BAUMA Breaks Records, Big on News

April 21, 2004 -The 50th anniversary of what has become the world's largest construction equipment show closed on April 4, 2004 , breaking all previous attendance records. What's more, important announcements from several manufacturers dominated news surrounding the 2004 BAUMA event.

More than 410,000 visitors attended BAUMA, held in Munich , Germany , with the number of weekday visitors up 15 percent over the 2001 show. In addition, 2,700 exhibitors displayed equipment across more than 4.5 million square feet of trade show space. The access and lifting equipment areas occupied most of the outdoor space.

As the show opened, Manitowoc Crane Group, Manitowoc , Wis. , made big news with the announcement that it was selling the Delta-Manlift business and the other Manlift engineering designs (Grove boom lifts and Liftlux scissor lifts) to JLG Industries, McConnellsburg , Pa. Citing rising steel costs, a number of companies, announced price increases, ranging from 2 to 3 percent. Among those making price adjustments were Bobcat, CNH, and JLG.

Then six days into the show came a bombshell: Legal action previously taken by the Terex Demag division of Terex Corp., Westport , Conn. , against Liebherr for patent infringement of the Terex-Demag Sideways Superlift design had been upheld by a German regional court in Manheim. Liebherr has been instructed to cease and desist from selling or putting into service its Y-Guy attachment. This ruling also appears to apply to Grove's Mega Wing lift attachment. It is rare for a patent for an idea and general geometry, such as this, to be upheld in an infringement case.


Crane Announcements

Among the new crane introductions, Terex featured the most mainstream machines, with a number of new models, including the hit of the show-the AC55 City, a 55 metric ton, three-axle all-terrain crane. This "City Class" crane is equipped with a seven-section, 132-foot main boom and 45-foot triple-section offsettable jib extension. Other key features include a double cab and low-level dashboard. Also on display was a new AC70 City all-terrain crane.

At the larger end of its crane line-up was the new CC2200 crawler crane with 350 metric ton capacity. It features the IC-1 control system permitting multiple boom angle, Superlift radius, and Superlift counterweight set-up combinations. According to the company, the CC2200 "provides best-in-class lifting capacities with lowest cost for transport and erection."

In all, Terex cranes on display included 12 Demag AT cranes and three from PPM, two tower cranes from Comedil and one Peiner, plus one Bendini RT crane. ( www.terex.com )

Liebherr showed the 400 metric ton LTM1400 with the now-prohibited Y-Guy Superlift attachment as well as its new 55 metric ton city class crane with hydrostatic drive. Of interest for European buyers was a lattice boom crane designed specifically for wind farm erection. The 400 metric ton LR1400/2W narrow crawler crane can travel with full boom in place. For U.S. customers, Liebherr cranes are now being marketed directly through its Liebherr-Ehingen subsidiary, in Newport News , Va. That office can be reached at 757-727-0894. As of March 1, the manufacturer has ended its long-time relationship with U.S. distributor Schiller International Corp.

Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co., Lexington , Ky. , introduced the all-new HTC-8690, a 90-ton telescopic truck crane. This unit tops the series that includes three other models. The truck crane is equipped with a five-section, 140-foot boom. Maximum tip height is 237 feet with two additional lattice inserts installed. The boom requires no greasing due to Teflon wear pucks impregnated in the full contact wear pad surfaces. For highway travel, the counterweight packages (11,500 pounds standard, and optional 26,500 pounds or 32,500 pounds) can be easily moved to optimize the weight balance between the front and rear axles. ( www.linkbelt.com )

Manitowoc introduced 11 new cranes from all three of its brands. The Model 15000, which is based on the company's popular Model 999 design, is built at their plant in Wilhelmshaven , Germany , and is intended for European applications. Also new was the Model 1015 crawler crane for duty-cycle applications. Representing Grove was two new AT cranes and one rough-terrain model. The all-terrain units included the 60-ton, three-axle GMK3055 and 55-ton GMK3055-1. In addition, five new Potain tower cranes were on display, including a line of self-erecting units. The Igo 50 is the flagship model in this line, offering a capacity of 4.4 tons. ( www.manitwoc.com )

North American crane buyers may interested in the increasing availability of truck-mounted, self-erecting tower cranes. While Manitowoc has since abandoned its S282, introduced at ConExpo in 2002, these niche-market cranes have mainstream potential. Recently, Spierings of Holland and Arcomet of Belgium in joint venture with Tadano are having success developing these products for European crane rental applications. These unique tower cranes set up in minutes and offer massive outreach with respectable lift capacities. North American crane owners looking for a new niche would be well-advised to take a look at these innovative products.

