One of the MCi 85 A cranes from Potain owned by Sobha Developers
Srikanth Kulkarni, senior vice-president at Sobha Developers
One of the largest tower crane owners in India is moving to a 100 percent Potain fleet. Since 2004, Sobha Developers has exclusively bought Potain cranes and now operates a fleet of 40 cranes, 29 of which are Potain. The Bangalore-based developer has purchased 10 new Potains in the past 18 months.
After comparing Chinese and European manufacturers, Sobha selected Potain cranes for their ease of assembly, strong after-sales support and flexibility – particularly in climbing applications, as Srikanth Kulkarni, senior vice-president at the company, explained.
“The cranes perform well and are very adaptable as they can be used with different mast sections depending on the required height,” he said. “And if there is ever a problem, we know that Potain has a great support network in India, which makes our large fleet much easier to manage. We want to standardize our range to make servicing simpler and plan to add more Potain cranes in future.”
Sobha’s most recent order was for five MCi 85 A units, which will join the company’s existing fleet. The MCi 85 A is Potain’s most popular crane in India, with a 5 t capacity, and Sobha already owns several, including two special traveling versions. For the new order, meanwhile, three of the MCi 85 A cranes will be supplied with a chassis, for easier set up on a wide-range of projects.
One of the biggest projects for Sobha at present is using six of its Potain cranes. The Sobha City development in Bangalore is a 36-acre site that will include more than 1,500 new homes. The cranes are lifting a variety of construction materials at the project, which is due to complete by the end of 2014. Working heights for the cranes on this job will range up to 90 m.
Elsewhere a further three Potain cranes are working on another Sobha development, the Sobha Forest View, where they will remain until July. The development is a cluster of residential towers that will house more than 800 apartments set amid dense woodland.
Many of Sobha’s projects are high-rise developments that need tower cranes working at heights of 70 m to 90 m. For maximum flexibility, Sobha has a mix of 1.2 m2 and 1.6 m2 mast sections and varies the configuration of each crane as needed.
Tighter construction timetables are increasingly common in India, so contractors are placing more tower cranes on single sites. To coordinate the cranes better and for improved safety, Sobha makes use of Potain’s Top Tracing anti-collision technology. It is the first company in India to use the system.
With such a large fleet, customer support is vital and Sobha makes use of the Manitowoc Crane Care Contact Center in Pune, for ordering parts, arranging service or for general advice. The Contact Center gives customers technical support 24 hours a day through its linkup with other facilities in China, France and the U.S.
Sobha specializes in commercial and residential property development, including luxury villas, high-rise hotels and offices. In 2013, the company forecasts it will build 510,000 m2 of real estate and 139,000 m2 of commercial projects.