O’Rourke family invests in Moritsch tower crane business

A 16 tonne capacity RTL 195 luffing jib tower crane built by Moritsch Cranes

Italian tower crane manufacturer Moritsch Cranes has received an investment from Oisin Capital.

Oisin, headquartered in Jersey, is the investment office of the O’Rourke family, of construction giant Laing O’Rourke which includes crane and construction machinery rental division Select Plant Hire in the UK.

Moritsch and Oisin will invest in research and development to enlarge the range of tower cranes towards bigger and bigger units, Moritsch said.

The investment in Moritsch continues Oisin’s “commitment to finding and consolidating new forms of value in every aspect of advanced modern construction.”

Moritsch Cranes was set up by Mariano Moritsch in 2015. It continues a legacy of his late father Ferruccio who started tower crane manufacturer Gru Comedil in 1962. Connection was made between Ray O’Rourke and Ferruccio in 1993 when Select Plant entered the crane rental business. It continued after the acquisition of Comedil by Terex Corporation in 1998 with Select Plant becoming UK distributor for Terex Comedil and then it later became Terex Tower Cranes.

Adjacent industries

Oisin Capital said its decision to invest “is one of continuing investment in adjacent industries, as we take forward our New Delivery Paradigm in both the UK and Australia. It cements a longstanding relationship between the O’Rourke and Moritsch families and reflects shared values of innovating from a position of keenly felt values and care for their communities, clients and the people who deliver their services.”

Ray O’Rourke, founder of Oisin Capital, said, “It is great to be working with Mariano again on this very critical aspect of construction delivery.”

Mariano Moritsch

For his part Mariano Moritsch commented, “I am honoured, after almost 35 years of experience in tower cranes, to be part of such an intriguing challenge with the O’Rourke family, to develop a new paradigm in the lifting industry, and to guarantee a bright future to the Moritsch Cranes business model.”

Moritsch said “the union will focus in the years to come on research and development to bring an element of science and technology to the lifting industry.”

Oisin Capital said it “manages and preserves multi-generational wealth through a diversified approach across asset classes, including private equity, real estate, and public markets.”