General Crane Lays Groundwork for Gulf Coast Growth with Major Equipment Purchases
September 7, 2006 • “Strike while the iron's hot” seems to be the philosophy of General Crane of
“We've also purchased several Grove cranes and personnel and material hoisting equipment from Alimak,” says Jim Robertson, managing partner.
“Some people might say the economy's going in the other direction, but we feel it's time for us to grow, time to expand,” he says. The company has been nearly exclusive to south
“We'll be available to the
The Linden-Comansa crane purchases were made to add to the company's growing tower crane division. With five companies in the family, General Crane already has a fleet of 51 tower cranes, and Linden-Comansa is its brand of choice.
While it's difficult to earmark them when they aren't in house yet, many of the newly purchased tower cranes are already slotted for certain projects. Others, says Robertson, will be part of the company's dealer stock and will be rented or sold. The manufacturer will deliver two tower cranes a month until the order is completed. “We wanted to get as much manufacturing designated as possible so we can control our growth,” he says.
With the purchase of the Liebherr all-terrain cranes, General Crane can erect its tower cranes faster and more efficiently. Slated for in-house use only, they'll be put to work erecting the Linden-Comansa machines or will be rented out. Some of the Liebherrs “are big ones for
Although the purchase exhausts the balance of the manufacturer's
Citing this as a large order for both manufacturer and customer, Schiller says the cranes will start arriving at General Crane at the end of this year and delivery will be completed next year.
From Liebherr Nenzing Crane Co., in
The company's machines can be found on the jobsite of medical complexes, commercial office buildings, high-rise condos, and sports stadiums. When asked why the company is committed to these particular brands, Robertson says, “Liebherr? That's easy • It's by far, in our opinion, the most quality AT crane made. And we've had the Lindens for years. We like the flat-top modular system. It's safe to erect, and the lines speeds and capacities are very impressive.”
The mega purchase doubles the General Crane family fleet, including those of Hunter Cranes, Merchant Transport and Cranes, and