10.04.2006

Bob Francis takes first Manitowoc

Three generations of the Francis family were on hand on Friday to take delivery of the first Manitowoc 8500E crawler crane to be delivered in Europe. Vertikal was at the company’s Rhuddlan North Wales base to witness the event.
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L-R: Luke Francis, Mark Francis, Karl Kirkpatrick (Crane-Credit), Ross Wilson (Manitowoc UK) and Bob Francis

The 8500E is the first Manitowoc badged Kobelco crawler crane to be sold in Europe and takes the company’s crawler crane fleet to seven units, the smallest being the IHI CCH50T which was purchased only 18 months ago.

The new model, an 80 tonner, offers up to 73 metres of tip height with heavy duty boom and jib.

Wasting no time to reap revenues from the latest investment, the 8500E is due to go out on a contract this morning- Monday- installing steel pipes insulation.

We asked Mark Francis about why the company had chosen to purchase the crane from Manitowoc, was it a simple matter of availability?
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The Manitowoc 8500E

“We have dealt with Grove for many years and Grove has always supported us very well. We have always had a good relationship with the management team. Having the machine and the credit facility supplied by the manufacturer worked for us - it was an obvious choice.

The terms were excellent and the deal was good”. Crane Credit, the Joint venture between Manitowoc and the Bank of Scotland provided the finance for the purchase.

A full interview with Bob and Mark Francis will follow on line and in the June issue of Cranes&Access.