In the year 1928 in La Clayette, France, the company Potain was established. Since then, Potain has been the global leader in tower crane production. They are responsible for more than 100,000 cranes installed and sold around the globe. At present, the company manufacturers over 60 models from various production plants in China, France, Portugal, Germany and Italy. The company represents numerous different product ranges used for a variety of applications. These machines are sold through a global Manitowoc dealer network.
The family of Potain cranes are divided into different tower crane families. The smallest cranes manufactured by Potain are the self-erecting cranes. These cranes range from 1 ton to 7.98 ton capacity. The next size up is the top-slewing cranes which are both higher and bigger. These cranes range from 7.98 to 64 tons. In addition, these are the biggest custom-designed special application cranes. These units provide a reach capacity of 160 tons.
Several of the main innovations with the company include the LLC range of hoists, the Dialog control system and the Vision Cab. The growing reputation of the company has expanded their appeal with different models. Potain cranes are normally found on conventional construction sites, power stations, bridge building projects, shipbuilding yards and ship-building projects.
Two of Manitowac's biggest facilities are based in the US. Their manufacturing facility is based within Wisconsin. In this state, both the tower crane parts and crawler cranes are made in Pennsylvania inside the Shady Grove facility. Here mobile cranes and boom trucks are built. Regional offices are situated within Brazil and within Mexico. Moreover, the extensive dealer network located throughout the United States and Canada provides coverage and support unrivalled by any other crane manufacturer.
Manitowoc has dominated the lifting market within North America for over 50 years. They have built their solid reputation with a combination of outstanding support and service and quality products. The well-known names of Manitowoc, Grove and national Crane have been top members of their market sectors within USA, Canada and South and Latin America.