A team of nine Potain tower cranes are at the heart of a new pre-cast concrete fabrication yard in Autthaya, central Thailand. Leading Thai pre-cast concrete construction company, Hicrete Products & Technology Co Ltd., purchased the MC 205 B cranes to build the new facility and then serve its day-to-day operations.
The 10 t capacity MC 205 Bs arrived at the yard in January 2012. They are all mounted on rails and can travel up to 400 m to ensure complete coverage of the 160 km2 site. Once each section of the new yard is built, the cranes switch from construction to production operations where they are responsible for moving pre-cast concrete elements and preparing new molds on a daily basis.
Hicrete already owns eight Potain cranes, which it bought in 1990, and all of the cranes are still working well; one is based at its steel fabrication factory and the rest are working at construction projects across Thailand. The cranes’ proven quality and longevity gave Hicrete the confidence to invest in Potain again, as Kosol Wattayu, engineering manager at Hicrete, explains:
“Potain produces cranes of the highest quality and no other manufacturer can match its longevity,” he says. “Our new cranes are working hard to meet our demanding build schedules and are helping our business grow. They feature the latest technology from Europe and I am sure they will give us many years of exceptional service.”
As well as pre-cast concrete, the MC 205 Bs lift a variety of materials and components manufactured at the facility, including rebar and steel structures. Since their arrival at the start of 2012, the cranes have built more than 200 box girders alone.
The Potain cranes produce materials for a variety of projects across Thailand, including major highway expansions and the extension of the sky train transport network in Bangkok.
Potain’s MC 205 B is a top-slewing tower crane with a 60 m maximum jib that can lift 2.4 t at jib end. Hicrete’s MC 205 Bs are configured with 45 m jibs, at which they can lift 3.5 t, and hook under heights of either 27 m or 30 m.
Hicrete’s new fabrication yard will be fully operational in early 2014 and will have capacity to produce up to 500 m3 of pre-cast concrete a day. The new yard is divided into four factories, each of which produces a different product, including girder boxes, steel structures, segment tunnels and concrete slippers.
Established in 1988, Hicrete has grown to become one of Thailand’s premier pre-cast concrete construction companies.