- German construction equipment rental company Spira Baugeräte und Schalungslogistik has deployed its new Potain MDT 569 tower crane at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, where it will handle large, prefabricated elements for the construction of two new laboratory buildings over the course of 17 months.
- The customer required a crane to lift 15 t at 35 m and 8 t at 60 m, which made the MDT 569, with its 25 t maximum capacity and 80 m jib, ideally suited for the job.
- The ease of transport and assembly gave Spira the trust and confidence in the Potain MDT 569 for the tight, city center location; Spira technicians and Potain factory fitters carried out the erection in just two days.
Spira Baugeräte und Schalungslogistik, based in Speyer Germany, recently added a new Potain MDT 569 to its rental fleet of 60 self-erecting and 50 top-slewing cranes. The formwork and construction equipment rental company has deployed the tower crane, which has a maximum capacity of 25 t and 4.2 t at the end of the 80 m jib, to help construct a new laboratory at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Spira technicians worked with two Potain factory technicians to assemble and erect the crane in just two days, using a 400 t six-axle Grove GMK6400 mobile crane. The quick assembly was crucial due to the job site’s city centre location and limited space – and was made possible thanks to the design and technology of the MDT 569, along with careful preparation.
“For a week, we meticulously planned the pre-assembly and logistics. The optimized size of the crane components for truck transport definitely convinced us the Potain MDT 569 was the right crane for the job,” said Yves Dupré, who is joint manager of Spira along with his brother Philippe.
“The MDT 569 is one of the few topless cranes of this size – and the ease of installation and the ergonomics of the assembly won the Spira management team over. As for the spare parts service and the aftersales service, they are simply exceptional,” Philippe Dupré added.
The Manitowoc Crane Control System (CCS) offers considerable advantages, making crane setup much easier and faster than conventional crane models. All the adjustments necessary for the crane configuration can be made in record time from the cab.
For the KIT project, the MDT 569 was erected to a hook height of 48.9 m and equipped with a 60 m jib from which it can lift 8.9 t at the end. The customer’s requirements included being able to lift elements from 15 t at 35 m and 8 t at 60 m.
The crane will remain on-site for 17 months where it will handle large, prefabricated components to construct two buildings – one with six floors and the other with two floors.
