MAJOR orders from Mexico, Japan, Belgium and the UK got Demag Mobile Cranes off to a flying start in 2003.
Mexican state oil company Pemex, in association with the Mexican government, has ordered five Demag AC 500 (500t) all terrains for use on a massive elevated ring road project around Mexico City. The first of these has already been shipped. The order was signed on 31 December in the face of strong competition from Liebherr.
In November, Mexican rental company Ugalde also took delivery of an AC 500.
MIC of Japan placed an order in December for two CC 8800s, which will bring to nine the total number of these 1,250t capacity crawlers that are in the field (CT Sept 2002, pp22-23).
Kranen Michielsens of Belgium took delivery in December of a E9m package of 12 all terrain cranes, including the first unit of the newly uprated AC 700, a 700t capacity AT that was previously rated at 650t and called the AC 650. Capacity increases on this nine-axle beast are particularly noticeable with the Sideways Superlift (SSL) attachment for the luffing fly jib, Demag says.
Other cranes in the Michielsens order were five AC 80-2 models and six AC 100s. Three of the six AC 100s are equipped with a full function tag axle, which allows the crane to carry more counterweight within the 12t axle load limitation.
In the UK, Hewden Stuart placed a E12m order for 32 all terrains for delivery in the first half of 2003. Hewden Crane Hire is taking an AC 200/1, Demag’s new 200 tonner with a 60m boom, an AC 120, three AC 100s, eight AC 50/1s and 16 units of the AC 35, the 35t model built by PPM in France that was previously the ATT 400/3. The order also includes an AC 40-1 for Hewden Plant Hire and two AC 35s for Hewden Services. This order follows a similarly large one from Hewden last year. These two orders together will have renewed 25% of Hewden Crane Hire’s rental fleet.
