Manitowoc to push Potain crane sales in China

The Potain MCT 328 topless tower crane is a Manitowoc bestseller in China.

According to the manufacturer, the Chinese crane market is currently seeing a surge in demand, with both the government’s urbanisation policy and the growing use of prefabricated buildings driving demand.

Brian Wang, Manitowoc senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific region, said, “The market for tower cranes in China is extremely favourable at the moment but that doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels.

“We are working harder than ever to provide customers with reliable, high-performance cranes that are ideally suited to their needs, backed by responsive service support and industry-leading technical expertise.

“The shift to prefabricated construction is driving demand for high performance cranes with technology that can boost productivity on jobsites.”

Manitowoc, which achieved net sales of US$ 354.3 million in the first quarter of 2021, cited a recent report from Research And Markets. It indicates the construction industry in China will see average annual growth of around 4.7 percent between 2021 and 2024.  

While prefabricated buildings are reported to make up just 15 % of new structures, the manufacturer said the Chinese government is “strongly promoting prefabricated buildings”.

This has led to an increasing need for high capacity cranes, “especially those rated at 200 tonne-metres and above”. 

The newly renovated Manitowoc factory in Zhangjiagang, China.

The company, which described its current order book as “strong”, said it was “well-placed to capitalise on the growing demand and that it is now “on track to sell significantly more units this year than in 2020.”

Manitowoc recently expanded production facilities at its 56,000 square metre factory in Zhangjiagang, China, to keep up with the rising demand.

Works to the renovated Zhangjiangang factory included revisions to its layout, processes and equipment, and saw the installation of a new production line and new robotic welding machines.

Wang said, “Velocity and innovation are at the heart of our way of working, and you can see this throughout the Zhangjiagang facility. The principles of The Manitowoc Way are enabling us to achieve continuous improvement.”

The Zhangjiagang factory produces the entire Potain crane range, including best sellers in the country; the MCT 138, MCT 188, MCT 278 and MCT 328 flat top cranes.