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| Manitowoc introduces China-built range of crawler cranes  Manitowoc Cranes has introduced a new 100 t capacity crawler crane to the Chinese market. Recent infrastructure development projects have made China one of the fastest-growing construction equipment markets in the world. The new crane, called the MLC100, is a world-class crawler crane engineered by Manitowoc in China. The company will back the crane with Manitowoc Crane Care's China-based field technicians and local contact center. The MLC100 is the first in what will be a new product line from Manitowoc Cranes.Gilles Martin, executive vice president of Manitowoc's Asia-Pacific region, said the company followed its rigorous product development standards in designing this new crane. "Transportability, reliability, ease-of-assembly and operating speed were all factors taken into consideration when developing the MLC100," he said. "We used our expertise as a truly global manufacturer to combine the best locally-available components with Manitowoc technology for a new class-leading range of crawler cranes." The MLC100 will be made at Manitowoc's Zhangjiagang factory in China, where the company has manufactured Potain tower cranes since the 1980s. Three years ago, Manitowoc, moved operations to a new state-of-the-art facility in the city. Manitowoc also manufactures Dongyue truck cranes at a factory in TaiAn, China after forming a joint venture with a local company in 2008. Eric Etchart, president and general manager of Manitowoc Cranes, said the introduction of the MLC100 fits well with Manitowoc's philosophy of concentrating on markets locally. "The best way to serve our customers is to develop and to support products locally," he said. "There is no substitute for having local market experts and native language speakers working with customers in our regional markets. We are excited about this latest development and are confident the response from our customer base will be positive." The Model MLC100 is a 100 t capacity crawler crane. Maximum boom length is 73 m, and a 24 m fixed jib option is available. The maximum combination length is 58 m of main boom working with 24 m of jib. This gives a maximum tip height of 81.8 m. The MLC100 features a Tier III compliant Cummins QSL300 engine that produces 224 kW. The crane's pilot-controlled hydraulic system means smooth operation and precise control to increase lifting productivity and facilitate safe operations. It can be transported in four truck loads when the crane is configured with its 70 m boom plus 24 m fixed jib. Manitowoc Cranes plans to introduce a 150 t crawler crane to the Chinese market by the end of 2010. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |