New Fassi tech hub

Albino, Italy-headquartered manufacturer of truck-mounted cranes Fassi Gru has opened the Fassi technology hub. Located close to its headquarters, the technology hub covers an area of 11,500m2 comprising offices and service areas, a new product showroom, plus a specialist activity area for prototype construction, crane assembly/fatigue testing, and the development of hydraulic, electrical and electronic systems.

“The new technology hub is a place dedicated to research and development, to creating and designing machines and high-tech systems,” said Giovanni Fassi, president of the Fassi Group. “We created it to identify and experiment with unexplored solutions, a space open to all group companies (Fassi, Cranab and Marrel), where our technicians transform projects into prototypes, testing their potential and performance.”

“The possibility of being able to design on a blank canvas, without constraints but with the sole aim of creating a real innovation hub was the gateway to everything,” said Rossano Ceresoli, research & development director of the Fassi Group. “Since the 2000s cranes have become systems that integrate various technologies and specialisations: mechanics and metallurgy for the structure, hydraulics for power and movement, electronics for safety and control. They are real mechatronic systems. It is therefore with continuous research in these sectors and the ability to integrate them in the appropriate way that we evolve and innovate our products. The ultimate goal is certainly to satisfy the demands of our customers, but also to anticipate them by creating real new needs.”

Among the areas being explored at the technology hub are the autonomous and long-distance teleoperation of Fassi cranes, plus a focus on increased sustainability via lithium battery packs for emissions-free crane operation.