The hottest pre-Bauma rumour – that Manitowoc had agreed a deal to merge with or acquire Demag – persisted even after the official news broke that Manitowoc was buying Potain. Only on the evening before the show started did Manitowoc finally move to scotch it formally.
At a press dinner on Sunday evening Manitowoc Cranes general manager Rob Giebel discussed the $300m Potain deal and then added in a clear reference to the rumours: "I can categorically deny that we have any deal with anybody else that you are probably anxious to hear about. But, c’mon, give me a break… we’ve just spent $300m!" He also revealed that the Potain acquisition had cleared its first hurdle, having won the approval last year of Potain’s workers’ council. This union approval was described by Giebel as ‘ an important regulatory hurdle".
