Manitowoc had a successful showing at the M&T EXPO 2015, the region’s largest construction and mining equipment event, held in June in São Paulo, Brazil. All of the cranes at the company’s booth were pre-sold to customers, and more than 80% its existing customers in the region visited Manitowoc at the show.
The global crane manufacturer – which has had a plant in Passo Fundo, in southern Brazil, since 2012 – brought its leading line of lifting and after-sales solutions to the event. A Grove GMK4100L all-terrain crane was the highlight at the company’s booth, along with a Grove RT890E rough-terrain crane and two Potain cranes a MCT 85 tower crane and an Igo 13 self-erecting crane.
“We sold every crane we brought to M&T this year, largely surpassing expectations,” said Luciano Dias, Manitowoc’s vice president of sales in Brazil. “The customers came from a diverse range of industries, such as engineering, industrial assembly, rental companies and local dealers, which shows that despite the economic uncertainty affecting the region, there are optimistic signs of recovery.”
At the same time in Passo Fundo, where Manitowoc operates its Brazilian factory, Manitowoc leadership gathered some of Latin America’s most prominent crane executives for a forum to discuss new products, technical improvements and enhanced customer support.
“We were able to collect valuable feedback from our customers, and that information will be used to continue delivering the most advanced, technologically-sound solutions that are specifically designed for Latin American markets,” Dias explained.
Lifting solutions on display
At Manitowoc’s 518 m2 (5,576 ft2) booth was the versatile Grove GMK4100L all-terrain crane, which boasts a 100 t (110 USt) capacity. The crane offers a 60 m (197 ft) MEGAFORM boom on a compact four-axle carrier, which is ideal for travel on most highways – a plus for the region’s expansive mining and energy industries that require roadable cranes.
Made in Brazil and featuring the KZ100 synthetic hoist rope, the 80 t (90 USt) capacity Grove RT890E was another highlight at the expo. The crane is the perfect choice for a wide range of applications in Latin America’s diversified economies. An electronically-controlled 275 HP (205 kW) Tier IV Cummins diesel engine and MEGAFORM boom ensure the RT890E has the power and reach for the most demanding jobs.
Rounding out its product showing, the company exhibited two of Potain’s newest tower cranes: the 5 t (5.5 USt) capacity MCT 85, one of the world’s best-selling cranes in its category, and the 1.8 t (2 USt) capacity Igo 13 self-erecting crane, which has the ability to fully erect in less than seven minutes.
The topless cranes offer a number of enhanced design and functionality features, making them ideal for residential projects in urban areas.
Visitors to Manitowoc’s booth were also able to meet with representatives from the company to learn more about its EnCORE program, which provides customers with local and cost-effective solutions that not only extend the service life of a crane, but also ensure any repair and refurbishment work performed will be completed to exacting OEM standards.
“One of our main goals at the moment is the improvement of EnCORE and Manitowoc Crane Care services in the region, given the importance of after-sales solutions for our customers in Latin America and elsewhere,” Dias said. “Despite Brazil’s current economic sluggishness, we’re focusing on making sure our customers have their fleets available to their full potential.”
CraneSTAR and CCS
A CraneSTAR demonstration showed off Manitowoc’s telematics system, which uses a dual-band approach, meaning it is able to work on both GSM and satellite networks, to maximize its connectivity. The technology, exclusive to Manitowoc, represents a new era of data management and planning for crane owners, providing real time crane fleet information to engineers and operators, regardless of location.
Also on display – in the form of a crane cab simulator – was Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS), a standard operating featured that is being rolled out across the company’s product range to Manitowoc, Grove, National Crane, and Potain cranes. CCS is one of the most user-friendly control systems on the market, as it is an intuitive, easy-to-use system that reduces the need to train people on every crane made by Manitowoc. Contractors and operators can move between models with ease.
The M&T EXPO 2015 attracted 45,755 visitors to its 110,000 m² (1,185,000 ft²) of exhibition space. The event took place at the São Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center from June 9-13, 2015, and celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.