4200 is next to general purpose operation mainly used for pipe- and riser handling on drill ships. The crane prime mover is either electric-hydraulic or dieselhydraulic. With a maximum capacity of 100 tonnes and a radius of up to 54 metres the RL-K 4200 covers a wide field of applications.

The ram luffing knuckle-boom crans opened up new market segments for Liebherr in the offshore sector. Steadily growing sales figures confirm that the RL-K is developing in the right direction. One vital advantage of the crane’s knuckle boom is that loads can be lowered to the water surface with a short rope length between crane boom head and water line. Furthermore, the crane is equipped with a number of advanced hydraulic, electric and electronic features and functions, some of which were submitted for patent by Liebherr, e.g. Heavetronic system (AHC).

Sales outlook
The Liebherr offshore crane order backlog for 2015 allows for a positive forecast. Contrary to the modest world economic development, especially in the oil and gas industry, the worldwide demand for Liebherr offshore cranes stays constant. Throughout the world, Liebherr offshore cranes and their innovative features are sought after on a very high level. For that reason, Liebherr is optimistic that 2015 will be a good year for its offshore cranes.

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To strengthen its service to Argentina’s emerging energy sector and better serve its growing number of customers in the country, Manitowoc Cranes has signed a distribution and service contract with Buenos Aires-based Covema SACIF, one of the country’s leading construction equipment dealers.

Cristian Galaz, Manitowoc’s vice president of sales for South America (excluding Brazil), and Alejandro Gianakis, Covema SACIF’s president, made the partnership official during a signing ceremony at Covema’s facilities in Buenos Aires earlier this year.

“We are very pleased to announce that Manitowoc has named Covema as its official distributor of Manitowoc crawler cranes and Grove mobile cranes in Argentina,” Galaz said. “This alliance will enhance our presence in Argentina with a market-leading products that serve customers in the energy sector and many other industry sectors.”
Argentina’s oil and gas sector is expected to rapidly expand in the coming years and is a market where Manitowoc offers a number of products suitable for a variety of operations. Currently in Argentina there are many sectors of the energy industry that are still developing, both in the implementation of networks and in the construction of plants. Plus, there is growing demand for renewable energy in the form of wind farms, according to Galaz.

Due to the proximity of Manitowoc’s factory in Passo Fundo, Brazil (where the company builds Grove rough-terrain cranes and Potain tower cranes), units can be delivered to Argentina in about three days. In addition, customers in country can take advantage of a 14% tax exemption for units below 60 t (65 USt) capacity, thanks to the Mercosur trade agreement.
In the last few years, Covema had established itself as a strategic Manitowoc Crane Care partner in the region by supplying spare parts and services to Grove customers in Argentina. The dealer also has created business opportunities for the global crane manufacturer in the country.

“The long tradition and well-known reputation of Covema combined with Manitowoc’s array of industry-leading products and services is a surefire recipe for success in Argentina and beyond,” Gianakis of Covema said.

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Liebherr has modified its LR 1750 crawler crane with the upgraded 750-tonne LR 1750/2 model now available. By strengthening the main boom and adjusting the derrick system the crane’s load capacity has been increased in some areas by up to 30%. This means that the crane offers much better value for money.

The adjustment of the derrick system includes an extension of the derrick boom by 7 m to 38.5 m. As with the “H boom kit” for the LR 1600/2, the strengthened boom systems on the LR 1750/2 together with the derrick system has been given the suffix “H” (Heavy) which stands for powerful, heavy boom systems.

The ballast trailer has also been modified as part of the modification to the Liebherr 750-tonne crawler crane. This now has a hydraulic drive unit which means improved handling. The new LR 1750/2 also provides enhanced safety for the operating personnel since the crane has additional platforms and access points and its railings have also been extended and improved.

During its modification of the LR 1750 Liebherr ensured that the existing equipment components can also be used on the new LR 1750/2. This is a major benefit for crane contractors who already operate one or more LR 1750 cranes in their fleets.

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Touch screen powered handheld devices with the Crane Executor app operated by stevedores on the quay side or onboard the vessel during handling, works in synergy with arl-shipping.com’s cloud app, receiving discharge and load instructions from the shipping line by EDI, and passing move confirmations to the shipping line continuously throughout multi-days calls, improving timeliness and data quality of the shipping line reportings, as well as saving time and effort by removing redundant manual work.

