Wolff hunts US opportunity

German tower crane manufacturer Wolffkran made its ConExpo debut this year, increasing its exposure to the US market. At the event, it showcased the WOLFF 7534.16 clear tower crane, which has a maximum capacity of 16.5t and maximum jib radius of 75m.

The manufacturer had re-entered the US market two years ago, with head of international sales Duncan Salt saying it was the right time because of a mindset change from crawlers and hydraulic cranes to tower cranes. “Drivers, erectors, contractors love tower cranes because they take up a lot less space and work quicker,” he says.

Old-generation Wolffkran cranes can be found in the fleet of some crane hire companies in the US, but the company is now seeing an increase in sales and enquiries for new ones.

The company has sold nine cranes up to the start of this year, and aims to have 15-20 WOLFF cranes in the West Coast by the end of 2017.

“We have been quite picky as to where we go; we don’t just go where the market or money is, but where we can also provide on the ground services, such as spare parts and technical support,” adds Salt.

New WOLFF cranes have recently been put to work in different US cities. The company has had its 700tm-class luffing jib cranes have been used for a project in San Francisco Bay. Illinois-headquartered Custom Service Cranes has bought three saddle jib cranes, which will be used in a job in St. Louis.

To the question whether to meet US tower crane regulations has been a challenge, Salt answers: “It is not a massive change for us, we build to a very high standard anyway. Our luffing jib cranes have a secondary brake to the luffing winch as standard, the hoist brake was additional, but it is nothing major.

The cranes are all UL certified. “We would rather be in a market where the benchmark is high for regulation because it keeps a few out and maintains a good clean tower crane business”

The WOLFF 7534.16 which was showcased at ConExpo has very few differences compared to the model manufactured for Europe.

Salt said: “It is not much different in structure apart from the handrails and the 110 volt supply in the cab. When it comes to the switch cabinet, it is stainless steel. You have UL certification and the protection of the electrical cabinet needs to achieve 3R, which we can achieve on the standard cabinet but these would require three-yearly maintenance, whereas stainless steel is there forever. We think it adds to the quality of the product.”

The secondary tower crane market in the US is an area of concern for European tower crane manufacturers, as some regulatory regimes, in places such as New York City, seek to limit use of older cranes. This hits the resale value of cranes, and can be expected to add to financing costs. Salt explains:

“The thing we are struggling on with European colleagues is that companies do not want tower cranes older than ten years.

“I would rather have a 20 year-old Mercedes that has been serviced every week, than a two-year old car from another brand that has not been serviced at all.”

Wolffkran plans to bring to the US market the WOLFF 166B hydraulic luffer, which has proven very popular in London on numerous concrete structures, says Salt: “We are prototyping this model for the American market. When I went to New York I saw many job sites where the 166 B could be used due to its capacity and tight out of service radius.”

Outside Europe and the US, Wolffkran has representations in the Middle East and partnerships in Southeast Asia, Australia and Canada