Manitowoc holds customer event at Italian factory

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The first GMK6400 in Italy prepares to unveil the latest rough-terrain crane from Grove.

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Phillipe Cohet, executive vice president for Manitowoc Cranes EMEA, addresses the crowd at Grove customer days in Niella.

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Manitowoc presented its latest mobile cranes and highlighted facility improvements at Grove Customer Days, which was held at the Manitowoc Niella Tanaro factory on September 7 and 8. Manitowoc hosted more than 150 customers from France and Italy.

The company held the event at its Italian factory, which manufactures models from the rough-terrain, all-terrain and self-erecting tower crane ranges, in order to highlight the latest quality improvements to its crane production lines.

In addition to touring the factory, visitors also got an exclusive first look at a new Grove rough-terrain crane, the 45 t capacity RT550E. The new crane will be built at the factory and will make its worldwide debut at the bauma 2013 trade show in Germany. Visitors were also given a look at the first GMK6400 all-terrain crane in Italy.

Philippe Cohet, executive vice president for the company in EMEA, said the event highlighted Manitowoc’s commitment to continuous improvement of production processes and maintaining close relationships with its customers.

“We are very open with our customers and want them to see firsthand what improvements we have made and what benefits these bring to their business,” he said. “The new cranes on display also made a big impact as we showed one of our strongest mobile cranes and presented a vision for the future.”

The quality initiatives at Niella Tanaro have all been focused on improving crane durability and reliability. The processes that are now in place improve rust and corrosion prevention, improve oil quality and reduce water infiltration. A more thorough Pre-Delivery Inspection has also been created to help ensure even higher levels of quality prior to delivery.

The Niella Tanaro factory, which began manufacturing rough-terrain cranes in 2005 and all-terrain cranes in 2008, produces the entire range of two- and three-axle AT cranes as well as three RT models from Grove. It also builds all Potain Igo self-erecting cranes, plus a number of top-slewing crane models. The facility occupies 86,000 m2 and is home to a workforce of 140.

The GMK6400 displayed at the event gave visitors the chance to climb aboard the most powerful six-axle all-terrain crane on the market. The 400 t capacity crane offers a 60 m boom and self-rigging MegaWingLift capacity-enhancing attachment. When combined with a luffing jib, the crane can perform lifts that no other six-axle or even seven-axle crane can currently achieve.

The crane was bought by Grove dealer FIMI spa, the first company in Italy to be delivered a GMK6400. FIMI spa will monitor the crane as part of Manitowoc’s Pre-Production Partnership program and will provide the manufacturer with data on its performance, as part of a comprehensive testing program ahead of the first deliveries of serial production cranes.

Andreas Cremer, product manager for all-terrain cranes at Manitowoc, said the GMK6400 was a major highlight at the event.

“Pre-Production Partnership is an important part of the product development process where customers’ real world experience with the crane verifies the product’s performance in a range of markets and applications,” he said. “Many Italian customers have expressed an interest in the GMK6400 so it was great to show them the crane in the flesh. Many were impressed with its capabilities and design – as well as its progress ahead of production deliveries.”

The GMK6400 is manufactured at Grove’s factory in Wilhelmshaven, northern Germany, where a similar customer event was held earlier this year.