Manitowoc showcased a selection of its cranes to around 800 guests at a customer event at the company’s facility in Breda, the Netherlands.
Manitowoc welcomed close to 800 guests for a customer event at its facility in Breda, the Netherlands, displaying a selection of cranes including the industry-leading GMK5250L. This was the first time that the GMK5250L was shown to the Dutch market. The crane, which was launched earlier this year, is the first ever mobile crane to feature a VIAB turbo retarder clutch. The event took place on October 9 and 10, with customers from across the entire lifting industry attending.
Giuseppe Pompeo, sales director for Manitowoc in the Netherlands and Belgium, said that – as expected – the chance to see the GMK5250L up close was a strong draw for visitors. “We enjoy welcoming customers to our Breda facility on a regular basis, and this event was particularly exciting as we showcased the GMK5250L,” he said. “Many people at the event had already read about this crane and understood its capabilities, but there’s no substitute for actually seeing it. The five-axle all-terrain class is very popular in this region. There was considerable interest in the GMK5250L. Deliveries to customers will start in the next few months.”
The market-leading Grove GMK5250L has the strongest reach and load chart of any five-axle crane. It also offers the best maneuverability and class-leading driver comfort, which it delivers thanks to the VIAB turbo clutch and integrated retarder. Manitowoc has introduced two other new five-axle Grove all-terrain cranes this year which sit alongside the GMK5250L and offer customers even greater choice in this size category. The new 180 t capacity GMK5180-1 and 200 t capacity GMK5200-1 cranes share several outstanding features and advantages with the GMK5250L.
In addition to showcasing its products in the five-axle class, Manitowoc displayed two of its six-axle units, the GMK6300L and GMK6400. The Grove GMK6300L is one of the most successful all-terrain cranes of all time, with hundreds now working across the globe. This 300 t capacity unit has a class-leading main boom of 80 m, delivering a powerful combination of reach and capacity. The GMK6400, with a 400 t capacity, offers the highest lifting capability of any crane in its class and it too has become a global success.
Other cranes from the Grove GMK range on display in Breda included the GMK3060, GMK4080 and GMK4100L. The GMK3060 is a 60 t capacity crane and it has recently been enhanced to include an additional 2 t of counterweight, improving its lift ability. The GMK 4080 is a powerful all-terrain crane with a host of impressive features including the means to lift its 80 t maximum capacity with the boom extended to 21 m. Grove’s 100 t capacity GMK4100L is a compact four-axle crane with a 60 m main boom.
In addition to presenting the all-terrain cranes, Manitowoc also gave visitors the opportunity to see the RT550E rough-terrain crane, manufactured at the Manitowoc factory in Niella Tanaro, Italy. It has a 45 t capacity, a class-leading 39 m twin lock boom and the new Crane Control System (CCS) operating technology. CCS automatically configures boom length to suit a specific load and radius so operators can perform more lifts in a shorter time.
The event also provided visitors with the opportunity to have a closer look at the Potain tower crane range. The display featured the 12 t capacity MDT 308 with a jib length of 70 m. Customers were also given an overview of the new Potain MDT CCS City tower crane range, which launched last June. The self-erecting Igo 22 and the Igo M 14 cranes, which are successful in the Benelux market (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), were on show at the facility in Breda. The Igo 22 provides a maximum lifting capacity of 1.8 t, a 0.85 t tip load and a 28 m jib. The Igo M 14 offers a 1.8 t maximum lifting capacity, a 0.6 t tip load and a 22 m jib.