The facility will handle sales, service, training spare parts for Grove mobile cranes, Manitowoc crawlers and Potain tower cranes for the UK and Ireland.
Thibaut Le Besnerais, vice president of Manitowoc Crane Care in EMEA, said the new Buckingham facility would allow the company to further develop its service levels.
“Our company has a long tradition in the U.K. and Ireland and a large, growing population of cranes working across both countries,” he said. “As a manufacturer, we put a strong emphasis on our ability to support them. This new facility gives us the industry-leading service capability we need and excellent access to transport links for all areas of the UK and Ireland.”
Although the company’s UK staffing levels in the new facility will be greater than its two current locations. There will be some job losses as a consequence of the distance of the move from the other locations, a spokesman confirmed.
The Sunderland location is located next to the old Coles Crown Works crane factory. Grove bought Coles in 1984, and operated the factory until 1998. In 2000, Grove closed its Bicester facility, which is about five miles from Gawcott.
Terex’s new facility is in Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, about 20 miles south. The facility has been open since April for sales, service, spare parts and training for Demag, PPM and Bendini. The company was formerly based in Brentford, North London.
Liebherr GB built a sales and service facility about 30 miles from Gawcott in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire in 2005.