WATM Crane Sales and Services has ordered seven Grove GMK6300Ls to work in the region’s mining sector. Four of the cranes are already at work with the rest due for delivery in the coming months.
Manitowoc said that the GMK6300Ls, which have an 80m boom, would be used for general assembly and maintenance work at iron ore mines across Western Australia. Jobs will include building machinery, facilities and plant maintenance. Work where the long boom meant there was rarely a need for a swingaway or boom extension, saving time.
WATM are Grove’s local dealer and will be providing on-site support and training to ensure effective routine maintenance. The cranes are expected to work for more than 10 years in the harsh mining environment, and will contend with searing heat and an almost constant workload.
The dealer is also offering an extensive range of specialist modifications that the company has developed to ensure that any Manitowoc or Grove crane can be fitted out to meet or exceed any site-specific requirements. Some of the GMK6300Ls were bought to complement or replace older 220 t capacity units that also sit on six-axles.
In other news, Manitowoc said its Indian dealer TIL has found success by offering more used Grove cranes to its customers. The company gave the example of Amrit Crane Service, a rental firm from Gujarat, India, who recently invested in a new 300t capacity GMK6300L following a series of used crane purchases.
In 2011, the rental firm bought a 220t capacity GMK6220L from TIL. This was followed by the purchase of two 50t capacity GMK3050s. The cranes went to work almost immediately and provided general lifting services at construction projects across the region. Amrit’s fleet has since expanded to include five used Grove cranes.
The Wisconsin-headquartered company said that the performance and reliability of the used Grove cranes gave Amrit the confidence to invest in the new 300t capacity GMK6300L, which will be the largest in the Gujarat fleet.