Provided that the shipping line is capable of interacting by EDI, the local stevedore only need to invest in handheld devices with net connectivity (3G, WiFi etc), and is then able to manage the discharge and loading operation in real time from the quayside; no local IT systems are required, as the handhelds interact with arl-shipping.com’s Crane Executor cloud app, which in turn interacts with the shipping lines by EDI.

Arl-shipping.com’s, Director, René Bendt, states “public mobile connectivity is often readily available also in ports, which have not yet themselves invested too much in infrastructure, and this provides an opportunity for us to add value to the handling operation with a cloud app working in synergy with a handheld app”. He continues: “aside from the obvious benefits of time savings with the stevedore and the liner agent, removing the need for any post-call paperwork and manual work, the shipping lines are able to issue export Bills of Lading earlier, benefiting their export customers’ trading process and cash flow, as the liner agent receive the loading confirmations minutes after the physical handling has taken place”.

In preparation of the port call, the shipping line’s discharge and load instructions, as well as bayplan with onboard containers, are received and made available on the touch screen operated handheld devices used in the port. The stevedores confirm the planned handlings in real-time with a minimum of typing, adhering to logical validations safeguarding for example that containers are only loaded in empty and available slots.

As a side benefit of using the Crane Executor cloud app, the current status of the handling operation is available in near-real-time for stevedore and liner management throughout the vessel port call 24/7, and post-call handling recaps for invoicing or statistics are automatically generated.

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Crane manufacturer Terex has reported another spate of counterfeiting, this time originating in South Korea.

The latest incident seems to centre around inferior copies of the Terex CC 2500-1 500-tonne lattice boom crawler cranes which according to the company use inferior steel, have poor weld quality and ill-fitting tracks.

The counterfeiters are selling their knock-offs as second-hand units – painted in either Terex white or Demag red – and are also copying serial numbers to disguise their identity.

This is just the latest of a series of incidents in which Terex has been forced to warn customers of counterfeits. In 2013 and 2009 Terex warned its customers to beware fake crawler cranes – cobbled together from a combination of outdated and counterfeit parts- that were poorly constructed and posed a serious risk to safety for operators and those working around them onsite.

The 2013 case involved three different versions of the CC 2500-1 model, all of which seemed to have originated in China, with the fakes cropping up in China, South Korea, Singapore, India and Pakistan. The latest fakes are thought to have originated from South Korea.

“This is a serious situation, not only because this infringes on our intellectual property but, more importantly, it poses a serious safety risk for our customers,” said Klaus Meissner, director of product strategy for Terex Cranes.

“The use of these inferior, counterfeit cranes can result in deadly consequences.”

The company stressed the importance of conducting a thorough inspection of any used cranes by a qualified individual prior to purchase, especially in at-risk markets.

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Starting in 2015, SENNEBOGEN Maschinenfabrik GmbH will produce a series of telescopic crawler cranes at the Straubing location in Lower Bavaria as OEM products for the MANITOWOC/GROVE sales and service organization.

“He who changes nothing will improve nothing” With this call to action, company founder Erich Sennebogen challenged the family-owned enterprise, founded in 1952, for many decades to pursue a course of constant further development. With only a handful of employees, everything had started at that time with the first manure loader. Today the company has more than 1,200 employees worldwide and produces cranes and materials handling machines in three plants in Bavaria.

Sales of SENNEBOGEN material handling machines began in North America in the year 2000. Particularly due to the fast and nationwide service, as well as the dense dealer network, SENNEBOGEN succeeded in achieving a leading role in the North American market within 6 years.

In addition to competence in the area of material handling, SENNEBOGEN also has more than 20 years of extensive experience in the design, production, and sales of telescopic crawler cranes. The machines, which are built for demanding use, have already proven themselves over an extended period of time in many European and Asian markets. Now a sales structure has also been defined for the Americas.

MANITOWOC is one of the world’s largest crane manufacturers with a strong and extensive sales network of dealers, in North America and South America as well. Currently their product range includes lattice boom crawler cranes, rough-terrain and all-terrain cranes, truck cranes, and tower cranes. However, it does not include telescopic crawler cranes.

Consequently, an agreement has now been reached between SENNEBOGEN and MANITOWOC concerning a long-term strategic partnership to combine the strengths of both enterprises for market entry with telescopic crawler cranes for the North and South American market. In this regard, SENNEBOGEN will produce a range of three telescopic crawler cranes for MANITOWOC/GROVE with the following maximum safe working loads: 55 t, 75 t, and 130 t. MANITOWOC will sell the products under its own brand name with the GROVE type designations GHC 55, GHC 75, and GHC 130.

