Latest Indian tower crane from Potain targets new segment

Manitowoc’s tower crane subsidiary Potain has launched the MCi 48 C tower crane in India at the bC India exhibition, IC reports from the show.

Built at the company’s plant in Pune, the machine features simple technology and is targeted at high-rise projects in the country’s second- and third-tier cities.

Raymond Tang, Manitowoc regional product manager for tower cranes, said, “In second- and third-tier cities, there is still a lot of manual handling. This crane is targeted at buildings of eight to 15 storeys, although it can, of course, go higher.”

The crane features a traditional electrical winch, rather than the more sophisticated systems found on Potain products for more developed markets. “The skills of the workers here is not always great, so the conventional mechanism is something they’re familiar with and it is also easy to maintain.”

According to Manitowoc, the winch can be serviced by a qualified electrician, without any special training.

Raman Joshi, Manitowoc managing director for India, added, “The aim is to create a new market in tier two and tier three cities. This crane offers more height than the old-style self erecting cranes that are quite common in those places.”

The MCi 48 C offers a free-standing height of 34.7 m. It has a capacity of 2.5 tonnes and can lift 1 tonne at its maximum jib length of 36 m.