Aerial platform highlights

Many of the aerial work platform introductions have been widely promoted in advance of the show as well as seen at ARA's Rental Show in February. UpRight, however, surprised many with a new straight boom. The company, which was absent at ARA, displayed the SB40/46, built at the company's Madera plant. The boom lift features standard 4-wheel drive, oscillating axle, and low-profile tires. When fitted with a jib, the 40-foot platform reaches 46 feet. UpRight also showed off a new corporate identity and color scheme incorporating more charcoal gray with its traditional blue. ( www.upright.com )

Denka Lift of Denmark showed a highly innovative trailer-mounted aerial lift featuring 43-foot platform height, compact dimensions, and jib with 180-degree arc. Production for the DXL15 is scheduled for later this year, and according to the company, by the conclusion of the show their order book was running into the fall. ( www.denkalift.com )

Falk Schmidt, another Danish company that sells in the United States under the Reachmaster name, introduced a new crawler-mounted 100-foot unit featuring non-marking tracks. ( www.reachmaster.com )

TIME Manufacturing, Waco , Texas , which exports as Versalift, showed an unusual prototype of a self-propelled compact truck-mounted aerial lift. The design allows the operator full drive control and normal lifting functions from the platform. The display model featured a suspension lock-out, hydraulic drive via the rear axle drive shaft, active brakes, and limitations on maximum platform height and degree of slew allowed-all dependent on the chassis weight. It was fitted with a 40-foot platform, but the system can be applied to most trucks. ( www.versalift.com )

Genie Industries, Redmond , Wash. , showed its new TZ50, as seen at ARA, but the real first for the company was its appearance in a Terex stand. While Genie had its own location out in front and staffed by Genie people, something was missing. According to several industry veterans, unlike the atmosphere at the ARA show where it was very much business as usual, it just didn't feel like the same ol' Genie. ( www.genieindustries.com )

Meanwhile, Snorkel International, St. Joseph , Mo. , located in the far-flung new northern portion of the show, was present to announce its re-entry into the European market. Despite its out-of-the-way position, company representatives claimed to have seen surprisingly strong traffic. ( www.snorkelusa.com )

JLG's 1250AJP 125-foot boom lift and G12-55A 56-foot telehandler, previously seen at ARA, were received with positive response by European customers. In addition to its Delta-Manlift announcement, the company also revealed a marketing deal to supply telescopic handlers to SAME Deutz-Fahr Group through SDFG's European distribution network of approximately 2,500 agricultural outlets. ( www.jlg.com )

French manufacturer Pinguely-Haulotte displayed a Faresin-Haulotte telehandler, which is the result of a new agreement between to two companies to sell this equipment to the European market. The unit on display was the 17m FH 17-40. New aerial work platforms included electric versions of their Compact Rough Terrain scissor lift line and a new self-propelled vertical lift. The vertical mast unit is targeted to compete with UpRight's TM12 and Genie's Runabout. ( www.haulotte.com )

Manitou, also hailing from France, featured a new 18m articulated boom lift, but because the company has no plans to launch its growing aerial work platform line in the United States, it was on display for European consumption only. Regarding its telescopic handlers, however, the company has hopes of increasing its North American business. Manitou North America , Waco , Texas , has settled into its new larger facility, which it moved to a year ago. ( www.manitou-na.com ) The company announced that global revenues were up one percent over the previous year for the year ending December 31, 2003 , reflecting a poor first half of last year with strong recovery in the second half.

Other important telescopic handler news for European customers was the introduction by most manufacturers of 56-foot models, many of which were previously shown at ARA and World of Concrete. Of note is JCB's introduction of a line of aerial attachments that conform to the EN280 regulations and feature full platform control. ( www.jcb.com ) Most of the other telehandler producers now offer this type of attachment.

Thanks to www.vertikal.net for contributing much of the information contained within this report. The Vertikal Press publishes U.K.-based Cranes & Access magazine.