Manitowoc scales up productivity in Asia with new tower crane factory in India

Manitowoc produces more efficient and better qaulity Potain Tower Cranes in its new factory in India

Manitowoc has opened a new Potain tower crane factory in the Indian city of Chakan, which lies outside Pune, with production beginning in the first quarter of 2018. This facility replaces the company’s previous factory in Pune that had opened in 2007. With a smaller land area, new equipment and lean manufacturing processes, the new facility produces Potain MCT 85 and MC 125 cranes more efficiently and with better quality.

David Semple, Manitowoc’s senior vice president for the Middle East and India, said that the development of the plant had been closely aligned to the principles of The Manitowoc Way. "This new factory is another demonstration of how The Manitowoc Way business philosophy guides our operations," he said. "We are focused on developing and executing lean strategies to improve efficiency, profitability, and value for our stakeholders. Our customers will benefit from the faster delivery times and enhanced quality of this new facility, and our employees will feel proud to work at one of the most advanced tower crane factories in Asia. Potain has long been a market-leader in India and we want to ensure that our reputation continues, so, opening this factory is an important step."

With a production area of 9,760 m2, the new factory’s manufacturing footprint has been reduced by one-third as compared to its previous facility, but has been designed for the same level of production output. Among the upgrades in equipment at the facility are a new paint shop and shot blasting machine cells, complemented by intensive worker training to ensure Manitowoc produces the finest tower cranes.


The facility layout delivers other productivity improvements: most notably, the time to transport materials from the assembly area to the finished goods yard is reduced by 68%. There are other significant savings in material transport from the steel yard, supplier yard, and fabrication area.

Time savings are not limited to onsite operations either. Although, still in the Pune area, the new factory sits some 45 km from the old location, in the city’s industrial belt of Chakan. Being situated in Chakan offers better connectivity to national highways, speeding up customer deliveries within India. In addition, the new facility is closer to Mumbai from where Potain cranes are shipped to export markets.

"The majority of cranes manufactured at this new factory will be shipped to customers in India," said David Semple. "But we will also serve neighboring markets such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. All of our customers will benefit from the faster deliveries and enhanced quality of Potain cranes in this region."

The Potain MCT 85 and MC 125 are popular units in India and the surrounding markets. The MCT 85 can lift a maximum of 5 t or 1.1 t at its jib end of 52 m. It is a practical unit designed for easier transportation, with its entire top portion able to travel on just two trucks. Assembly is easier too as most of the pre-assembly work happens at the factory before the crane is delivered to the customer. 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.