In addition to the product, MANITOWOC will offer its well-known spectrum of services for maintenance, service, spare parts, and financing. The equivalent products from the SENNEBOGEN product range – SENNEBOGEN 653, 673, and 6113 – will not be offered in these sales regions. All other SENNEBOGEN products and their existing distribution channels will not be affected by this agreement.

With this agreement, SENNEBOGEN obtains a nationwide market entry in the Americas, and MANITOWOC/GROVE can immediately offer robust telescopic crawler cranes that have been tried and proven over many years in many applications – for the benefit of MANITOWOC/GROVE customers.

The contract was signed in November 2014, and both firms are quite confident of a successful market introduction.

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The Tadano Mantis GTC-1200 telescopic boom crawler crane has received a prestigious accolade from an American lifting industry publication.

The GTC-1200 was one of five entrants in the crane category of the 2014 LLEAP awards for Leadership in Lifting Equipment and Aerial Platforms. The judges selected it as one of the two winners in its category. The awards are organised by the magazine Lift & Access, one of the most important crane industry publications in North America.

Tadano Mantis developed the 120-tonne capacity GTC-1200 as a clean-sheet design with features designed to serve traditional core markets of power transmission, civil engineering, foundations and bridge construction while expanding the broader appeal of the crane in general lifting markets. In North America it is rated at 130 US tons capacity. Comments from the judges included: “I’m impressed with the 52% gradeability, 1.6mph travel speed and full-capacity pick-and-carry capability.”

Another judge was impressed by its “easy transportation, fast set-up and features that fit both general construction and utility work”.
The GTC-1200 was launched at Conexpo 2014. It is the first totally new crane from Tadano Mantis Corporation since it was acquired by Tadano Ltd in December 2008.

The design represents a close collaboration between engineering teams in the USA, Germany and Japan. The GTC-1200 combines traditional Mantis pick-and-carry stengths with Tadano boom technology, Hello-Net telematics, the Tadano AML-C load moment system and integration of hydraulic cylinders, winches and jib systems from the other Tadano Group companies.

As you can see in the photo above, the LLEAP award meant a lot to the Tadano Mantis workforce, who are justifiably proud of their newest machine.

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The Tadano Mantis Model 6010 telescopic-boom crawler crane has been approved to work in New York City.

Ed Hisrich, vice president of sales and customer support for Tadano Mantis reports that the Cranes & Derricks Division of the New York City Dept. of Buildings has approved the 30-ton-capacity crane for use with its full load chart.

The Model 6010 is the fourth Tadano Mantis telescopic-boom crawler crane to be approved for use in New York. The others are the 70-ton Model 14010, the 77-ton Model 15010, and the 100-ton Model 20010.

The Tadano Mantis 6010 features a three-section, full-power 80-ft. telescopic boom and a 20- to 40-ft. bi-fold jib. It can pick, carry, and swing 360° with any rated load, and is equipped with a Tadano AML-C capacity indicator. It also has winch and rear-view video monitoring, as well as three remote-controlled work lights.

The Cummins QSB 6.7 diesel engine delivers 173 hp, and the two-speed travel motors let the 6010 travel at up to 2.6 mph or climb a 53% grade. Its unladen ground pressure is 6.5 psi when equipped with the standard 30-in.-wide crawler pads.

The complete crane weighs 62,820 lbs., including 11,500 lbs. of removable counterweight, so it can be transported in one truckload. Its overall width with standard 30-in. track pads is just 10’2″. The overall width can be reduced to 8’6″ by using 18-in.-wide track pads in place of the standard pads.

The tracks come equipped with grouser bars for traction on rough or soggy terrain, but optional clamp-on polyurethane track pads are available for operation on paved or improved surfaces.

The machine’s cab-top height of 9’6” allows access in low headroom areas.

Tadano Mantis is represented in New York City by its Syracuse-based dealer, Empire Crane Company.

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Last week at The Rental Show, Bailey Specialty Cranes & Aerials displayed the Brandon Omni, the omni-directional steering version of its compact lift. The 5,800-lb. unit can be configured in many different variations, including a hoist truck, forklift, and aerial lift. And for greater versatility, the machine is now available with the Omni drive.

