Kranenbouw and STK announced the first deal. Both of the Dutch companies rent, sell and maintain tower cranes. Kranenbouw, established in 1969, rents and services tower cranes in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Its fleet mainly consists of Liebherrs, but it also has cranes from Comansa, Peiner, Saez and Jost (it manufactures and sells Jost’s cranes, under licence from Jost Cranes of Germany). In recent years, the company has started to sell used cranes from its own fleet, and become the distributor for new cranes from Spanish self-erector manufacturer Saez.
STK was established in the early 1980s, initially operating as a construction equipment maintenance company. It is now a tower crane specialist, providing rentals and servicing for all major tower crane brands. Since 2002, it has imported Terex-Comedil cranes into the Netherlands.
Under the deal, Kranenbouw acquired STK’s entire business, including cranes, workforce and premises. The deal will add 80 cranes to Kranenbouw’s fleet, giving the combined group a fleet of 160 cranes, in the 160tm–400tm range. Around 40 staff will join the company from STK. Initially both companies will continue to operate under their existing branding, but will be integrated under a new Kranenbouw Group brand during 2008.
The second, Scandinavian, deal will see Kynningsrud Crane and Stangeland Crane create a co-owned mobile crane rental firm, Nordic Crane Group AS. The two companies will continue to operate their mobile crane businesses under their own brands, and to run other operations separately from the new venture. However, under this deal they will have access to each others fleets, through a joint depot, making 300 cranes available to the new firm. The company said the deal will make it easier to serve their clients, and will provide cost benefits.
Kynningsrud works in construction, wind power, and petro-chemical markets in the eastern part of Norway and in Sweden. Stangeland focuses on oil and gas, and also services the construction and industrial sectors, along the coast of Norway.
A release issued by the two firms said that the new business would have 375 staff, 300 cranes, and a turnover of NOK650m (EUR80m; $126.5m), making it ‘the market leader in Scandinavia’.
