Sany's New Entry Into North American Cranes
A new generation of productive, high-quality Sany cranes is coming to America, and Sany America is building a strong North American organization to support the products and the customers who buy them.
Currently, the Sany America team is made up of experienced veterans of the North American crane industry.
The experience starts right at the top.
The experience starts right at the top. Sany America CEO Doug Friesen is in charge of all of the company’s North American operations and products, including excavators, wheel loaders, vertical-mast forklifts, telehandlers, port cranes, and now crawler cranes. Friesen’s impressive resume includes more than 35 years of leadership positions at Toyota, GM, JCB, Terex, and Crosby.
“Doug’s brought so much positive energy, stability, and customer focus to the organization,” said Nichole Greco, marketing communications lead for Sany America.
The company’s well-experienced leaders of the crane division include Vice President of Sales Mark Phillippi, who has been in the industry more than 20 years; Director of Crane Sales Mark Thurston, whose career in lifting equipment spans 37 years; Head Service Engineer Grady Starliper, whose experience goes back more than 30 years; Product Manager Brian Smoot, a veteran of 15 years in the crane industry; and Director of Welding Jim Hoffman, who has more than 45 years of experience.
Everything You Need
The first two cranes Sany is offering here are the 110-USt SCA1000A and 286-USt SCA2600A lattice-boom crawler cranes, both introduced in prototype at ConExpo 2020.
The SCA1000A lifts 110-USt at a 12.5' radius and has a 210' maximum main-boom tip height.
The SCA2600A lifts 286 USt at a 16.5' radius and has a 302' maximum main-boom tip height.
At press time, production units were in route from the factory in China to North America, due for arrival in July.
More units of those models are expected to arrive later this year and early in 2022, as are a new 150-USt lattice-boom crawler crane and a 90-USt teleboom crawler.
Also, Sany America plans to have prototype rough-terrain cranes here late this fall for a year-long soft launch. “We will eventually offer a full range of cranes,” said Phillippi.
All of the new models are designed to fit the needs of North American crane users. “The cabs are roomy, offer excellent vision, and are laid out to meet the expectations of North American operators,” said Phillippi. “The Sany control system and LMI can diagnose problems and describe them right on the screen. Also, every crane offers a solid feel, very competitive capacities, easy transportation, and fast self assembly.”
Phillippi added, “Our approach is selling cranes that have everything you need and nothing you don’t.” He said that research shows most crane owners eventually need attachments, freefall capability, self-assembly, and other features sometime during a crane’s working life.
“Users can find lattice-boom crawler cranes challenging to spec out because there are so many options,” said Brian Smoot, product manager. “Our package makes it easier and gives the owner everything they’ll likely need in the future.”
Sany America’s sales package includes intelligent technology, easy-maintenance features, independent main and auxiliary hoists both with freefall, third-wrap function kickout, complete camera package with boom-tip camera, self-assembly package, maximum main boom, maximum fixed jib, maximum luffing jib (on models designed for one), a wind-speed indicator, on-board ground-bearing pressure indicator, full counterweight, and carbody jacks, all standard.
“It has every bell and whistle, even a walkway on the boom. They thought everything through,” said Phil Anderson, head mechanic for Central Bridge Co.
High Quality
Sany cranes’ structural components are welded from high-quality steel, and much of the welding is automated. The operating components, like engines, transmissions, pumps, motors, valves, and hoists, come from top-tier international manufacturers like Cummins, Bosch-Rexroth, Zollern, and Kawasaki. 
“The quality of the new Sany cranes is phenomenal,” said Phillippi. “Quality is a top focus, so Sany cranes in this generation are very reliable.”
“The SCA1000A has the same components I’ve been working on for years, and the Sany support is amazing,” said Central Bridge’s Anderson.
Joe Perez is vice president of CraneCo Crane Sales Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma, a Sany dealer. CraneCo has had an SCA1000A on a highway overpass project near Tulsa for 14 months. “In its whole time on this job, the crane has had no downtime,” said Perez. “It’s only minor issue came from a hoist solenoid that was diagnosed and changed in about an hour.”
Perez’s career covers more than 30 years of renting, selling, and supporting cranes for major manufacturers and dealers in North America. He knows the market, has operated every brand of crane, and understands the details of the equipment.
“I’m impressed with the direction Sany America is going,” he said. “Their focus on crane performance, quality, service, and support are second to none.”
Added Perez, “Sany can offer such a competitive price because of its efficient manufacturing, its size, and its buying power. The company has something like 65% of the crane market in China, so it can negotiate excellent prices from vendors.”
At a CraneCo open house for the SCA1000A, one skeptical crane owner spent nearly four hours going over the machine with a fine-toothed comb. “Afterward, he told me that the machine was ‘super good,’” said Perez. “He said it was as though Sany took the best features from other major brands and blended them into one crane.”
“Sany America is so confident in the quality of its cranes that its standard warranty is three years or 3,000 hours,” said Perez. “I invite anyone to see them at CraneCo in Tulsa. It doesn’t cost anything to come and check them out.”
Manuel Quinonez, co-owner of Central Bridge, added, “Sany is the only crane manufacturer that offers a three-year warranty. They can only do that because they’re comfortable with the quality of their cranes.”
Solid Support System
As with any equipment, knowledgeable and responsive support is as important as the cranes’ capabilities.
Mark Thurston, director of crane sales for Sany America, said, “We’re making sure the North American support system is set up and working properly so customers can count on top-notch service and parts right from the start.”
He added that Sany’s now setting up a dealer partner network and sales team to deliver that support coast to coast.
Thurston said that parts are already on the shelf at Sany’s North American headquarters in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, with inventories monitored weekly. “We’re at up to 95% on-shelf parts with quick turnaround,” he said.
CraneCo’s Perez gave an example. “When a customer broke a sliding window on the cab, Sany had seven in stock and shipped one right away,” Perez said.
“Having the parts and service available here in the U.S. was critical to our decision to go with Sany,” said Gary Quinones, co-owner of Central Bridge.
The company has a solid group of well-trained service technicians, and is growing the team. It’s led by Grady Starliper, who has more than 35 years of experience with major crane manufacturers and dealers.
Their mission is both to provide service and to train owners’ technicians so they can properly maintain and service the Sany cranes in their companies’ fleets.
“We’re building an organization that delivers cranes offering outstanding performance and reliability, backed by product and customer support that’s the best in the industry,” said Phillippi.