Using two omni-directional wheels, the Omni steering system allows the machine to maintain its orientation while it maneuvers through narrow work areas. The other two steering modes include crab, allowing the machine to rotate about its center for tight turning, and the standard drive, so the machine functions like an automobile. Powering the unit is a 36-volt, 7-hp electric motor.

To operate the unit, a wireless belly-pack transmitter is included and displays the rated load and actual load. Note that the Brandon will stop operating when overload is reached. The machine will detect the attachment being used and will adjust the load parameters according.

The base unit of the Brandon Omni features two telescoping boom sections and one manual pull-out boom. Attachments replace the pull-out boom. With the hoist attachment, the Brandon Omni can lift 4,500 lbs. It also can be used with 2,500-lb. capacity forks, a 1,100-lb. capacity glazier attachment, a 1,000-lb. capacity jib or panel, or a 3,000-lb. capacity winch.

At the show, Bailey also showed the rotating tool carousel that holds forks, a personnel basket, jib, and material bucket attachment. Operators can quickly access the attachments for a variety of different jobs. Attachments in the tool carousel meet applicable ANSI, ASME, ITSDF, and OSHA standards.

The company also has made a name change to reflect its re-entry into the aerial work platform market. It is now operating under the name Bailey Specialty Cranes & Aerials.

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Long-standing Manitowoc partner Stirnimann is now the exclusive dealer for Potain tower cranes in Austria, effective from the beginning of this year.

Switzerland-based Stirnimann has been Potain’s official Swiss dealer for more than 25 years and has worked with Grove mobile cranes since 1969. The addition of Austria will help Potain expand its presence in the country, as well as strengthen its relationship with one of the largest construction equipment suppliers in Europe.

Klaus Kroeppel, vice president of sales for the region at Manitowoc, explained further:
“Our extensive history with Stirnimann has seen many successes, and we have established an excellent partnership,” he said. “Their experience and vast sales and service network together with our advanced products and industry-leading support puts us in an excellent position to further develop our presence in the Austrian market.”
Stirnimann operates an extensive fleet of equipment, which includes hundreds of tower cranes and mobile cranes. The company’s 125 employees are spread across three major branches in Switzerland where the company serves customers throughout the region.

“We are delighted to embark on the next chapter of our excellent partnership with Potain,” he said. “I am sure we will continue to build on our successes long into the future.”
Potain tower cranes in Austria are used for a wide range of residential, commercial and infrastructure developments. Many projects are based in the capital, Vienna, but some are high up in the Alps mountain range.

Due to Austria’s similar topography with Switzerland, Stirnimann has considerable experience working with tower cranes in mountainous regions. Such landscapes and undulating terrain present a number of challenges for tower crane use, negotiating the narrow and winding roads that lead to these job sites.

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Potain’s Turkish dealer, Teknovinç, opened a new tower crane yard in the heart of the country to increase its ability to serve the growing market.

Located in Gebze, 30 miles east of Istanbul, the new purpose-built facility is part of Teknovinç’s ongoing expansion plan that will reaffirm its position as the largest tower crane operator in Turkey. The new 15,000 m2 site can house up to 40 Potain tower cranes, as well as provide spare parts, training and general after sales support.

The convenient layout of the facility is designed to allow two-lane access for loading trucks. Sections within the facility include welding, painting, and high-pressure cleaning, all in accordance with local environment regulations. There is also an area for making anchoring beams and to prepare ballast blocks for tower crane bases and counter jibs. The yard is fully serviced by two tower cranes.

Mr. Altay Çoşkunoğlu, Chairman of the Board of TEKNO Group, commented on the new facility.
“The opening of our new Potain tower crane yard in Gebze marks a significant milestone in our expansion plan, which is fundamental for our continued high-quality service to customers in this region,” he said.

Headquartered in Istanbul, Tekno has held a dominant position in tower cranes sales since 1990 and was the first professional organization to offer rental tower crane services to the construction sector. Now under the new name of Teknovinç, the company has the largest tower crane fleet in Turkey.
During the yard’s opening ceremony members of the Manitowoc team had the opportunity to officially present an ELITE Dealer’s plaque to Teknovinç. Mr. Sinan Türeyen, sales director for Teknovinç, received the honor as recognition for the company’s focus on customers, the Turkish market and the Potain brand.

