Manitowoc to unveil new digital platform

Manitowoc continues its expansion and investment in support services with the launch of CONNECT, a new digital platform that will launch at bauma 2022. 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 will be introduced gradually, starting with Potain cranes and Grove all-terrain cranes.

The CONNECT platform will advance fleet management, boost sustainability, streamline service and maintenance for users and improve connectivity to cranes with the easy-to-use platform working across smartphones, tablets and laptops, the company said.

“The launch of CONNECT kickstarts a new digital era of owning and operating Manitowoc cranes,” added Dirk Wolfsteller, vice president of Aftermarket for Grove in Europe. “In a matter of seconds, users can access a range of features or data related to their cranes through the app-based platform. 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.”

The new platform will be phased in, initially on Potain tower cranes and Grove all-terrain cranes. The company plans to add other product lines and brands in due course. 

Grove CONNECT

For Grove, CONNECT will initially be available on GMK all-terrain cranes produced from 2023. It will be offered on all new models and available to retrofit on cranes equipped with the CCS control system. Benefits include optimized troubleshooting thanks to the real-time availability of crane information. This allows remote technicians to quickly understand the status of the crane, with any error codes displayed through the app. The remote service team can then run root cause analysis and propose potential solutions without the delay of travel or on-site physical assistance.

Business Intelligence is improved too, the company said. With simplified and expanded insight into fleet usage, crane owners can adjust their operations to make optimum use of resources or strengthen preventative maintenance programs. 

Potain CONNECT

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 extensive capabilities available through CONNECT, Potain will discontinue production of its older CraneSTAR Diag tool.

The user-friendly CONNECT solution offers seamless integration between remote diagnostics, advanced analytics, and fleet management to help owners significantly 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.

In the future, Manitowoc plans to enable CONNECT to be embedded into the BIM (Building Information Management) model for a project and allow the creation of digital twins of the crane.

“CONNECT advances how contractors and rental companies will use tower cranes on jobsites,” said Xavier Claeys, director of digital innovation for tower cranes, Manitowoc. “The platform improves the user experience immediately and opens a world of exciting possibilities in the future. For example, customers can compare expected use versus actual use, with the potential to reframe how pricing and operational models are run. This insight simply wasn’t available before, but we expect it to positively transform how customers approach crane ownership. We’re excited to showcase the new technology at bauma 2022.”