Arcomet was previously the Potain distributor in the UK. Now, top slewing tower cranes will be sold direct by Manitowoc UK, headed by long-serving Potain veteran Steve Barnett, who was Potain’s UK sales director back in the 1990s. Potain of France was acquired by US crawler crane manufacturer Manitowoc in 2001.
Potain self-erecting tower cranes will now be sold by former Terex Comedil distributor Ladybird, which began life by acquiring Potain’s UK self-erecting hire fleet after the Manitowoc acquisition. Ladybird now has the country’s largest hire fleet of self-erectors.
Mr Barnett said that the new arrangement brought greater resources to the UK market. “Selling Potain cranes directly will enable us to react faster to customer inquiries and to raise awareness of the full capabilities of the product line,” he said. “Over the past five years, the Potain range has grown by new models and technologies across the board, including a variety of capabilities to suit the diverse nature of modern construction sites. Nobody in the UK knows Potain cranes better than our team, so we look forward to getting in front of customers and highlighting the latest technology advances in tower cranes.”
Ladybird will serve the UK market from its headquarters in Bromsgrove where it has a demonstration area, yard, workshop and training facility. The group supports its rental fleet with a team of full-time engineers and a network of subcontractors who will also service cranes sold to third parties.
Ladybird managing director Robert Bird said that demand for self-erecting cranes had remained relatively strong in a difficult market. “The UK market for self-erecting cranes has been resilient in recent years, despite lower levels of construction activity,” he said. “Contractors are focusing on costs and operation, and because self-erecting cranes are a cost-effective, single source for material handling, we’re seeing levels of interest remain steady. In terms of technology and productivity, Potain is the market leader and we are excited to be offering the company’s cranes for both sales and rental.”
One of the most popular job sites for self-erecting cranes in the UK are care homes and large residential houses, both of which have been relatively unaffected by the construction downturn. Care homes in particular are well-suited to self-erecting cranes as the construction processes generally involves placing timber frame panels, which telehandlers (an alternative to self-erecting cranes) cannot install.
As an additional benefit to customers purchasing or renting cranes from the company, Ladybird offers the services of a GAPO positioning vehicle, designed by Potain’s Italian dealer. GAPO is a remote-controlled dolly that can manoeuvre cranes into tight job sites. The motorised front bogie can turn through 180 degrees and connects hydraulically to the crane’s steerable rear axle. Operated together, this allows the driver to turn the crane within its own length offering exceptional manoeuvrability. Offering GAPO allows Ladybird to install self-erecting cranes in places contractors may have thought impossible.
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