Teknovinç was first awarded with ELITE Dealer status in 2012 as part of Manitowoc’s Dealer Development Program.
“Teknovinç’s continuous investment into the team and the facilities to better serve their customers make us confident that they will remain an ELITE Dealer for many years to come,” said Yannick Richaud, director for Manitowoc Crane Care Middle East and Africa region.
The next stage of the company’s expansion plan will be the opening of another Potain yard in Ankara.

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Liebherr Maritime Cranes introduces the new flagship mobile harbour crane to the market, the LHM 800. This new giant model is the mobile solution for ever-growing vessel sizes and heavy industrial goods, taking container, bulk and general cargo handling to the next level.

The dimensions and capabilities of the LHM 800 are unique, outperforming all existing mobile harbour crane models in the market. Liebherr’s newest addition to the portfolio meets growing customer requirements for larger cargo handling solutions.

The new giant provides a lifting capacity of 308 tonnes, exceeding the maximum capacity of the so far strongest mobile harbour crane, type LHM 600, by not less than 100 tonnes. In addition the new LHM 800 is also designed for tandem lifts and, with a second LHM 800, has a maximum lifting capacity of 616 tonnes.

In container handling configuration the fulcrum point is above 36 metres, easing the handling of bigger vessels. Thanks to its mighty outreach of 64 metres, the crane is able to efficiently service large container vessels, which are as wide as 22 container rows. Bulk handling is an easy task as well. Equipped with Pactronic hybrid drive, the giant masters up to 2,300 tonnes per hour – an absolute record in the mobile harbour crane world. The new crane can also be fitted with SmartGrip, Liebherr’s self-learning technology for optimised grab filling rates.

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Terex Cranes launch a free online lift planning tool, named Terex Liftplan, designed to add value to customers’ lifting operations. Terex Liftplan speeds up and simplifies the process of selecting the right Terex crane to perform a configured lift in a safe and efficient way.

Available free of charge to Terex crane owners and their customers, it is extremely flexible and can be configured to meet specific and individual needs.

The tool can be accessed from any location – office, depot or job site – the new tool is available in nine different languages, uses either imperial or metric units and employs a variety of different methods to determine the best machine to deliver safety, performance and productivity on site; the entire process only takes a couple of minutes.

Having first registered and then entered their personal settings, including a company logo if required, users can select from a range of Terex cranes and specify the load, height and radius of the lift involved. A copy of the lift plan is then available to print out.

The lift planning tool can be used on site on an ad-hoc basis. This is particularly useful for the crane driver should conditions change. The driver enters the new information and the system automatically does the rest.

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Manitowoc cranes have become integral to many of Brazil’s most thriving industries. Across the country, Manitowoc crawler cranes and Grove rough- and all-terrain cranes are helping fuel the country’s economic growth in a diversity of projects.

A great example of this is at the Usiminas steel plant in the city of Cubatão, in the state of São Paulo. Located in the coastal mountains of Southeastern Brazil, the plant was due for a major overhaul when a Manitowoc 18000 was specified to perform a host of restoration and maintenance duties.
Work on the 52-year-old facility included the installation of a new 104 m (341 ft) chimney tower, new lattice steel structures, and maintenance to a dome-shaped roof.
The 600 t (660 USt) capacity crawler crane (750 t [825 USt] with MAX-ER attachment) was chosen for its versatility, reach and hefty capacity, explained Luciano Dias, Manitowoc’s vice president of sales in Brazil.

“The Manitowoc 18000 was selected to complete the lifts at Usiminas because of the crane’s flexibility and its generous specs, which provided the contractor with plenty of flexibility to tackle this demanding project,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges on the job site was the crane’s positioning. Tight working quarters between steel mill piping structures left only 22 m (72 ft) of space to maneuver. The Manitowoc 18000, though, provided an ideal solution — the crane features a compact 10 m (33 ft) tail swing that enabled it to navigate the narrow workspace, but still provide ample capacity to complete the heavy lifts.

The crawler crane was rigged with 91.4 m (300 ft) of boom to accommodate the large lifts on the congested facility grounds.
“The crane performed flawlessly due to its compact footprint and robust body, which kept the lifts stabilized and precise,” said Marcelo Monteiro, sales manager at Guindastes Tatuapé.
Several experts from both CTM and Guindastes Tatuapé, along with those from Manitowoc Cranes were tapped to plan the lifts over a 10-day period. Monteiro said that without input from Manitowoc Cranes, including technical and logistical support, the project would not have been completed with such efficiency and ease.
“Our evaluation of the lift jobs, on a scale of 0 to 10, is a 10,” Monteiro said. “Everything went as planned, as all steps were reviewed diligently to assure success. The project reached its goals on schedule and without unwanted surprises.”

