Zoomlion launches first Jost designed crane

At a press conference to discuss the launch, Zoomlion construction crane division general manager Helen Huang explained that the new series of cranes would be "made in China using German designs, in accordance with EU standards." The new cranes spring from an agreement signed last summer, under which Zoomlion bought all of Jost's flat-top crane technology.

Harry Yu, deputy general manager for Zoomlion, described how the new T-series cranes would develop on Jost's JT-series cranes. The first crane to be launched, the T320-16, adds 4t to the maximum capacity of its JT series counterpart.

Jost explained that the new cranes, with their quick connection points, would be easy to assemble. A 24m high crane, with standard jib, could be erected in around 10 hours, including safety inspections.

The first of the cranes has been sold to Soon Douglas, a subsidiary of Singapore's Tiong Woon. A Tiong Woon spokesman said, "Singapore has very strict regulations on machinery. In order to bring the crane to Singapore, we have to go through a lot of testing and gain the approval of the Ministry of Manpower.

"We are proud to bring T320-16 to Singapore. We expect to get approval by the end of June. Our intention is [to buy a] minimum of 20 units followed by another 10 maybe by the end of the year.

"We are looking at more production [in] Southeast Asia and Asian countries not only [using] T320-16 but also [using] other products."

At Intermat, Zoomlion will be looking to promote the cranes to European buyers. The company's product manager for Europe, Stefano Vittadini, said, "16t cranes are quite popular in Europe, but not suitabe for all markets. It's particularly good for Germany and Poland. Our aim is to sell 10 units by the end of the year, and double that next year."