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| First Grove GMK6300L in Latvia is largest crane in region  A Grove GMK6300L crane has been delivered to a company in Latvia — the first in the Baltic states. The class-leading 300 t crane is the largest all-terrain crane in the region, and it has already completed several projects. To mark the arrival of the crane, Manitowoc's Baltic dealer for Grove cranes, Konekesko, held a launch event at its facility in Riga. More than 200 people attended, including staff from rental company Arsava, the crane's new owner. Given its lift capabilities and industry-leading technology, Arsava will offer the crane to projects throughout the Baltic States and Scandinavia. The company is based in Riga, and its fleet includes forklift trucks, all-terrain cranes, a self-erecting crane and a helicopter designed for specialty lifts.Konekesko staged several demonstrations of the crane's capabilities, including lifting a 10 t backhoe loader. Visitors also saw the crane's class-leading 80 m boom fully extended, while motorcycle and bicycle stunts, street dancing and a firework display all gave the launch an air of celebration. Since the launch, the crane has worked virtually non-stop, and its project schedule for 2012 is already busy. Its first job was on a wind farm in Venspils in northern Latvia. The crane moved a large drilling machine, used to create foundation piles for wind towers, across the site. It then traveled to Talinn in Estonia to perform general lifting at a thermo-electric power station, before returning to Latvia to work on another thermo-electric power station. Later, the crane moved to Liepaja harbor in the west of Latvia, where it lifted boats from the water to prevent them from becoming trapped in ice over the winter months. Arturs Maslovs, one of the co-directors at Arsava, said the company was pleased with the variety of tasks the crane has completed so far. "The crane has a great boom that is really useful for job sites like power stations, but it also showed excellent strength on the wind power and harbor jobs," he says. "To have that range of potential jobs with a single crane means we expect it to be a busy worker." The GMK6300L offers good lifting ability across the load chart, and the 80 m boom allows the crane to use only its main boom where other cranes might need a jib. Aleksandrs Lukasuks, the other director at Arsava, said the crane's versatility was already attracting customers. "We're receiving a growing numbers of inquiries for this crane, and several customers have seen it working on other projects," he said. "Our outlook for the GMK6300L is good, and not only in the Baltic region, but across Scandinavia." Manitowoc dealer Konekesko is one of the largest suppliers of industrial machinery in Latvia and, in addition to Manitowoc, represents a number of industry leaders in the agricultural, construction, forestry and cleaning markets. Edgars Mednis, product manager at Konekesko, said the GMK6300L is the company's biggest ever Grove sale. "We've had good success with Grove's 35 t to 55 t units in Latvia, and the cranes have established a solid reputation," he said "Although the GMK6300L is larger than any crane we've sold previously, its outstanding credentials meant the customer had no hesitation in placing the order." write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Construction News :: home page |