Manitowoc, from a crane manufacturer to a lifting solutions provider

Can you tell us about your tower crane business? Within Manitowoc, this activity is carried out by the Potain brand, integrated into the group in 2001. Our range covers a wide range of applications, from small cranes intended for craftsmen and construction companies to equipment capable of lifting several tens of tonnes on large-scale projects such as EPRs, dams or even large engineering structures.

Potain cranes have participated in some of the most emblematic projects in the world, including the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris, the construction of the Sagrada Família, the Millau viaduct and the Trois-Gorges dam in China. Potain today draws on nearly a century of experience. The brand's first crane was marketed in the early 1930s in La Clayette, in Saône-et-Loire.

Since then, the company has supported developments in a historically cyclical construction sector. France is home to two major industrial sites, at Moulins in Allier and Charlieu in Loire, where some of the cranes sold in Europe and North America are manufactured. A logistics center located in the Lyon region also allows spare parts to be shipped throughout the world, including for machines that have been in service for more than thirty years.

The group's other factories are located in Italy, Portugal, China and India. How do you differentiate yourself from other crane manufacturers? Our design office plays a key role in maintaining and developing our range.

It ensures the integration of new technologies and develops innovative solutions that contribute to strengthening our leading position in the market. One of Manitowoc’s strengths also lies in its training center, located in the Lyon region. This supports our distribution network by training not only crane operators, but also professionals responsible for assembling, dismantling and maintaining cranes, always in compliance with safety requirements.

As cranes have a lifespan of up to several decades, technological and regulatory developments require a permanent increase in skills. We must be able to ensure the design, operation and maintenance of current cranes as well as previous generations. This vision is fully part of an approach to sustainability and quality.

How do you diversify your crane manufacturing business? For several years, we have been developing an offer that goes beyond simple lifting or handling of loads on site. This development is based in particular on the valorization of data generated by machines in order to produce useful information for our customers.

These digital solutions make it possible in particular to: carry out remote diagnostics in the event of a breakdown or maintenance operation; locate the machines and some of their components; measure and analyze their level of use. The data collected is also valuable for the daily monitoring of construction sites. They make it possible to improve equipment management and optimize on-site operations.

Machine-translated from French