Alimak announces hoist JV with Manitowoc

A new partnership between Manitowoc and Alimak Group will see the pair jointly produce internal tower crane hoists to be exclusivity sold by Manitowoc. Alimak will also supply external units to be distributed by both companies.

The Alimak Group will supply its standard external operator elevators adapted to fit Manitowoc tower cranes, sold under the Potain brand name. They will be sold through both companies' global sales and distribution networks.

In addition, Alimak has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Manitowoc for an internal tower crane hoists, called CabLIFT, attached within the cran's mast, which will be exclusively sold and distributed by Manitowoc. By installing the CabLIFT internally within the crane’s mast, Potain crane owners will benefit from reduced cost of ownership with ease of transport, assembly and storage, and advanced ergonomics for crane operators and service technicians, said Manitowoc.

The new tower crane elevator solutions will meet stringent health and safety regulations in Europe, including the latest as laid out in France, said Alimak, stating that motorised access must be available for operators climbing 60 m or more to the tower crane cab, and from 30 m in the new regulation taking effect in 2017.

Both solutions can be used on all Potain K Mast systems, from 1.6 m, to 2.45 m wide and can either be supplied new from the Potain factory, or retrofitted to existing cranes either onsite or at the customer’s facility. The elevatord can reach a maximum speed of 24 m per min.

“We are very excited about the new agreement with Manitowoc regarding tower crane elevators. Increased health and safety requirements on vertical access solutions is one of the global trends that we see in both mature and emerging markets. The new tower crane elevators provide safe and fast access to tower crane cabs and is an additional example of our strategy to broaden our product portfolio to service different industries and application areas”, says Tormod Gunleiksrud, CEO of Alimak Group.

Both the internal and external product-versions have been presented for the first time during a Manitowoc customer event on June 23-26 2015. Both will be available at the beginning of 2016.