Żuraw Grohmann growing at five

More than 600 guests attended a ceremony celebrating the fifth anniversary of lifting services and heavy transport company Żuraw Grohmann in Poland.

At the ceremony, held in Gdańsk, Tadeusz Koterwa, Żuraw Grohmann president of the management board, explained the company's development plans. "By the end of this year we will have bought five new cranes. We want to be a leader on the lifting services market in Poland and abroad," Koterwa said. "We can see great development potential for this industry on Eastern markets. This is where we want to share our expertise and to...reproduce the success of the business model Żuraw Grohmann applies."

Żuraw Grohmann offers tower cranes, truck mounted cranes, transport of heavy and oversize loads and pilot services. The company was formed on 15 December 2003 in Gdańsk. It was the beginning of the joint activities of a group of specialists that had previously worked for Mostostal Gdańsk. Strategic investor Grohmann from Berlin in Germany bought 51% of the shares and contributed equipment.

Żuraw Grohmann has a network of branches, in Warsaw, Płock, Poznań, Katowice, Kraków, Wrocław, Szczecin and Białystok. The fleet comprises 160 cranes, including what it claims is the largest wheeled crane in Poland, a 700 tonne capacity Terex Demag AC 700.

Turnover for 2007 was PLN 75 million (US$25 million), which was 50% more than the previous year. Profit was PLN 7 million ($2.4 million), double that of the previous year, according to the company.