Potain MCi 85 A

Potain's MCi 85 A is the company's most popular tower crane in India. Built at its factory in Pune, these cranes have appeared on dozens of projects across the country including many highrise residential and commercial projects in Bangalore, Noida, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, and many other locations.

A major reason for the crane's popularity is its ease of assembly in crowded urban job sites in downtown locations. Potain's internal climbing tower cranes are especially popular where job sites do not have the luxury of space to erect the cranes. The MCi 85 A tower cranes, which can fit most standard lift shaft dimensions, are then erected within the lift shafts. The cranes then carry out various lifting duties and will climb together with the building until the end of the job when they are dismantled to make way for the lifts.

The MCi 85 A is specifically designed for fast and easy erection and dismantling. The crane has fewer pieces to its assembly with design features that allow the hoist rope winding to be done at ground level while only one tie-bar is required for the front jib. It is also economical to transport due to a reduced number of crane sections and limited weight. The crane is relatively lightweight, so it can be erected with a smaller mobile crane. Its customer-friendly design means it also pins together with relative ease.

Once erected, the crane has excellent lift abilities at all lengths of the jib. The crane has a 5 t maximum capacity, and lifts 1.3 t at its maximum jib end of 50 m. Owners also have flexibility in choosing the jib length to suit their job site. The jib can be configured in 5 m intervals from 25 m up to the 50 m maximum and still maintain excellent lifting ability. For example with the 25 m jib, the crane will lift 3t at the jib end, and with the 30 m jib, it will lift 2.5 t at the jib end. With its full 50 m jib, this crane can lift 1.3 t at jib end.

The crane has a free-standing height of 34.5 m, but it can be climbed to much taller heights to suit a particular project. Hoisting capability comes from the crane's 25 PC 13 hoist. This powerful mechanism can allow the crane to hoist 2.6 t at speed of up to 33 m/min.

After sales support for the crane is provided through Manitowoc Crane Care, the company's unrivaled customer service program. This program covers all aspects of parts, service, maintenance, training and is unlike anything else in the Indian crane industry.

The latest initiative from Manitowoc Crane Care is a Contact Center in Pune, which was opened at the end of 2011. To access the high-level support at the Contact Center, customers simply dial a toll free number (tel: 000 800 852 1345) which is also connected to Manitowoc's international telephone network, meaning customers can call any time, day or night, and speak to a technician about their Manitowoc crane.

Technical personnel at the center are trained on Manitowoc's products and customer service processes. Operatives at the Contact Center can dispatch service personnel, arrange parts shipment, provide technical application support and provide a host of other services.

The Contact Center is also linked to other Manitowoc Contact Centers in China, France and the United States. The integrated telecoms network is the most advanced in the crane industry and gives customers access to true round-the-clock support and a broad pool of international expertise.

Raman Joshi, managing director and vice president of Manitowoc Cranes India, said the Contact Center reinforces the company's industry-leading support for its cranes.

"This new Contact Center in Pune shows our dedication to customer support," he said. "It is the first of its kind for crane users in India and part of our ongoing commitment to our customers. It ensures they get maximum productivity from their Manitowoc cranes, such as the Potain MCi 85 A — our most popular tower crane in India. Our overall strategy for India is working well. We are seeing growing demand, so we have increased production and staff levels at our Pune factory. Also, our program of continuous advan- cements means quality is improving and allows customers to do more on the job site," added Mr. Joshi.