Manitowoc Strengthens Operations in the Philippines

Manitowoc is expanding its sales team with a trio of appointments in the Philippines, as the range of cranes it supplies to the country continues to grow. Albert Hernandez and Carlo Tarifa are new in-country sales managers for Potain tower cranes; between the pair, they will cover the north and south of Philippines respectively. Michael Sanares is the new sales manager for Grove mobile cranes. Based in Manitowoc's office in Makati City, the trio will report directly to the company's sales director for the Philippines, Michael Macatangay. 

Hernandez is responsible for growing the Potain tower crane business in northern Philippines. He has over 24 years of experience in the automotive, food, and steel industries. Potain tower crane sales in the south will be overseen by Tarifa. He has 13 years of experience in marketing, sales, retail, wholesale, and rental services. Sanares will be growing the Grove mobile crane business. He has over 15 years of experience in the automotive, lighting supplies, and lifting equipment industries. The appointments are part of a wider strategy by Manitowoc to strengthen its business in the Philippines. 

Macatangay said the new additions will help manage growing activity levels in the Philippines and rising demand for Manitowoc cranes: 

"We're excited to welcome Albert, Carlo, and Michael to the team. With their stellar track records we're confident they will help us grow our business in the Philippines," he said. "The country continues to show positive signs of growth and we want to invest in our business to ensure we provide the very best levels of service to our expanding customer base. In addition to hiring new team members, we also want to expand our workshop and warehouse facilities over the course of 2018." 

Popular Potain cranes 

From the Potain range of top-slewing cranes, the MCT205 continues to prove popular for contractors in the Philippines. Launched in 2014, it can lift a maximum of 10 t, and has up to 65 m of jib with a 1.75 t jib end capacity. Its topless design makes erection faster, safer, and cheaper. The design also offers better overlapping capability, making it particularly efficient for congested job sites. 

Potain luffing jib cranes are perfect options for congested job sites or areas with limited space in the Philippines. A popular crane model is the MCR 160, which, like the MCT205, has a maximum capacity of 10 t but with up to 50 m of jib available. It has a maximum tip capacity of 2.4 t and a maximum free-standing height of 53.4 m. The MCR160 can even be placed inside buildings during construction. It features full variable frequency for all mechanisms (hoisting, slewing and trolleying) for smooth and accurate operation. 

For a little more lifting capacity, the MCR225A is another popular luffing jib crane. It has a maximum capacity of 14 t, a maximum radius of 55 m and a maximum tip capacity of 2.15 t. Its free-standing height under hook is 56.4 m. 

Interestingly, in recent years, there has also been an increase in interest for Potain's self-erecting cranes. While these are still relatively new to the Philippines, demand is growing as companies begin to understand the productivity advantages they offer. The revolutionary Hup 32-27 is one of the company's newest self-erecting crane models, and several have already been delivered to other South East Asian countries. Flexibility is one of the biggest selling points for the Hup 32-27, with more than 20 possible configurations. This allows it to be tailored to a wide range of projects. Maximum capacity is 4 t while the maximum radius is 32 m, with up to 1 t of lift ability at the jib end.

Go for Grove 

From the Grove range of mobile cranes, the brand's rough-terrain cranes and all-terrain cranes can be found on job sites across the Philippines, working on projects such as commercial and residential buildings and power plants. 

The four-axle GMK4100L-1 all-terrain crane is one of the newest units to launch in the Philippines. It offers the best load charts in its class and a narrow 2.55 m width. Its compact shape makes it easy to maneuver in the narrowest of job sites, while the single-engine design reduces fuel consumption. In fact, when combined with Grove's unique 'ECO' mode, the GMK4100-L is the most fuel efficient crane in its class. 

Overall, customers in the Philippines can choose from a wide range of Grove mobile cranes and Manitowoc crawler cranes. The more popular cranes include industrial cranes (up to 18 t capacity), rough-terrain cranes (from 30 t - 130 t capacity) and all-terrain cranes (from 60 t - 450 t capacity). The company's range of Manitowoc crawler cranes is also available in the Philippines, with those from 80 t to 110 t attracting the most interest. 

Manitowoc also offers industry-leading customer service to its customers through Manitowoc Crane Care, the world's most advanced crane support program. It is divided into four key components: parts; service and technical support; technical publications; training; and EnCORE, the company's rebuild, repair, remanufacture and exchange program. For spare parts and service, the company has an extensive stock available at its Makati City base and a team of highly-trained technicians ready to assist customers at a moment's notice.

Manitowoc | www.manitowoc.com