The market for all-terrain cranes in India is a niche one; typically, barely 12-15 new units from Germany, US or Chinese manufacturers are sold annually, observes Anil Bhatia, Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, TIL Ltd. TIL Ltd markets the Grove all-terrain crane in the 100 t to 450 t range. However, last year, demand for all-terrain cranes suddenly jumped to 20+ new units. And this year, Bhatia expects the demand to more than double with hirers placing most of the orders. “Mostly rental companies are buying all-terrain cranes,” agrees Andreas Cremer, Global Product Director for All-Terrain Cranes, Manitowoc. At bauma 2019, Manitowoc launched an impressive new unit in the five-axle category and two new three-axle models. The new GMK5250XL-1 includes a 78.5-m boom, the longest in the five-axle category. It appeared alongside the three-axle GMK3050-2 and GMK3060L, both making their first public appearance. All these models are manufactured in Europe but available in India. At the launch, Cremer said the new models underline the company’s ongoing commitment to building cranes that offer outstanding return on investment. “We believe in developing cranes our customers can use in a wider variety of projects for better return on investment.” he said. Indeed, versatility is a key concern of crane rental companies for making the product appealing to a wider segment of users. “An interesting feature of the demand for all-terrain cranes in India is that it is gradually veering from used models towards new machines, in view of end-users being more conscious of safety,” says Bhatia. “This is significant in view of the high ticket size of each crane, roughly over 1 million Euro.” He identifies the railway, flyover, metro, refinery, windmill and, in future, the bullet train project as key sectors driving this demand. The AC45, a small all-terrain crane, also called a city crane for offering the most compact dimensions in its class, and the all-terrain AC300-6 are some newer crane models launched by Terex Cranes in India. CHARU BAHRI