Manitowoc and Ascorel back together

Manitowoc and Ascorel are to begin working together again on developing new anti-collision technology for tower cranes.

The two companies previously worked together on developing the Top Tracing II anti-collision system in use on 3,500 Potain tower cranes worldwide.

Under the new long-term agreement, Ascorel will begin developing an updated and enhanced Top Tracing system for Potain tower cranes. Manitowoc will offer this new system to Potain customers through its Manitowoc Crane Care customer support brand. In addition, the agreement allows Manitowoc Crane Care to act as a distributor for Ascorel's own MC 602 anti-collision system, giving customers two options.

The MC 602 and Top Tracing II both offer the same functionality and performance but the MC 602 is more tailored to the retrofit and rental market, whereas Top Tracing II is designed to stay with the same crane for a longer period of operation.

Manitowoc is focusing heavily on information technology to aid and improve crane performance. Earlier in 2012 the manufacturer also agreed with Trimble to develop a range of GPS technologies for cranes to enhance jobsite productivity.