Usiminas, headquartered in Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais, is the largest manufacturer of flat steel plates in Latin America and is the market leader in Brazil. The Cubatão unit, in operation since 1963, covers an area of about 13 km2 (5 mi2) and produces 4 million t (4.4 million US) of crude steel per year. The company constantly invests in the modernization of its units and in different ranges of cutting-edge products, in line with the latest advances in research and application.

Founded in 1960, Guindastes Tatuapé is one of São Paulo’s leading lifting companies, with experiences in some of the largest infrastructure projects in Brazil. In addition to the 18000, Guindastes Tatuapé owns four Grove cranes, including three all-terrain cranes—a GMK6300L, GMK6250L and GMK5220—and a RT765-E rough-terrain crane.

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The Manitowoc MLC650 crawler crane, which features the industry-changing variable position counterweight (VPC), has successfully completed max load testing with the VPC-MAX attachment.

The VPC-MAX attachment for the MLC650 raises the crane’s capacity to 700 t (770 US ton), an increase of 50 t (55 US ton) over its standard configuration. The VPC-MAX attachment includes additional counterweight and a beam that automatically extends the counterweight beyond the rear of the crane based on lifted load, increasing its load moment. For the max load test, the crane was positioned to apply the maximum stresses through the structure, including the boom positioned over the corner of the crawler crane.

Dustin Soerens, marketing manager for lattice-boom cranes at Manitowoc, said the testing went according to plan and the company’s engineers couldn’t have been happier with the results.
“We attached hundreds of strain gauges to the MLC650 and picked a number of loads in the test yard to test its capacity with the VPC-MAX attachment,” he said. “The testing went very well with no surprises. No changes are needed on the crane, as it performed superbly. We’re well on our way to releasing this innovative crane to the global market.”

The VPC-MAX attachment provides capacities similar to wagon- or tray- mounted attachments, but requires fewer components and assembly steps, reducing setup time and transportation costs. Also, job sites will require less ground prep, resulting in additional savings, as customers do not have to buy, transport or install as much matting when compared with a traditional configuration.
“The successful testing was a great moment for everyone at Manitowoc,” Soerens said. “We’re working very hard to release a crane that will define the next generation of lifting equipment.”

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Crane service provider Sarens used a Terex Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane to lift a pedestrian and bicycle steel bridge over the A4 Autoroute near Schiltigheim, in Alsace. And there was a good reason for the choice – no other crane in the Belgian company’s large fleet would have been able to tackle the job.

This was because the conditions involved in the project were unique. “We didn’t have a special permit for a heavy-load transport with the required weight. That meant that we first had to figure out how exactly we’d be able to get a crane with the necessary lifting capacity to the site,” reports Sarens project manager Joost Elsen. The Superlift 3800 crane made it possible to overcome this challenge with a special feature that is called “Quick Connection” by the manufacturer. This feature makes it possible to disassemble the crane’s basic structure into two parts in order to significantly reduce the weights involved in transporting the machine. It is also what enabled the Sarens team to get the Superlift 3800 crane to the site without problems. A total of 56 transport vehicles were required, and these vehicles faced an adverse situation of their own: Since the access road to the site was extremely narrow, the trucks had to drive on a gravel road for about a kilometer, in reverse and one by one, before reaching the spot where the crane would be set up. Despite this time-consuming procedure, the Sarens team was able to get the Superlift 3800 crane ready on time with four assembly technicians and the crane operator. “The crane’s ease of assembly literally paid for itself in this case,” Elsen emphasizes.

Flexible lifting thanks to Vario Superlift system
In order to affect traffic as little as possible, the lift was performed on a Saturday night. And since it required for the highway to be completely closed near Strasbourg, the team did not want to risk any delays whatsoever. Because of this, they carried out a trial lift of the 162-tonne bridge section in advance in order to test the crane, as well as the load-securing devices they would be using. Once this trial lift was completed without a hitch, the team was able to relax as they looked forward to the actual job, even despite the fact that it would have to be carried out under tight space conditions. In fact, the operator would only have a 22-meter-wide maneuvering area available to work with, its borders being drawn by the highway and by the train tracks running parallel to it.

