Manitowoc’s Potain MCi 85 Constructs Government Buildings in Central Pune

At a job site in the Indian city of Pune, Shubham Civil Projects Pvt. Ltd., is using a Potain MCi 85 tower crane to help construct a number of local government buildings. With limited space on the downtown job site and a strong drive from the client to keep project costs to a minimum, Shubham Civil Projects found Manitowoc's Potain MCi 85 to be a perfect solution.

"The job site in Pune posed several challenges that the Potain MCi 85 helped us overcome," said Vinay Badera, director of Shubham Civil Projects. "First, we have only 12 months to complete the project so productivity and reliability are important considerations for any equipment on this job. Second, we were asked to keep labor costs down and to work within a very small footprint. The rapid assembly time and compact design of the Potain MCi 85 was crucial, and using it has also helped us reduce our workforce allocated to this project."

Shubham Civil Projects already has a good understanding of the capabilities of the Potain MCi 85, having purchased its first unit in 2014 before adding a second earlier this year. On the Pune project, the MCi 85 is working on three buildings, one of which will be the city's Collector's Office — a 32 m, five story building. The crane is being used to lift steel bars and concrete formwork, as well as for pouring concrete. The crane has been positioned to access all three buildings, which are situated in close proximity and arranged in a semi-circle.

The MCi 85 lifts 1.3t at its maximum jib end of 50m and has a maximum overall capacity of 5t. The crane offers great versatility too, with the ability to configure its jib between 25m and 50m, allowing it to work comfortably on smaller congested city job sites, while still offering the capability to work on larger projects spread over a wider area. And, with a free-standing height of 34.5m plus an ability to climb much higher, it is suited to many of the high rise projects currently underway in India. What's more, Manitowoc manufactures the MCi 85 in its Pune factory ensuring it is built exactly to the needs of the local market.


Manitowoc's Pune-based Potain dealer, Tech Know Earthmoving Services sold the crane to Shubham Civil Projects and was on-site to oversee the commissioning and erection of the crane. In addition, Tech Know Earthmoving Services sends a dealer representative to visit the job site each week to ensure operations are running smoothly.

"The level of service and support, we receive from Manitowoc and Tech Know Earthmoving Services, has been outstanding," said Badera. "Efficiency and performance are very important to Shubham Civil Projects so it's reassuring to know that these values are shared by Manitowoc. So far, we've been very impressed with the performance of our new Potain MCi 85 cranes. As demand for our services grows in Pune and elsewhere we will certainly look to invest in more Potain cranes."

The local government project in Pune is scheduled to take 18 months to complete.