Major orders from Saudi-Aramco and the US army have given Grove the kind of base workload that is essential in a down market.
Saudi-Aramco, the Saudi national oil exploration and production company, has ordered 19 GMK all terrain cranes for servicing and maintenance duties at various oil production facilities.
The US Army Tank, Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) has ordered 30 units of the AT 422T for $7m. This is on top of an existing TACOM contract to refurbish up to 180 RT 875CCs in a deal that could be worth $40m over the next five years (News July01, p5).
The $10m Aramco deal, completed in conjunction with Grove’s longstanding Saudi distributor Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo, is for 15 GMK 3050s (50t), two GMK 5100s (100t), and two GMK 5200s (200t).
It has long been a customer of Grove cranes, with some 230 of its existing fleet of 270 cranes being Groves, including a variety of rough terrain, all terrain and truck-mounted models. In recent years, however, its has been buying Liebherr ATs so the order is particularly important for Grove. Saudi-Aramco plans to renew virtually its entire fleet in the next five or six years, moving from truck cranes to ATs, although RTs remain important to its fleet.
All the Grove cranes will be delivered with an on-board data-logging system, developed by Grove to Aramco’s specification. It provides a range of operational data back to a central control point direct from the field on a daily basis, (and eventually also with GPS and tachograph feedback). Using a PCMIA-based data-storage and transfer system, with the capability to operate reliably in extreme temperatures, the data-logger works via the established Grove EKS and ECOS (electronic crane operating system).
As part of the package, in addition to a three year warranty, Grove is supplying 48 weeks of operator training and technical support training, both in Saudi Arabia and at Grove’s Wilhelmshaven factory in Germany. Kanoo will support the machines from its three main service centres in Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah, plus numerous satellite facilities throughout the Kingdom.
The US army already has 336 Grove AT 422Ts, delivered since 1997, with a total contract value since inception of more than $90m. Production of the current order will run to the end of this year and with an additional contract extension and budget funding pending, orders for a further 100 to 200 units are expected during 2003 and 2004.
The AT 422T is a 20t (22 US ton) American-style all terrain with a 21.4m (70ft) full power, three-section main boom. The cranes are equipped with a special hydraulic circuit and hydraulic hose reel mounted on the boom to allow operation of a clamshell grab or grapple.
