Lambertssonupdates towers

The crane rental division of Swedish renter Lambertsson Sverige AB is investing in new tower cranes to update its fleet. Magnus Jonsson, manager of the company's southern division, based in Malmö, said that the next five years would see investment of at least SEK 125 million (US$ 18.6 million) in tower cranes alone.

Jonsson said the companywas updating its tower crane fleet following a period of low investment during the 1990s. In 2005, he said, the company would acquire an additional four MDT 178s, and was also planning to order four of new MDT 98 models that have yet to be produced.

Many of the towers will enter the fleets in the south and west of the country – areas centred on Malmö and Gothenburg, respectively, which are currently enjoying a period of high demand fuelled by apartment building projects.

The investment will have a particular impact on Malmö fleet, where the company operates 19 mobile tower cranes – Potain self-erectors mounted by Lambertsson onto old Demag and Faun mobile crane carriers. The old engines used in these carriers, said Mr Jonsson, will eventually require them to be replaced by conventional self-erecting tower cranes, with jibs of up to 40 m. New flat top towers like the Potain MDT 98 and 178 models will also replace some of the company's erectors.

Swedish civil engineering contractor Peab owns Lambertsson Sverige and approximately half of the crane Peab contracts. This year, however, external contracts – such as the massive Turning Torso project in Malmö, where two large Linden cranes are being used by contractor NCC, have accounted for as much as 65 % of activity.