L to R: Eric Etchart, Manitowoc Cranes; Brian Noga, Bigge Crane & Rigging; Jesse Sullivan, Bigge; Gedge Knopf, Bigge; Joe Nelms, Bigge; Reid Settlemeir, Bigge; Mike Lanigan, Western Pacific; Weston Settlemeir, Bigge; Dave Hull, Manitowoc Cranes; Bob Johnson, Western Pacific.
As the U.S. economy begins to rebound, so too does the demand for cranes. One of the country’s top crane rental companies, San Leandro, Calif.-based Bigge Crane and Rigging, is experiencing this growth firsthand. To meet an accelerating slate of lifting work, Bigge has purchased 58 Manitowoc and Grove cranes in the past 12 months.
Bigge’s marketing manager, Ryan Parker, said the company’s Manitowoc and Grove fleet is expanding “exponentially” to meet market demands – especially for the booming oil and natural gas industries.
“The U.S. market is growing faster than expected and global contractors are making up for lost time,” he said. “We’re experiencing substantial growth and we’re purchasing more Manitowoc and Grove cranes to capitalize on the expanding oil and natural gas markets.”
Bigge has bought dozens of Manitowoc crawlers and Grove truck-mounted, rough- and all-terrain cranes over the last year, including:
- 36 Grove RT890Es
- 3 Grove RT880Es
- 2 Grove RT9150Es
- 1 Grove RT9130E
- 8 Grove TMS9000Es
- 2 Grove GMK6350s
- 6 Manitowoc 11000-1s
Bigge purchased 19 of the new cranes at bauma 2013, held in Munich, Germany. The company celebrated its purchase with Manitowoc management at Manitowoc’s booth. The moment marked a new era for the relationship between Bigge and Manitowoc.
“The Manitowoc and Grove brands are well sought after for their quality, reliability and versatility, as well as their state-of-the-art technology,” said Joe Nelms, vice president of sales and marketing at Bigge. “By growing our fleet and expanding our relationship with Manitowoc, we’ve established Bigge as a rental market leader. And we plan to keep adding more cranes and growing the company to keep up with the fast-paced marketplace.”
David Hull, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Manitowoc in North America, said Bigge had the opportunity to tour Manitowoc’s factories in Shady Grove, Pa. and Manitowoc, Wis.
“Bigge was able to tour our factories to understand our focus on product quality,” said Hull. “They were able to see the improvements we’ve made in manufacturing and our brand new Product Verification Center, which further validated the value proposition of Manitowoc products – in terms of resale value, and ultimately, return on investment throughout the life of our products.”
Bigge Crane and Rigging was founded in 1916 and has grown to seven locations across the U.S., with another in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has won the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association award for Outstanding Rigging Job of the Year several times.
Bigge purchased its cranes through Manitowoc, National Crane and Grove dealer Western Pacific Crane and Equipment, which has its headquarters in Fontana, Calif. The distributor is an affiliate of the Lanco Group of Companies and provides cranes and heavy equipment for the western Pacific region of the U.S. Since forming in March of 2011, Western Pacific has grown quickly, expanding to seven locations from Hawaii to Alaska.
Bob Johnson, president of Western Pacific, said the partnership between his company and Bigge, though still young, has been extremely beneficial for both companies.
“We began selling cranes to Bigge just after we launched Western Pacific and haven’t stopped since,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to have the business of this prestigious, fourth-generation company. We have a good understanding of each other’s businesses and work well together, which we hope will continue for years to come.”