News Release

Auto-Klug has such a need for Grove all-terrain cranes that the company has added four to its fleet in the last two years. With already some 40 cranes in its roster, Auto-Klug took delivery of an additional GMK5220 this past November.

Werner Glück, general manager of Auto-Klug, explained why his company is a Grove user.

“We made a conscious choice for Grove again with this latest GMK5220,” he said. “We have been impressed with the actions Manitowoc has taken to further improve its manufacturing quality, and we have seen the changes for ourselves during visits to the Wilhelmshaven plant in Germany and the Niella Tanaro plant in Italy. 

The GMK5220 will be stationed at the company’s Bayreuth/Bindlach location. Auto-Klug chose this spot because it is centrally located – the company knows the crane will be popular among its customers and chose the location that could best serve a wide geographical range.

The GMK5220 has a 220 t capacity and 68 m boom. Inserts and swingaway further increase the tip height to 108 m. It’s a five-axle, all-terrain crane with a Twin-Lock boom and fully-automatic Allison transmission. Megatrak independent suspension ensures optimal performance both on and off the job site.

One of the most-used cranes in the Auto-Klug fleet is the GMK3055. Gluck said its compact chassis, ability to carry a lot of counterweight plus a 43 m boom make it ideal for congested sites.

“Because of their compact dimensions, our GMK3055 cranes are constantly requested to work on difficult jobs in confined spaces,” said Maik Dalmer, a crane operator with the company. “I drive everywhere with my 7.6 t of counterweight, which eliminates the need for time-consuming loading of counterweight when I reach the job site. This is an important advantage for our clients as well, as it saves time.”

The GMK3055 is a 55 t capacity all-terrain crane with a six-section, Twin-Lock 43 m boom. It sits on three axles and features Megatrak suspension. Its outrigger pads stow within the width of the crane, keeping it compact. Recently, the company used a GMK3055 to lift an entire roof off a house.

“For us, only the Grove GMK3055 was a perfect choice for this job,” said Siegfried Kohl, technical manager at the company. “The specific advantages of the crane made it a better choice than alternatives. The boom length and on-board counterweight enabled us to offer the client a cost-effective solution, because we didn’t have to use a larger crane.”

Auto-Klug also chooses Grove because it can easily customize the cranes. For example, one of the company’s newest cranes was equipped with aluminum rims, a specialized removable hose package and an aluminum storage box designed specifically for Auto-Klug.

In English, “Klug” means “smart.” And that’s what Hof, Germany-based Auto-Klug offers its clients: smart solutions. Its near 200 employees provide cranes, towing/recovery and heavy hauling services at its eight locations in Northern Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.

About The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (“Manitowoc”) was founded in 1902 and has over a 117-year tradition of providing high-quality products and support services that are tailored to customers’ needs. Its 2019 net sales were approximately $1.83 billion. Manitowoc is one of the world's leading providers of engineered lifting solutions. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Manitowoc designs, manufactures, markets and supports comprehensive product lines of mobile telescopic cranes, tower cranes, lattice-boom crawler cranes, boom trucks and industrial cranes under the Grove, Potain, Manitowoc, National Crane, Shuttlelift and Manitowoc Crane Care brand names.