Mediaco, the largest crane rental firm in France, has become the latest company to add Grove GMK6400 cranes to its fleet.
The firm has purchased three units to support its operations in Paris, Nantes and Marseilles.
Grove sold its first GMK6400 crane in France in August 2012, and a number of units have since been sold across the country in Nantes, Lyon and Le Havre. So far, all of the manufacturer’s French customers have been rental companies.
The GMK6400 is the strongest six-axle crane in the world, according to its makers. Moreover, the 400-tonne all-terrain machine is sufficiently compact to meet road permit laws in France. With its single-engine concept, self-rigging MegaWingLift, and MegaDrive hydrostatic drive system, the Grove crane recently earned parent company Manitowoc the ESTA Innovation Manufacturer Award.
“If you build it, they will come,” explained Manitowoc EMEA’s sales director Philippe Dumas. “If you build the best possible crane, customers will want it. And that is the GMK6400; this crane can perform lifts that no other crane can, and yet is easy to transport on French roads. We are incredibly proud of what this crane can do and, much like our 300-tonne Grove GMK6300L, I expect it to reach more sales milestones in the future.”
The GMK6400 cranes already operating in France are being used for a range of tasks, including maintenance work at refineries and manufacturing plants. The first unit to arrive in the country was delivered to lifting and industrial plant service specialist AltéAD, and has been in almost constant use ever since. This particular crane was recently used to conduct a series of heavy lifts for the expansion of a Louis Vuitton factory.
The latest units purchased by Mediaco will join the rental firm’s existing fleet of more than 700 cranes. Outside of France, GMK6400 cranes are working in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United States, Curaçao, and New Zealand.
