Manitowoc’s Brazilian factory to start production

At the end of March the manufacturer held an inauguration ceremony at the new facility in Passo Fundo, Brazil at which suppliers, potential customers, Brazil’s vice president and the country’s minister of development, industry and foreign trade had their first look at the factory.

There are 55 staff based at the new Manitowoc site, who will work to manufacture rough-terrain cranes using some locally sourced components, although roughly 70% of each crane’s components will be imported.

This new factory is expected to greatly reduce the lead times and cost of supplying customers in not just Brazil, but across Latin America, and Manitowoc’s goal is to improve this further by eventually sourcing 70% of components locally.

Commenting on the brief period between the inauguration and the start of production Manitowoc’s general manager of operations at the Passo Fundo plant, Mauro Nunes da Silva, said: “Once we received local government approval to build our factory in Passo Fundo, we wanted to start making cranes as soon as possible. Overall, it’s been less than 12 months between the signing of initial agreements and this inauguration.

“The construction timeline was very tight, and we encountered delays from severe weather along the way. But we achieved our timetable and it’s all thanks to the fantastic efforts of the team here. At Passo Fundo we are committed to producing high quality Manitowoc cranes that exceed our customer expectations. We will deliver industry-leading cranes, promptly, and make sure we meet our obligations to our customers, our stakeholders and ourselves.”

Manitowoc executive vice president for the Americas, Larry Weyers added: “The number and prominence of our guests show just how important this factory is to the regional crane industry. The Brazilian crane market is one of the fastest growing in the world, and Manitowoc has a long history both here and throughout Latin America.

“Over the past five years we’ve expanded our sales and Manitowoc Crane Care operations to ensure we have the best infrastructure to serve our customers. Now, with this Passo Fundo factory, we can give them locally-manufactured cranes that are ideally suited to their needs.”