Potain crane fleet helps Vietnam group target expansion

One of Vietnam’s fastest growing construction companies, Coteccons Group, is using its fleet of Potain tower cranes to support its expansion plans. The company, which has its headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City, is looking to extend its scope of operations, not only across Vietnam, but also into the surrounding nations of South East Asia.

The 40-plus fleet of Potain tower cranes belonging to Coteccons has worked on some of Vietnam’s most high-profile construction projects of recent times. These include LandMark 81 (Vietnam’s tallest building), Vinhomes Central Park, The Manor, City Garden, The One and SC Vivo City, all of which are in Ho Chi Minh City; and IndoChina Plaza, D’ Capitale, Metropolis and Mandarin Garden in Hanoi.

The company has found the Potain MCT 205 to be particularly well suited to its needs and has purchased many of them since the crane launched approximately two years ago. Coteccons also plans to add more luffing jib cranes to its fleet as demand for these units grows, particularly for urban development work.

“We like Potain cranes because we know we can rely on their quality and dependability,” said Vu Thanh Ha, head of construction at Coteccons. “We can employ the Potain cranes for three shifts every day, which means improved productivity and greater efficiency. We use the cranes for setting formwork, lifting steel rebar and other building materials and pouring concrete. We’re also focused on cranes that offer high capacity, fast speeds and the ability to work in confined spaces.”

AS well as adding more than 20 new MCT 205 cranes, Coteccons has also added three MCR 160 luffing jib cranes, another relatively recent product from the Manitowoc factory in Zhangjiagang, China.

Both these units, and all tower cranes built by Manitowoc at its Chinese plant, are designed in collaboration with the Potain Center of Excellence in France. All of the cranes for Coteccons Group were supplied by Minh Chi Co, Potain’s national dealer for Vietnam.

“Minh Chi is one of the most well-established equipment suppliers in Vietnam so we are perfectly positioned to address the fast-growing needs of the construction market here, which has surged over the past five years,” said Dao Anh Vu, sales director at Minh Chi Co. “We are delighted that Coteccons has continued to grow its commitment to the Potain brand, and the after-sales service our team provides is ensuring schedules stay on track. We look forward to supporting the company further as it continues to grow.”

The MCR 160 has a maximum capacity of 10 tonnes and can work with up to 50 metres of jib. Its capacity at the jib end is 2.4 tonnes. The crane is well-suited to both internal and external climbing. To facilitate this, the crane can be assembled on either 1.6 m or 2 m-wide mast sections. There’s a choice of three winches available on the MCR 160, including the 100 LVF 25 Optima. The 75 kilowatt-rated unit can hoist 1.25 tonne loads at speeds of up to 188 m/minute, while its 1,270 m rope capacity makes it ideal for tall buildings.

The MCT 205 is a topless crane and replaces the MC 205 B in the Potain range. Like the MCR 160, the crane can also be mounted on either 1.6 m or 2 m mast sections, depending on required configuration on site, and again making it a strong choice for internal climbing applications. Maximum working radius on the MCT 205 is 65 m (when configured on 2 m mast sections), 5 m more than on the MC 205 B. Maximum capacity for the crane is 10 tonnes and its tip capacity when working with its full 65 m jib is 1.75 tonnes.

In addition to the MCT 205 and MCR 160, other Potain cranes in the Coteccons fleet include three MC 85 A units, seven MC 175 B units and four MC 205 B units.