17.09.2008

Manitowoc opens new production halls at Wilhelmshaven

Manitowoc has opened two new production halls at its Wilhelmshaven plant. The first is a 2,000 square metre dedicated production ‘hanger’ for the assembly of the radical Grove GTK1100 heavy duty telescopic tower crane.

Outside the building there is a further 12,000 square metres of paved area for testing and storage. Some components for the GTK are also constructed in the main GMK manufacturing facility. In total, there are 15 people working full time on GTK construction.

Another new hall of 2,600 square metres plus an adjoining office block of 400 square metres, will manage the complete assembly process for superstructures on the GMK range of All-Terrain cranes. It features two production lines, an engine assembly area and two new cells for boom assembly.

The new building frees up capacity at the facility and means all completion work can now take place in a dedicated hall. Construction started on the new hall in July, and crane production started in early September.

The company has also opened a new customer handover area for customers collecting their cranes in person. The area covers 7,000 square metres of which 500 square metres are undercover with a variety of meeting rooms.