Manitowoc Opens Expansions in Italy

Enlarge Image
Manitowoc's Italy facility frees up capacity at other company factories.

November 13, 2008 â€“ Manitowoc celebrated the latest expansions to its manufacturing facility in Niella Tanaro, Italy, with a special event for customers, dealers and Manitowoc management. The new area at the Niella plant is building rough-terrain cranes from Manitowocâ€™s Grove brand. The factory also builds all-terrain cranes from the Grove brand and self-erecting cranes and top-slewing tower cranes from the Potain brand.

Among those at the event was Eric Etchart, president and general manager of Manitowoc, who said the new factory would extend capability in Italy and create additional capacity at other Manitowoc factories. â€œThe expansion here is important because it gives us greater capacity to build more cranes, but equally important is the capacity that is freed up at our other facilities,â€ he said. â€œWe are now building all our two-axle and three-axle all-terrain cranes here, allowing us more capacity at our factory in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. And building rough-terrain cranes here for the Italian market gives us greater flexibility at our factory in Shady Grove, Pa., U.S.â€

Manitowoc first began manufacturing cranes on the Niella Tanaro site, close to Turin, in 2000 when it started assembling Potain self-erecting cranes. In 2005, it began production of top-slewing tower cranes and built a factory for assembly of Grove rough-terrain cranes and two-axle all-terrain cranes.

In 2007, construction began on a plant with the first cranes leaving the production line in 2008. Manitowoc manufactures two Grove rough-terrain crane products at the new factory, while the older building has been expanded to assemble all of Groveâ€™s two- and three-axle all-terrain crane products.