For the lift, the Sarens technicians set up the Terex Superlift 3800 crane with an SSL1 configuration, a 54-meter main boom, and 325 tonnes of Terex Superlift counterweight so that the machine would be able to pick up the bridge section at a working radius of 40 meters. In order to prevent the 65-meter-long and 3,50-meter-wide load from swinging around when lifted, it was slung to a perfectly balanced spreader. This enabled crane operator Michael Bräckle to safely lift the component to a height of 20 meters. After this, the main boom was raised in order to reduce the working radius to 29 meters so as to be able to lower the Superlift counterweight radius from 18 to 11 meters. With this compact configuration, the crane was able to turn 180° within its tight working area and swing the bridge over the highway. “To do this, we used the crane’s Vario Superlift system, which was developed precisely for this kind of scenario – a clever idea from Terex,” says crane operator Bräckle when praising the feature. Once the bridge was swung over the highway, the crane moved forward about twelve meters under load. When the crane had reached its final destination, the main boom was brought down and the Vario system was used to bring the SL counterweight back to a radius of 18 meters. Finally, the bridge section was lowered onto the bridge piers at the original working radius of about 40 meters.

“We would have never been able to do this job without the Superlift 3800. Without the Quick Connection feature, we wouldn’t have been able to get a machine that was powerful enough to the site, and without the Vario Superlift system, there wouldn’t have been enough space for the lift. In fact, these are perfect examples of the technological ingenuity behind the Superlift 3800 that won us over from the start. That’s why we have three of them in our fleet,” Elsen says, happily summarizing his company’s experience with the unit.

About the Terex® Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane
The 650 tonne (716 US t) Terex® Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane features a maximum load moment of 8.426 meter tonnes and is designed to provide its owners excellent return of investment. Every single component is designed for worldwide transportation, and setup times and the need for additional equipment have been minimized. A wide array of features, including the award-winning Terex fall protection system, come as standard. The Superlift 3800 crawler crane can be delivered with a main boom with an integrated wind kit, enabling it to erect wind turbines with a height of up to 117 meters without the need for a Superlift configuration. The required LH 114 m + 12 m LF configuration can be set up without the need for an assist crane.

Terex Superlift 3800 is the first Terex crawler crane to feature the new cab design. Providing operators with an excellent working environment, it was developed on the basis of customer feedback with the support of experts in the field of ergonomics.

Terex Superlift 3800 complies both with European standard EN 13000 and US standard ASME B30.5. It can lift 650 tonnes at a radius of 5 to 12 meters.

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Liebherr mobiles cranes which comply with stage 3b or over now come with a rescue sheet as standard. This shows the structure of the crane and any hazardous substances on it. It is a tool to provide valuable help to fire service and recovery personnel for rescuing personnel and recovering the mobile crane after an accident. The rescue sheet is located behind the driver’s seat.

Rescue sheets have been available for new cars for some time now. Rescue sheets are now also available for lots of commercial vehicles and trucks. Modern automotive engineering is safer but also hampers the fast rescue of passengers. The rescue sheet is an information sheet which provides details of the vehicle’s structure and the best places to cut the bodywork open. Fire service and recovery personnel can rescue people more quickly and safely using this tool.

To make it easier for recovery personnel to rescue crane drivers after traffic accidents or accidents on sites, a project team at Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH has developed rescue sheets for Liebherr mobile cranes. These complex and highly technical vehicles are a niche product and relatively unknown to fire service personnel. In developing the concept Liebherr worked closely with the local fire service from Ehingen. In addition to providing advice and exchanging information, practical tests were carried out on driver’s cabs and crane cabs.

The rescue sheet shows details of the relevant media on the crane, for example fuels and oil, their hazard class, volumes and precise location. In addition the structure of the driver’s cab and crane cab, including the seats and their adjustment functions are shown. The first crane models were supplied with the rescue sheet in 2011. Liebherr now delivers all LTM and LTC cranes which comply with emissions stage 3b or over with a rescue sheet.

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In February 2015, Konecranes received an order from the Port of Houston Authority (Port Authority) in the U.S. for nine Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes. They will be shipped to the Port Authority’s Bayport Container Terminal in mid-2016. When these cranes are commissioned and working, the Port Authority will operate a total of 69 Konecranes RTGs.

