Japanese manufacturer Furukawa Unic has launched its 295C mini crawler crane in Europe, through UK based GGR Glass Services.

GGR was established in 1996 and began hiring glass handling equipment to the construction industry. In 2001, however, the company discovered the mini cranes concept and established GGR Crane Hire, which today operates a fleet of 20 mini crawlers in the 1t to 3t capacity range. GGR, having funded the CE certification process for the Unic mini crawlers, has also secured European distribution rights for the range and has established Unic Crane Sales Europe for this purpose.

The Unic 295C is rated at 2.9t capacity. It is 600mm wide and can pass through a standard doorway. Maximum working radius is 8.41m. It features a computer-controlled, voice warning system that informs the operator what mode of the crane is activated, such as crane mode or outrigger mode, to prevent improper use of the crane.

GGR’s initial search was for a mini crane for the UK market that could be used in confined spaces but lift a relatively heavy weight at a good working radius. The company approached Furukawa with the intent of importing into the UK and Europe. The absence of CE certification, however, had previously prevented the sale of the cranes into Europe, but the standardisation of the range to European specification by Furukawa and GGR, and subsequent input from UK testing and certification group SGS, resulted in the first Unic unit to hit UK shores in the 15.45m working radius, 3t capacity 506C.

A further unit based on Unic’s 2t mini crawler was subsequently developed exclusively for GGR and resulted in the delivery of two pre-production versions of the 295C for CE-type approval. Further modifications were made to convert the 295C’s engine to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is now available on all production models. Operators can use the petrol option to drive the machine outdoors and switch to non-toxic LPG when inside.

All Unic mini crawlers are now available for hire through GGR or for sale through Unic Crane Sales Europe.