Pressure play from Vernazza

Vernazza Autogrù supplied four Grove all terrain cranes to help demolish an old soccer stadium and build its replacement, a 41,000-seat venue for Italian giant Juventus.

The two-year, €120 million project took place in Juventus' home city of Turin and included a range of challenging lifts.

The largest Grove on the project was the 450 tonne capacity GMK7450 with a 60 m Twin-Lock boom. The crane also has a 79 m luffing jib and Mega Wing Lift attachment that offers improved lifting duties, especially when the crane is working with high boom angles.

Other Grove cranes on the project included a 300 tonne capacity GMK6300, a 220 tonne capacity GMK5220 and a 100 tonne capacity GMK4100L.

Diego Vernazza, Vernazza Autogrù S.r.l. owner and managing director, said the high-profile work, plus the global appeal of Juventus, added pressure to the project, "With press updates on this project occurring almost daily, our planning had to be perfect."

"Ensuring both the demolition and construction were handled professionally and efficiently meant using the right equipment. The Grove cranes performed well and ensured the work was completed on time. Juventus is a huge name in Italy, and we are very proud to be associated with this work. This is one of the most prestigious projects we have been involved in, and the excellent planning by our engineering team meant it was also highly profitable," added Vernazza.

The cranes started work on the project at the start of 2009. The most complex part of the construction was installing four 90 m curved mast, two at each end of the stadium. The masts, weighing 350 tonnes each, provide support for most of the stadium's roof and form an integral part of its design.