The Port of Houston Authority is the largest container port in the Gulf of Mexico. It is responsible for eight cargo terminals and one cruise terminal along the Houston Ship Channel, and in 2014, its terminals handled more than 37 million tons of cargo. Konecranes delivered its first RTGs to the Port Authority in 2003.

The nine Konecranes RTGs on order are high-performance, 16-wheel RTGs with a lifting capacity of 40 LT, a stacking height of 1-over-5, and a stacking width of 6 plus truck lane wide. They will be powered by a primary Tier 4f diesel genset equipped with Konecranes’ Diesel Fuel Saver technology, and an auxiliary diesel genset.

The RTGs will also be equipped with Konecranes’ Active Load Control system, which prevents container sway and significantly improves container-handling performance. The smarter cabin, LED lights and a laser-based gantry anti-collision system complete the package of notable features that will be delivered with these high-performance container cranes.

“We are pleased to provide these new, state-of-the-art RTGs to the Port of Houston Authority,” says Jussi Suhonen, Sales Director, Region Americas, Konecranes/Port Cranes.

The first phase of the Bayport Terminal opened in January 2007 and the terminal is today the most modern and environmentally sound container terminal in the Gulf of Mexico. At full build-out, this state-of-the-art terminal will have a total of seven container ship berths with the capacity to handle 2.3 million TEUs a year.

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The second-highest residential building in the Netherlands is 132 metres high and is located in Rotterdam. There is an 8-metre high letter on its roof. The “M” stands for “Montevideo”, the name of the building. A Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1 mobile crane from crane contractor Van Marwijk Kraanverhuur B.V. hoisted the newly restored symbol on to the roof of the building in February. The total height including the “M” was 147 metres.

The “Montevideo” building was opened in 2005 and is named about the warehouse of the same name which used to occupy the site. There are other buildings in the same area of the city called “New York” and “New Orleans”. The area was historically the embarkation point for ships travelling to America. The “M” on the roof of the building is illuminated and turns with the wind.

The 8-metre high symbol weighs in at 8 tonnes and has been renovated, derusted and painted. The LTM 11200-9.1 positioned the “M” on the very top of the building in Rotterdam. For this job the Liebherr heavy duty crane was equipped with a 52.2-metre telescopic boom, Y-guying and a 108-metre luffing lattice jib. The mobile crane is the flagship in the fleet operated by Dutch crane contractor Van Marwijk Kraanverhuur.

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Impressed by the performance of the Grove GMK4100L and Grove GMK3055, which it purchased in 2013, J & D Pierce – Scotland’s leading structural steelwork and steel erection contractor – has invested in another unit of each crane for its growing fleet.

All four all-terrain Grove cranes are now working on one of the largest fabrication and erection projects undertaken by the Ayrshire-based contractor, a £220 million development in Glasgow that will become the largest college in Scotland. The versatility and quick-set of the Grove cranes are essential for the variety of materials and sizes being lifted at the City Campus job site in Glasgow. With some parts measuring more than 20 m, the Grove cranes’ renowned maneuverability and precise load control are key for this project.

J & D Pierce bought its first two Grove cranes in 1997 and has made multiple purchases since then. With further growth on the horizon, J & D Pierce is keen to expand its project list. Its fleet of Grove cranes will be central to that ambition as Managing Director Derek Pierce explained.

“These four new Grove cranes have helped us deliver some of the biggest steel structure projects in Scotland,” he said. “They work hard and are very reliable. As our business grows in this market, we are sure to expand our fleet, and I am confident that Grove cranes will be part of our expansion for many years to come.”

At the City Campus job site, the cranes are charged with installing more than 6,000 t of steel and 20,000 t of precast concrete.

J & D Pierce’s fleet of six Grove cranes is central to its growing business, performing up to 50 lifts every day at a wide variety of large-scale projects across the UK. The company’s cranes predominantly lift pre-fabricated structural steel, but they also install precast concrete slabs, stairs and metal decking. Job sites vary in size and scale, but many are highly congested and require a compact, but long-reaching crane that can maneuver around other structures and equipment.

The GMK4100L is a four-axle, 100 t capacity crane, with an impressive 60 m boom that can be extended to 82 m with a fly jib. The three-axle Grove GMK3055 offers a 55 t capacity and 43 m boom, which can be extended to 58 m with a fly jib.

Established in 1975, J & D Pierce has more than 200 employees and delivers a comprehensive service for all structural steelwork needs, from design and fabrication to erection.

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