Manitowoc, a manufacturer of cranes and lifting solutions, is gearing up for a major display of its latest cranes, technologies and services at Bauma 2022 in Munich, Germany.
While preparing for the 33rd edition of the world’s largest construction equipment trade show, the company also recently announced that in March 2023 it will not be participating in North America’s largest construction equipment trade show, ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas.
It marks the first official report of an exhibitor dropping out of ConExpo 2023. Comparatively, to date there have been approximately five significant exhibitors that have withdrawn from Bauma 2022, primarily related to customer behavior relating to the pandemic.
Volvo Construction Equipment, CNH Industrial (manufacturer of both Case and New Holland construction equipment) and JLG will not be attending Bauma 2022 and have each indicated an intent to focus on smaller local events to help build stronger relationships with customers. However, all three companies also indicated an openness to participating in other trade shows in the future, although none has specifically given any indication of their participating at ConExpo. In addition, in August 2021, Caterpillar corporate stated that the Bauma 2022 booth would be left in the hands of Cat’s German dealer Zeppelin. Metso Outotec, a mining services company, also has opted out of the show.
“For Manitowoc, Bauma 2022 presents a great opportunity to demonstrate how we are well positioned to showcase our expertise in lifting solutions for global investments in infrastructure, alternative energy and other industries,” said Aaron Ravenscroft, Manitowoc’s president and CEO. “By introducing new technologies, products and ways to work, we are excited to deliver the advancements our customers need. In addition to launching exciting new products, we look forward to meeting with customers, dealerships, investors and colleagues to earn their confidence and trust in the lifting industry.”
The company is planning to showcase a dozen cranes from Grove and Potain and will highlight its expanded range of support solutions that cover monitoring, parts, service, rental, remanufacturing, finance and more. New technologies shown will include Connect, a telematics platform that is being unveiled at the exhibition.
According to Ravenscroft, over the last 18 months, Manitowoc has taken a multitude of actions to manage inflation.
“Due to the several price increases that we’ve passed on to our customers, we do not believe it’s appropriate to invest in a second large trade show that occurs less than five months after Bauma 2022 at this time,” he said. “We continue to invest heavily in new products and look forward to showing our latest developments at the upcoming Bauma show in October 2022. As an alternative to ConExpo, we intend to host a Crane Days event at our Shady Grove, Pennsylvania location at a later date.”
At Bauma 2022, Manitowoc will have 12 cranes on display at its booth, with multiple models set to be announced in the coming weeks and some being unveiled at the show itself. Seven Grove mobile cranes and five Potain tower cranes will be on display. Below is a summary of some of the highlights that will be at the Manitowoc booth.
Reaching higher
The largest Grove on display will be the GMK6400-1 all-terrain crane, which is being shown for the first time. The 400-metric-ton capacity crane is the successor to the popular GMK6400 and offers a range of upgrades and improvements, including Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS) and MAXbase variable position outrigger system.
Two additional Grove all-terrain cranes will be making their public debuts at the show. The 150-metric-ton GMK5150XL and 120-metric-ton GMK5120L both launched at the end of 2021, continuing Grove’s legacy of five-axle cranes. At 69 meters, the main boom of the GM5150XL surpasses that of most 220-metric-ton machines. The GMK5120L offers 66 meters of boom, plus a variety of counterweight configurations for greater flexibility.
The four remaining Grove cranes, two all-terrain and two rough-terrain, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tower triumphs
Manitowoc will display five Potain cranes, including two new models that are being kept under wraps until the show with one each coming from the topless and luffing jib ranges.
Alongside the new models will the first public appearance since its launch in 2021 of the MDT 489 topless crane. It’s available in 20- and 25-metric-ton versions, with each offering 80 meters of jib.
From the self-erecting crane line, there will be two units. The Igo T 99 will make its public debut at Bauma 2022. The 6-metric-ton unit has compact dimensions and a small footprint. Also on display will be a Potain Hup M 28-22. Capable of lifting 2.2 metric tons, the unit is the only self-erecting crane that offers 28 meters of jib and up to 31 meters of working height within such compact transport dimensions.
“There is always a substantial Potain presence at Bauma. Some exciting new cranes are being seen for the first time, and we have on-stand demonstrations plus an impressive Customer Center,” said Thibaut Le Besnerais, vice president for brand and product management, tower cranes. “There is so much focus on infrastructure right now that we want to show how Potain offers solutions for all applications. One of our key goals at Bauma is to highlight how the right combination of cranes and customer support can help drive the sector forward.”
Customer support focus
Manitowoc is set to continue its expansion of support services with the launch of Connect, the new telematics platform for Potain and Grove cranes. It enables remote monitoring through an app-based system that gives owners and operators the ability to view real-time crane information, receive alerts, exchange data and more with further functionality to be added in the future.
Connect offers seamless integration between remote diagnostics, advanced analytics and fleet management to help owners increase fleet utilization while increasing uptime. On the jobsite, technicians and others can use local Wifi to link to the crane via Connect. This allows them to easily see the operating system and review performance data. The system will also assist in preventative maintenance.
“The launch of Connect kickstarts a new digital era of owning and operating Manitowoc cranes. In a matter of seconds, users can access a range of features or data related to their cranes through the app-based platform,” said Dirk Wolfstellar, vice president of aftermarket for Grove in Europe. “They can analyze performance, check service gauges, diagnose faults and more. It allows unprecedented insight into their cranes, transforming performance, sustainability and ultimately profitability linked to their investments.”
For Potain tower cranes, Connect will be offered as an option on new top-slewing and self-erecting cranes. In addition, it can be retrofitted on all CCS-equipped cranes. With release of Connect, Potain will discontinue production of its older CraneSTAR tool. Also, Connect will initially be available on GMK all-terrain cranes produced from 2023 for Grove users.
The new system will be included in the Grove and Potain Customer Centers that will be part of the booth at Bauma 2022. The interactive areas will enable users to explore the advanced technology via virtual reality or a simulator and learn more about opportunities for training and service.