JJC & Dragados chooses 4 Potain cranes to build new police hospital in Peru

The construction of the new Central Police Hospital in Lima, Peru, is underway with the help of four Potain tower cranes. Two MC 175 B and two MC 125 cranes are providing fast work at the job site by lifting formwork, prefabricated blocks, and more, to ensure that the new hospital will be ready at the start of 2019. The new six-story building is being constructed in the same spot where the old hospital was demolished in the Jesus Maria district.

The four Potain cranes were chosen by JJC & Dragados, the consortium managing the project, for their lift capacity and overall cost effectiveness. The consortium already had one MC 175 B in its fleet, and rented the other three from ETAC Peru, the country’s Potain dealer for the past 10 years. A Grove GMK5100 all-terrain crane is also onsite, assisting with heavier lifting.

"We decided to use these tower cranes when we learned that if we chose the right configuration, the MC 175 B could lift up to 8 t and the MC 125 up to 6 t, which met our needs. Mobile cranes were also an option, but the cost could have been four times higher," said Carlos Rizzo, Project Manager at JJC & Dragados. “This is a project that demands high velocity, so the police community of Lima can benefit from the new hospital as soon as possible. These Potain cranes fit perfectly, as their lifting mechanisms are far more agile than other cranes.”

At the job site in Lima, the two MC 175 B cranes are configured with 40 m and 45 m jibs and erected to 44 m heights, while the two MC 125 cranes have 50 m and 60 m jibs and are working at 45 m and 40 m heights. The Potain MC 175 B can lift 1.4 t at its maximum outreach of 60 m, while its maximum load handling capacity is 8 t. These specifications make it a popular choice for high-rise developments. The MC 125 has a maximum capacity of 6 t and maximum jib length of 60 m. It can lift 1.15 t at its maximum jib end.

Carlos Villacorta, General Manager of ETAC Peru, said that Potain cranes have increased in popularity over the last 10 years as more customers have become aware of their agility on job sites as well as their great return on investment. "Over the years, customers became more familiar with the benefits of tower cranes, particularly their ability to deliver projects much faster," he said. "So now, these machines are much more popular. We estimate that today, 75% of all new tower cranes sold in Peru are Potain."

The new hospital for police officers and their families is being built on an area of 40,200 sqm and was budgeted at $100 million, funded by the federal government. The new facility will have 80 medical offices, 128 hospital beds, an obstetric and a surgical center, an intermediate intensive care unit and a heliport pad.